The Sound Quality of the iMac Pro's Speakers
As you can hear, it's not studio level quality, but it's a little bit better than what you'd get on the older systems. And compared to my laptop, I've noticed it is way better too. This is the camera and microphone on the MacBook Pro I just upgraded from. You can see, definitely not as good with the highlight roll offs, and the color, and a lot more noise because it looks like it's boosting the ISO to try to compensate for less light, especially in this area here, in the darker areas, lots of noise, and the microphone has more of that, kind of like wishy washy, kind of like noise cancellation going on there. So yeah, definitely not as good, nice improvement.
The T2 Security Chip
So I mentioned the T2 earlier, which again, can help with things like the camera's and the microphones, but overall it is a security chip, and this is the first non-pro iMac to feature the T2 Security Chip. So, that offers things like secure boot and on-device encryption to keep your data safe. You can use that in addition to the file vault feature, which encrypts your data, so you have plenty of security there to make sure your data can't be read by anybody else. But this chip does other things too. Like what I showed at the beginning of the episode with that HEVC hardware-accelerated encoding. The reason why it's able to render so fast is because of the T2 chip, and it screams. So there's nothing new with the speaker system in this particular upgrade, but just for fun, let's try it out anyway with a little bit of music so we don't have copyright issues.
The Speaker System
(music plays briefly)
Okay, those are pretty loud. They got a little bit of bass in there too. I mean, those are pretty loud considering they're built-in, tiny speakers that when you're looking at the computer from the front, you can barely see them, so not too bad.
Silent Operation
This next feature is really important to me, and I don't even think Apple advertises it as a feature, but it's still important. Silent operation. So I've been using laptops for pretty much all of my professional life, and laptops have small, high RPM fans in them, which generate loud noise when they're at full throttle. But this iMac, when it's idling, you can barely hear the fan, and even under load, the fan does top out at 2,700 RPM, according to max fan control. But even at max speed, it's nowhere near as loud as the MacBook Pro.
Specs of the iMac Pro
Okay, so let's take a break from that stuff and just geek out about the specs for a while, right? We all like to do that every so often. So this particular configuration has the maximum processor config you can get on Apple's website. It's a 3.6 GHz Intel Core i9 10-Core processor. It also has an AMD Radeon 5700 XT with 16 gigabytes of video memory. That is also the highest config you can get with this model, and it has a one terabyte SSD with speeds up to 3.4 gigabytes per second, but you can configure it up to eight if you want.
RAM Upgradability
So what about the RAM? Well, thanks to you awesome YouTube viewers, you reminded me that you can actually upgrade the RAM in this iMac, which is good because Apple charges $600 for the 32-gigabyte RAM upgrade. Six hundred dollars. Why? So, I actually ordered the 32-gigabyte RAM configuration at first because I forgot you could upgrade it, but when everybody reminded me, I actually canceled that order, and then just ordered the 8-gigabyte stock version and bought 32 gigabytes of RAM from a third-party vendor and threw it in there. It turns out there's four slots, not just two, so my two 16-gig sticks just combined with the two 4-gig sticks in there, and now I have 40 gigabytes of RAM because why not? So, yes, the RAM is upgradable. My advice to you, just buy the stock 8 gigs and upgrade the RAM later. You'll save hundreds of dollars. Enjoy that while you can, because the Apple silicon iMac will probably not have upgradable RAM. We'll see.
Performance
Well, we already saw how fast the HEVC encoding was. That was beyond impressive, but what about Final Cut Pro renders? So fun fact, every episode you watch from me has been cut, rendered, and exported with Apple's pro video software, Final Cut Pro, and it screams on this computer. I used my Windows '95, er, I mean, I used the iMac Pro to render a 4K video in just under two minutes, which is incredibly fast considering it's a 10-core processor. So yeah, the iMac Pro can handle demanding tasks with ease.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Okay, so I'm converting a 4K videoin HEVC on this MacBook Pro.So let's try it on this iMac now.And holy frick, that is fast.(electronic intro music)Hey guys, how are you all doing?Really? That's just great.You know, I'm doingpretty great today too,because Apple's new 2020iMac is now in my lair.Honestly, it's been a long timesince I purchased a new Mac.It's been about seven years,and I've never purchased an iMac before.I've always been a laptop guy,so this is kind of new to me,and trust me, I wanted to getthis review episode out earlier,but this is a build toorder configuration.So those take a littlebit longer to processbefore they ship, but it'll be worth it.Now, before I continue, I will say,I have decided toofficially return this iMac,and I've had some people askingme why I want to do that,so later in this episode,I will explain that, don't worry.So is the new iMac worth it?Should you wait for theApple silicon versionwith the new redesign?Is it fast?Good questions, let's talk.Let's start with the design.If you've followed Apple atall for the past eight years,you'll notice the design is, well,exactly the same as itwas eight years ago.I don't think that'sa problem, personally.I still really like the design.I think it's beautiful,and the next iMac design is going tofollow more of the iPad Protype of design language.So if you want to waitfor that, that's okay too,but keep in mind, from today,you're going to be waitingabout a year minimumbefore they have that new design ready.So you'll have to determine whether or notthe wait is worth it for you.I just bit the bullet and did it anyway.The design, yes is getting a little old,but it's a little bit timeless too.I think Apple is sticking with itbecause they have cool plans comingand they just want to get it right,but also, it's kind ofjust good the way it is.I mean, I know some people would likethinner bezels and all that,and don't worry, I thinkwe're going to see that soon,but for right now,I still think the design isgreat with a really thin edge.And how about that display?It is a Retina 5K displaywith P3 color and True Tone,which automatically adjustthe displays color temperaturebased on the ambient lighting.Now Apple's had Retina 5K iMacsfor a couple of years now,but this is the first time they integratedthe true tone feature,and if you're daring,for an extra 500 bucks,you can get the nano texture glass,which is a glass thathas a matte finish to it,so glare is reduced dramatically,and I'd like to try that out sometime.This is just the regulargloss screen version.So I was using this LG 34-inchdisplay for a long time,which is still a nice display,but switching from that to this iMacwas a night and day difference.The resolution is so high on the screen,everything is just sofricking sharp and crisp,and the colors pop just a little bit more,which looks really nice.But also an importantthing to me as a video guyis I can see 4K video outputin a canvas that doesn't takeup the whole fricking screen.The pixels are so packed togetherthat I can see true 4K resolutionwithout consuming the whole display,so I still have room to workin other parts of the interface.And this is like, this isgonna sound kind of funny,but my LG display actuallywasn't a 4K display.So I'd been editing and releasing4K episodes out on YouTubefor the past couple of years or so,and I actually haven'tbeen able to view themat native resolution this whole time.Oops.But with this new iMac, now I can.Okay, so the IO on thisthing makes me really happy.I can plug in anything I have.I just need one adapter formy Thunderbolt 2 stuff, no big deal,but everything else isbuilt in USB type A,perfect ethernet, I don'tneed a dongle for it,like I do on my laptop.Ethernet's built in, SD card reader.So, a perfect compilationof ports ready to go.So this iMac has an updatedcamera and microphone system as wellcompared to the last model.So the camera can nowrecord in 1080p resolutionand there's a T2 chip in this computer,so it can do some automatic adjustmentswith the image signal processor in it,kind of like what your iPhone does.So the camera can do things likeautomatic tone exposure and adjustmentsand stuff like that too.Okay, so you can't see meright now, but it's okay.It's me, you know who I am.So let's test out the camera system hereto see how it looks,and we'll also test out the microphoneto hear how it sounds.So, this is the new 2020iMac FaceTime camera,and the microphone's nottoo bad for built-in stuff.The only awkward part is now,what the heck do we talk about?Oh, tongue twisters.Yes, let's do some tongue twisters.Um, unique New York.Can you say that?That was pretty easy.Ooh, Irish wristwatch.That's a fun one, right?Fool your friends with that one.It's a cool little party trick,not that I'd know.I don't get invited to parties.So as you can hear, it'snot studio level quality,but it's a little bit better thanwhat you'd get on the older systems.and compared to my laptop,I've noticed it is way better too.This is the camera and microphone onthe MacBook Pro I just upgraded from.You can see uh,definitely not as good withthe highlight roll offs,and the color, and a lot more noise'cause it looks like it's boosting the ISOto try to compensate for less light,especially in this area here,in the darker areas, lots of noise,and the microphone hasmore of that, kind of like,wishy washy, kind of like noisecancellation going on there.So yeah, definitely notas good, nice improvement.So I mentioned the T2earlier, which again,can help with things like thecameras and the microphones,but overall it is a security chip,and this is the first non-pro iMacto feature the T2 Security Chip.So, that offers things likesecure boot and on deviceencryption to keep your data safe.You can use that in additionto the file vault feature,which encrypts your data,so you have plenty of security thereto make sure your data can'tbe read by anybody else.But this chip does other things too.Like what I showed at thebeginning of the episodewith that HEVC hardwareaccelerated encoding.The reason why it's able to render so fastis because of the T2 chip, and it screams.So there's nothing newwith the speaker systemin this particular upgrade,but just for fun, let's try it out anywaywith a little bit of musicso we don't have copyright issues.(music plays briefly)Okay, those are pretty loud.They got a little bitof bass in there too.I mean, those are pretty loudconsidering they'rebuilt-in, tiny speakers that,when you're looking at thecomputer from the front,you can't even see them, so.Not too bad.This next feature isreally important to me,and I don't even think Appleadvertises it as a feature,but it's still important.Silent operation.So I've been using laptopsfor pretty much all ofmy professional life,and laptops have small,high RPM fans in them,which generate loud noisewhen they're at full throttle.But this iMac, when it's idling,you can barely hear the fan,and even under load,the fan does top out at 2,700 RPM,according to max fan control.But even at max speed,it's nowhere near asloud as the MacBook Pro.Okay, so let's take abreak from that stuffand just geek out about thespecs for a while, right?We all like to do that every so often.So this particular configuration hasthe maximum processor configyou can get on Apple's website.It's a 3.6 gigahertz Intelcore I9 10-Core processor.It also has an AMD Radeon 5700 XTwith 16 gigabytes of video memory.That is also the highest configyou can get with this model,and it has a one terabyte SSDwith speeds up to 3.4gigabytes per second,but you can configure itup to eight if you want.So what about the RAM?Well, thanks to youawesome YouTube viewers,you reminded me that you can actuallyupgrade the RAM in this iMac,which is good because Apple charges $600for the 32 gigabyte RAM upgrade.Six hundred dollars.Why?So, I actually ordered the32 gigabyte RAM configurationat first because I forgotyou could upgrade it,but when everybody reminded me,I actually canceled that order,and then just ordered the8 gigabyte stock versionand bought 32 gigabytesof RAM from a third partyand threw it in there,and it turns out there'sfour slots, not just two,so my two 16 gig sticks just combined withthe two 4 gig sticks in there,and now I have 40 gigabytesof RAM, because why not?So, yes, the RAM is upgradable.My advice to you, justbuy the stock 8 gigsand upgrade the RAM later.You'll save hundreds of dollars.Enjoy that while you can,because the Apple silicon iMac willprobably not have upgradable RAM.We'll see.But anyway, thank you YouTube viewersfor looking out for me.So now the big factor,probably the main reasonI bought a new computerin the first place, speed.How fast is this thing?Well, we already saw howfast the HEVC encoding was.That was beyond impressive,but what about Final Cut Pro renders?So fun fact, everyepisode you watch from mehas been cut, rendered, and exportedwith Apple's pro videosoftware Final Cut Pro,and it screams on this computer.So I used my Windows '95\"Krazy Ken's Tech Talk\" episodeas the benchmark for this.It's an 8 minute and 51second long 4K episode.The export time on this iMac,4 minutes and 53 seconds.But more importantly to meis application performance,not just rendering andexporting and background tasksand all that stuff,but how smooth does theapplication functionwhen you're actually using it?So, on my older MacBook Pro,I would have usually alot of frame drops and,it was still good,like Final Cut Prostill worked really wellconsidering how old the hardware was,but there would be framedrops, audio stuttering.I would have to use thebetter performance mode,which plays back theimage at lower resolution,but at an ideally,hopefully better frame rate,but even then I would still drop frames.I got used to it, but itwas just kind of sluggish,but on this iMac, virtually none of that.No lag, I don't need to usethe better performance mode,I can just use the better quality mode.I can watch the 4Kvideo, complex timelines,scrolling, scrubbing, trimming, playback.It's all just smooth as butter.Now, keep in mind,not every application isgoing to get magically fasteron faster, newer hardware.It depends on how the software works.So for example,if I'm doing audio correctionsand like fixing andsweetening in Adobe Audition,and I have the spectral display up, well,part of me was wondering, wow,I wonder if the spectral displaycan redraw itself faster onthis newer hardware, but no.It performs the same asit does on my MacBook Pro,so it depends on how thesoftware is optimizedfor your hardware, sojust keep that in mind.So was the new iMac worth it?The 2020 iMac.If you purchased a new iMac,like the previous generationwithin the last year or so,you probably don't need to upgrade.You can stick with what you have.But if you have somethingthat's older, yeah.I would say it's worth it.But if you've waited as long as I have,definitely it's worth it.Just don't buy the RAM from Apple.Is it fast?I believe we proved that.Absolutely, it's fast.I say go for the 10-Core configuration.That's what I did.And should you wait forthe Apple silicon version,considering all this stuff we looked at?Well, again, if you're inneed of a new computer,you're in need of a new computer.I personally don't care aboutthe Apple silicon stuff,and the new design and stuff,because I just needed something new,and when Apple transitionsto Apple silicon,there's going to besome bumps in the road.Keep that in mind.So if you want to be anearly adopter, great,but expect problemsright at the beginning,and if you want to avoid thatand just have a faster system,don't worry about Apple silicon.Don't wait, just buy the new computer now.Now Apple silicon is kind of a rabbit holewe could get down,but I don't want to do that right now,because I already did do it.Go check out this other episodeafter you watched this one.It's really good.Also if you'd like someawesome royalty free footagefor your own videos,channel affiliate Artgrid has you covered.They also have royalty free music too.Feel free to grab all of thatwith the link in the description.Okay so, everything soundsso freaking awesome.Why am I returning this iMac?Well, there's two reasons.The first reason is nano texture.I know, that may sound silly.I really want to try the nano texture.Again, the glossy wasn't too bad,but I saw some other people tweet abouthow cool nano texture is,and I've never tried it beforeso I just want to try it.Jonathan Morrison swears by it.Maybe I should have listenedto him from the beginning.So, we'll see how it goes.I might post a followup episodeabout the nano texturemodel once I get it,or I'll at least talk about it on Twitter,so make sure you're following me on there.So, stay tuned for that.And the second reason is,I accidentally ordered this iMacwithout being logged intomy Apple Business account.There is a businessstore on their website.So my advice to you isif you have a business, purchasethrough the business store,you can save a couplehundred bucks on some Macs,and that's what I did forthe nano texture model.So I actually saved a couplehundred bucks doing that.Keep that in mind,you got a business, buywith the business store,save some moolah.So I'm insanely excited tokeep testing out this new iMac,and the nano texture once that gets here.If you have any questions about the iMac,maybe you're on the fence ofbuying it, just let me know.I'll do my best to answer them,and feel free to comment anything that youlike or don't like about this iMac.I don't mind which way you go.I just want to hear what you think.If you'd like to support this channel,plus get some awesome perks,feel free to click the join button belowor use the link in the description.Thank you for your support,and if you liked thisepisode, you know what to do.Thanks for sticking with me.Catch the crazy and pass it on.(upbeat electronic music)\n"
