The 27in Apple iMac features the same impossibly thin design as its smaller brother, yet somehow seems even thinner and more impressive in this larger version.
See: more reviews of Apple Macintosh computers.
The screen itself is really very impressive indeed, with its 2560 by 1440-pixel IPS screen delivering a near-perfect image with excellent brightness and contrast, and colours which are spot on straight out of the box. If you want an all-in-one for serious work on images on video, this is most definitely the one to go for.
Our review sample is the faster of the two 27in Apple iMac models available, and with plenty of optional extras added – hence the higher £2179 price.
This gets you the top of the range 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-3770 quad-core processor, 8GB of memory and a 1TB Fusion drive. This automatically stores your most frequently used files on an SSD while also providing a cache to speed access to the rest. This iMac takes the optional nVidia GeForce GTX 680MX graphics processor.
This combination delivers awesome performance, whether you’re running office applications, creativity suites or even games. Where the best of the rest struggled to reach 15 frames per second (fps) on our full-HD Aliens vs Predator test, the 27in iMac effortlessly turned in 43.9fps.
Our recorded score of 4114 points in PCMark 7 was excellent and it doesn’t even exploit the Fusion drive as the iMac doesn’t use the flash storage when running Windows. This gives Dell’s XPS One 27 Touch an unfair advantage here as its flash cache is designed for Windows use.
If you’re willing to cut back a bit on the fastest CPU and GPU, you can have a 27in iMac for £1499. This will get you a 2.9GHz processor, much slower graphics and a standard hard disk, and will bring the price more in line with an entry-level Dell XPS One 27.
The iMac is no longer fitted with an internal optical drive, so you may need to find an external USB drive.
Comments
Ruwantha said: I have no doubt that Apple has superior build quality and great performance However when it comes to buying computers the best today is out done in a few weeks So if Apple iMac is the one for most of the people who need a AIO my answer to this question is possibly no Its what you want but not what you need Most PC users I know hardly run any 3D programming audiovideo editing or high end data bases not I am keeping away the hard-core gamers One does not need the speediest computer on earth to run word processing or browse internet to log into facebook or e-mail Its interesting to see how many of us do more than that on a regular basis
Cooloox said: What about the HP Z1 It has everythingbasically any spec you like including a faster processor than the iMac same size screen and arguablysimilar imagequality superb build quality and the easiest all-in-one out there from an upgraderepair point of view Great sound tooNo-one ever mentions this computer when comparing with the iMac Why compare it with a Dell XPS One if you are saying it is arguably the best Compare it with the best Windows PC then
RealFacts1000 said: I have read no less than 35 professional reviews from 35 different websites who have many years of expertise in reviewing all brands and models of PCs and Apple computers as wellnot to mention performing literally every bench test imaginableLiterally every one of them has concluded the Apple iMac 27 late 2012 all in desktop is perhaps the best all in one desktop everAll fanboys Seriously Its funny that those who prefer to ignore the facts resort to simply calling the reviewers fanboysLook at the data and bench testseducate yourself on the factsAlthoughI am certain that most negative comments on Apple products originate from folks who have never owned or even seen an Apple product
Matt Egan said: rolls eyes
Nico said: Obviously a fanboys takeHow about getting folks to review your stuff that arent fanboys
Ljcrockett said: Then you must be completely puzzled by the glowing review Done right thin can be aesthetically beautiful and Apple has always prized aesthetics This model may be more challenging to repair but I suspect your experience comes out of the commodity PC world where intense price competition has degraded component quality so they need repairs more often I have owned a number of Macs over many years of teaching computer science fact is they rarely need repair
RealFacts1000 said: I chose the newest iMac after reading over 30 online reviews from sites like CNETSlashGearEnGadgetPC Magazine and dozens of others who declared this was not only the best Apple all in one computer ever madebut the best ofany brand bar noneAfter I received it a month agoI totally agreeIts fasterquieterruns cooleris 8 pounds lighter and is more energy efficient than any previous iMacNot to mention a stunning screen with 75 less glareAs for the new thin designgorgeousperiodI laugh at folks who complain about the new thin designI guess those people would prefer to have the performance of a Lexus in the body of Ford EscortHonestlythe only folks that say that are ones with a thick older generation iMac who dont want to pay for an upgradeor those who have never owned an Apple productAnd no its not more difficult to work on for AppleThey would not create a product where they would be doing labor intensive work free of charge in most cases under the Apple warrantyGreat article from PC AdvisorOne note thoughMacWorld tested both the base and higher end modelsand the graphics performance on the higher end model is only marginally better than the base model on game performanceNo significant improvementThe base model actually was faster than the higher end model on several bench tests due to a faster Seagate internal drive per MacWorldBest combo is base model plus Fusion Drive optionMine boots up from cold in a little over 10 secondsAmazing
Simon said: Im not saying I disagree but at least come up with some alternatives that arent garbage and which are easily repairable and that take up less desk space
Gizmologic said: My late-2009 iMac has performed flawlessly the only thing wrong was the free upgraded Seagate hard drive replacement Until recently its been used every day in my full-time professional photography business If thats not reliability and dependability I dont know what is I recently upgraded to the same specd one as in this review except for the 3Tb plus Fusion drive option and I immediately replaced the 8Gb memory cards with 32 - cheaper to order the 8 and put in your own If it fails Ill take it to the local Apple store and use my older one Revis - I dont understand why youre so negative
Revis Goodworth said: Just pray you never have to have it worked on - there is almost nothing on this that is easily repairable if at all This is one of the most boneheaded pieces of Apple garbage yet - how one can come up with a thin monitor that takes up as much desk space as thicker ones is beyond me - thin is a gimmick - it is rather meaningless when you have a base that has to take up enough desk space to prevent it from toppling over Pure garbage
Craig Best said: Ive had my 27 iMac with upgrades for over a month now and I dont miss the DVD one bit The only time I needed one I just shared the DVD from my old Mac installed some software and was done I see it as one less thing the break in the future and if I need a DVD more often then Ill get a USB one and maybe not from Apple