Review: 27-inch iMac mixes advancements, compromises

Apple’s largest all-in-one desktop computer, the 27-inch iMac, was recently updated with a long list of under-the-hood changes, but it’s the strikingly thin design that people notice first. And while the 5mm edge on the new iMac is certainly impressive, you can’t help but wonder if the tradeoffs Apple made for the new design are worth it.

The specifics

Apple has two standard configurations of the new 27-inch iMacs. Both use Intel’s quad-core Ivy Bridge processors; the high-end $1999 model sports a 3.2GHz Core i5 processor, while the low-end $1799 model uses a 2.9GHz Core i5. Our tests showed that the 3.2GHz model was between 5 and 7 percent faster in processor-intensive tasks. Both processors support Turbo Boost to run at speeds of 3.6GHz for brief periods of time. For an additional $200, the high-end model can be configured to order (CTO) with a 3.4GHz quad-core Core i7 processor that supports Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz. The optional Core i7 also supports Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology that allows two virtual processing cores to run on each physical core, so applications that can take advantage of multiple cores can address eight virtual cores instead of the four physical.

The RAM slots on the 27-inch iMac are accessible through a panel on the back of the machine.

All 2012 iMacs ship with 8GB of RAM, up from 4GB in the previous generation. The 27-inch iMacs both ship with 7200-rpm, 1TB hard drives as standard equipment—the same as the 2011 27-inch iMac.

Unlike the new 21.5-inch iMacs, the larger models still have user-configurable memory. An interesting trap door mechanism on the back of the 27-inch iMac, just above the power cord input, gives access to the four memory slots. The 27-inch iMac’s 8GB of RAM comes in the form of two 4GB SO-DIMMs, leaving two slots open. If you want to increase the RAM to 16GB, Apple will do it for you for $200 at the time of purchase. But since you have two open RAM slots and installation is so easy, I’d recommend looking at a third party for more economical RAM upgrades. For example, OWC offers two compatible 4GB SO-DIMMS for $60, and Crucial sells two 8GB SO-DIMMS for $86.

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via Macworld http://www.macworld.com/article/2025363/review-27-inch-imac-mixes-advancements-compromises.html