CNET editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 11/17/2009
- Released on: 10/20/2009
Editors' note: This review has been corrected to indicate that the system has only a mini DisplayPort output. Mini DisplayPort input capability is restricted to the 27-inch iMacs.
We awarded Apple an Editors' Choice for its new $1,699 iMac, largely because its 27-inch screen dwarfs its competition in that price range. So what to make of Apple's new lower-end iMac? At $1,199, its 21.5-inch screen is hardly the size leader for its price, and without a touch screen or a Blu-ray drive, it's missing some of the features common to midrange Windows all-in-ones. Fortunately, Apple hasn't cast its most affordable iMac as a home entertainment hub. This is a computer, and a fast one. If screen size or digital entertainment are priorities, we'd look elsewhere, but for anyone looking for a productivity-oriented all-in-one at a reasonable price, we recommend the iMac without hesitation.
Acer's Aspire Z5610 illustrates the iMac's screen size value challenge. Acer's Windows 7-based all-in-one has a 23-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution screen, and currently sells for $899. The Acer has many shortcomings next to the iMac, including its design and comparatively slow performance, but because consumers tend to equate bigger with better, the iMac's 21.5-inch display feels like a calculated risk by Apple. We don't imagine most people who buy this iMac will have issues with its screen size, not least because the iMac's LED-backlit LCD is bright and crisp, and it also has the same 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution as the 23-inch Acer. That said, we don't think Apple would get away with anything less than 23 inches at this price, even six months from now.
Screen size questions aside, there's a lot to like about the new iMac, both in its design and its features. This model debuted along with three others last month, all featuring a new, all-aluminum body and a piece of edge-to-edge glass across the LCD, similar to Apple's MacBook laptops. Apple was already far ahead of its competition in terms of its products' visual appeal, and the iMac's updated looks will help Apple maintain its lead into 2010.
| Apple iMac (21.5-inch) | Gateway One ZX6810-01 | |
| Price | $1,199 | $1,399 |
| Display size/resolution | 21.5 inches, 1,920x1,080 pixels | 23 inches, 1,920x1,080 pixels |
| Ethernet, 802.11n wireless | 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 | 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 |
| Memory | 4GB 1,067MHz DDR3 SDRAM | 8GB 1,333MHz DDR3 SDRAM |
| Graphics | 256MB Nvidia GeForce 9400 | 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4670 |
| Hard drives | 500GB, 7,200rpm | 64GB SSD, 1TB 7,200rpm |
| Optical drive | dual-layer DVD burner | dual-layer DVD burner |
| Networking | Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth | 10/100 |
| TV Tuner | No | Yes |
| Operating system | Apple OS X 10.6.1 | Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) |
As it stands now, the iMac is built primarily for computing performance. We would like to see a quad-core chip come to the lower-end iMac lineup before long. For now, Apple only offers fast dual-core Intel chips, which, for the most part, are more than enough to lift the iMac past its Windows competitors on our performance tests. The 500GB hard drive is on the smaller end of the drive space spectrum at this price (the Gateway outlined above sits on the opposite end), and if you want to dabble in Mac gaming you might bemoan the relatively small 256MB frame buffer allowed for the GeForce 9400 graphics chip. For sheer productivity-oriented performance, however, it's hard to argue with the iMac's fast CPU.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 |
Rendering multiple CPUs | |
Rendering single CPU |
Our charts tell a fairly conclusive story about the iMac in relation to the more expensive 27-inch iMac, and also next to a few Windows all-in-ones. Both Apple systems got through our test workloads faster, leaving the Windows-based systems far behind. We also find it interesting that the $1,199 iMac offers basically the same performance as the $1,699 27-inch model. The 27-inch screen is fantastic, but if your budget dictates that you spend more conservatively, you might find it comforting to know that you're not giving up that much in terms of speed if you opt for the most affordable iMac.
The only other major change to the iMac's hardware is the addition of an SD card slot underneath the slot-loading DVD burner. Apple continues to keep its distance from Blu-ray, and of course you won't find a TV tuner input, either, but the concession to SD card is a welcome change that digital photographers especially will appreciate. We'd hoped to find (and originally thought we had found) the capability to input video via this iMac's mini DisplayPort jack, a useful and potentially versatile capability Apple added to its new 27-inch iMacs. Sadly, the mini DisplayPort jack on this model can only output the video signal, which means connecting game consoles and other devices isn't possible.
Continue readingMost helpful user reviews
- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 7 reviews
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
Showing 3 of 7 user reviews
-
4 out of 4 people found this helpful
-
2 out of 3 people found this helpful
-
1 out of 1 people found this helpful
- See all 7 user reviews Write review
Submit your review
Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 3.06Hz Intel Core 2 Duo, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, Fall 2009):
%20Desktop%20reviews%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://homeinstallation.cnet.com/desktops/apple-imac-21-5/4505-3118_7-33783913.html){kind=small}