Overview of the iMac-Gadgets-2021 performance metric of $1099
When Apple launched its new entry-level iMac last month, many people were satisfied with the price, but worried that the system's functionality was clearly impaired. In order to save costs and simplify production, Apple effectively used the same chipset in the $1099 iMac as the entry-level MacBook Air: a 1.4GHz dual-core i5 CPU and an Intel HD 5000 graphics chip (especially the Intel Core i5-4260U), users want to know if this relatively low-cost mobile platform is enough to power large 21.5-inch desktop computers.
Geekbench's early results showed good news and bad news. The new iMac, priced at $1099, retains a comparative advantage over iMac models that are more powerful in terms of single-core performance (single-core performance scores are almost 19% lower than the high-end 21.5-inch iMac), as shown in the figure below. The iMac model is expressed in its base price (in US dollars).
Unfortunately, when it comes to multi-core results, the performance of the new iMac drops by 41% to 56% (compared to the iMac 2.7 GHz and 3.1 GHz models, respectively):
But Geekbench's result is only part of the picture, and "Rob-ART" Morgan from test site Bare Fts decided to investigate GPU performance as well.
According to the benchmark test of the FurMark GPU, the results show that although the new iMac at $ 1099 may be enough for the basic productivity tasks of consumers, businesses and teachers, you do in terms of graphics on the system's Intel HD 5000 GPU not so much. As shown in the image below (based on the iMac GPU option), the Intel HD 5000 on the iMac at $1099 is 60% slower than the Iris Pro GPU in the model at $1,299, which is faster than in the model The NVIDIA GT 750M is found 64% slower. $1499 model.
The performance gap between your new iMac and the previous entry-level model isn't necessarily a bad thing. Of course, we all want to get as much performance as possible with minimal money, but very few consumers may choose the entry-level MacBook Air and expect it to become the performance champion. Now, when using the same chipset to power two systems, consumers need to adjust their expectations for their new entry-level iMac, and take advantage of a $200 price reduction.
What does that mean? The $1099 iMac has excellent single-core performance, and provides enough experience for basic tasks like word processing, small databases, spreadsheets, web browsing, email, media playback, and video chat. In fact, because Intel's Haswell architecture has improved single-core efficiency compared to Ivy Bridge-E, the $7,000+12-core Mac Pro scores about 13 cores faster than the $1099 iMac in single-core tasks.
However, those interested in more advanced tasks such as video editing, coding, photo editing, three-dimensional viewing, games, or audio production will want to avoid this new iMac model. Despite the attractive price, one high-end iMac can handle the tasks just listed better and faster. For professionals with plenty of time, the relatively slow performance of the new iMac, which costs just $1099, is simply not worth it. For consumers, the amortized surcharge over the life of the system makes it easier to upgrade to a more powerful model.
