The new iMac features nearly twice the processing speed, advanced graphics and 
ultra-fast Thunderbolt I/O. You don’t usually find something this fast and sleek on a desk.

New Intel Core i5 and i7 processors.

Up to 1.7x faster at the core.

New quad-core Intel Core i5 processors are standard on the new iMac. Choose a 21.5-inch iMac with a 2.5GHz or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5. Or expand your view with a 27-inch iMac featuring a 2.7GHz or 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5. You can even configure iMac with the fastest quad-core processor available — the Intel Core i7. All models use Intel’s recently refined chipsets. That means the new iMac performs nearly twice as fast as the previous generation,1 adding a new dimension of speed to everything you do. And since Mac OS X is designed to take advantage of each core, it captures every last bit of performance from the processor.

Turbo Boost 2.0.

Say you’re using a processor-intensive application like
Aperture 3 or Final Cut Pro that benefits from extra power. Turbo Boost 2.0 automatically increases the speed of the active cores — up to 3.8GHz. 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 (or play) goes smoother and faster.

Faster single-chip micro-architecture.

Watching a film, updating your blog, editing photos. Tasks like these require data to travel from place to place. The latest Intel Core architecture puts the processor, cache, memory controller and graphics engine on a single chip. Since data doesn’t have as far to travel, you get faster performance and greater efficiency.

Integrated memory controller.

With faster access to memory, each core gets straight to work on your data, rather than waiting for it to arrive. That’s why Intel Core architecture uses an integrated memory controller to connect fast 1333MHz memory directly to the processor. Together with up to 8MB of shared L3 cache, that helps your applications run at peak performance.

Advanced AMD Radeon HD graphics.

When you need performance for things like playing 3D games, editing HD video or running design software, the discrete AMD Radeon HD graphics in iMac go to work. You see more frames per second and experience better responsiveness. With the AMD Radeon HD 6970M, the top-of-the-line 27-inch iMac offers the best graphics of any all-in-one. But no matter which iMac you choose, you’re guaranteed superior graphics performance. With up to 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 video memory, these processors provide up to 3x faster performance than the previous generation.2

Thunderbolt.
Data transfer is now lightning fast.

Thunderbolt technology has arrived — and Apple computers are the first to have it. With one tiny port, you get lightning-fast transfer speeds and huge expansion capabilities. Two 10-Gbps data channels per port mean you can transfer data up to 12 times faster than with FireWire 800. And don’t worry about a single drive or peripheral tying up the Thunderbolt port: you can daisy-chain as many as six devices plus a display. The 27-inch iMac includes a second Thunderbolt port for even more expansion possibilities. Connect up to six more devices or a display or two. Learn more about Thunderbolt

  1. Testing conducted by Apple in April 2011 using pre-production 21.5-inch 2.7GHz Intel Core i5–based iMac units and shipping 21.5-inch 3.2GHz Intel Core i3–based iMac units. For After Effects CS5, units were configured with 8GB RAM. For all other application tests, units were configured with 4GB RAM. Modo test files: BathFaucet.lxo and Couch.lxo. After Effects CS5 test files: Animal.aet and Monolith.aet. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of iMac. Testing conducted by Apple in April 2011 using pre-production 27-inch 3.4GHz Intel Core i7–based iMac units and shipping 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Core i7–based iMac units. For After Effects CS5, units were configured with 8GB RAM. For all other application tests, units were configured with 4GB RAM. Modo test files: BathFaucet.lxo and Couch.lxo. After Effects CS5 test files: Animal.aet and Monolith.aet. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of iMac.
  2. Testing conducted by Apple in April 2011 using pre-production 21.5-inch 2.5GHz Intel Core i5–based iMac units with AMD Radeon HD 6750M and 512MB graphics memory, and shipping 21.5-inch 3.06GHz Intel Core i3–based iMac units with AMD Radeon HD 4670 and 256MB graphics memory, all configured with 4GB RAM. Portal v(4295)(400) tested using mydemo1.dem, maximum graphics quality, 8x anti-aliasing, 16x anisotropic filtering, at 1920x1080. Call of Duty 4 v1.7.1 tested using Timedemoambush, Timedemobog, Timedemopipeline, maximum graphics quality, 4x anti-aliasing, at 1920x1080. Half-Life 2: Episode Two v(4295)(400) tested using storm.dem, high graphics quality, 4x anti-aliasing, 4x anisotropic filtering, at 1920x1080. StarCraft II v1.3.2.18317 tested using Metalopolis 1V1 replay, high graphics quality, at 1920x1080. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of iMac. Testing conducted by Apple in April 2011 using pre-production 27-inch 3.4GHz Intel Core i7–based iMac units with AMD Radeon HD 6970M and shipping 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Core i7–based iMac units with AMD Radeon HD 5750, all configured with 1GB graphics memory and 4GB RAM. Portal v(4295)(400) tested using mydemo1.dem, maximum graphics quality, 8x anti-aliasing, 16x anisotropic filtering, at 2560x1440. Call of Duty 4 v1.7.1 tested using Timedemoambush, Timedemobog, Timedemopipeline, maximum graphics quality, 4x anti-aliasing, at 2560x1440. Half-Life 2: Episode Two v(4295)(400) tested using storm.dem, high graphics quality, 4x anti-aliasing, 4x anisotropic filtering, at 2560x1440. StarCraft II v1.3.2.18317 tested using Metalopolis 1V1 replay, high graphics quality, at 2560x1440. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of iMac.