iMac is amazingly thin, yet it offers faster quad-core performance, up to 60 per cent faster graphics, ultrafast Thunderbolt and the all-new Fusion Drive option. So it’s powerful enough for a design studio, production house or science lab. And beautiful enough for any room in your home.
Core i5 and Core i7 processors.
The third-generation quad-core Intel Core i5 processor — built on the latest Ivy Bridge architecture — is now standard on iMac. It’s available at a clock speed of up to 3.2GHz. Or configure iMac with a quad-core Intel Core i7 at up to 3.4GHz. Since OS X is designed to take advantage of each core, iMac captures every bit of performance from the processor. OS X also supports Hyper-Threading in the Core i7, allowing two threads to run simultaneously on each core — giving you eight virtual cores of processing power.
Turbo Boost 2.0.
Say you’re using a processor-intensive application like Aperture or Final Cut Pro that benefits from extra power. Turbo Boost 2.0 automatically increases the speed of the active cores, so the Core i7, for example, can offer up to 3.9GHz. And by shifting core frequency in small increments, Turbo Boost allows the processor to manage performance without sacrificing efficiency. All this takes place behind the scenes, so your work — and play — goes smoother and faster.
iMac uses NVIDIA’s new Kepler graphics architecture to deliver up to 60 per cent faster graphics performance than the previous generation.1 That translates into more frames per second, smoother animation and better responsiveness when you’re using graphics-intensive apps like 3D games, high-resolution photo and video editors, and more. If you choose the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX on the 27-inch iMac, you get the best graphics performance available in an all-in-one computer.
With Thunderbolt, you get superfast data transfer speeds and huge expansion capabilities. It features two 10-Gbps data channels per port, each up to twice as fast as USB 3 and up to 12 times faster than FireWire 800. And don’t worry about a single drive or peripheral tying up a Thunderbolt port — you can daisy-chain as many as six devices and a display. All iMac models include two Thunderbolt ports for even more expansion possibilities. Learn more about Thunderbolt
Available as a configurable option at the Apple Online Store, Fusion Drive is a breakthrough concept that combines the high storage capacity of a traditional hard drive with the high performance of flash storage. With Fusion Drive in your iMac, disk-intensive tasks — from booting up to launching apps to importing photos — are faster and more efficient. That’s because frequently used items are kept at the ready on speedy flash storage, while infrequently accessed items go to the hard drive. The file transfers take place in the background, so you won’t even notice. As the system learns how you work, Fusion Drive makes your Mac experience even better. And you don’t have to do a thing.
Storage
1TB hard drives are now standard across the iMac line. You can maximise your storage by configuring the 27-inch iMac with a drive up to 3TB in capacity. Or choose up to 768GB of flash storage (up to 512GB on the 21.5-inch model). For the best of both worlds, choose the Fusion Drive option in 1TB or 3TB capacities.3
Memory
The 21.5-inch iMac comes with 8GB of memory and can be configured online with 16GB. On the 27-inch iMac, 8GB of memory comes standard, and you can upgrade to 16GB or 32GB. Configure and buy your iMac at the Apple Online Store and it will arrive with the memory already installed. Or add more memory to the 27-inch model yourself by popping open the easy-to-access memory panel on the back.