iMac (Intel)

From Mac Guides

The Intel-based iMac was announced at Macworld San Francisco on January 10, 2006 and began shipping immediately. The first Intel based iMacs used a Core Duo processor and came in an identical form factor to their predecessor. They were available for the same price (depending on country), but were, according to Apple, up to 2-3 times faster than the iMac G5. Later iMacs used Core 2 Duo processors, and the current revision comes in an aluminum and glass form factor similar to the iPhone.

Contents 1 Rev. H 1.1 Overview 1.2 Specifications 2 Rev. G 2.1 Overview 2.2 Specifications 3 Rev. F 3.1 Overview 3.2 Specifications 4 Rev.E 4.1 Overview 4.2 Specifications 5 Rev. D 5.1 Overview 5.2 Specifications 5.3 Benchmarks 6 Rev. C 6.1 Overview 6.2 Specifications 6.3 Benchmarks 7 Rev. B 7.1 Overview 7.2 Specifications 7.3 Benchmarks 8 Rev. A 8.1 Overview 8.2 Specifications

Rev. H

Overview

The third iteration of the redesigned Intel iMac features 2nd generation Core iX series quad-core processors across the entire line, and a significant step up in graphics performance. As expected, iMac also gained Thunderbolt, the new high-speed I/O port providing up to 10Gb/s.

Specifications

	21.5"	High-end 21.5"	27"	High-end 27"
Price (USD)	$1,199	$1,499	$1,699	$1,999
Processor	Intel Core i5 at 2.5 GHz	Intel Core i5 at 2.7 GHz		Intel Core i5 at 3.1 GHz
	No BTO options	BTO to Core i7 at 2.8 GHz	No BTO options	BTO to Core i7 at 3.4 GHz
Cache	6 MB shared L3 cache
Memory	4GB (2×2 GB) 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
	Supports up to 16 GB (4×4 GB)		Supports up to 32 GB (4×8 GB)
Storage	500 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	1 TB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	No BTO options	BTO options of up to 2 TB and/or 256 GB SSD
Media	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	21.5" 1920×1080 LED backlit glossy IPS LCD		27" 2560×1440 LED backlit glossy IPS LCD
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 6750M with 512 MB GDDR5	ATI Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB GDDR5		ATI Radeon HD 6970M with 1 GB GDDR5
	No BTO options			ATI Radeon HD 6970M with 2 GB GDDR5
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme (a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Front Row	Apple remote sold separately.
Thunderbolt	1 Thunderbolt port		2 Thunderbolt ports
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, FaceTime camera, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad and Cleaning Cloth

Rev. G

Overview

The second iteration of the redesigned Intel iMac features Core iX series processors across the entire line for the first time, as well as discrete graphics in the entire line - a feature that hasn't been seen since the PowerPC-based iMac days.

Specifications

	21.5″	High-end 21.5″	27″	Quad-core 27″
Price (USD)	$1,199	$1,499	$1,699	$1,999
Processor	Intel Core i3 at 3.06 GHz with Hyper-Threading	Intel Core i3 at 3.2 GHz with Hyper-Threading		Intel Core i5 at 2.8 GHz with Turbo Boost (Quad-Core)
	No BTO options	BTO to i5 at 3.6 GHz with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost		BTO to Core i7 2.93 GHz with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost
Cache	4 MB shared L3 cache			8 MB shared L3 cache
Memory	4GB (2×2 GB) 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
	Supports up to 16 GB (4×4 GB)
Storage	500 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	1 TB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	No BTO options	BTO option of 2 TB	BTO options of up to 2 TB and/or 256 GB SSD
Media	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	21.5″ 1920×1080 backlit glossy IPS LCD		27″ 2560×1440 LED backlit glossy IPS LCD
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256 MB GDDR3	ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB GDDR3		ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1 GB GDDR5
	No BTO options		ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1 GB GDDR5	No BTO options
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme (a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Front Row	Apple remote sold separately.
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, iSight camera, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and Cleaning Cloth

Rev. F

Overview

The Late 2009 iMacs represented their second major design update since switching to Intel processors. Apple's 16:10 displays had been replaced in favour of new 16:9 displays in 21.5″ and 27″ models. Almost every aspect of the iMac had seen an update, with better display technology, faster processor and a newer architecture on the 27″ model, more RAM slots and better graphics cards being part of the mix. A new multi-touch mouse called Magic Mouse was also bundled in with a wireless keyboard which was now standard. Despite all these enhancements, the iMac's high-end models were even cheaper than the previous generation.

Specifications

	21.5″	High-end 21.5″	27″	Quad-core 27″
Price (USD)	$1,199	$1,499	$1,699	$1,999
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 3.06 GHz			Intel Core i5 at 2.66 GHz
	BTO to 3.33 GHz			BTO to Core i7 2.8 GHz with hyper-threading
	1066 MHz system bus, 3 MB L2 (3.06 GHz model) or 6 MB L2 (3.33 GHz model)			8 MB shared L3 cache and Turbo boost to 3.2 GHz (2.66 GHz model) or 3.46 GHz (2.8 GHz model)
Memory	4GB (2×2 GB) 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
	Supports up to 16 GB (4×4 GB)
Storage	500 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	1 TB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	No BTO options	BTO options of up to 2 TB
Media	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	21.5″ 1920×1080 glossy LCD		27″ 2560×1440 glossy LCD
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (integrated, 256 MB shared)	ATI Radeon 4670 with 256 MB GDDR3		ATI Radeon 4850 with 512 MB GDDR3
	No BTO options		BTO option of ATI Radeon 4850	No BTO options
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme (a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Front Row	Apple remote sold separately.
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, iSight camera, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and Cleaning Cloth

Rev.E

Overview

After months of rumors and speculation, the iMac finally saw an update on March 3, 2009. Most of the specifications were only tweaked and models were reshuffled to include only a single 20″ and three 24″ models. The processor is identical to the Rev. D's processors but the 2.4 GHz model was removed. DDR3 RAM was included along with a doubling of standard RAM and increase in Hard Drive capacities. Finally, the graphics cards were changed, bring the weaker 9400M used in the MacBook family to the 20″ and low-end 24″ but the stronger GT 120, GT 130 and Radeon 4850 to the higher-end models.

Specifications

	20″	Low-end 24″	High-end 24″	"Ultimate" 24″
Price (USD)	$1,199	$1,499	$1,799	$2,199
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.66 GHz		Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.93 GHz	Intel Core 2 Extreme at 3.06 GHz
	1066 MHz system bus, 6 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	2 GB (2×1 GB) 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM	4GB (2×2 GB) 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
	Supports up to 8 GB (2×4 GB)
Storage	320 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	640 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm		1 TB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	BTO options of up to 1 TB
Media	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	20″ 1680×1050 800:1 contrast glossy LCD	24″ 1920×1200 750:1 contrast glossy LCD
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (integrated, 256 MB shared)		NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 256 MB GDDR3	NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 with 512 MB GDDR3
	No BTO options		BTO option of NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 or ATI Radeon 4850	BTO option of ATI Radeon 4850
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme (a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Front Row	Apple remote sold separately.
Modem	No - Upgrade option for Apple USB Modem
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, iSight camera, New Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Cleaning Cloth

Rev. D

Overview

The Revision D iMacs were released silently on April 28, 2008. The biggest change was the introduction of Intel's latest processors based on the Montevina platform which was officially scheduled for release in June 2008. Other changes included faster RAM, the inclusion of Bluetooth 2.1, a high-end graphics card option (8800 GTS with 512 MB GDDR3 memory), a price drop on the high-end model and 2 GB standard on the high-end 20″ and low-end 24″ model.

Specifications

	Low-end 20″	High-end 20″	Low-end 24″	High-end 24″ (online only)
Price (USD)	$1,199	$1,499	$1,799	$2,199
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.66 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.8 GHz	Intel Core 2 Extreme at 3.06 GHz
	1066 MHz system bus, 6 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	1 GB (1×1 GB) 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-6400)	2 GB (2×1 GB) 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-6400)
	Supports up to 4 GB (2×2 GB)
Storage	250 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	320 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm		500 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	BTO options of up to 500 GB	BTO options of up to 750 GB	BTO options of up to 1 TB
Media	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	20″ 1680×1050 800:1 contrast glossy LCD		24″ 1920×1200 750:1 contrast glossy LCD
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128 MB GDDR3 memory	ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256 MB GDDR3 memory		NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 MB GDDR3 memory
	No BTO options		BTO option of NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 MB GDDR3 memory	No BTO options
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme (a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Front Row	Yes - Apple Remote included
Modem	No - Upgrade option for Apple USB Modem
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, iSight camera, New Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Cleaning Cloth

Benchmarks

• BareFeats - Radeon HD 2600 Pro vs. GeForce 8800 GS on Rev. D iMacs
• BareFeats - CPU tests
• BareFeats - Core Image Performance

Rev. C

Overview

Introduced at a media event on August 7, 2007, the new iMac marked the first major redesign for an Intel-based Mac. The new aluminum and glass combination as well as the addition of FireWire 800 was designed to make the iMac appear to have more in common with Apple's professional product line. Glossy displays were introduced to the iMac line, which offer improved contrast but a more reflective surface.

Specifications

	Low-end 20″	High-end 20-inch	Low-end 24-inch	High-end 24-inch (online only)
Price (USD)	$1,199	$1,499	$1,799	$2,299
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.0 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 GHz		Intel Core 2 Extreme at 2.8 GHz
	800 MHz system bus, 4 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	1 GB (1×1 GB) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)			2 GB (2×1 GB) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
	Supports up to 4 GB (2×2 GB)
Storage	250 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	320 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm		500 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	BTO options of up to 500 GB	BTO options of up to 750 GB	BTO options of up to 1 TB
Media	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	20″ 1680×1050 800:1 contrast glossy LCD		24″ 1920×1200 750:1 contrast glossy LCD
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128 MB GDDR3 memory	ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256 MB GDDR3 memory
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme (a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Front Row	Yes - Apple Remote included
Modem	No - Upgrade option for Apple USB Modem
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, iSight camera, New Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Cleaning Cloth

Benchmarks

• BareFeats - Benchmarks in Adobe Applications
• BareFeats - Benchmarks in Professional Applications
• BareFeats - Gaming Benchmarks

Rev. B

Overview

The Revision B iMac re-introduced 64-bit processors to the iMac line. Apple decided to use the mobile variant of the Core 2 Duo (Merom), which offers slightly slower speeds in exchange for lower power consumption and lower heat output when compared to the desktop variant (Conroe). Maximum RAM was increased to 3 GB on all models except low-end 17″ iMac. Firewire 800 was also included on the new iMac, making it the first consumer Mac to feature Apple's high-speed port.

The Revision B also introduced a new high-definition 24″ model with a resolution of 1920×1200.

Specifications

	Low-end 17″	High-end 17-inch	20-inch	24-inch
Price (USD)	$999	$1,199	$1,499	$1,999
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo at 1.83 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.16 GHz
	667 MHz system bus, 2 MB shared L2 cache	667 MHz system bus, 4 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	512 MB (2×256 MB) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)	1 GB (2x512 MB) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
	Supports up to 2 GB (2×1 GB)	Supports up to 3 GB (1×1 GB and 1x2 GB)
Storage	160 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm		250 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	BTO options of up to 500 GB			BTO options of up to 750 GB
Media	Slot-loading 24× Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	17″ 1440×900 500:1 contrast LCD		20″ 1680×1050 800:1 contrast LCD	24″ 1920×1200 700:1 contrast LCD
Graphics	Intel GMA 950 graphics with 64 MB of shared memory	ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory		NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT with 128 MB GDDR3 memory
	No BTO options		BTO option of X1600 with 256 MB GDDR3 memory	BTO option of 7600GT with 256 MB GDDR3 memory
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme	AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Front Row	Yes - Apple Remote sold separately	Yes - Apple Remote included
Modem	No - Upgrade option for Apple USB Modem
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, iSight camera, Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse

Benchmarks

• BareFeats 20″ and 24″ iMac Core 2 Duo benchmarks - General tasks
• BareFeats 20″ and 24″ iMac Core 2 Duo benchmarks - High-resolution gaming

Rev. A

Overview

Announced at January 10, 2006, the new iMac was one of Apple's first Intel-based Macs. There were no design changes made so from the exterior it looks identical to the iMac G5, but there were some key differences inside. Its processor was dual-core unlike the iMac's G5, however it isn't 64-bit capable like the G5 in iMacs. Also the iMac G5 could include up to 2.5 GB of RAM whereas the Intel iMac only had support for 2 GBs. Despite these two shortcomings, Apple claimed the Intel iMac was several times faster than the G5s. However, as very few pieces of software were completely universal and dual-core aware at the time, the Intel iMac's performance would vary wildly between different applications.

On July 5, 2006, Apple introduced a new education-only model of the iMac. Priced at US $899, it was touted as a replacement to the eMac. It came in a 17″ form factor and was similar to the traditional 17″ model but had a smaller hard disk drive (80 GB), a Combo Drive rather than SuperDrive and a GMA 950 graphics card. Bluetooth and an Apple Remote were not included as standard.

Like all other Macs of the time, the extremely outdated AppleWorks suite was dropped as a standard feature to encourage iWork sales.

Specifications

	17″ (Education Only)	17-inch	20-inch
Price (USD)	$899	$1,299	$1,699
Processor	Intel Core Duo at 1.83 GHz		Intel Core Duo at 2 GHz
	667 MHz system bus, 2 MB shared L2 cache
Memory	512 MB (2×256 MB) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300)
	Supports up to 2 GB (2×1 GB)
Storage	80 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	160 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm	250 GB Serial ATA at 7200 rpm
	BTO options of up to 500 GB
Media	Slot-loading 24× Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)	Slot-loading 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× Dual Layer burn (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Display	17″ 1440×900 500:1 contrast LCD		20″ 1680×1050 800:1 contrast LCD
Graphics	Intel GMA 950 graphics with 64 MB of shared memory	ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory
	No BTO options		BTO option of X1600 with 256 MB GDDR3 memory
Audio	Analog/Optical Out, Analog/Optical In
Wireless	AirPort Extreme	AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Front Row	Yes - Apple Remote sold separately	Yes - Apple Remote included
Modem	No - Upgrade option for Apple USB Modem
Other	Gigabit Ethernet, iSight camera, Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse

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