

The base 21.5″ model has Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics with 512 MB of dedicated memory, and the faster 21.5″ model has GT 650M graphics. The smaller iMac has the same 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution as HD TV, and the 27″ beastie provides an impressive 2560 x 1440 pixels.

The SD Card slot, which supports SDXC, has unfortunately moved to the back (vs. All models now include USB 3 (4 ports), and the 21.5″ 2012 iMac now has two Thunderbolt ports, just like it’s larger sibling. That’s a quad-core i5 on the standard configurations, and both sizes offer a faster i7 option for those demanding ultimate performance. Other DetailsĬPU speeds start at 2.7 GHz, and all Late 2012 iMacs have quad-core processors. Maybe because this is brand new, unproven technology for Apple, there is no Fusion Drive option for the Server version. To revive a phrase Apple has used for a long, long time, it just works. Best of all, this is totally transparent to the end user. The brilliance of Fusion Drive is that the operating system keeps track of your work patterns and will move files, data, and applications to the SSD or back to the hard drive based on that information. It also reserves 4 GB of space on the SSD for use as a hard drive cache. Fusion Drive treats the hard drive and SSD as a single 1.125 (or 3.125) TB volume, storing the operating system and all included software on the SSD and initially putting everything else on the hard drive. If you want way more performance, look to the $300 256 GB SSD (768 GB option for 27″ model) or the new $250 1 TB Fusion Drive, which combines a 1 TB hard drive (3 TB option for 27″ iMac) with 128 GB SSD. The 21.5″ iMac ships with a 1 TB 5400 rpm hard drive, and the 27″ model bumps that to a faster 7200 rpm drive.Īnother step forward is the use of two microphones to improve noise reduction. You can order both the 21.5″ and 27″ models from Apple with 16 GB installed, and there’s even a 32 GB option for the 27″ iMac. If you order your iMac with the base 8 GB of RAM, that’s all you’ll ever have. Another iMac first: You can’t upgrade memory.
