**The 2020 iMac: A Great Value with a Catch**

As Apple continues to transition towards their own CPUs, the 2020 iMac is a great value for what you get. With a starting price of $1,800, this entry-level 5K iMac offers solid performance and features that make it a compelling option for those in the market for a new display.

One of the standout features of this iMac is its Pro Display XDR native resolution support. Last year's model was capped at 5K, but this year's model doubles that to an impressive 6K resolution. This means you can enjoy crisp and detailed visuals without having to rely on scaled resolutions. The smoothness of the display is also noteworthy, making it perfect for tasks that require fast performance.

The Pro Display XDR native resolution support is a significant upgrade over last year's model, and it's great to see Apple's focus on delivering high-quality displays with their products. With this feature, you can take advantage of the full capabilities of your display, whether you're working on graphics-intensive tasks or simply enjoying multimedia content.

Another notable feature of the 2020 iMac is its nano-textured glass option. This was previously exclusive to the $5,000 Pro Display XDR, but now it's available for a more affordable price of $500. The nano-textured glass reduces reflectivity and allows you to maintain higher fidelity than your typical matte display. If you want to see a review of this feature, leave me a thumbs up.

The 2020 iMac also boasts a better webcam and microphone compared to its predecessor. The three-array microphone provides improved audio quality, making it perfect for video conferencing or recording videos. The webcam itself is also an upgrade, offering better image quality and resolution.

In terms of performance, the 2020 iMac offers solid CPU and GPU performance, even on the base model. This means you can enjoy smooth performance without having to worry about lag or slow loading times. However, it's worth noting that this iMac will likely be the last one with an Intel CPU inside.

Apple is transitioning over to their own CPUs in future Mac releases, which means this iMac may already feel outdated by next year. If you can wait, you may find a newer model with improved performance and features. However, if you need a new machine now, the 2020 iMac is definitely worth considering.

**No More Boot Camp Support**

One major caveat to buying the 2020 iMac is that it will likely be the last one with Intel CPUs inside. This means that Apple's transition to their own chips may leave Boot Camp, which allows you to install Windows and dual-boot between macOS and Windows, behind. If you rely on running Windows games or software on your Mac, this could be a significant drawback.

Boot Camp is currently available on this iMac, but it's likely that future models will no longer support it. This means you'll have to choose between using macOS exclusively or purchasing a separate Windows device for gaming and other Windows-specific needs.

**Limited Thunderbolt 3 Ports**

Another potential drawback of the 2020 iMac is its limited Thunderbolt 3 ports. With only two Thunderbolt 3 ports shared between each of the two devices, you'll need to be careful about which peripherals you connect at any given time. This can lead to issues with Daisychaining multiple high-bandwidth devices, as they'll compete for bandwidth on a single bus.

In contrast, the Mac mini offers four Thunderbolt 3 ports and two Thunderbolt 3 buses, making it easier to manage multiple high-bandwidth devices simultaneously. If you need more Thunderbolt 3 ports or want to future-proof your setup, you may want to consider other options.

**A Great Value with a Catch**

Despite its limitations, the 2020 iMac is still a great value for what you get. With solid performance, features like Pro Display XDR native resolution support and nano-textured glass, it's an excellent option for those in the market for a new display. However, if you can wait, you may find a newer model with improved performance and features that address some of the drawbacks mentioned above.

In conclusion, the 2020 iMac is a great value, but its limitations and impending obsolescence should be considered before making a purchase decision.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- How's it going,ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,Jeff Benjamin with 9to5Mac.In this video, we'rereviewing the 2020 iMac.Now, this iMac could be the very last iMacwith this design and the very last iMacsporting an Intel CPU inside.But if that's true,I have to say that Apple atleast went out with a bangwith the 2020 iMac.Let's review it right now.- Thanks for watching 9to5Mac.Be sure to thumbs up,click the Subscribe buttonand then enable notificationswith the bell iconso you won't miss any upcoming videos.- All right, so here it is folks,the 2020, 27 inch 5K iMac.On the surface, itlooks like the same old,same old iMac but underneath the hood,there's quite a bit new to talk about,but first we need to goahead and get it unboxed.Now you may have noticedthat the actual designon the outside of the boxis the same design thatApple used last yearso they didn't even botherchanging the design of the box.Instead, what Apple did is justslapped a new sticker on topwith all the latest andgreatest specificationsso we're gonna talk about all what's newas soon as we get thisthing completely unboxedso we're gonna go aheadand grab the power cabledown here beneath,so there we go, nothing'schanged with that.Let's go ahead and pullthe iMac out of the box.We'll slide the box aside.Let's take these littlestyrofoam protector things off.One on that side, one on this side.Now we'll remove the tamper-proof stickerand take the protector sheet offand we also need to removethe plastic protectorthat goes all the way around the display.Just grab that off like that, there we goand there's one more littlesheet there at the bottomand we'll remove that.There we go.So we're in business folks,so now let's talk aboutwhat's in the design byApple in California box.So first up is the magic mouse.Of course, this is just yourregular white magic mouse,it has rechargeable batteries inside,non-removable by the way.I love the magic mouse for its gestures,but I will acknowledge ithas terrible ergonomics.We also have the magic keyboard,which is a really greatkeyboard with enough key travelthat's suitable for mostpeople in my opinion.You also have your littlecharging port therefor your lightning connector.The magic mouse also hasa charging port as well,but it's on the bottom andyou actually can't use itwhile you're charging,which is just a terrible design.Here in you're getting standard packing,you have some documentation,you have regulatory information,you have your Apple stickers.Yeah, thumbs up for those Apple stickersand you also have a cleaningcloth to clean the screen,which reminds me be sure to check out ourscreen cleaning tutorial linked up below.You also have a lightning to USB-A cable,which is great becauseyou have a limited amountof USB-C ports on the back of this iMac.Speaking of ports, let's talk about I/O.So right off the bat, I'll tell younot much has changed here with the IO.There is one changeand that is the ability toconfigure 10 gigabit ethernetinstead of gigabit ethernetfor an extra 100 bucksso just keep that in mind.So you have your 3.5millimeter headphone input.You have your SD card input right here,and then you have four.Yes, count them four USB-A ports.Seems like a little bit of overkill,In my opinion, I wouldhave preferred to havetwo extra USB-C ports,even if they weren'tThunderbolt three capable.Here are your twoThunderbolt three USB-C portsand that is one of the major deficienciesof this 27 inch iMac,only having two Thunderbolt three ports.The Mac mini has four,So I mean you have justtwo here on the iMac,that is a definite bummer.We'll talk about that a little bit laterand then, like I said, youhave gigabit ethernet standard,but you can also configure this nowfor 10 gigabit ethernet for just $100 moreso if you wanna connect to a Synology NASthat has 10 gigabit ethernetthis is a great option.On the opposite side youhave your power buttonand I just have to say,man as outdated as thedesign of this iMac looks,I mean the build qualityis still spectacular.You see your power socketand then right below thatyou see the Kensington Security Slotand then right above the power socket,you have your RAM door and theexhaust port for your iMac.So this iMac has a 27 inch 5K displayand the great thing about this designis that you can move the displayliterally with a pinky andit stays right in place.It's so easy to move and adjust.it doesn't go up anddown, but you can tilt it.You'd be hard pressed tofind any third party monitoron the market that hasas good functionalityin this manner as the iMac.It is just second to none.Granite the design hasbeen around for a long timeand it is in desperate needof a refresh in my opinion,but still there's no denying the factthat functionality wise and design wise,the 27 inch iMac is super practicaland about as timeless asyou can hope to imaginea product in today'sfast food society whereyou just have a product one dayand you throw it away the next day.Once this design is gone,I think a lot of peopleincluding yours truly admittedly,are gonna look back back onthis design with fondness.Now in this review,I am specifically focusing on theentry level $1,800 base configurationand I wanna discuss the valueof the base configurationin this particular video.So let's get started with thenitty gritty details right now.We're gonna start off with memory.Now, the iMac comes standardwith eight gigabytes of RAM,but you can configure up to 128 gigabytesfor the first time for a whopping $2,600.So that's taking your $1,800iMac and making it $4,400to upgrade to that RAM.Now, in another video,I showed you how you canupgrade the RAM yourselfand save two grand ifupgrading to 128 gigabyteslike I've done here,but you can also upgradeto 64 or 16 even or 32,whatever the case may be,whatever your needs are.So for the first time this year,Apple is allowing iMac usersto configure up to 128 gigabytes.That'll give you lots more headroomto run multiple applications,and it will also boostyour CPU performance.As you can see here,I gained almost 1000 pointsin my Geekbench Multi-Core scoreby upgrading that eight gigabytes of RAM.So that's the great thingabout the 27 inch iMacis that it has a little RAM dooron the back to upgrade yourself.Now for the first time the iMacgets the Apple T2 security chip.Now this chip does obviouslysecurity related things.It has a secure enclave,which allows for secureboot and encrypted storage,but it's also a Jack of all tradesand that's because it consolidatesmultiple controllers on a single chipso you have,for instance, your SSD controller,system managementcontroller, audio controller,it allows for thingslike, hey, you know who.It also allows for the very first time,a 1080P full HD cameraand here's my colleague Miles Somervilletalking about the cameraand microphone upgrades.- The Apple webcam built into the iMachad far better color reproduction,much better dynamic range.It's honestly crazy to see how badly(indistinct) Logitech Briocompared to the iMac's webcam.As far as the iMac,I can definitely tell the differencebetween the microphone on this machineand let's say somethinglike my MacBook Air.I'm thinking anyone who needsa higher quality mic than thisprobably already has that microphone.So anyone who just wantsto use something solidfor Zoom calls and stuff like that,it should be pretty fine.- Thanks Miles.Now let's talk about storagebecause for the very first time,the base model iMac nowgets an SSD standard.In other words, goodbyehorrible fusion drive.Unfortunately you only get 256 gigabytesof flash storage on the base model,but that will usually beenough for the operating systemand all of your applications.Notice the speed here,it's not a barn burner by any means,but it's definitely fasterthan the fusion driveand the key is you'll getrelatively consistent speed.As you upgrade that SSD flash driveyou'll get even faster speeds.Now, that being said,if you compare that driveto something like the OWC Envoy Pro EXwhich is a four terabyteThunderbolt three SSD.You could see the speeds on that guyare much faster than theSSD inside of the base iMac,but either way your speeds will be betterthan the fusion drive.For instance, back whenI reviewed the 2019 iMac,I copied a 500 gigabyte file from my Macto an external SSD and it took forever,but watch what happens whenI do the same thing here,copying a file,it's not 500 gigabytes,but nonetheless, you see the speed there.The sheer raw speed of flash storagewhen compared to a hybriddrive, like the fusion drive.Now let's talk about that 10thgeneration Intel core i5 CPU.So right off the bat, you're gonna notice.Yes, indeed speeds are betterthan the base model 2019 5K iMacand that should come really as no surprisebut the cool thing here isthat with this latest iMac,you can actually upgradeto a 10 core Intel i9 CPU.If you wanna see a video on that,leave me a thumbs upbelow and let me know,but take note of the Multi-Core score 6437and here's the Multi-Core scorefrom last year's base model, 5084so that's a not insignificantjump between year modelsand compared to somethinglike a MacBook Prothe iMac's great, because ithas lots of room for coolingand it can keep that CPU cool,even when under load forsustained periods of time,so here I'm transcoding some video filesand you can see that thingis just pegged at the topand it is working hard.All 12 of those threadsworking diligently.And I must say the fanis a little bit loud,certainly much louder than the iMac Pro.Now let's talk about graphicsbecause this is a big deal,so this iMac is gonna bepretty good for gaming,so if you're an Apple Arcade subscriber,it works great for games,video editing, et cetera.Now the base model is stackwith the Radeon pro 5,300.You actually can't even upgradeunless you jump up to the2299 high end configuration,but even this base model, as you can see,63 frames per secondin our Heaven benchmarkcompare that to last year 46.8,so a pretty big jump betweenthese two year modelsand the same thing goesfor the Valley benchmark.Basically what I'm sayingis, games are gonna performgenerally speaking, quitedecently on this iMacand we can look at someof the Metal benchmarks.So I ran graphics bench metal here,and you can see the Radeon Pro5,300, four gigabytes of RAM,how that compares to aMacBook Pro slash eGPU set upso you can pause right here.It's actually fairlyimpressive what you getout of this GPU.But of course, what Iam very passionate aboutis Final Cut Pro 10 performance, right.Here is one of my favorite benchmarks.It's an oldie but goodie.It is of course, Bruce X.So this runs the Bruce X benchmark,which basically has a really short,but very complex timeline thereand it exports in about 18 secondsand that's actually prettydecent for an entry level iMac,but one of the cool things isthat this is a Navi-based GPUso it's gonna have enhancedHEVC slash H.265 encodingslash decoding for 4K and 8K,so you're gonna have improvedperformance exportingand playing back highresolution H.265 video files,but I also wanted to concentratejust on timeline performanceand Final Cut Pro 10,so I have an unrendered timelinethat's playing back atfull resolution hereand look you can see it's unrenderedand I just click and it plays immediately.There's no hesitation there.Media starts playingback as soon as I click,you can see the RadeonPro 5,300 doing its thingand as you can see,playback is pretty smoothfor this is H.264 videoI've imported from my Canon EOS Rand it's playing back without having to betranscoded and no rendering.Also try out a fewgames like Sonic Racing.Now this is gonna look a little choppybecause this is a 24frames per second video,so just keep that in mind.But that was a pretty smooth experienceas were other games that I tried out.Now, let's talk about the displaybecause actually some things have changed,even though it looks the same.Some things have changedwith this 2020 iMac.First of all, you get True Tone support,so it's gonna automatically adjustthe white point of the displaybased on ambient lightingfor more accurate colors.You also get for the very first timePro Display XDR native resolution support.Last year's model was capped at 5K,so here you see pixeldoubled 3008 by 1692,which translates intothe real 6K resolution.If you double it here,it's obviously running in retina mode,but if you want to straight up 6K,you can do that as well byusing the scaled options.Now watch how smoothly I canenter and exit full screen modeon this 6K display, it's butter smooth.That's impressive.Now as a Pro Display XDR user,I definitely noticedthere's more reflectivitywith this iMac.It's very noticeable,but the cool thing is,this year you get the optionto configure nano-textured glassand this was previously exclusiveto the $5,000 Pro Display XDR,so you can get this option for 500 bucks.So it etches into the glassat a nanometer levelto reduce reflectivity,but it also allows you tomaintain higher fidelitythan your typical matte display.If you wanna see a review ofthat, leave me a thumbs up.So the 2020 5K iMac,it's kind of a weirdrelease because we knowthat this is probablyI mean very likely the last iMacthat we're gonna seewith an Intel CPU inside.Apple is transitioning over totheir own CPUs in future Mac releases.So that means it's very likely as wellthat we're gonna see, yes indeed,a brand new iMac designed to correspondwith that new Apple Silicon,so if you buy this Mac,you're gonna have to be okaywith having somethingthat looks super outdatedin possibly the next year.It's akin to buying thelast model year of a vehicleand then having to watch everyone elsehave the newest version of that vehiclethe very next year.You may not even care about that,but it's something to keep in mind,but here's the thing,it's possible that the CPUs and GPUsthat we're gonna see in this next iMacare gonna have much better performancethan what we've seen from Intel and AMDover the last few years,so keep that in mind as well,but here's something elsesince Apple is transitioningover to their own chips,that means that Boot Campwill likely be left behindwith the old Intel chips.So that means you're not gonna be ableto install Windows and dual boot Windows.Like you can currently on this iMacand that depending on your needs,how you use your Mac couldbe a definite disappointment,so just keep that in mind,be prepared to give upWindows Boot Camp supportand that means all yourfavorite Windows games,if you like to game onWindows on your Mac,that's gonna be a thing of the past.Now here's another potentialnegative of a redesigned iMac.It's likely that Apple isgonna get rid of the abilityto upgrade the RAM yourself.So that's such a nicefeature on this 5K iMacs,but that's probably gonna go away too.Now, one thing I don'tlike about this iMacand all the 5K iMacs is that they lackan extra Thunderbolt three Bus,so you get just one Thunderbolt three Busshared between two Thunderbolt three portsand that's okay.But for instance, if I havea Pro Display XDR connected,and I have an SSD connected,Thunderbolt three SSD,I'm completely out ofThunderbolt three portsbecause there's no Daisychaining with those two devicesand there's the fact that if you connecttwo bandwidth hogging deviceslike two SSDs, for instance,they're gonna compete forbandwidth over that single bus,which will reduce performanceand that's why it just kind of annoys mebecause even the Mac mini hasfour Thunderbolt three portsand two Thunderbolt three buses,so I know that was a lot to digest,but I had to say, overall,this entry level $1,800 iMac is a great,it's a phenomenal value for what you get.You get a 5K display,still one of the nicestdisplays you can buy.You get solid CPU and GPU performanceeven on the base model.The ability to upgradeRAM, a better webcam,a better three array microphone,slightly better speakers.It's just of overall great value,but all that comes with one big catchand that is,this is probably the last iMacwe'll see with this designand with Intel CPUs.If you really need a new machine,you could do far worse than the 2020 iMac.But if you can wait, Ithink you should wait.Be sure to leave me a thumbs upbecause that helps otherpeople find this videoand let me know what you guys thinkdown below in the comments.This is Jeff with 9to5Mac.\n"