AppleInsider › Forums › Mac Hardware › Current Mac Hardware › Apple releases new iMac desktops with Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs, Thunderbolt ports
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Apple releases new iMac desktops with Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs, Thunderbolt ports - Page 4

post #121 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:08am
What was that thing that Microsoft were gibbering about a couple of years ago for Vista?

Hybrid drives !

Weren't they saying how wonderful it would be because you could plug in a flash pendrive externally and it would speed up processing as a RAM cache? I never heard of anyone actually using it.

Any relevance to thunderbolt here? I.e., plug in a 10GB dongle and see your iMac speed up?

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

Reply

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

Reply
post #122 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4miler View Post

No matte antiglare screens on the new iMacs. If you need matte screens, there's something you can do - add your voice to 1,300+ petitions at....

1300+ people need to buy better curtains.

Blu-ray would have been nice but wasn't expected.
a 30" would have been very nice, shame.

I'll consider upgrading when Lion comes out.
Reply
Reply
post #123 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post

Just out of curiosity is the desire for a non-glossy screen about reflections or the 'I use it for color accuracy' argument? If the former I'd say I far prefer the glossy and simply moving position or lighting. That one I guess is personal preferences.

For me, it is purely the reflections. I sit in an office with the lights off and prefer the brightness to be in the mid-to-low range, as the higher brightness is hard on my eyes. Even at full brightness though, the black band is fully reflective. I have tried every permutation, including switching offices and any possible position of the unit, different lighting setups, etc, all to no avail. If we were talking about a $1,500 computer here, ok, well... those are the breaks. But this was a $4,500 machine as configured!

All I am hoping for is someone to make a 3rd party museum glass replacement. You can't do any coatings or film to fix the existing glass; it is too far from the display itself. I did try and get pricing for a custom museum glass, but the challenge was going to be duplicating Apple's metal frame and bonding to the glass.
Reply
Reply
post #124 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleStud View Post

The only thing Apple listens to is their customers ringing up the cash registers. Apple doesn't do "focus groups" and customer surveys. It's why they're great.



I find that statement hard to understand. You would rather never have any input on the direction your purchases took? You would rather just be milked as a cash cow?
Reply
Reply
post #125 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYRangers85 View Post

Can anyone give me any tips on comparing the i5 vs i7 processors?

I use Logic Pro a lot and need to decide if the i7 is worth the upgrade. Also, is it strange that the 15" and 17" MBPs come with i7 default and the iMacs are an additional updgrade? is there any particular reason for that?

Anything a bit more in depth than "they're faster" would be tremendously appreciated.

The Hyper thread ability of the i7 cpu's makes the difference, but spend money on the RAM for Logic.
I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.
Reply
I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.
Reply
post #126 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post

Apple on Tuesday updated its all-in-one line of iMac desktops, adding Intel's powerful new quad-core Sandy Bridge processors, as well as the new high-speed Thunderbolt input/output port.



AppleInsider reported on Saturday that Apple would introduce its new Sandy Bridge-powered iMacs this week. The company's all-in-one desktop was last upgraded nine months ago, in July, when they were equipped with Intel Core i processors and ATI Radeon graphics.

So what's the deal with the Sandy Bridge technology? It's been pretty much panned for the MBP line, so why continue with it here? What am I missing?

Thanks.
Reply
Reply
post #127 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYRangers85 View Post

once again, any comments are greatly appreciated....any takers?

I have the i7 and am happy to have the performance out of it. It seems to really make a difference in Parallels and Creative Suite, but I can't speak for Logic.
Reply
Reply
post #128 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:19am
I am another one of the dirty stinking matte lovers. I also prefer 16:10 for computing but I'll leave that discussion for another day.

To put it simply, I get horrible headaches from glossy displays. It's very bad with the new iMacs, which I don't work with very long if I can avoid it.

Ok, so Apple and no one else cares. I get it. Workarounds include peeling off the front glass with sticky tape or suction, using an anti-glare adhesive (which has issues), and carefully controlling your environment. Or maybe flip the thing around and use another display externally. But you shouldn't have to do all this for a new computer. Or build a hackintosh.

The irony to me is that the original CRT displays were very glossy, and people had to get antiglare filters and hoods all the time. Then we get LCD and the glare goes away, but the native resolution is never where you like it and the scaling technology was terrible. Now you can get LCD's with high PPI, but they are glossy. Vicious.

I would have bought a Mac Mini in a heartbeat but the specs seem gimpish. Integrated GPU, 5400rpm laptop drive, still only 2GB RAM in default config. If they beefed up the Mini a bit or lowered the price I'd probably be all over it. But right now the specs aren't any better than my years old PC. Which is a real shame.
Reply
Reply
post #129 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:20am
A 7200rpm drive? Really? I'll stick with my 15krpm SAS drive thanks.
Reply
Reply
post #130 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goldenclaw View Post

I am another one of the dirty stinking matte lovers. I also prefer 16:10 for computing but I'll leave that discussion for another day...

I agree I want a computer, not a glorified flat screen TV. 16:9 is retarded.
Reply
Reply
post #131 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna View Post

Yeah and??? It is a winning physical design that sells like crazy. So of course it's just going to be under the hood stuff

I wasn't criticising it, just describing/categorising. The iMac is my favourite computer.
Reply
Reply
post #132 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:24am
I like Matte Screens better for some things such as working in photo shop and in areas where direct light is shining on the monitor. However, the iMac is billed as a consumer oriented machine. Gloss screens tend to look better for other things consumer like to do such as playing video. Also gloss screens have come a long way.

I don't see Apple changing back to Matte screens in the consumer market because 1) most consumers do not care, and 2) gloss costs less.

Matte screen users have options. You can buy a Mac Pro or a Mac Mini and bring your own monitor.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 4miler View Post

No matte antiglare screens on the new iMacs. If you need matte screens, there's something you can do - add your voice to 1,300+ petitions at http://macmatte.wordpress.com Unlike personal emails to Apple - which Apple just ignore, asserting everyone loves glossy screens - make it count by adding to the online petition where your voice will remain visible on the net until Apple listens. Remember, adding your comment to transient news articles on the net is fine, but those articles go out of date in a few weeks, and also there is no long-term accumulation and consolidation of numbers, like there is at a petition site.
Reply
Reply
post #133 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post

And how has that petition worked out for you? Have you gotten that matte option yet? How long has it been going on?

we at least gotten our option for 15" and 17" mbps, after a long fight, and they didn't gladly opt for glass on the air.

But the imac screen glare still remains an abberation.
Reply
Reply
post #134 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pondosinatra View Post

A 7200rpm drive? Really? I'll stick with my 15krpm SAS drive thanks.

Really? And you think an iMac should come with SAS. Right... Are you just boasting or what? I have a 50,000 sq. ft. data center hooked up to my iMac. So there.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

Reply

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

Reply
post #135 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:29am
I get more headaches with Gloss as well. I use Flux, a free Mac OSX application that helps. It changes the screen's lighting around to match your environment. At night time it is super useful.




Quote:
Originally Posted by Goldenclaw View Post

I am another one of the dirty stinking matte lovers. I also prefer 16:10 for computing but I'll leave that discussion for another day.

To put it simply, I get horrible headaches from glossy displays. It's very bad with the new iMacs, which I don't work with very long if I can avoid it.

Ok, so Apple and no one else cares. I get it. Workarounds include peeling off the front glass with sticky tape or suction, using an anti-glare adhesive (which has issues), and carefully controlling your environment. Or maybe flip the thing around and use another display externally. But you shouldn't have to do all this for a new computer. Or build a hackintosh.

The irony to me is that the original CRT displays were very glossy, and people had to get antiglare filters and hoods all the time. Then we get LCD and the glare goes away, but the native resolution is never where you like it and the scaling technology was terrible. Now you can get LCD's with high PPI, but they are glossy. Vicious.

I would have bought a Mac Mini in a heartbeat but the specs seem gimpish. Integrated GPU, 5400rpm laptop drive, still only 2GB RAM in default config. If they beefed up the Mini a bit or lowered the price I'd probably be all over it. But right now the specs aren't any better than my years old PC. Which is a real shame.
Reply
Reply
post #136 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hamiltonrrwatch View Post

The keyboard option with a numeric keypad is noticeably absent. So no more wired options

Still no matte screen, but with LED back lighting, I wonder if you could adjust the levels so that you don't notice the glare?

Wired keyboards with numpad are BTO/CTO, , just as they were last week when I checked.

Depending on the image, that can be pretty bright, especially if it's a dark image. It seems like if Apple was going to offer a no-glare on iMac, they would have done it by now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by backtomac View Post

Are there any USB3 to TB adaptors available?

Do you mean TB to USB3? USB3 to TB defeats the point of TB.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 4miler View Post

No matte antiglare screens on the new iMacs. If you need matte screens, there's something you can do - add your voice to 1,300+ petitions at http://macmatte.wordpress.com Unlike personal emails to Apple - which Apple just ignore, asserting everyone loves glossy screens - make it count by adding to the online petition where your voice will remain visible on the net until Apple listens. Remember, adding your comment to transient news articles on the net is fine, but those articles go out of date in a few weeks, and also there is no long-term accumulation and consolidation of numbers, like there is at a petition site.

White space man, white space! That said, I was tempted to nix this post for spam, though it seems legitimate now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ghostface147 View Post

And how has that petition worked out for you? Have you gotten that matte option yet? How long has it been going on?

Apple did re-add the matte option to 15", so there might be some demand. Petitions don't seem to work though, I doubt they'd notice one with 1500 signatures.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jmmx View Post

They have a 256GB Solid State Drive option for $600. Just wish they had a 128 GB SSD. That is what you need for OS and applications and desktop. It would be a lot more affordable. I wonder if an aftermarket SSD would be installable. They do seem to have 2 drive bays.

There is at least one aftermarket SSD kit for the current size iMacs. I think I've heard of one that allows one SSD and one desktop hard drive, but I can't find it. You or someone would have to do an extensive disassembly to install them though. Maxupgrades has a mount adapter to convert to SSD, and replace the optical drive with SSD.
Reply
Reply
post #137 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evilution View Post

1300+ people need to buy better curtains.

Blu-ray would have been nice but wasn't expected.
a 30" would have been very nice, shame.

I'll consider upgrading when Lion comes out.

I don't own an iMac, but I've been in our local Apple store which has no ambient lighting, and the reflection from the iMac screens there was still pretty awful.

And you really can't expect everyone to use their machines in some isolated dark area of their house.
Reply
Reply
post #138 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

Really? And you think an iMac should come with SAS. Right... Are you just boasting or what? I have a 50,000 sq. ft. data center hooked up to my iMac. So there.

Yeah, that performance path has died. 15k RPM on a desktop is dumb now, get the best SSD you can afford and be done with it. Or it's a really lame troll.
Reply
Reply
post #139 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post

Apple did re-add the matte option to 15", so there might be some demand. Petitions don't seem to work though, I doubt they'd notice one with 1500 signatures.

Maybe we should try to get Al Franken to start a federal investigation.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

Reply

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

Reply
post #140 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone View Post

You should probably keep the old ram in case you need to take it in for service. If something is wrong under warranty and you don't have the original ram in it could be a problem exchanging it or servicing it at Apple.

Perhaps. But I can't say from experience. In over 20 years of Mac ownership, I've never once taken a machine in for service. Call me lucky!

That's not to say that I've never had parts fail--but that was long after the warranty expired, and after said model was EOL'ed, so hardly worth the hassle of repair.

But, I am annoyed that Apple chooses to fill at least two RAM slots with their "minimum" RAM configuration. It's such a waste. I'm not saying they should max out the RAM, but it would be much less wasteful to use up just one slot for the minimum configuration.
"Don't be a dick!"Wil Wheaton
Reply
"Don't be a dick!"Wil Wheaton
Reply
post #141 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDM View Post


Do you mean TB to USB3? USB3 to TB defeats the point of TB.
.

No I mean USB 3 to TB.

That way if USB 3 HDD become commonplace as I suspect they will I can plug them into the TB slot using an adaptor and at least be able to get the USB 3 transfer speed.
Reply
Reply
post #142 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hamiltonrrwatch View Post

The keyboard option with a numeric keypad is noticeably absent. So no more wired options

Still no matte screen, but with LED back lighting, I wonder if you could adjust the levels so that you don't notice the glare?

There are four options for the wired keyboard with the numeric keypad right below the four options for the wireless keypad - no addtional cost.

Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
Apple Wireless Keyboard (Western Spanish) & User's Guide
Apple Wireless Keyboard (French) & User's Guide
Apple Wireless Keyboard (Japanese) & User's Guide
Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) & User's Guide
Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Western Spanish) & User's Guide
Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (French) & User's Guide
Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Japanese) & User's Guide

As for the the screen, yeah a lot of people seem to want matte screens. I used a matte screen at work and a 27 inch iMac at home and for me, I like the crispness and vibrance of the iMac screen. Something about matte screens that seem fuzzy that bothers me.
Reply
Reply
post #143 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:47am
I can't remember where I saw it, but someone wrote an article when the Macbook Pros first got Thunderbolt saying that they could only handle one half of one Thunderbolt channel due to their limited processing power.

I wonder what the story is on these new iMacs, then.

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

Reply

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

Reply
post #144 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ksec View Post

And there are no spec with 8GB default Ram, adding memory actually means it is expensive even of you do it yourself, since you have to throw away both slot in order to get 8GB.

There's 4 SODIMMS so you can just add two more 2GB chips to get 8GB total...
Reply
Reply
post #145 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mostro View Post

and the best news for me at least (and for those who live in canada), is that for the first time, they cost the same in both US and Canada...finally . I has been waiting for this since the loonie is on par (or slightly over) the american dolar.

Ditto for the Mini which begs the question, why are all of the other products still priced differently.

Apple should standardize the entire product line, do it in one shot and make a point of getting some PR mileage out of the move. After all, Apple can choose to adjust pricing down the road if the US dollar comes back but we all know that's a ways off.

On the other hand, with a Conservative majority guaranteeing runaway debt, maybe the Canadian dollar will not take long to slip back.
Reply
Reply
post #146 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Futuristic View Post

Perhaps. But I can't say from experience. In over 20 years of Mac ownership, I've never once taken a machine in for service. Call me lucky!

That's not to say that I've never had parts fail--but that was long after the warranty expired, and after said model was EOL'ed, so hardly worth the hassle of repair.

But, I am annoyed that Apple chooses to fill at least two RAM slots with their "minimum" RAM configuration. It's such a waste. I'm not saying they should max out the RAM, but it would be much less wasteful to use up just one slot for the minimum configuration.

Selling a pair of used 1 gb sticks will net you maybe 20 bucks, which is peanuts. The hassle you would go through if you didn't have the original ram in case of needed service or exchange - hours of pleading and arguing and a $100+ penalty. Not worth it. Keep the ram.

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

Reply

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.

Reply
post #147 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pondosinatra View Post

I agree I want a computer, not a glorified flat screen TV. 16:9 is retarded.

With everything being widescreen, I wonder if menus and controls should move to the sides.

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

Reply

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

Reply
post #148 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ascii View Post

Very similar to the MBP upgrade. Faster GPU, graphics and ports but nothing much else...
A performance upgrade basically.


...just as should have been expected, and is what is warranted. The MBP and iMac form factors are not only very popular consumer wise but a very big win for Apple in terms of production and environment. Look at the aluminum Mac Pro form factor... now over five years old... iMac and MBP will not change form factor for the forseable future.
Reply
Reply
post #149 of 301
5/3/11 at 9:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PXT View Post

With everything being widescreen, I wonder if menus and controls should move to the sides.

I've had my dock on the right-hand side since OS X was first introduced. Seems natural since that's where icons pop to when saving something temporarily on the desktop. Can't do anything about the menu bar though.
Reply
Reply
post #150 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:01am
Is "2.7GHz Core i5 processor" used in high end 21.5" and low end 27" the new Sandy Bridge 2500S chip?
Reply
Reply
post #151 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by QuadESL63 View Post

Now that you bring this up



I guess for most the reason we want a SSD configuration is to (pre)install the OS and (some of) the applications on it for faster disk access performance (e.g. app loading time, etc.) Adding a SSD later as an external storage is kind of defeating the purpose.

Put the SSD into the machine, and put that old HD into the external enclosure.
Reply
Reply
post #152 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by backtomac View Post

No I mean USB 3 to TB.

That way if USB 3 HDD become commonplace as I suspect they will I can plug them into the TB slot using an adaptor and at least be able to get the USB 3 transfer speed.

I think we both mean the same thing, but from opposite viewpoints. I'm referring to the host's point of view, you're referring from the peripheral's point of view. I think we'll see them eventually. There almost aren't any TB devices yet.
Reply
Reply
post #153 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquatic View Post

Also..TB is like Firewire 800 on steroids. In other words I doubt many people use it now. In a few years, definitely. But it feels before its time. Even FW 800 has that feeling, in respect to most Mac users. Who will be using TB and how much? I am guessing just pros dealing with media or other large datasets, using it to plug into RAIDs or SSDs or some other media input device that saturates bandwidth. But hey. The iMacs are finally priced to move. Not complaining. If was in the market for a desktop I think the iMac would finally be calling my name.

Apple is pushing TB by adding it to their 2011 releases. Without computers with TB installed, peripheral makers have no incentive to produce TB-enabled devices. IOW this is a logical progression. Makers like LaCie, with a line aimed squarely at Apple hardware, will release fast; others will wait a little, watch Apple's sales, and then release. I would expect a moderate range of TB-capable peripherals this year and a whole lot next year. Takes a while for a new technology like this to gan momentum, and the first step is the device maker including the port.

Ordered my new iMac this morning. 27", 3.4GHz i7, Radeon 6970, 8GB RAM (to start, anyway). I wanted the two TB ports - we have 12 TB of NAS here which needs upgrading to a faster connection, so I'm in the market for TB peripherals, for sure.
Ric
MBP-13, Mac Mini, iPad-WiFi, iPhone4, iPod Touch
Reply
Ric
MBP-13, Mac Mini, iPad-WiFi, iPhone4, iPod Touch
Reply
post #154 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:10am
Why no Crossfire option with the mobility Radeon? Once again Apple drags its heels in the graphics dept.
Reply
Reply
post #155 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hamiltonrrwatch View Post

The keyboard option with a numeric keypad is noticeably absent. So no more wired options

Still no matte screen, but with LED back lighting, I wonder if you could adjust the levels so that you don't notice the glare?

Wired Keyboard with Numerical Keypad is Free Option at the Apple Store.
- Dave Marsh
iMac Intel 24" 2.8GHz x 2, MacBook Air 1.8GHz, iPad 3G
Reply
- Dave Marsh
iMac Intel 24" 2.8GHz x 2, MacBook Air 1.8GHz, iPad 3G
Reply
post #156 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmmx View Post

It is a shame that Apple does not listen to their customers more.

LOL - Market research is exactly why Apple products are becoming more and more successful.
Reply
Reply
post #157 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evilution View Post

Blu-ray would have been nice but wasn't expected.

Or... ever will be by anyone with a clue.

Quote:
a 30" would have been very nice, shame.

As much as I hate it, 16:10 is out, 16:9 is in. A 30" was never going to happen.
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
Reply
PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
Reply
post #158 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ksec View Post

And there are no spec with 8GB default Ram, adding memory actually means it is expensive even of you do it yourself, since you have to throw away both slot in order to get 8GB.

The new iMac has four memory slots, so you don't have to throw away your included memory.
- Dave Marsh
iMac Intel 24" 2.8GHz x 2, MacBook Air 1.8GHz, iPad 3G
Reply
- Dave Marsh
iMac Intel 24" 2.8GHz x 2, MacBook Air 1.8GHz, iPad 3G
Reply
post #159 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leppo View Post

So the 'M' in 'AMD Radeon HD 6750M' means it's the mobile version of the chip, correct? How does that compare these days? Any guidance here would be extremely helpful.

Someone felt games like SC2 would only run moderately on the new mobile cards, but I find that hard to believe. I know the prior generation with the non mobile cards was running really well on intensive games. That would mean apple downgraded graphics. Anyone have a strong knowledge of these cards want to confirm that games will still run better on these new cards versus last gen iMac? So weird they switched back to M cards again after one refresh of non M. I imagine this means these are some screaming M cards.

NM, I answered my own question from a website with lots of technical language. The summary included this....

"All in all, the Radeon HD 6970M shows an impressive performance. AMD's old top model, the Radeon HD 5870, is surpassed in every benchmark by about 50%—a testament to the new model's formidable performance."
Reply
Reply
post #160 of 301
5/3/11 at 10:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by brucep View Post

wow
powerful cheap machines
finally the graphics get stronger
the matte screen is an ugly look compared to a real glass screen

9

peace

I guess I'm not as good-looking as you. With a dark photo or a darkish movie scene, all I see is myself reflected in the glossy monitor (like Bin Laden, I moved out of my cave years ago).
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Current Mac Hardware
AppleInsider › Forums › Mac Hardware › Current Mac Hardware › Apple releases new iMac desktops with Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs, Thunderbolt ports