Apple’s iMac has been refreshed, bumping up the processor to Sandy Bridge while the unibody design remains the same. The last refresh happened in October 2010 where it got bumped to Core i3, i5 or i7 CPUs.

Here is what’s new in a nutshell:

  • Sandy Bridge Quad-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors across the line.
  • Thunderbolt technology for high-performance peripherals with data transfer rates up to 20x faster than USB 2.0 and up to 12x faster than FireWire 800.
  • FaceTime HD camera, previously known as iSight
  • New AMD Radeon HD graphics processor with performance up to 3x faster than before

21.5-inch: 2.5GHz – S$1,648

  • Intel Core i5 2.5GHz Quad-Core
  • 4GB (two 2GB) memory
  • 500GB hard drive
  • AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB
  • 1920 x 1080 resolution

21.5-inch: 2.7GHz – S$2,048

  • Intel Core i5 2.7GHz Quad-Core
  • 4GB (two 2GB) memory
  • 1TB hard drive
  • AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB
  • 1920 x 1080 resolution

27-inch: 2.7GHz – S$2,348

  • Intel Core i5 2.7GHz Quad-Core
  • 4GB (two 2GB) memory
  • 1TB hard drive
  • AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512MB
  • 2560 x 1440 resolution

27-inch: 3.1GHz – S$2,748

  • Intel Core i5 3.1GHz Quad-Core
  • 4GB (two 2GB) memory
  • 1TB hard drive
  • AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB
  • 2560 x 1440 resolution

I thought this would be the iMac I will be getting, but wasn’t impressed with the change and pricing. So I guess I will wait for the “proper” refresh as in change of design and USB 3.0! Anyway just for fun, here is my ideal iMac specifications based on the current generation:

27-inch – S$3,702.60

  • Intel Core i7 3.4GHz Quad-Core
  • 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x4GB
  • 1TB Serial ATA Drive
  • AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB GDDR5
  • Magic Trackpad
  • Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Int’l English) & User’s Guide (English)
  • AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac- Auto-enroll

I wanted the “1TB Serial ATA Drive + 256GB Solid State Drive” but it is way too expensive (S$813.20 more). Not a fan of Magic Mouse, I will probably end up using a Razer Mouse instead and hence I opted for the Magic Trackpad. I am also not a fan of Wireless keyboard so I opted for the wired keyboard. AppleCare is a must for all Apple computers because the parts and labor are way too expensive.

Apple iMac: Technical Specifications
Apple Store (Singapore): iMac