The Apple iMac and Mac Pro get CPU, GPU bumps in latest refresh


Can’t say we didn’t see this coming. It seemed like each day there was another random source or sign that Apple was preparing to update the iMac and Mac Pro. Well, most of the rumors were right. The changes aren’t really all that special and simply evolutionary in nature. Still, we’re not one to turn away new components.

The iMac now boasts Intel Core processes over the entire line. Gone are the Core 2 Duo in the bottom-tier slot. The base $1,199 iMac comes with a 3.06Ghz Core i3, 4GB of RAM, 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4670 and a 500GB 7200RPM Hard drive. The big daddy $1,999 iMac however sports a 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED display, Quad-core i5 with an optional Quad-Core i7, 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. Noice.

The Mac Pro, however, can now be ordered with 12 processing cores. 12, kiddies! The Quad-Core Intel Xeon available in multiple different configurations and models will likely handle anything thrown at it. The rest is pretty standard with a bevy of connectivity options and more RAM than you could handle.

Interestingly enough, all the rumored new connectivity options are missing. There’s no mention about USB 3.0, Firewire 1600/3200 and of course no Blu-ray. Oh well. Maybe next time.