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2019 iMac w/i9 + 2017 thermal design = iFurnace?

dspdoc

dspdoc

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 7, 2017
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So with the 2019 iMac offering i9 chips and seemingly no thermal redesign like the iMP, is this thing going to be a furnace or what? Maybe when tear downs start we will be surprised to find they did do something with the thermals? I sure hope so! Otherwise this could be a mess.
 
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Probably the cooling system remained the same as the case itself. If so, then yes, welcome to the throttle gate. Then, we'll see how lazy Apple is. --> iOven
 
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If I end up getting one it will probably be the i5 6 core for that reason.(also saving $400 doesnt hurt)
 
fokmik said:
I think all of the 6cores and 8 cores will be too much for the chassis
Remember the last gen quad core i7 was too much already
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But wait, if it's the i5 8500, the TDP is 65 watts instead of 91. So the 6-core processor could be in OK range still.
 
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I really think/hope apple will introduce the new design era for the imac 31.5” at WWDC along side the new Apple display!
 
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dazlicous said:
If you read my comment I am asking if it’s comfirmed it’s had the thermals upgraded so what do I need to clarify
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Oh right, lol. Sorry. Misread.
[doublepost=1553009689][/doublepost]
fokmik said:
This was confirmed since we saw fusions drive still inside
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I would assume though that it doesn't mean they couldn't have done something to try and improve thermals, right?
 
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This is what I'm trying to figure out too. Now it is true that the iMac is a lot bigger enclosure than the MBP, but I think the bigger reason they redesigned the thermals for the iMac Pro is for the higher-end Vega cards. I'm wondering if this Vega 48 is a 7nm node like Radeon VII, which was essentially an overclocked Vega 64 from what I understand (and I also wonder if the new Vega 64X option in the iMac Pro is basically a Radeon VII rebadged for professionals). Knock out 25% of the cores on 7nm (if true) and Vega 48 wouldn't be very hot.

I'm also wondering if the 8-core is worth it? I tend to keep my Macs longer nowadays, but I'm not sure if the 8-core will run single-core tasks slower, or if the i5 doesn't have as much cache or other performance bottlenecks? Anyone know? Surprised there is no i7 for the base high-end, but Intel confuses me anymore with their naming. Thanks.
 
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Another underwhelming iMac update. It's about time Apple improved the thermal response of the iMac, to make it better suited for more powerful hardware. Don't get me wrong, the iMac (Pro) is a beautiful machine, and one of the best AIOs out there, but getting a high quality PC computer has become a better deal during the last few years, because Apple are repeatedly increasing their prices, while selling underpowered (or throttling) machines. Windows 10 has also improved quite a bit, and you can even get powerful compact PCs like the Corsair One, if that's your thing.
 
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anaudiopro said:
Can Apple really be this foolish though? I mean seriously?
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Why not? Look it as a whole. Apple has already proven itself being such an idiot in recent years with many examples. 1) They put the 8th gen cpus inside the 2018 MacBook Pro although they knew it is going to throttle like hell. Their "making always thinner" habit ruined nearly all those. We know the keyboard issues on mbp, I have used all 2016 mbp 13" and 15", and 12" macbook as well. 2) All of their keyboard had failed. For what? just to make the laptop 3mm thinner. 3) Then, this flexgate thing happened. Just to save a few cents from 6$ cable, many have faced screen issues. Some paid 600$ to have their mbp repaired. 4) They put a lower quality webcam on the new MacBook Air just to save a few dollar maybe. 5) They made both Mac and iPad line-up so confusing. 4) They didn't update the Mac line-up regularly. We have always waited so much for minor upgrades generally. 12" macbook didn't get update and the cpu that should be in 12" model put into the new MacBook Air and Air has been updated after 3 years. The cpu should be inside the new Air was put into non-touchbar MacBook Pro. Now, 3 of them are candidate to be cannibalized. Also, new MacBook Air is total non-sense. There is simply no reason to buy it when you are able to get the mbp for 100$ additional.

The reason I moved to iMac is because I saw it as a safe zone.

2012 was a great year for Apple consumers probably they were the last projects and products came from Steve Jobs. Since then we have Tim Cook and he turned Apple into a customer-milking fashion company, at least to me.

anaudiopro said:
I certainly hope this helps the thermal situation. I guess all we can do right now is speculate until someone cracks one of these babies open.
Click to expand...

You see? Now, we are just hoping for a properly working device.
 
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ondert said:
Why not? Look it as a whole. Apple has already proven itself being such an idiot in recent years with many examples. 1) They put the 8th gen cpus inside the 2018 MacBook Pro although they knew it is going to throttle like hell. Their "making always thinner" habit ruined nearly all those. We know the keyboard issues on mbp, I have used all 2016 mbp 13" and 15", and 12" macbook as well. 2) All of their keyboard had failed. For what? just to make the laptop 3mm thinner. 3) Then, this flexgate thing happened. Just to save a few cents from 6$ cable, many have faced screen issues. Some paid 600$ to have their mbp repaired. 4) They put a lower quality webcam on the new MacBook Air just to save a few dollar maybe. 5) They made both Mac and iPad line-up so confusing. 4) They didn't update the Mac line-up regularly. We have always waited so much for minor upgrades generally. 12" macbook didn't get update and the cpu that should be in 12" model put into the new MacBook Air and Air has been updated after 3 years. The cpu should be inside the new Air was put into non-touchbar MacBook Pro. Now, 3 of them are candidate to be cannibalized. Also, new MacBook Air is total non-sense. There is simply no reason to buy it when you are able to get the mbp for 100$ additional.

The reason I moved to iMac is because I saw it as a safe zone.

2012 was a great year for Apple consumers probably they were the last projects and products came from Steve Jobs. Since then we have Tim Cook and he turned Apple into a customer-milking fashion company, at least to me.



You see? Now, we are just hoping for a properly working device.
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Things have been extremely disappointing since Steve passed away, yes. I cannot disagree with you. I just can't imagine that they are not trying to learn from totally ignorant repeated mistakes.
[doublepost=1553014511][/doublepost]Lots of speculation on this threads popping up that the thermal design is identical to the 2017 machine. I sincerely hope everyone is wrong. No one can be sure until someone has opened one of these up. I am going to try and reach out to Apple directly to see what they say about it.
 
It's possible that the Vega runs cooler than the old Polaris chips. leaving more room for the CPU to get hot - of course this would mean that you really have to order the Vega with any high-CPU configuration. There's precedent - it happened with the 2018 MBP. When first released, it throttled like hell, to the point that a throttling i9 could be slower than the entry-level model on some benchmarks, and there was rarely any difference between the higher standard model and the CTO i9. A firmware update made a difference, then the Vega models seem to throttle much less than their Polaris predecessors, to the point that the i9 is a useful upgrade according to reviews and forums.

Could this be true of the new iMacs as well?
 
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danwells said:
It's possible that the Vega runs cooler than the old Polaris chips. leaving more room for the CPU to get hot - of course this would mean that you really have to order the Vega with any high-CPU configuration. There's precedent - it happened with the 2018 MBP. When first released, it throttled like hell, to the point that a throttling i9 could be slower than the entry-level model on some benchmarks, and there was rarely any difference between the higher standard model and the CTO i9. A firmware update made a difference, then the Vega models seem to throttle much less than their Polaris predecessors, to the point that the i9 is a useful upgrade according to reviews and forums.

Could this be true of the new iMacs as well?
Click to expand...
Here's to hoping Apple has this all dialed in and knows something we don't know. If not, I expect they will catch hell for being stupid and making the same mistake yet again. I also suspect it would go viral and be all over YouTube. I called a senior adviser today to ask if he had any inside scoop as to the thermals being changed at all and he had no clue. He basically said we all know as much as he knows. They haven't seen the machine yet or been told internally that they changed anything from the 2017 machine other than the spec bumps.
 
I just can’t understand why they did not use the iMac Pro body for the new iMac. They have solved the thermal problems with it. Maybe they offered it only in silver for this one to differ it more...
 
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