Apple finally updates the iMac with significantly more powerful CPU and GPU options, no T2 chip

“Today, Apple will finally begin taking orders for newly refreshed 21- and 27-inch iMacs,” Samuel Axon reports for Ars Technica. “The new versions don’t change the basic design or add major new features, but they offer substantially faster configuration options for the CPU and GPU.”
“The big news is arguably that both sizes now offer high-end, workstation-class Vega-graphics options for the first time,” Axon reports. “Apple added a similar upgrade option to the 15-inch MacBook Pro late last year.”
“In this case, the 21.6-inch iMac has an option for the 20-compute-unit version of Vega with 4GB of HBM2 video memory. That’s the same as the top-end 15-inch MacBook Pro option,” Axon reports. “The 27-inch iMac can now be configured with the Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8GB of HBM2. For reference, the much pricier iMac Pro has Vega 56 and Vega 64 options. Apple claims the Vega 48 will net a 50-percent performance improvement over the Radeon Pro 580, the previous top configuration.”
iMac now delivers up to two times faster performance for a wide range of computing tasks.
 
“Apart from those spec bumps, the machines are essentially unchanged from their predecessors. The form factors are the same, as are the displays—both have been acclaimed and proven popular, so Apple presumably didn’t see a need to upgrade those,” Axon reports. “We also got confirmation from Apple that the new iMacs do not have the T2 chip that has appeared in the iMac Pro, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Time to replace those aging iMacs!
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Apple updates iMac line with dramatic performance increases – March 19, 2019