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iMac 2020 Reviews And Benchmarks - The Last Intel iMac
- Thread starter Homy
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I think you're right, Az. In theory, the GPU with the lowest clock, even if it's wider, should be the most efficient. And judging from this page:
https://www.amd.com/en/graphics/radeon-apple-5000-series
The standard 5700 would be the one to get for me. It's by far the lowest clocked. I think I've made up my mind about the specs, now I only need to resist for 2 more months until they release at least one AS machine before pulling the trigger
41.1 dBA and 100 °C at max CPU load... as always... thanks Apple -.-
I want to recall Elite dropped support for MacOS a few years back. Now you need to use boot camp to play ED.
Ooo 4.1GHz on the 10 core when running Cinebench, would like to see some back to back runs though. But pretty happy with that considering it’s limited cooling. The Puget benches were a welcome surprise.
My other choice was building a super small Mini-ITX PC which would only have room for a 92mm Noctua cooler and that as well would have low boost clocks.
My other choice was building a super small Mini-ITX PC which would only have room for a 92mm Noctua cooler and that as well would have low boost clocks.
I'd really like to see some comparisons between the 5700 and 5700XT, and both compared in an i7 and an i9.
To put this in context.
The original PS4 had noise levels up to 58.2 dB
The original PS4 Pro had 50-55dB
The revision of the PS4 pro has 44-48dB
-3dB = half the noise.
Making this iMac under heavy load 1/64 as loud as the original PS4 under load and still only half as loud as the most recent revision of the PS4 (that btw. also lowered it's noise level by allowing more heat with newer, more robust, hardware).
Just like the bezels, you might want different, but it's good enough unless you ruthlessly focus on it.
What is 40dB?
Library (!!!), bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound
Source: https://www.iacacoustics.com/blog-full/comparative-examples-of-noise-levels.html
There are reviews that show the RAM door and Apple clearly writes on its website that the memories are "user accessible" so lot of such information can easily be found on Apple's website.
Better cooling helps the components last longer. That's the reason people hope these new iMacs have better cooling. Thermal throttling (as I wrote) is not the same as thermal shutdown. Thermal throttling means that the CPU or GPU downclocks to prevent shutdown. So I haven't seen anybody talking about shutdown, only throttling. As you say Apple already underclocks its CPUs and GPUs in many cases to prevent problems but it doesn't always prevent throttling. So no, it's not useless talks to many with other needs than yours.
According to Geekbench Metal results Pro 5700XT can actually outperform Pro Vega 64X but that's just one test.
What's the source of your information about "Apple has Intel bumps scheduled for the next 3 years"? Tim Cook himself said that the transition to AS is done in two years across all Macs. Many in the world, including big tech guys believe this is the last Intel iMac. Sure, they will update other Intel Macs during the next two years, like Mac Mini that hasn't been updated since 2018 and iMac Pro since 2017 (besides the base CPU) but considering that Apple has updated iMac every 20 months since 2015 and is launching AS iMac next year you can bet that this is the last Intel iMac. That's why they went all in with 10th gen Intel CPUs in all iMacs 27" (in contrast to before when they had 8th gen in the cheaper 27" and 9th gen only in the top 27") and Radeon 5700 and 5700XT, two GPUs nobody thought would fit in 27".
Until relatively recently, thermal throttling meant if the heat was too much for even the base clock speeds to be maintained. Somehow this turned into if its not matching max turbo 100% of the time, its thermal throttled.
In fact I'd submit the 2019 models have two HUGE advantages:
1) the ability to upgrade the spinning drive to an AFFORDABLE sata ssd
2) the ability to run Mojave
For me, those two things completely overshadow the slight upgrades in the 2020 models
Well the problem there is that benchmarks like geekbench show scores based on almost the full turbo boost capabilities, so people think their 1.8ghx processor that boosts to 3.9 ghz is pretty much equvalent to A 3.6ghz processor that also boosts to 3.9ghz.
In many REAL WORLD uses the the 3.6ghz processor will be clearly better. But because of turbo boost, the poor sap with a 1.8ghz processor may be under the illusion that his machine is just as fast. Its not.
Thats why measuring how much a processor operates under its full boost speed should be a much more publicized metric.
That amount a processor operates under its turbo speed in real world use (even if its not technicaly 'throttling') would be a very telling measurment of actual processor power that Geekbench will never provide.
Except with PS4 and similar you didn't usually sit within a foot or less than two of it. That makes a difference too.
The other issue is the speakers and fans are effectively same source with an iMac meaning the fan noise is much more noticeable from a directional standpoint.
I recall the PS3 edition 1. Ran hot and noisy.
The 2nd edition seemed to really improve in these aspects.
The PS3 1st edition failed (heat...) just before the warranty ran out. So I managed to the improved version as a free replacement.
Azrael.
My launch PS3 got a the yellow light of death a few years after launch. Was absolutely gutted at the time. Little me had saved up so much to spend £425 + games on that bad boy! Definitely ran on the toasty side... PS4's have been hit or miss with the heat and noise.
I am on a 32 inch TV with a classic PS4 and i can tell you that i am very close to both the PS4 and the TV. The Order... Dead by Daylights title Menu...
But what am i talking anyway... forum dwellers want to hate. Science says library level noise under heavy heavy load, people probably hear themselves complaining much louder than the actually computer while staring at the bezels instead of into the screen. ^^
PS3 (fat) was at a way higher level of noise.
Eventually i switched to the super slim one... forgot how they call it, with the push open tray. That dos well enough.
My original PS2 is loud AF when just turning it on.
I supose SNES is still the best. Zero noise (i suppose some here can hear it loudly though) with amazing pixel art that stands the test of time much better than most N64, PSX or Dreamcast attempts at 3D.
I don't think i ever had a console or computer die on me tbh. iMac had it's HDD replaced due to failure once, but that was free replacement. But i don't think anything ever bricked for me.
Hi all,
Did anyone find any review/benchmark of the 3.3 model?
I'd love to wait for the rumored 24" but considering i will be using it for music production and i won't be willing to wait for most companies to deliver new drivers and software etc, besides the fact that i don't think they'll let you upgrade the ram or the storage either , and i'm not willing to pay that insane amount of money for more RAM or storage (i'm willing to upgrade up to 1TB , and it hurts me...) i'm considering buying the mid-range one and beef it up to 128Gb , but i cannot find any reviews for that specific model...
Do you guys think it's not worth it?
Thanks!
Did anyone find any review/benchmark of the 3.3 model?
I'd love to wait for the rumored 24" but considering i will be using it for music production and i won't be willing to wait for most companies to deliver new drivers and software etc, besides the fact that i don't think they'll let you upgrade the ram or the storage either , and i'm not willing to pay that insane amount of money for more RAM or storage (i'm willing to upgrade up to 1TB , and it hurts me...) i'm considering buying the mid-range one and beef it up to 128Gb , but i cannot find any reviews for that specific model...
Do you guys think it's not worth it?
Thanks!
Also, I like how the 2019 model doesn't have a T2 chip.
Maybe the Vega 48 runs cooler and having that is an advantage too. Does anyone know if the Vega 48 in the 2019 iMac runs a lot cooler than any of the 2020 GPUs?
My Vega 48 runs in the mid-70’s low 80’s with the fan manually set to 2700 RPM when under load.
I am well aware of that, it's poorly optimised even for Windows. Yet it should run much better with throwing better compute, faster r/w rates and a beefier CPU at it.