MacFormat UK – June 2019

21.5in iMac APPLE CHOICE

The 21.5in iMac’s

six-core Intel Core i5

is good, but too many

upgrades are needed

for comfort.

+++++

Stunning 4K display

Good Intel processor

Slow storage

Just okay for

3D graphics

VERDICT

macformat.com @macformat JUNE 2019 | MACFORMAT | 83

turns out to be upgradeable by a service
provider later on, it’ll mean opening up the
front of the iMac. It’s simpler to pay Apple’s
prices at checkout, but they aren’t cheap:
£180 for 16GB or £540 for 32GB.
Our iMac’s six-core Intel Core i5 processor
performed as expected. In our Geekbench test
and HandBrake H.264 video test (see charts
on p80), it was a whisker behind the six-core
Intel Core i7 that is the most powerful option
offered on the Mac mini at present.
Discrete graphics processors in the 21.5in
iMac – at least the Radeon Pro 560X that we
tested – runs rings around the Mac mini’s
integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 processor,
as expected. Thunderbolt 3 allows you to add
an external graphics processor (eGPU) later
on if you find either kind of Mac’s built-in
GPU is weak at certain tasks. But if the
expense or additional space needed for that
isn’t feasible, definitely stick with the iMac

if you’ll run apps or play 3D games that need

stronger graphics performance.

On the £1,449 iMac, there’s a Radeon Pro

Vega 20 option with 4GB of high bandwidth

memory (HBM2). It adds £315 to the cost.

This wasn’t available to us for testing.

Think about the future

Our concern with the 21.5in iMac is similar

to the bigger version: its storage. For it to be

a real delight to use, free of beach-ball stalls

caused by a hard disk, give it an SSD.

Our concern doesn’t stop there though,

thanks to the inf lexibility to boost memory

later. You can’t afford to make a poor choice.

Sticking with a Fusion Drive or hard disk

would be a mistake for general performance –

surely a reason you’re looking for a new Mac.

Very light users might get by with 8GB of

memory. By playing it safe though, the reality

is you’ll spend at least £1,609 on a 21.5in iMac.

Mac mini

& 4K display £1,549

SPECIFICATIONS

3.0GHz six-core

Intel Core i5 processor

Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz

16GB memory

256GB SSD storage

Intel UHD Graphics 630

LG 24UD58 display

21.5-inch iMac

(alternative

configuration)

£1,609

SPECIFICATIONS

4096x2304-pixel IPS display

3.6GHz quad-core

Intel Core i3 processor

16GB memory

256GB SSD storage

Radeon Pro 555X 2GB

YOUR OTHER CHOICES...