Unannounced iMac with 10-core Intel i9 chip and Radeon Pro 5300 GPU appears in Geekbench results

We know that there are still Intel-based Macs coming down the pipe, as Apple confirmed as much that we’d see them arrive before the end of 2020. And now we have a first glimpse of what’s coming.

Tom’s Hardware was first to report on the new, unannounced iMac based on a tweet sent by Twitter user @rogame. The Geekbench results show a previously unannounced iMac model that’s outfitted with a 10-core Intel i9 processor under the hood. As noted in the original report, this appears to be an Apple-exclusive chip, custom-tailored for Apple and this particular Mac model. However, generally speaking, the 10th-generation Comet Lake-S chip first debuted in April of this year.

The Core i9-10910, (spotted via @_rogame), has surfaced on Geekbench inside an unreleased Apple iMac device, meaning it could be a SKU that will be exclusive to Apple. Being a member of the Core i9 family, the CPU comes with the same base specifications as the other variants. In this case, the processor sports 10 CPU cores, 20 threads and 20MB of L3 cache. Ultimately, the listed clock speeds are what differentiates the Core i9-10910 from its siblings.

According to the Geekbench submission, the Core i9-10910 runs with a 3.6 GHz base clock and 4.7 GHz boost clock. The clock speeds suggest that the Core i9-10910 is fundamentally a higher clocked Core i9-10900. Doing the math, the Core i9-10910 reportedly boasts a 28.6% higher base clock than the Core i9-10900.

The results indicate this could be a 95W processor, which Intel doesn’t currently offer. So if this is indeed the case, it would fit between what Intel does offer: 65W and 125W options. The changes could be related to cost, according to Tom’s Hardware:

Why exactly would Apple would put in a custom order? It’s hard to say for sure. Cost could be a factor. The Core i9-10910 is probably using recycled silicon that doesn’t meet the requirements for the Core i9-10900K. That wouold make the unannounced CPU cheaper to produce.

It would also be more profitable for Apple to use a Core i9-10910 instead of a downclocked Core i9-10900K in its upcoming iMac. Furthermore, slapping a locked processor into the iMac would prevent users from overclocking.

The Geekbench scores also show us that there is another piece of unannounced equipment inside this particular machine, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card. This may feature a maximum clock speed of 1650MHz, and could feature 4GB of onboard memory. The original report notes that this is likely a “desktop variant of the Radeon Pro 5300M that AMD announced last year”.

The only catch here is that, when this new iMac is unveiled, it’s likely the 10th-generation i9 will be reserved for the more expensive variants. Whatever the case may be, we may still have some time before we see this new iMac get unveiled. Or it may get announced this month, considering there were rumors Apple was going to showcase a new desktop computer at this year’s all-online Worldwide Developers Conference, and that ultimately did not pan out.

So the question is: Are you going to go with another Intel-equipped Mac later this year, or will you be jumping on board the ARM-based Mac Apple will launch probably around the same time?