The New 21.5-inch iMac: A Review of Apple's Latest Entry into the Mid-Range Market

Since its 2015 debut, the iMac has been a stalwart of Apple's lineup, offering a sleek and powerful all-in-one desktop experience. With its latest iteration, Apple has updated the mid-range model to include an 8th gen Intel Core processor, as well as AMD Radeon Pro 500X graphics card options. The base configuration comes equipped with a 3.6 GHz quad-core i3 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a 5400 rpm one terabyte hard drive.

When it comes to Geekbench results, the new 21.5-inch iMac holds its own against more powerful models. In single-threaded performance, the iMac scores around 4,800, while multi-core performance clocks in at 14,000,410. This is nearly identical to the base model Mac Mini. When compared to the 2017-based model iMac with a 7th gen Intel Core processor, the newer iMac shows slight improvements in both single-threaded and multi-core scores.

One area where the iMac shines is in its performance on OpenCL benchmarks. The iMac achieved an impressive score of 50,2061, while the 2018 MacBook Pro's six-core i7 processor scored around 2,000. This suggests that the iMac's quad-core processor and integrated graphics card are capable of handling demanding tasks.

In terms of gaming performance, the iMac was put through its paces with Unigine Heaven benchmarking. The base model iMac achieved a score of 749 and an average frames per second (FPS) of 29.7 with a maximum FPS of 56.6. While this may not be as competitive as some other gaming desktops, it's worth noting that the iMac's price point is significantly lower than many of its competitors.

Storage performance was also put to the test with a disk speed test. The base model iMac topped out at around 100 MB/s for both read and write speeds, thanks in part to its 5400 rpm hard drive. Upgrading to a one terabyte Fusion Drive would cost an extra $100, while a 256 GB SSD would add an additional two hundred dollars.

For content creators, the iMac is worth considering, particularly those working with lower resolutions like 1080p. When editing a five-minute 4K video in Final Cut Pro X with background rendering on, the iMac completed the task in around three minutes and 30 seconds. Without background rendering, the export took a few minutes longer. While this may be a bit slower than some other machines, it's still within acceptable parameters for most users.

In conclusion, the new 21.5-inch iMac is an excellent option for those looking for a powerful and affordable all-in-one desktop experience. With its impressive performance in Geekbench tests, as well as its gaming capabilities, this mid-range model is sure to appeal to a wide range of users.

To learn more about the new 27-inch 5K iMac, watch our upcoming video review, where we'll dive deeper into its benchmarks and put it through its paces. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions or requests for future reviews, feel free to sound off in the comments below. And don't forget to check out our Apple Insider price guide, which features daily updates on the best deals on Apple devices. Follow us on social media for more news and updates from around the tech world.

Apple Insider Price Guide: [link]

Social Media Links:

* Twitter: [link]

* Facebook: [link]

* Instagram: [link]

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enjust a few days before Apple is March 25th event Apple announced the new iPads second gen air pods and a much-needed spec bump for both the 4k iMac and the bigger 27-inch 5k iMac so here's our first impression and comprehensive benchmarks of the 2019 4k iMac hey guys mark here from Apple Insider and let's take a quick look at Apple's refresh 21.5 inch 4k iMac and see what's changed and what kind of benchmark scores we can get out of this thing now in terms of overall design not much has changed but internally lots have looking at the iMac everything about it looks familiar the thick bezel is around a display the tapered slim design it's the same iMac we've seen since its 2015 debut you can now pick up the new 21.5 inch iMac with an 8th gen I three quad-core processor an i5 six core processor or an i7 six core processor which supports hyper threading which is really helpful for video creators and editors now the one we have here is the base configuration with a 3.6 gigahertz quad core i3 with eight gigs of ram and a 5400 rpm one terabyte hard drive and it's also equipped with the AMD Radeon Pro 5 55 X graphics card with 2 gigs of vram and this one costs $12.99 before taxes now starting off with Geekbench you can see that our machine got a single thread score of 4800 19 and a multi-core score of 14,000 410 which is nearly identical in terms of performance as the base model Mac Mini now comparing that to the 2017 based model iMac with a 7th gen I 5 processor that one got a single score of 4450 in a multi-core score of 12,000 817 now even if it's an i3 processor you're getting slightly better performance on the newer model we also ran an open CL benchmark and we got a score of 50 2061 now benchmarks are controversial they're never a direct correlation to any individuals workflow and they keep changing as computer power grows and paradigm shifts specifically an Apple Insider stalwart Cinebench now has an R 20 version completely incompatible would results from the r15 version the R 20 version has increased the workload complexity increased the memory used and adapted the latest rendering engine from cinema 4d R 20 which ultimately will give us much better and accurate results now in our testing the iMac 4k posted a CPU score of 1 thousand four hundred seventy two which is not bad at all at this price point now for comparison my 2018 macbook pro they six core i7 processor posted a cpu score of two thousand three hundred ninety six which is only about one point six times higher than the 4k iMac a firing of Unigine heaven which is a gaming benchmark with everything set to default and quality and medium we decided to run this test several times to find out how the radio and 555 x performs under load and as you can see from the results the 4k iMac got a score of 749 and an average frames per second of twenty nine point seven with a max frames per second of fifty six point six now of course you can opt in to pay two hundred dollars more and get a better processor and graphics card or go bigger with the higher-end vega twenty graphics card if you're looking for something with a bit more power when it comes to black magics disk speed test at $12.99 base 4k iMac tops out at around one hundred megabytes per second for both its read and write speeds thanks to that 5400 rpm hard drive you can opt in to upgrade to that one terabyte fusion drive for $100 extra and get slightly better performance or spend an extra two hundred dollars and get a 256 gig SSD which will drastically improve your IMAX performance now if you're a content creator and you're curious about Final Cut Pro tems performance I edited a five-minute 4k h.264 footage that was shot on my Fuji X III added color correction adjusted the saturation in contrast now we exported the same file several times with background rendering on and off and with it on we got an exported file around three minutes to three and a half minutes and wood background rendering off it exported the video around three minutes and 45 seconds to four minutes and 15 seconds now I personally wouldn't recommend editing anything higher than 1080p on this base model iMac because 4k playback stutters from time to time but if you're looking to edit and put together a quick family video of some sort you can do that with no issues on this base model iMac so that's the new 4k iMac if you want to see how the new 27-inch 5k iMac perform in terms of benchmarks and want to hear Andrews impression make sure to check out the iCard banner or the link in the description below to watch that video now we're still doing more tests than using the iMac as a whole but our full review of the new 2019 IMAX are coming soon and if there's anything you want specifically covered sound off in the comments down below and we'll see you in the next one enjoy that video click like and press on that subscribe button be sure to check out the Apple insider price guide that has bet best deals on Apple devices and is updated daily follow us on social media and we'll see you guys in the next videojust a few days before Apple is March 25th event Apple announced the new iPads second gen air pods and a much-needed spec bump for both the 4k iMac and the bigger 27-inch 5k iMac so here's our first impression and comprehensive benchmarks of the 2019 4k iMac hey guys mark here from Apple Insider and let's take a quick look at Apple's refresh 21.5 inch 4k iMac and see what's changed and what kind of benchmark scores we can get out of this thing now in terms of overall design not much has changed but internally lots have looking at the iMac everything about it looks familiar the thick bezel is around a display the tapered slim design it's the same iMac we've seen since its 2015 debut you can now pick up the new 21.5 inch iMac with an 8th gen I three quad-core processor an i5 six core processor or an i7 six core processor which supports hyper threading which is really helpful for video creators and editors now the one we have here is the base configuration with a 3.6 gigahertz quad core i3 with eight gigs of ram and a 5400 rpm one terabyte hard drive and it's also equipped with the AMD Radeon Pro 5 55 X graphics card with 2 gigs of vram and this one costs $12.99 before taxes now starting off with Geekbench you can see that our machine got a single thread score of 4800 19 and a multi-core score of 14,000 410 which is nearly identical in terms of performance as the base model Mac Mini now comparing that to the 2017 based model iMac with a 7th gen I 5 processor that one got a single score of 4450 in a multi-core score of 12,000 817 now even if it's an i3 processor you're getting slightly better performance on the newer model we also ran an open CL benchmark and we got a score of 50 2061 now benchmarks are controversial they're never a direct correlation to any individuals workflow and they keep changing as computer power grows and paradigm shifts specifically an Apple Insider stalwart Cinebench now has an R 20 version completely incompatible would results from the r15 version the R 20 version has increased the workload complexity increased the memory used and adapted the latest rendering engine from cinema 4d R 20 which ultimately will give us much better and accurate results now in our testing the iMac 4k posted a CPU score of 1 thousand four hundred seventy two which is not bad at all at this price point now for comparison my 2018 macbook pro they six core i7 processor posted a cpu score of two thousand three hundred ninety six which is only about one point six times higher than the 4k iMac a firing of Unigine heaven which is a gaming benchmark with everything set to default and quality and medium we decided to run this test several times to find out how the radio and 555 x performs under load and as you can see from the results the 4k iMac got a score of 749 and an average frames per second of twenty nine point seven with a max frames per second of fifty six point six now of course you can opt in to pay two hundred dollars more and get a better processor and graphics card or go bigger with the higher-end vega twenty graphics card if you're looking for something with a bit more power when it comes to black magics disk speed test at $12.99 base 4k iMac tops out at around one hundred megabytes per second for both its read and write speeds thanks to that 5400 rpm hard drive you can opt in to upgrade to that one terabyte fusion drive for $100 extra and get slightly better performance or spend an extra two hundred dollars and get a 256 gig SSD which will drastically improve your IMAX performance now if you're a content creator and you're curious about Final Cut Pro tems performance I edited a five-minute 4k h.264 footage that was shot on my Fuji X III added color correction adjusted the saturation in contrast now we exported the same file several times with background rendering on and off and with it on we got an exported file around three minutes to three and a half minutes and wood background rendering off it exported the video around three minutes and 45 seconds to four minutes and 15 seconds now I personally wouldn't recommend editing anything higher than 1080p on this base model iMac because 4k playback stutters from time to time but if you're looking to edit and put together a quick family video of some sort you can do that with no issues on this base model iMac so that's the new 4k iMac if you want to see how the new 27-inch 5k iMac perform in terms of benchmarks and want to hear Andrews impression make sure to check out the iCard banner or the link in the description below to watch that video now we're still doing more tests than using the iMac as a whole but our full review of the new 2019 IMAX are coming soon and if there's anything you want specifically covered sound off in the comments down below and we'll see you in the next one enjoy that video click like and press on that subscribe button be sure to check out the Apple insider price guide that has bet best deals on Apple devices and is updated daily follow us on social media and we'll see you guys in the next video\n"