Beautiful Display, Blazing Performance, $100 Ed Store Discount - Apple iMac Core Duo 2.0GHz 20"
Written: Jan 16 '06 (Updated Feb 07 '06)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Pros: The display is absolutely beautiful! Blistering performance, Intel chip with Mac reliability. Value.
Cons: Mac Pro applications require upgrade. Software availability compared to PCs (without Virtual PC).
The Bottom Line: Beautiful machine, display, and performance. Great bang:buck ratio. For most users, 17" is a better value. If you run lots of PC-only software, maybe not the best option.
pilotpat's Full Review: Apple iMac 20 in. (MA200LL/A) Mac Desktop - with F...
The long-awaited iMac with Intel's Core Duo processor is here!
After reviewing the 17-inch iMac Intel Duo Core, running the new 1.83GHz processor, I had this opportunity to review the new 20" 2.0GHz iMac, also fitted with no options except Microsoft Office for Mac 2004. The 20" iMac Intel Duo Core lists for $1699, $400 more than the 17" (more on how you may be able to reduce that price later).
I have repeated much of the information from the 17" review (which I decided fits my budget and needs better than the 20"), but first, here are the big differences between the two.
What your extra $400 gets you: I've listed these in what I think is most important to least, but of course your priorities may vary.
The Display
Obviously, at 20" viewable (1680x1050), you get much more on the screen at once (or get it bigger). The 20" screen gives you about another 2.5 inches of width, and 1.5 of height, giving you the ability to run two side-by-side pages of 8x11" on Word at about 90 percent size, vs. 75 percent on the 17" iMac. Obviously, if you work multiple pages, or lots of graphics, bigger is better.
But that's not the biggest thing about the display. What makes it really stand out is the brightness. I had to look at the Apple spec page to see how much difference there was - according to apple, there's only about a 12 percent increase in display brightness, but it seems more. I believe most of the perceived difference is the much higher contrast ratios (the difference in brightness between a pixel displayed at full black and one displayed full
white) on the display - 800:1 vs 500:1. Whatever the difference, it is beautiful.
Brightness is automatically adjusted by a ambient light sensor, or manually through the "Systems Preferences" application.
Both displays are run by the outstanding ATI Radeon x1600, with 128MB VRAM (upgradeable to 256MB for $75).
Faster processor
The 2.0 GHz processor is faster, but for the applications I use the most, I couldn't tell much difference (the 1.83GHz 17" iMac is blazingly fast as it is). According to the apple page, you can expect about 2 to 3 times faster performance on a new 2.0GHz iMac compared to the 2.1GHz G5 it replaces. Their benchmark tests show 320 and 210 percent improvement in integer and floating-point operations, respectively.
Bigger Hard Drive
The iMac, comes standard with 250GB, and is upgradeable to a half-Terabyte (500GB)! That upgrade, by the way, will run you $350 at the Apple store, a bit less at the Educational Store. The 17" iMac, on the other hand, comes standard with a 160GB hard drive - immense for my uses, but maybe a bit small for others (it's upgradeable to 250GB).
Common Elements: For the most part, aside from the actual dimensions and weight, the 20" and 17" are very similar, so I now continue with that portion of the review.
What is new compared to the iMac G5?
Outwardly, one would be hard pressed to identify the new iMac from the previous iMac G5 iSight. Even a casual test drive of the new machine betrays little of its differences. It has the same clean design, runs the same excellent OS X 10.4 "Tiger," and runs pretty much
the same software applications. So what's different? Everything... and then again, not
much.
First the big differences...
Intel Core Duo processor
The tech speak goes like this. The new processor is Intel's first "65 nanometer" chip, which means amazingly small transistors packed densely into the processor. Two of these processors are packed onto a single module, sharing a 2MB L2 cache.
As stated above, Apple claims that this new 2.0GHz processor (actually, new processors) outstrips the previous G5's by a factor of 2 to 3.
Software compatibility
New software specifically designed for use on both Intel iMacs and older systems will now be designated with the "Universal" symbol. That said, pretty much all your older Mac software should run on the new iMac better than previous models due to the "Rosetta" conversion
program (which runs transparently in the background). For a really good explanation of how this all works, check out openroad's review of the same system.
Unfortunately, that is not true to certain Apple-manufactured "Pro" products - including Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, Logic Pro, Logic Express, and Final Cut Express. For these to work, you will have to buy the upgrade to the new
"Universal" versions for what Apple says is "minimal cost."
Although I do not use any of these applications, it still worries me a bit because I feel this departs somewhat from Apple's previous history of supporting legacy systems and
software (I still run several classic programs on my iMac G4 and iBook 12").
What stays the same?
Design
Externally, the iMac keeps the same clean and attractive appearance as the iMac G5. Everything is somehow crammed into a 19x19x7.5 inch package without causing heating issues (though I would be careful to ensure that a few inches of space is available above the machine to allow effective venting). The all-in-one unit swivels easily on its smooth base, and tilts with just a bit more than a breath's touch top or bottom. When you pick it up,
though, you have no doubt that it's a full-up computer. The compact design and easy movement conceal the weight - nearly 22 lbs (and I was impressed by the 16.5 lbs of the
17")!
The only things exiting the back of the iMac before you start adding peripherals is the power cord (no bulky power supply, just a cord) and the USB cord to the Keyboard (unless you chose the Bluetooth wireless version). On the right side at the bottom is the mount for the remote control. Everything else is internal - including the speakers, DVD/ROM drive and bluetooth/wireless antennas.
The iSight video camera peeks out of a tiny square lens
aperature at top center, flanked by the microphone on the left and green "camera on" LED on the right. Even the IR port for the remote is hidden (behind the Apple logo).
Output ports: As before, the iMac sports "five" USB ports - three 2.0s behind, and two 1.1s in the keyboard. However, this is really three available ports, because the keyboard plugs into one of the ports in the back, and the mouse takes up one in the keyboard. It also has two FireWire 400 ports in the back, as well as headphone and optical digital audio outputs, an audio input, and Mini-DVI output.
The clean design is nice, but I find a few problems with it.
- The USB and firewire ports are hidden behind the screen, with the exception of the one free USB port on the keyboard. I would prefer having the ports in front, but that wouldn't keep with Apple's aesthetics that are so important to some.
- I really like my old G4's floating screen - it is more adjustable, including height. I do like the incorporation of the speakers into the main unit - perhaps they could have found the room in the G4's "half volleyball" base.
- I'm not sure how much I like the deletion of the phone modem that started with the G5, though the only phone modem I've used in the past couple years is on my iBook, so it's
probably not a big deal. A USB modem runs about $50 from Apple.
Other components
- Memory: 512MB of RAM standard, like before. However, the new stuff is 667MHz and has two replaceable modules, not one. The old iMac had a built-in 512MB with one slot that you could load up to 2GB in, for a total of 2.5GB. The new one has two slots that each can take up to 1GB.
Most sources I've seen recommend that you have 1GB minimum if running Virtual PC (allows you to devote a full 512MB to your Windows ops). You can do so for $100 ($90 from the Educational Store). I recommend ordering the single 1GB module, which is the same price as 2x512MB and leaves the empty slot for future upgrades, if needed.
The 2GB upgrade (2 x 1GB) costs another $180, which is much better than the G5 (I believe the 2GB module which brought it to 2.5 total was over $1200).
If you choose to install new memory yourself (about the only internal DIY upgrade available), it's a simple operation which involves dropping a panel on the bottom of the machine, pulling the old module out (if necessary), clicking the new one(s) in, and replacing the panel. Only tool required is a small screwdriver, and it's probably a full 5-minute job (remember to GROUND yourself!).
- Hard Drive: As stated above, A 250GB drive is standard, running at 7200RPM. This is upgradable to 500GB for $350.
- Optical: The same 8x "SuperDrive" is standard (DVD R DL/DVD /-RW/CD-RW... EIEIO). What this all means is that you can read and burn stuff fast (Double Layer writing at 2.4x, "Normal" DVD ops at 8x, CDs at 24x).
- Wireless: Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth 2.0 Enhanced Data Rate remain as built-in, and standard.
- A standard 10/100/1000 Gigabit BASE-T Ethernet port is included.
- Apple Remote: The same six-button Apple Remote (which looks similar to the iPod Shuffle, with an IR cap on one end) mounts on the lower right side of the computer. With it, you can control DVDs, slideshows, music,
- Keyboard/Mouse: The Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse remain unchanged. Typing is smooth and accurate, and feedback is excellent. Those of you who want the IBM click will have to look elsewhere for an exchange. The Mighty Mouse is so much better than the old one-button model Apple clung to for so long. Pushing left or right clicks the appropriate button (there's still only one actual buttons - sensors detect if you're pressing the left or
right). Squeezing the two force-sensing buttons on the base gives you a third option (default is to launch "Expose").
The coolest thing, however, is the scrollball on the top,
a tiny clickable trackball that rolls in 360 degrees, so you can scroll left, right, up, down, or in circles. Very nice. The optical sensor tracks smoothly and correctly. All buttons are set so that you can program them through the Keyboard and Mouse Utility.
A bluetooth wireless keyboard/mouse combo is a $54 upgrade, but I'm not sure I see much utility in it for a desktop in my office, plus you lose the Mighty Mouse.
- Power Supply: The internal power supply automatically adapts to 100-240V input, so those of us who move across oceans (I'm going back soon) don't have to worry about frying a power supply because we forgot to throw a tiny switch. I've never done that, but our resident Computer Technician did last year... ouch!
- iSight: The tiny iSight port hides a fixed camera which provides outstanding fixed and video resolution for such a device - up to 2.3MegaPixels Digital and 3.2MP Analog (though I confess I'm not sure I understand how one grabs true analog from a digital device). The iChat AV software is slick, and compatible with AIM so you can video chat with your PC-chained friends and associates. With a .Mac membership, you can do so while your text is encrytped.
Software
As stated above, there are some differences here. However, there are more similarities. The iMac still ships with Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger" - perhaps the most awesome change from 10.3 "Panther" is the innovative Spotlight search function, which uses a web search-engine-like database to find files REALLY quickly (as in "hit ENTER and BANG! it's there").
Like my experience with the 17", this machine is noticeably faster than the G5 iMac, especially in graphic-intensive operations (very evident in re-draws of iPhoto edits). I
still didn't get a chance to play with PhotoShop, but I would like to. I wouldn't say that I noticed a 2x increase in performance, and honestly I didn't see much difference between it and the 1.83GHz model, but again, I didn't really test the limits. However, they both make my current home machine (G4, 768MB RAM), which I think is pretty good, look like a tortoise.
Office runs, well, just like it used to. Large PowerPoint files are noticeably quicker to load and display. I will have to bring in my thumb drive into the Apple Store and see how fast some of my huge Excel files/charts from my old thesis run. I plan to do so for sure on my 17" and update later.
Pre-installed software (with recovery disks) in addition to 10.4 includes iLife '06 (iTunes, iDVD, iWeb, Garage Band, etc).
Support
The same 90 day free telephone support/1 yr limited warranty comes standard. The 3yr Apple Care warranty costs an additional $169.
Impressions Pros
This machine is definitely a Mac. Sure, it's faster, but it retains its Mac-specific user-friendliness and robust architecture. In addition, Mac's OS-X remains more resistant to viruses (which combines with the fact that fewer viruses are written against Macs in the
first place).
The user-interface remains the same. You plug things in to the firewire or the USB, and they work. It is a rare occurrence when you'll need to search for a software patch or driver, or play the PC configuration file game.
With the MightyMouse, my chief annoyance (the primitive one-button mouse) is gone, and now I will find myself on the PCs at work wishing I had the "magic button" on their primitive click-wheel mice.
The design, while low on my priority list, remains incredibly far ahead of most PC-clones. Everything fits in a small footprint, and you don't have Medusa's hair sprouting everywhere.
Like in the 17" model, you get a lot of performance for your money - this is one place Apple
has really improved.
I went to look for a similar PC system, and here's what I found:
A Dell XPS400, with a similar Core Duo processor (3.0 GHz, 2MB L2, which will be a bit slower in performance in most cases than the iMac 2.0 GHz), 1GB of DDR memory (slower -
533MHz vs 667MHz), 250GB hard drive, a 20" Display (19" will cut $260 off the cost), firewire port, and a 256MB ATI PCI Express card.
There it is, a similar windows machine. It will ship at about $1940, compared to $1690 for the iMac (with 1GB memory upgrade) from the Ed Store.
Cons
There still are some reasons not to go Mac, though.
Software Compatibility: Especially games, but also utilities like GPS programs. There just is a lot more software written for PCs, and when identical titles are available for the two, you can usually find it a lot cheaper on Windows. That said, I think the Office for Mac is strangely better than the Windows edition. Also, Office for Mac Pro ($250 after rebate) now ships with Virtual PC with Windows XP. I wouldn't run Windows Apps on a Mac expecting it to run as well as on a high-end PC, but all I've heard so far is that it's pretty good. I'll update when I've had some time to experiment.
By the way, file compatibility is really not an issue anymore. I regularly swap files back and forth on my memory stick between my iMac, iBook, and PCs at work.
Children's educational software also doesn't seem to be a real issue. Just about every title out there is now PC and Mac compatible.
User Upgradability : If you are like my Dad and really enjoy pulling the cover off your CPU to drop the latest and greatest in, you won't like Macs. As I said, the only real internal upgrade you can do is Memory. You probably could swap a hard drive without too much hassle, but I think you'll void the warranty when you pop the case.
I tried rebuilding my iMac G4's Keyboard that had swallowed a can of Coke, and it was a pain in the butt. By the time I got it apart (definitely not intuitive) the Coke had done its damage, and I ended up buying a new one.
Final Words
I can't see the downside. Up to double the performance (at the same price) of the G5 model, rock-steady OS-X, no compatibility issues for my use, and feature-rich.
In the end (actually, before this review, based on prior research), I chose the 17", which for $400 less cash gives me what I really need/want in the machine (plus plenty of money for Microsoft Office with Virtual PC - $250 after rebate currently - and money left over for a family pack "Tiger" upgrade for my iMac G4 and iBook, if I decide later).
Now, I've got to get back to the Apple Store to check out the MacBook Duo Core (out of my price range, but I'd like to try it out)...
Amount Paid (US$): 1699 MSRP Operating System: Macintosh Processor speed: over 1000 RAM: More than 256 Internal Storage: SuperDisk Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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