Apple iMac 27-inch (Intel Core i5-4670)

Pros Fusion Drive is SSD+HDD, but smart. Stunningly thin design. Impressive low-glare display. Top-of-the-line processor and graphics card offer best-in-class performance. User serviceable memory slots. Ports include Thunderbolt and USB 3.0. Can work as a monitor for Thunderbolt Macs.

Cons No Touch Screen. SD card slot in back. No internal upgradability beyond RAM. No height adjustment. Requires adapter for HDMI. Bottom Line Though it's mainly a speed bump, the inclusion of the latest 4th-generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 775M Kepler graphics bump the Apple iMac 27-inch (Intel Core i5-4670) back to the top spot on our high-end all-in-one desktop list.

By Joel Santo Domingo

Though it's mainly a speed bump, the inclusion of the latest 4th-generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 775M Kepler graphics made a world of difference for the Apple iMac 27-inch (Intel Core i5-4670) ($2,199 as tested). The newest iteration costs much less than previous iMacs costing significantly more (such as the Apple iMac 27-inch (Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M), which listed for $3,099), but it's just as fast, if not faster. The newest iMac (Intel Core i5-4670) even surpasses the previous all-around EC for high-end all-in-one desktops. Thanks to its improved performance and features, the latest Apple iMac 27-inch is also our latest Editors' Choice for high-end, all-in-one desktops.

Design and Features
The new Apple iMac looks identical to last year's Apple iMac 27-inch (Late 2012) ($2,668), and no wonder. Apple introduced the new iMac chassis last year, which is still all aluminum and glass, and still tapers down to about 5mm on all four edges around the screen. Apple was able to do this by eliminating the built-in DVD SuperDrive, saving quite a bit of heft. Apple likewise moved the SD (SDXC) card reader from the side to the back panel. While not a deal-breaker, moving the SD card slot to the back makes it inconvenient for users who simply want to transfer their pictures to from their camera to their iMac. In contrast, the previous high-end, all-in-one Editors' Choice Dell XPS 27 Touch All-in-One (2720) ($2,099) has a tray-loading DVD burner, the SD card reader, and a selection of ports on the side; hence the Dell is much thicker along the edge.

The base model of 27-inch iMac (Intel Core i5-4670) comes with a 3.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, 1TB (non-Fusion hard drive (non-Fusion), 2,560 by 1,440 resolution 27-inch screen, and GeForce GTX 775M, and retails for $1,999. Apple sent us an upgraded model with a 1TB Fusion Drive with a total price of $2,199 (a $200 premium over the base model). The 1TB Fusion Drive is a paired set of a 1TB 7,200rpm SATA hard drive along with a 128GB PCIe Flash Storage unit (similar to a SSD). To get our exact review configuration is to go to Apple's online store, select the 3.4GHz version of the 27-inch iMac ($1,999), then click on the 1TB Fusion Drive button under "Storage." This should add $200 and make the subtotal $2,199. The Flash Storage stores OS X and any other system files all the time, while the OS monitors which apps and documents you use often. The system then shifts these oft-used files automatically to the Flash storage, so they are available without too much waiting time. Less used files and programs are physically stored on the spinning hard drive. In practice, this means that startups and application launches only take seconds, compared with up to a few minutes on older hard-drive-only system. Unlike a HDD+SSD setup on some Windows PCs, users won't have to do any file management themselves; the OS does that for you. The Macintosh HD icon shows all the files on both physical drives, so you don't have to remember if you saved your file to the Flash or to the hard drive. For more on Fusion drive, please read our article, 5 Things to Know About the Apple Fusion Drive. Depending on your budget, you can upgrade to a 3TB Fusion Drive, or even forgo the spinning hard drive and configure an iMac with up to a 1TB flash storage drive. You'll pay $1,000 over the $1,999 base price for the privilege.

As expected, the iMac (Intel Core i5-4670) doesn't have too much internal access for the end user. You can buy tools from sites like ifixit.com to get into the system, but like the original Macintosh of mid-1980s vintage, the end user isn't meant to open the iMac and perform upgrades. The only upgrade available is under a door on the back panel, which exposes a set of four SO-DIMM slots. The system has 8GB installed, with a potential for 32GB total. If you need internal expansion, then systems like the HP Z1 Workstation ($5,673) would be a pricey option. Granted, the Z1 is an ISV-certified professional workstation that has a premium price for premium features like the internal accessibility, Xeon processor, and Quadro graphics. People that want such features like Xeon and Quadro in a Mac would be advised to wait for the upcoming redesigned Mac Pro when that is released, hopefully soon.

Like the previous model, the 27-inch iMac's screen is a bright IPS display with a 2,560-by-1,440 resolution. This matches the XPS 27 Touch's resolution, and both have far more pixels on the screen than any 27-inch system with a 1080p screen, like the Acer Aspire 7600U (A7600U-UR308) ($1,899) or the semi-portable Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon ($1,849.99). The higher resolution screen means that you can show more of a high pixel RAW image or show a full 1080p HD video while still displaying toolbars for editing that video. The iMac's glass is essentially bonded to the IPS panel, so internal reflections are minimized. Though technically the chassis is made of several pieces, the welding technique Apple uses means that the system effectively appears as a single piece. This helps rigidity and contributes to the thinness of the system.

Like other Macs, the iMac comes preloaded with iPhoto, iTunes, Mail, etc. The iMac has a one-year warranty. One future-proofing plus is that the iMac can work as a monitor for a future Thunderbolt-equipped Mac. Using one of the two Thunderbolt ports, the iMac's monitor can display video for a MacBook, Mac mini, or other future Mac. You can of course use the Thunderbolt ports and the four USB 3.0 ports for hard drive and peripheral expansion. This ability to use the iMac as a monitor almost makes up for the fact that you will need adapters for DVI, VGA, and HDMI displays in multi-monitor setups. Mini-DisplayPort, and Thunderbolt monitors will work natively, of course.

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Apple iMac 27-inch (Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M)

Pros Stunningly thin design. Impressive low-glare display. Top-of-the-line processor and graphics card offer best-in-class performance. User serviceable memory slots. Ports include Thunderbolt and USB 3.0.

Cons Pricey. No internal upgradability. No HDMI-in or out without an adapter. No height adjustment. Needs external Thunderbolt drive for more storage. Bottom Line With a memory bump, the Apple iMac 27-inch (Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M) shows that it is still capable of running with the big dogs. It's the highest performance Mac we've seen, for now.

By Joel Santo Domingo

The Apple iMac 27-inch (Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M) ($3,099 direct) desktop is a powerhouse system for those who need high-octane performance. It can be upgraded to 32GB of memory and a high-end third-generation Intel Core i7 processor. When combined with speedy Flash storage, it is the kind of configuration that will excite your graphic design and scientific users, at least until the next iteration of the iMac shows up later this year (probably).

Design and Features
On the outside, the latest iMac 27-inch is identical to the Apple iMac 27-Inch (Late 2012) ($2,688 direct) that we looked at last year. It has the same 20.3-inch-tall aluminum chassis with built-in tilting stand. Again, you'll have to budget about 25 inches of width and 8 inches of depth on your work surface for this behemoth. The current high-end all-in-one desktop Editors' Choice the Dell XPS 27 Touch All-in-One (2720) takes up roughly the same amount of space, within two inches in any given dimension. The iMac is thinner than the Dell XPS 27, particularly at the edges, where the chassis tapers down to a few millimeters. As such, there is no room for an internal optical drive, though Apple still carries its external USB SuperDrive DVD burner for $79.

Both the Dell XPS 27 Touch and the iMac 27-inch have better than 1080p HD IPS screens, with a 2,560-by-1,440 resolution. This means you can view and edit a full HD 1080p movie with plenty of room left over for toolbars and the like. Other 27-inch all-in-one desktops like the Vizio 27-inch All-in-One Touch PC (CA27T-B1) ($1,549) and Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon ($1,849) make do with only 1,920-by-1,080 resolution screens, which are to their credit, still full 1080p HD. The iMac 27-inch models don't have touch screens. The OS X operating system isn't optimized for touch screens, and for the time being Apple has limited touch to iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone. Like all current 27-inch iMacs, the system has a laminated glass cover for the screen, which reduces reflections.

The iMac 27-inch has four USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt ports, a SDXC card reader, headset jack, and Gigabit Ethernet on the back. There is an access panel on the back for access to the memory slots, but the system we reviewed came with them filled to the current maximum of 32GB. Any other expansion has to be done via Thunderbolt or USB 3.0. For the fastest throughput rates, we'd recommend one or more Thunderbolt SSD drives or arrays, but you can hook up everything from a 128MB USB 2.0 stick up to multiple Thunderbolt five-drive disk arrays for extra data storage.

The configured-to-order (CTO) system we reviewed came with 256GB of Flash Storage, which is totally enough for a single-use desktop like an audio engineer's workstation (with Apple Logic Pro X), as long as you have external storage for your music data files. For general-purpose use like a graphics artist's workstation, we'd recommend the Fusion Drive setup seen in last year's review, since that configuration has 1TB of internal storage for personal files like music and downloads. The iMac 27-inch comes with 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi networking in addition to the physical gigabit Ethernet port. You can use the Thunderbolt ports to connect up to seven devices each (including up to two Thunderbolt or mini-DisplayPort monitors). You'll need a third-party adapter for mini-DisplayPort to HDMI or one of Apple's mini-DisplayPort to VGA or DVI adapters to use the iMac with other screens. You can use the iMac's display with most recent Thunderbolt-equipped Macs (Mac mini, MacBook Air, etc.), so you stretch the life of the system's display once the internal components are obsolete. That said, Thunderbolt isn't as accommodating as a plain HDMI-in port like the one on the Dell XPS 27 Touch, which can connect to more devices like laptops, smartphones, game consoles, cable boxes, and anything else with a HDMI-out port.

Like all current Macs, the iMac 27-inch (Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M) comes with OS X 10.8 and Apple's iLife suite (iTunes, iPhoto, etc.). You'll be able to upgrade the iMac to OS X Mavericks (aka OS X 10.9) when it is released later this year, though the pricing and availability on the upgrade hasn't been released yet. The iMac comes with a standard one-year warranty.

Performance
The iMac 27-inch (Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M) we reviewed has 32GB of DDR3 1,600-MHz memory, a third-generation Intel Core i7-3770 processor, 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 675MX discrete graphics, and 256GB of Flash Storage instead of a hard drive. As a result, this system screams through some of our benchmark tests. It's in a dead heat with the 4th-generation Intel Core-equipped Dell XPS 27 Touch (2720) on the Handbrake video encoder test and the Photoshop CS6 test. Both are over a minute faster than the mobile processor-based Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon.

The iMac also turns in quite playable scores on the Heaven 3D gaming benchmark test. The iMac turned in a barely playable 31 fps at native resolution, but when stepped down to a more reasonable 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, the iMac returned a playable 55 fps. This tells us that this iMac is capable of playing strenuous AAA game titles fairly easily. You should be able to find a sweet spot that trades between resolution and rendering quality. It certainly blows away the integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 in the Vizio 27-inch All-in-One Touch PC (CA27T-B1). With more memory and Flash Storage, this iMac is a bit faster than the system we reviewed last year, particularly on Photoshop CS6 and CineBench, which renders 3D using the CPU and system memory instead of the graphics card.

The Apple iMac 27-inch (Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M) certainly makes a case for itself, you'll certainly get better performance when you max out the memory and use Flash Storage. If you're a Mac maven who already has external Thunderbolt storage, this is a good intermediary upgrade until the Mac Pro ships later in 2013. However, on a price and feature comparison, the Dell XPS 27 One (2720) holds on to its Editors' Choice for high-end all-in-one desktops. It matches the iMac on screen resolution and multimedia performance, trumps the iMac on port selection (which is the primary expansion method for all in ones), lags on 3D gaming performance, but more than makes up for it on storage capacity and in the final price tally. Essentially, if you're in the market for a high end Mac, this is the powerhouse system, but if you just need a high-end all-in-one desktop PC, the XPS 27 One (2720) wins the bang-for-the-buck challenge.

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