This is not the 2019 4K iMac described in the article, this is the $1099 1080p iMac you're comparing. The article says: "The 21.5-inch 4K iMac that we're reviewing is the base model iMac that you can buy for $1,299 (or on sale for $1,249 at Amazon) and it features a Quad-core i3 Processor, 8GB of RAM, a 5400RPM 1TB Hard Drive, and it's also equipped with a Radeon Pro 555X with 2GB of VRAM."
Oh, so it's even more expensive, has an even slower CPU, and still a worse GPU than the Dell. Great, thanks for pointing that out.
Your link states that the Dell has a Core i5-8400T. This is a 6-core running at 1.7 GHz base clock, 3.3 GHz turbo clock CPU. This looks to be a mobile chip with with a 35W TDP.
The iMac 4K base model has a Core i3-8100B. This a 4-core running 3.6 GHz. There isn’t a turbo or base clock. It just runs at 3.6 GHz. It’s a desktop chip with a 65 W TDP.
The i3-8100B will outperform the i5-8400T by virtue of its higher clock in single thread, and since it runs all 4 cores at 3.6 GHz while the Core i5-8400T has 6 cores, this 6 cores will run at 1.7 GHz for sustained workloads, and the i3-8100B will out perform it in multi-core too.
The GTX 1050 is indeed faster than the AMD Radeon 555X, by up to 50%.
Is this pestering just fun for you or something? You are pointing to a PC that is cheaper by component features. Buying cheaper by component list features isn’t why people buy Mac or iPhones or whatever Apple device. The list of components is but one thing people look at when buying things. To some, Apple’s intangibles are enough to pay the £200 difference.
An intangible is the design. The Dell comes with a power brick. That alone will prevent me from buying it. The Dell looks nice from the front, not so much on the side, and it looks like plastic construction. The aluminum and glass ID of the iMac is enough to get people to pay 20% more.
Heck, why would you recommend this Dell model at all as it has a 23.8” 1920x1080 resolution display? 1920x1080 on 23.8” display, displaying MS Windows software! Recommend a Dell model with a 4K model at least. And bah, it comes with “8GB, 1x8GB, DDR4, 2666MHz”. Am I reading it right? It comes with 1 8GB memory DIMM? So this model is only using 1 memory channel and therefore has half the memory performance of a typical 2 memory channel Intel system? Recommend the next model up at least.
Maybe you don’t know, but nobody would recommend the base model iMac 21.5. It’s only there for education buys (who will get it for some amount less per machine depending on number of machines purchased) or to serve as an upsell. Upsells are bad values on purpose to get people to get the next model up. Standard sales tactic for virtually everyone. You won’t find anyone on this forum that’ll recommend it.
The i3-8100B is slightly faster single threaded, but multithreaded you're miles off. The i5 is much faster. Here's a i3 Mac Mini and an i5 iMac for proof.
The link you provide for the i5 iMac is a spoofed result. It’s not a real iMac. The “iMac14,2” in the name should be a hint that something is wrong.
The 2019 iMac 4K has the model identifier of iMac19,2. The i5 version is an Core i5-8500, which is 6-core running 3.0 GHz base clocks and 4.1 GHz turbos with a 65 Watt TDP. Here’s PrimateLabs’ page on it: http://browser.geekbench.com/macs/444
No Apple Macs use a Core i5-8400T.
The 2018 Mac mini Core i3-8100B, Core i5-8500B and Core i7-8700B. The iMac 4K uses the i3-8100B, i5-8500B, and i7-8700B. Even the MBP15 models don’t have it.
Yes, an i3-8100B should outperform an i5-8400T in multicore and you really should drop this point. The only win that the 8400T would have are short burst 6-core turbo operations, but I really doubt 6-core or 4-core turbos will reach anything north of 2.5-GHz on this chip let alone 3 GHz, let alone whether short burst 6 core turbo operations is something consumers really should be worrying about.
A power brick prevents you from buying a device? You don't have a Macbook then? 20% more cost, but with lesser specs; so in fact it ends up as more than 20% more expensive.
A power brick would most certainly stop me from buying a desktop. It should stop you too. Heck, this is one reason I like Apple WiFi routers. They don’t have power bricks.
For laptops, it’s water under the bridge. All laptops have them and they are apparently a necessity. Not much choice there. But desktops? I don’t want another hot brick on the floor or table to worry about.
My issue is that Apple's pricing is getting higher and higher and they skimp on things on their supposedly "premium" hardware, like the SSD, when it'd cost them so little to do so. I mentioned previously the Dell has a lesser display and case, but a 4K screen isn't much more expensive now than a HD model.
The iMac situation isn’t any different from before and none of the complaints over them haven’t changed for years. The base models serve to upsell customers to get SSDs, RAM upgrades, and CPU/GPU upgrades. This is true for every single SKU from least expensive to most expensive, and it is a tried and true sales strategy used by every company in the world. Not unusual.
Apple Mac fans aren’t really that happy right now. So, you being unhappy isn’t unusual. Fusion drives are being limited to 3 GB for who knows what reasons. Perhaps to hold the line when everything switches over to SSDs. The war with Nvidia is bad for customers and Apple’s Mac brand. The Mac Pro a lost cause for 6 years minimum and people are still doubting Apple will come up with a good design for that. USBC uptake has been slow. Laptop keyboards have been controversial. Even so, Apple still has advantages with Macs, and people find value in getting them.
If you have issues, don’t buy it. But you go too far thinking other people would or should make the same decisions as you.
If no one would recommend the base model and it's for education, why is it for sale to the general public? If someone who knows they want a Mac but doesn't know much about computing gets the base model, they'll be disappointed. Just like my friend is with hers. You're saying thats fine, and it's her fault for buying that model rather than Apple's fault for selling a crap configuration? Apple sells computers as appliances, and people expect that when they buy an expensive Mac, that it's good.
Oh and even the next model up at £1249 still has a 5400RPM HDD. And the top tier £1449 one has a fusion drive, but with a tiny 32GB SSD. You still think that's fine?
Are these rhetorical questions?
I already said why the base models exists. It’s there to be an upsell. Does more need to be said? Who knows, maybe there are companies that buy them as single application devices. I’ve seen a dentist use an iMac mounted on a wall used only to display eye charts.
When I meant recommend the next model up, I meant the Dell model to compare to the base model iMac 4K being discussed. Why would you recommend this Dell model at all? To anyone? That is basically a kiosk model for secretaries, hospitals, bankers. As a consumer machine, buyers should go the model SKU up.
If a friend is asking you for buying advice, do the right thing. Maybe it is a PC that should be recommended, but don’t recommend a crap one that is cheap with poor service either. For a lot of people in-person service is worth the additional money, and much more valuable than an SSD, and that has to be kept in mind.
Personally I'm very happy when Apple releases iterative upgrades. My dream would be for Apple to release an upgrade for every Mac model every year with the latest hardware available at the time if they have no other more notable upgrades. The toxic situation I often find myself in is having no idea if/when Apple will ever release an update with modern specs. The real travesty is that Apple often abandons specificities model lines for years with no updates, leaving consumers and professionals with no clear path to meet their computing needs, but instead keeps outdated Machines featured on their site with the same high prices.
Comments
The 2019 iMac 4K has the model identifier of iMac19,2. The i5 version is an Core i5-8500, which is 6-core running 3.0 GHz base clocks and 4.1 GHz turbos with a 65 Watt TDP. Here’s PrimateLabs’ page on it: http://browser.geekbench.com/macs/444
No Apple Macs use a Core i5-8400T.
The 2018 Mac mini Core i3-8100B, Core i5-8500B and Core i7-8700B. The iMac 4K uses the i3-8100B, i5-8500B, and i7-8700B. Even the MBP15 models don’t have it.
Yes, an i3-8100B should outperform an i5-8400T in multicore and you really should drop this point. The only win that the 8400T would have are short burst 6-core turbo operations, but I really doubt 6-core or 4-core turbos will reach anything north of 2.5-GHz on this chip let alone 3 GHz, let alone whether short burst 6 core turbo operations is something consumers really should be worrying about.
A power brick would most certainly stop me from buying a desktop. It should stop you too. Heck, this is one reason I like Apple WiFi routers. They don’t have power bricks. For laptops, it’s water under the bridge. All laptops have them and they are apparently a necessity. Not much choice there. But desktops? I don’t want another hot brick on the floor or table to worry about.
The iMac situation isn’t any different from before and none of the complaints over them haven’t changed for years. The base models serve to upsell customers to get SSDs, RAM upgrades, and CPU/GPU upgrades. This is true for every single SKU from least expensive to most expensive, and it is a tried and true sales strategy used by every company in the world. Not unusual.
Apple Mac fans aren’t really that happy right now. So, you being unhappy isn’t unusual. Fusion drives are being limited to 3 GB for who knows what reasons. Perhaps to hold the line when everything switches over to SSDs. The war with Nvidia is bad for customers and Apple’s Mac brand. The Mac Pro a lost cause for 6 years minimum and people are still doubting Apple will come up with a good design for that. USBC uptake has been slow. Laptop keyboards have been controversial. Even so, Apple still has advantages with Macs, and people find value in getting them.
If you have issues, don’t buy it. But you go too far thinking other people would or should make the same decisions as you.
Are these rhetorical questions?
I already said why the base models exists. It’s there to be an upsell. Does more need to be said? Who knows, maybe there are companies that buy them as single application devices. I’ve seen a dentist use an iMac mounted on a wall used only to display eye charts.
When I meant recommend the next model up, I meant the Dell model to compare to the base model iMac 4K being discussed. Why would you recommend this Dell model at all? To anyone? That is basically a kiosk model for secretaries, hospitals, bankers. As a consumer machine, buyers should go the model SKU up.
If a friend is asking you for buying advice, do the right thing. Maybe it is a PC that should be recommended, but don’t recommend a crap one that is cheap with poor service either. For a lot of people in-person service is worth the additional money, and much more valuable than an SSD, and that has to be kept in mind.