New Apple 2019 iMacs vs. 2017 iMacs: Is Core i9 worth the upgrade?

Like a trail of breadcrumbs leading up to its event on March 25, Apple announced updates to its iMac all-in-one desktops on Tuesday, following the launch of two new iPads on Monday (and followed by new AirPod earbuds). 

What's new? Upgraded eighth- and ninth-generation Intel Core CPUs and new AMD Radeon GPUs, just like we got in 2017. Notably, though, the top configuration now goes up to a ninth-gen Core i9 processor and Radeon Pro Vega graphics.

You can expect a noticeable performance increase from the new components, if only because of the increase in processor cores and clock speeds on the Intel chips and the move to AMD's updated last-generation or newest Vega-architecture graphics. 

Read: Here's a fast and affordable way to upgrade your iMac's RAM

The base 21.5-inch, non-Retina model remains the same, sticking with its $1,099 (£1,049, AU$1,699) price tag.

We hope that these internal upgrades don't preclude an iMac redesign this year, though. While the good news is these enhancements come without concomitant price increases, the bad news is that the system's design was already getting old in 2017 and some of the core features, like wireless networking and Bluetooth, could stand some upgrades.

Notably, there don't seem to be any more Core i7 options for the 27-inch model, probably because the core and clock-speed increases to the Core i5 serve to move it up to that performance class, though probably not the same performance level. Given the addition of another level of processors -- the Core i9s have joined i3, i5 and i7 in Intel's CPU lineup since 2017 -- something had to go to maintain the pricing structure.

The new base 5K model moves from a dual-core seventh-gen Core i5 to a quad-core eighth-gen Core i3 model, but while the new Core i3s don't support Turbo Boost like the old i5, performance seems to be the same.

Keep in mind that iMacs tend to deliver performance roughly equivalent to similarly configured MacBook Pros. Like many all-in-one desktop manufacturers, Apple uses a lot of laptop parts because they have the same hot-components-in-a-small-space issues.

The i9 configurations, starting at $2,299, are definitely welcome for people who want some of the power of an iMac Pro but hyperventilate at the $4,999 starting price. The top iMac configuration -- the 3.6GHz base/5GHz boost version with 64GB RAM, a Radeon Pro Vega 48 and 2TB SSD -- will run you $5,249, which is still cheaper than a similarly configured iMac Pro at $5,999. 

By opting for the iMac instead of the Pro, you sacrifice a workstation-class Intel Xeon processor, some GPU processing power (the Pro starts with a Vega 56), ECC memory and the higher-bandwidth networking, but it's nice to see some powerful intermediate price and configuration options between mainstream consumer and workstation systems.

Speaking of which, the iMac Pro didn't get updated, but that's not surprising -- there's nothing to upgrade at the moment, since workstation parts are on a longer update cycle than consumer ones. There aren't any Coffee Lake (eighth-gen) versions of the Xeon W CPUs, and AMD has only just released its first consumer card based on its latest 7-nanometer Zen architecture. The company stealthily added top-end configuration options for the desktop, however, with Vega 64X graphics and 256GB RAM.

Originally published March 19.
Update, March 20: Added new iMac Pro upgrade options.

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Apple iMac 27-inch gets better on the inside for 2017

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