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Apple is doing things differently these days. Last October, it
overhauled almost the entire notebook line, and now it's done the same
thing to its desktops. The days of a few new Macs here, a few new ones
there may be behind us.
The Mac mini had gained
Nvidia GeForce 9400 graphics, and the entry-level model now sports a
SuperDrive. The Mac Pro is more
awesome than ever with its new Nehalem CPUs. And the iMac line has seen
its share of changes as well.
Across the board, every current Mac ships with an Intel CPU and
Nvidia GeForce graphics by default, although there are a couple of ATI
Radeon build-to-order options. The 2009 iMac comes in two sizes (20" and
24") and three speeds (2.66, 2.93. and 3.06 GHz). We can divide them
into two pairs that share a lot of features - the 2.66 GHz iMacs and
the faster ones.
Before we go any further, we want to mention the passing of FireWire
400, a Mac standard for nearly a decade. It's finally been supplanted
by FireWire 800, and using FireWire 400 devices only requires the right
FireWire 800-to-400 cable or adapter. (All Macs except for the MacBook Air and Unibody MacBook have FireWire,
and the MacBook White is
the only current Mac that still has FireWire 400.)
The CPUs in the new iMacs are the latest tweak to the Intel Core 2
Duo architecture.
About the Keyboard
Before we go any further, we want to let you know about the new
USB keyboard that ships with new iMacs by default. For the first time,
a desktop Mac is shipping with a keyboard that doesn't have a numeric
keypad. The new keyboard has the same layout as Apple's wireless
keyboard (and Apple's notebooks), but with two USB 2.0 ports.
For those who want the traditional layout with a numeric keypad,
full-size arrow keys, and the other navigation keys, Apple now offers
the Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, which you can swap for free
when buying your iMac from Apple. And for those who want the new
compact USB keyboard, it's available for $49.
2.66 GHz iMacs
There is only one 20" iMac - it runs at 2.66 GHz and retails for
US$1,199. It ships with 2 GB of RAM and supports up to 8 GB,
and it has the same Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics found in almost every
Mac this side of the Mac Pro, and it used 256 MB of system memory for
graphics. The standard hard drive is 320 GB. All of the new iMac have a
6 MB level 2 (L2) cache and use 1066 MHz DDR3 memory.
The entry-level 24" iMac also runs at 2.66 GHz and retails for
$1,499. It includes 4 GB of RAM and a 640 GB hard drive.
Faster iMacs
The 2.93 GHz and 3.06 GHz iMacs are also 24" models, and they also
include 4 GB of RAM standard. The 2.93 GHz model has a 640 GB
hard drive by default, while the 3.06 GHz iMac has a 1 TB
drive.
Both of these models use Nvidia GeForce GT graphics with dedicated
video RAM. The 2.93 GHz iMac has GT 120 graphics with 256 MB of VRAM,
and the 3.06 GHz iMac has GT 130 graphics and 512 MB of VRAM. ATI
Radeon HD 4850 graphics is a $50 build-to-order option.
The 2.93 GHz iMac retails for $1,799, and the 3.06 GHz model at
$2,199.
Out with the Old
Apple has the previous generation of iMacs available in its
clearance section:
20" 2.4 GHz, $999
24" 2.8 GHz, $1,399
We expect other dealers will be offering their remaining inventory
at similar prices.
The Entry Level
Some of us still miss the 17" iMacs, but 20" is today's entry level.
Based on
early Geekbench results, the 2.66 GHz 2009 iMac has as much
processing power as the 2.66 GHz 2008 iMac. Compare that to the 2.4 GHz
model that ships with only 1 GB of RAM, and it's pretty clear that
the new model is worth $200 more than the old one in terms of
processing power. However, the 2008 iMacs all have discrete GPUs with
dedicated video memory, which should make them a better choice for
gamers than the new 2.66 GHz iMacs.
If price is an absolute consideration, you'll be happy with the 2008
model, but the other improvements justify the modest difference in
price between last year's model and the new one.
24" 2.66 GHz
The 2008 24" 2.8 GHz iMac is going for $1,399 with 2 GB of RAM and
ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics. For just $100 more you get the new
2.66 GHz model that benchmarks at 4.5% slower, has twice the base RAM,
and includes GeForce 9400M graphics, and it's hard to justify the
close-out price unless you're a gamer, in which case the dedicated
graphics of the 2.8 MHz iMac would make it the better choice.
Higher up the food chain, Geekbench shows the new 2.93 GHz iMac has
almost as much power as the old 3.06 GHz one. (There are no test
results for the new 3.06 GHz iMac yet.)
Value to Spare
Between the Mac mini's adoption of Nvidia graphics, the Mac Pro's
adoption of Nehalem CPUs, and the iMac's move to Nvidia graphics, the
new desktop Macs have value to spare - and their power will really be
unleashed when Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard" ships later this year.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Links for the Day
Mac of the Day: DayStar Genesis, introduced 1995.10.30. The first 'Mac' with multiple processors, technology Daystar licensed to Apple.
Before we go any further, we want to let you know about the new
USB keyboard that ships with new iMacs by default. For the first time,
a desktop Mac is shipping with a keyboard that doesn't have a numeric
keypad. The new keyboard has the same layout as Apple's wireless
keyboard (and Apple's notebooks), but with two USB 2.0 ports.