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iMac 2011 Refresh

Started by ltcommander.data, May 03 2011 07:05 AM

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#1 ltcommander.data

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 07:05 AM

http://www.apple.com...imac/specs.html

As expected Apple refreshed the iMacs today. What was unexpected is that Apple really went all out with the GPUs this time. 2011 was the first time in recent memory that Apple offered a low-end and high-end GPU option on the MacBook Pro, and now Apple actually used the high-end 6750M from the MacBook Pro in the base low-end iMac. What's more, Apple went with the fastest possible mobile GPU for the top-end iMac in the HD6970M rather than the second-to top as they usually do. The fact that Apple actually admits they are using mobile GPUs is also notable. Apple is still doing some funny business with the RAM though. The mid-range HD6770M should definitely have 1GB. It's nice the HD6970M has a 2GB option though.

It definitely seems like Apple is really taking the GPU seriously now. I'll be very interested to see what this means for the Mac Pro, especially with the reports that stock PC BIOS based GPUs actually work in the Mac Pro with Lion.

#2 Thain Esh Kelch

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 07:59 AM

nom nom nom nom

Going to order an i7/2GB VRAM monster tonight! Yay!
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And now, time for some Legend of Zelda.

#3 DaveyJJ

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 09:31 AM

Decent GPUs from Apple? Knock me down and call me dusty.
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#4 Sargiel

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 11:14 AM

Very impressive! If I'd not had my iMac failure incident I'd have been ordering one of these babies for sure :) I am loving my new 2009 Mac Pro though.

#5 ltcommander.data

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 11:17 AM

View PostDaveyJJ, on 03 May 2011 - 09:31 AM, said:

Decent GPUs from Apple? Knock me down and call me dusty.
Well I guess I should put the caveat that Apple is decent in making the best of the thermal limitations of the iMacs. They are using upper middle to the top of the line mobile GPUs but that only puts them in the middle of desktop GPUs. The HD6750M is nearly a HD6570, the HD6770M falls between the HD6570 and HD6670, and the HD6970M falls in between the HD6790 and HD6850. Still the HD6970M is much better than the previous HD5850M (aka HD5750) with nearly twice the memory bandwidth due to the 256-bit memory bus.

#6 Mister Mumbles

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 11:40 AM

Time for a trade-in. :P Nah. I'm more than happy with my current iMac.

I'm surprised that the refresh came so early this year though. Even the lowest entry model is quite competent.
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#7 mindnoise

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 11:53 AM

View PostMister Mumbles, on 03 May 2011 - 11:40 AM, said:

Time for a trade-in. :P Nah. I'm more than happy with my current iMac.

I'm surprised that the refresh came so early this year though. Even the lowest entry model is quite competent.

Yeah If i did not need a new laptop right now I would get one of these!
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#8 DrJohnFever

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 02:06 PM

Does anyone know how good a 6970m is?

#9 alldaveallen

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 03:14 PM

Man, these are pretty sweet. But I'm going to wait until I can have an air-conditioning unit installed under my desk. I can't believe how much heat my current iMac throws off, and if they're using the same form factor with these souped-up innards you'll probably be able to fry bacon on the top--which Apple should list as a bonus feature...

#10 Mister Mumbles

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 03:17 PM

Fresh bacon and smooth games. :thumbsup:
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#11 DrJohnFever

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 03:33 PM

Apparently we will be seeing high but not maxed settings on max resolution with the 6970m 1gb, pretty good!
I think this gen of iMacs is a great one, nobody can say they aren't getting good value now.

#12 Matt Diamond

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 09:02 PM

View PostMister Mumbles, on 03 May 2011 - 11:40 AM, said:

I'm surprised that the refresh came so early this year though. Even the lowest entry model is quite competent.

They did it to piss me off. After months of hassle and begging, they finally replaced my son's wonky iMac with a brand new one... one week before the refresh. One last kick in my teeth.

But my son is finally happy with his machine, so I guess I should just let it go.
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#13 Sargiel

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Posted 03 May 2011 - 11:52 PM

Matt: Glad they finally replaced the machine so at least it's up and running OK!

#14 jackdawsson

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Posted 04 May 2011 - 05:45 AM

View PostSargiel, on 03 May 2011 - 11:14 AM, said:

Very impressive! If I'd not had my iMac failure incident I'd have been ordering one of these babies for sure :) I am loving my new 2009 Mac Pro though.
Agree they're more than decent updates, though typically a bit stingy with the VRAM on mid-price models. Just hope the extra heat generated doesn't impact significantly  on the expected average lifespan of logic boards.

There was a recent rumour about the possibility of an anti-glare screen option, which probably would've tugged at me. As that's not to be (no great surprise), must say I'm not tempted in the least into buying one after experiencing similiar problems with my iMac to you (but without AC).

By the by, bought an anti-glare monitor a few days ago. Now just waiting either for an updated Mini with Lion for my  serious stuff, or a refurb Mini & a PC for gaming. But GL to all those buying updated iMacs. They're more impressive than ever.  Just don't forget the AppleCare! :)

#15 AussieMacGamer

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Posted 04 May 2011 - 08:33 AM

As soon as i can afford it i'll be picking one of these up. I'd do the caddy SSD on mine, i really don't use optical media anymore. It'd be such a shame to let all that power go without a whippy SSD. Apple's newfound emphasis on graphics is likely to do with the way they've structured the OS to take proper advantage of them now. Not only that but this particular upgrade they seem to be stressing that dual-thunderbolt point. Tri-displays FTW! :bleedingeyes:

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#16 jackdawsson

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Posted 04 May 2011 - 09:51 AM

Now we have a removable graphics board in the 21.5" Thunderbolt iMacs. Though replacing them still won't be an easy process for the average user, it seems a step in the right direction.

Quote from link:  "With a bit of magic, the GPU heat sink detaches from the logic board, exposing the AMD GPU board," the solutions provider said. "You heard that right, folks -- you don't have to replace the entire logic board if your GPU explodes from too much l33t gaming. You can just swap out the GPU board for another one."

Thunderbolt 21.5" iMac has removable graphics board

#17 Eric5h5

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Posted 04 May 2011 - 10:26 AM

The graphics cards in iMacs have been removable for years now as far as I know.

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#18 Mister Mumbles

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Posted 04 May 2011 - 10:40 AM

I wondered how one would access the aluminum iMac's innards. Now I know.

I assumed there wasn't much as far as fans went, but I'm still surprised that the iMac's main overheat-prevention is done primarily through heat sinks. It's no wonder that my iMac gives off a significant amount of warmth then.
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#19 nick68k

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Posted 04 May 2011 - 04:03 PM

Upgrading from a 2007-vintage iMac to the 21.5"/2.7 GHz i5  :D

Dragon Age graphical goodness here I come!

#20 rob_ART

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Posted 08 May 2011 - 08:20 AM

I have some Portal 2 results for the new iMac at High settings *

At 2560x1440...
38 FPS = 2010 iMac Core i7 2.93GHz with Radeon 5750 (1G GDDR5)
61 FPS = 2011 iMac Core i7 3.4GHz with Radeon 6970M (2G GDDR5)
59 FPS = 2010 Mac Pro 6-core 3.33GHz with Radeon 5870 (1G GDDR5)

At 1920x1080...
82 FPS = 2010 iMac Core i7 2.93GHz with Radeon 5750
94 FPS = 2011 iMac Core i7 3.4GHz with Radeon 6970M
180 FPS = 2010 Mac Pro 6-core 3.33GHz with Radeon 5870

At 1280x720...
141 FPS = 2010 iMac Core i7 2.93GHz with Radeon 5750
172 FPS = 2011 iMac Core i7 3.4GHz with Radeon 6970M
243 FPS = 2010 Mac Pro 6-core 3.33GHz with Radeon 5870

(* detail on advanced settings: 4x MSAA, Anisotropic 8x, Vertical Sync disabled, Shader Detail Very High, Effect Detail High, Model/Texture Detail High)

For Portal ver 1 results comparing four 2011 iMacs, go here:
http://barefeats.com/imac11b.html
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