For a long time, iMac has been the #1 desktop computer in terms of customer satisfaction. It’s a really good machine in terms of design and power. The fusion of great design and raw power makes it an extremely good machine. However, it’s only some of the configurations that are worth the title.
The base model of the iMac for example is a very underpowered machine with a dual-core i5 processor. It’s also the older seventh generation model of the Intel series chips which is bad considering that the market now has computers with Intel 10th generation chips. The processor however can be upgraded for a much more powerful chip but it will cost.
Pure lackluster performance
The iMac starts at $1099 for the base model and a dual-core i5 processor for the price is just pure bad. Also, it uses a 5400rpm older type of hard-disk instead of the faster SSDs. If we look back, it was Apple that pushed for SSDs starting with the MacBook Air in 2010 to improve the speeds and also reduce the thickness & weight of the laptops at the same time.
On the graphics side, the base iMac lacks a dedicated processing unit and instead relies on the integrated Intel Iris Pro 640 unit. It will definitely struggle with any process that requires graphics processing as it is meant to handle the usual tasks the operating system (macOS in this case) is supposed to use like the windows, transparency effects and more.
The display on the base model of the iMac is the same as the older generation iMac for the past eight years or so. It’s the same unchanged Full-HD 1080p panel which is not bad but its not great in any way either as the world moves beyond 1080p.
Should you buy the base model of the iMac? Definitely not. Invest a little more and get the quad-core iMac with a beautiful 4K display.