iMac 27 2020 or iMac24 2021

[Yebubbleman]

Hey guys,

I want to buy an iMac in the next few weeks, but I really don‘t know with which one to go.

I am a teacher and right now I‘m just using an iPad Pro 12,9 2020 with Magic Keyboard.

That’s why I need a desktop solution with a bigger display.

I like the design of the current 2020 iMac but I think the silver iMac2021 is a good choice as well.

Which model would you pick? And why?

Do you need to do anything that specifically depends on Intel? Examples of this include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Gaming

- Running Windows on your Mac

- Running virtual machines that run operating systems designed for the Intel architecture (including Windows 10, past versions of macOS, and Linux)

- Run applications that either won't be updated for Apple Silicon (i.e. M1 Macs) and/or run unacceptably on Apple Silicon

?

If the answer is no, then either (a) go with a 24" iMac or (b) wait for the 27" iMac's Apple Silicon replacement. Because, as others have said, if you don't have a specific reason for buying Intel, buying Intel is a bad move in terms of longer term longevity.

If the answer is yes, then get the 27" iMac.

 

[petvas]

I don’t need the 64gigs.
I will buy the new 24”.
Can’t wait, it’s coming the 30th but still processing

Mine is coming today and it's currently out with the delivery courier..I can't wait!

 

[sirHydra]

Mine is coming today and it's currently out with the delivery courier..I can't wait!

When was your estimate?
When did it say «preparing to ship?»

 

[Yebubbleman]

2021 iMac 24" for me. Many believe that Apple will abandon macOS support for Intel Macs in short order.

"Many" only have the previous processor architecture transition to go off of. It's a different Apple and it's also 15 years later into the future where Apple cutting support for 6 year old Macs is on the SHORTER end of the average age of a supported Mac for a given new release of macOS. 2012 Macs had eight years before they were disallowed from running the latest macOS. Apple is not going to necessarily hasten the end of support for Intel based Macs in macOS. They may very well, however, hasten the end of support for non-T2 Intel based Macs. But seeing as the last of those (21.5" Retina 4K iMac) just got discontinued, I'd imagine even that's a ways off (and yes, I realize they're still selling the non-retina 2017 21.5" iMac, but it's not exactly front and center on their store the way literally all other Macs they're still selling new are).

There should be a larger m-series iMac coming soon.
I would expect it to be "announced" in June (WWDC) and perhaps ship in July.

Might be worth holding out 6-8 more weeks.

The larger iMac was always going to be on the latter end of this transition. The higher-end 13" MacBook Pro and the 16" MacBook Pro are next up at bat here.

I am also torn between the new 24 and the 2020 iMac.
I have a 24 coming on June 30, so I have to decide soon!

Option 1:
M1 iMac - Blue (24”)
Apple M1 8/8
16GB RAM
2TB SSD
Apple Trackpad
Price: €2387.41 +taxes (Apple Store)

Option 2:
2020 iMac (27”)
Intel i7 8-core 3.8GHz
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
Radeon Pro 5500 XT 8GB
Price €1966.39 +taxes (Amazon)

OWC 64GB (4x16GB) 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
Price €310.39 +taxes (Amazon)

Total Price: €2276.78 +taxes


The 27 iMac should outperform the 24 on every single aspect but storage.
I’m not considering the 27 with the i9 and the 5700 XT because Apple asks €1053,28 on top of the Amazon deal.

The Intel is more powerful, I can get the job done for more years hardware-wise, while Apple should support the M1 longer on the software side.

What should I do?

Only go Intel if you have use cases that require it. Gaming, natively booting x86-64 Windows or Linux via Boot Camp, or virtualizing x86-64 operating systems (Windows, Linux, Intel versions of macOS) are among those use cases. Also, if you have software that you need to run now that won't run acceptably (or at all) in Rosetta 2. If none of that applies to you, get the M1 iMac. Just don't get the 7-core 2-port model. That thing is a bad value proposition all around.

 

[petvas]

When was your estimate?
When did it say «preparing to ship?»

I ordered on May 14th. Estimate was June 25th to July 2nd. It changed to preparing for shipment on June 14th and it was shipped on June 15th. I just got it and I am finishing setting it up.. What impressed me the most is that restoring from my TimeMachine from a Samsung Thunderbolt 3 SSD took 6 minutes!!!

 

[pappkristof]

I am also torn between the new 24 and the 2020 iMac.
I have a 24 coming on June 30, so I have to decide soon!

Option 1:
M1 iMac - Blue (24”)
Apple M1 8/8
16GB RAM
2TB SSD
Apple Trackpad
Price: €2387.41 +taxes (Apple Store)

Option 2:
2020 iMac (27”)
Intel i7 8-core 3.8GHz
8GB RAM
512GB SSD
Radeon Pro 5500 XT 8GB
Price €1966.39 +taxes (Amazon)

OWC 64GB (4x16GB) 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
Price €310.39 +taxes (Amazon)

Total Price: €2276.78 +taxes


The 27 iMac should outperform the 24 on every single aspect but storage.
I’m not considering the 27 with the i9 and the 5700 XT because Apple asks €1053,28 on top of the Amazon deal.

The Intel is more powerful, I can get the job done for more years hardware-wise, while Apple should support the M1 longer on the software side.

What should I do?

Option2 if you can’t wait for the M2 chip.

 

[ADGrant]

DO NOT GET an INTEL iMac!

Price point for the new 24" M1 iMac is great - especially if you are a teacher - the EDU price is $1249 on the base model.

As a teacher, I would use the iPad Pro as a SideCar screen and double your screen real estate!

When I get my blue 24" M1 iMac (pre-ordering 4/30) I will be connecting a second Apple display and use the iPad Pro as a SideCar for the 3rd display.

I would not get the base model 24" iMac, Apple gimped the cooling system.

As others have already mentioned here, unless you have a specific need for an Intel Mac (e.g. Windows or a specific application that you need isn't supported on the M1), the M1 Mac is probably going to be better for you. That said, the 2020 Intel Macs do have a few advantages over the M1 Macs. Aside from the obvious (the 5k 27" screen, 4 USB-A ports and an SD card reader) the 2020 iMac has more powerful GPUs available, better multi-core performance from the higher end CPUs and you can install 128GB of RAM. These aren't things the average user may care about of course

If you do just need the bigger screen you could buy the M1 Mac Mini and a 5k 27" display (or the 6k Apple XDR display). The Mini is even available with 100GB ethernet (also an option for the 2020 iMac). You do lose the integrated webcam, microphone and speakers which are pretty decent on both iMacs and very useful for FaceTime and Zoom.

 

[4sallypat]

I would not get the base model 24" iMac, Apple gimped the cooling system.

As others have already mentioned here, unless you have a specific need for an Intel Mac (e.g. Windows or a specific application that you need isn't supported on the M1), the M1 Mac is probably going to be better for you. That said, the 2020 Intel Macs do have a few advantages over the M1 Macs. Aside from the obvious (the 5k 27" screen, 4 USB-A ports and an SD card reader) the 2020 iMac has more powerful GPUs available, better multi-core performance from the higher end CPUs and you can install 128GB of RAM. These aren't things the average user may care about of course

If you do just need the bigger screen you could buy the M1 Mac Mini and a 5k 27" display (or the 6k Apple XDR display). The Mini is even available with 100GB ethernet (also an option for the 2020 iMac). You do lose the integrated webcam, microphone and speakers which are pretty decent on both iMacs and very useful for FaceTime and Zoom.

Hate to break it to you, but the cooling system is not an issue with the M1 base iMac w/ 1 fan.

My M1 base iMac stays ice cold all day long of use - fan never spins up.
Same with my M1 iMac with 1 fan - stays ice cold.

Compared to my Intel iMac, Mini, MBP which are all run super HOT, fan spins up like crazy and the battery life on my 16" MBP is god-awful; why would anyone other than a graphics artist or video editor need an awful Intel based Mac....

 

[ADGrant]

Hate to break it to you, but the cooling system is not an issue with the M1 base iMac w/ 1 fan.

My M1 base iMac stays ice cold all day long of use - fan never spins up.
Same with my M1 iMac with 1 fan - stays ice cold.

Not everyone agrees that it is not an issue. The base 24" iMac is closer to the fanless MBA in longer benchmarks, the cooling system in the $200 more expensive version is closer to the M1 Mac mini. Personally, I was surprised that Apple put a less effective cooling system in the lower cost model, they certainly didn't advertise the fact. The video below discusses the issue and provides benchmarks.

Compared to my Intel iMac, Mini, MBP which are all run super HOT, fan spins up like crazy and the battery life on my 16" MBP is god-awful; why would anyone other than a graphics artist or video editor need an awful Intel based Mac....

A lot of graphics artists and video editors would be better off with an M1 Mac depending on what software they use to get their work done. However there are plenty of people who are not graphics artists or video editors who might still need an Intel Mac such as many software developers and people who work for large corporations.

Apple has sold a lot of Intel Macs to large corporations but some companies also allow employees to connect their personal Macs to the corporate network provided certain security requirements are met.