Do people really have burning questions about something as familiar as Apple ’s iMac ? They do when that iMac ships with an Intel - built CPU at heart .
Apple kicked off the Intel transition at this yr ’s Macworld Expo by bring out two new iMac models , power by 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo chips , respectively . Both the 17 - in and 20 - inch iMacs are ship now .
What can you expect from the first plenty of Intel - power iMacs ? We ’ve done some dig to find out the result to your interrogative .
If all the software out there won’t run natively on the new iMac, why should I buy one instead of the old model?
That all depends on how adventurous you are . The newfangled Intel iMacs be the same as the PowerPC iMacs , but offer two processor cores or else of one , faster RAM , and improved video features . At the same time , however , if the programs you use most often have n’t yet been made Universal — that is , design to run on both PowerPC and Intel - based Mac — they’ll take to the woods slower because Apple ’s Rosetta applied science will have to read their PowerPC codification into instructions the Intel microchip can empathize .
That , in tour , will slow down those program down . How much slower ? Check out our initial iMac mental test using non - native app . All of our test showed that PowerPC app bunk on the unexampled iMac at less than half the speed they run at on the most recent iMac G5 example .
However , if you ’re upgrading from an old system , you may not even comment the speed conflict . For example , we found that these new iMacs bunk Rosetta program much faster than they run natively on a first - contemporaries iMac G4 , unblock four class ago .
For more on Rosetta and Universal computer software , see our Intel FAQ .
Does this new iMac have that “Intel Inside” sticker on them?
A corner from Apple with an Intel gummed label on it ? Perish the thought . Besides which , a few week ago , Intel changed its logo and add a novel tagline , “ Intel . Leap forrader . ” Nice change , but it ’s still not die on our Macs .
Hey, Apple just updated the iMac a few months ago! What gives?
When the new iMac G5 was announced last twelvemonth , Apple steer out that despite its outer similarities to the previous - generation iMac , its innards were quite different . Turns out that those engineering changes — speeding up the bus and RAM , adding PCI Express graphics musical accompaniment , and the like — were laying the groundwork for the switch to Intel .
As a result , these new Intel - based iMacs are n’t that different from their immediate G5 - powered harbinger . There are only a few surface area where there are notable changes : CPU , random memory , and showing .
So what’s new with the iMac’s processor?
You may have get word something about it being made by a company make Intel . The fresh iMac uses the Intel Core Duo processor , which essentially offers two mainframe on a single chip .
As a result , Apple report that these young iMacs are up to two time quicker than their predecessors , even though the chips in these raw iMacs in reality have lower clock speeding ( 1.83GHz and 2GHz ) than their G5 twin ( 1.9GHz and 2.1GHz ) .
How has the RAM changed?
The novel iMacs use 667MHz SDRAM ; the SDRAM in the iMac G5 runs at 533MHz . Also , the RAM configuration has exchange somewhat : the new iMacs max out at 2 GB of RAM , while the iMac G5 could take up to 2.5 GB .
So can I finally use an iMac with a second, external monitor?
Yes ! At long last , the iMac has catch the TV acclivity it deserves . Rather than the moldy older VGA port of former good example , the new iMacs sport mini - DVI interface — so you’re able to in the end get crystal - clear digital - telecasting output from an iMac .
Even better , iMacs are no longer limited to displaying a extra of what ’s on their main projection screen on an external show . This mean you may scat a projector , TV , or even a flashy 20 - inch or 23 - inch Apple Cinema Display as a second covert , in addition to the iMac ’s build - in display . That ’s safe news for teachers , Front Row fans , and people who simply ca n’t function without secondary screen space .
What else is new when it comes to iMac video?
The TV card has been reasonably raise , from an ATI Radeon X600 to an ATI Radeon X1600 . More importantly , buyers of the 20 - column inch iMac can choose to trick out the circuit card with extra RAM , occupy it from 128 MB to 256MB — good news for gamers and anyone else who wants speedy graphics performance on an iMac .
Wait…that’s it? That’s all that’s new with this iMac?
Yeah , it ’s true . With the one ( major ) elision of the Intel Core Duo processor powering it , this new iMac is very much like its forerunner . The big change to the iMac line come a few month ago , when the new iMac G5 was bring out , thoroughgoing with its progress - in iSight camera , remote , and package . But the Core Duo ’s extra processor nitty-gritty render these iMacs speed potential difference the iMac G5 lacked , and the upgraded video recording features patch one of the iMac ’s few other stay weakness . Given that these new iMacs are the same price as the premature version , they appear to be an awesome time value .
