iMac Component Curiosity.

[RichardBeer]

I recall reading somewhere that iMacs have in the past used predominantly laptop components such as mobility Core 2 Duos and mobility GPUs. If this holds to be true then is it still the case for the current iMacs? The recent news regarding the sandy bridge chipset in regards to the iMac made me wonder as it mentioned the chipset as being a desktop one.

Thanks

 

[alust2013]

The iMacs do use high-end mobility GPUs, but have used desktop CPUs for the past 3 or 4 revisions. They had used mobile CPUs, but changed that a couple years ago.

 

[TMRaven]

The only thing laptop about the current iMacs are their gpus and ram. You could argue the speakers are laptop quality too, but desktops don't really have built in speakers to begin with. I'm not sure about the optical drive.

CPU and HDD are desktop grade.

 

[alust2013]

The only thing laptop about the current iMacs are their gpus and ram. You could argue the speakers are laptop quality too, but desktops don't really have built in speakers to begin with. I'm not sure about the optical drive.

CPU and HDD are desktop grade.

Optical drive is as well, it's the same type they use in the MacBook (pro) line

 

[RichardBeer]

Ah I see. I'd have hoped for desktop graphics but I assume it's a problem due to space and heat considerations.

 

[alust2013]

Ah I see. I'd have hoped for desktop graphics but I assume it's a problem due to space and heat considerations.

Pretty much, but they name the versions they use as the equivalent desktop version, so the "5750" in the iMac should perform similarly to a desktop 5750 GPU. But you are right, it's a matter of space and the amounts of heat that true desktop versions put off.

 

[RichardBeer]

Well as long as the performance is similar. I never felt at ease with iMacs due to the knowledge of them having laptop components vs the price and the fact that Apple sell it as a 'desktop' Macintosh. Although from what I understand the displays they put in them are by no means cheap and probably account for a large percentage of the price.

 

[alust2013]

Yeah, the panel is a high-res IPS panel, which is not at all cheap. Most monitors with similar panels are $1000+, so that's a pretty good percentage of Apple's cost for the machine.

 

[RichardBeer]

I'm glad to hear it. This puts the iMac back on the list of possibilities for whenever I decide I need a desktop.