Apple on Monday at its ‘Scary Fast’ event unveiled its new M3 series chips and refreshed some of its Mac lineup to take advantage of the new architecture. While most of the spotlight was put on the MacBook Pro, which received M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chip variants, the iMac also received a spec bump to include Apple’s latest silicon.
The latest iMac now ships with the M3 chip, Apple’s latest innovation in in-house silicon. While the iMac doesn’t offer M3 Pro or M3 Max chip options like the MacBook Pro does, it’s worth noting that the M3 chip is no slouch and brings important power gains to the table.
Much about the iMac remains the same as the original 24-inch M1 variant, however the latest changes include the following:
- M3 chip with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU or 10-core GPU (configurable by end user)
- Ray-tracing GPU
- Configurable up to 24GB of unified memory
- 100GB/s memory bandwidth
- Configurable up to 2TB of internal flash storage
- ProRes encode decode & decode engine
- AV1 decode
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Wi-Fi 6E
The base 24-inch iMac starts at $1,299 and gives users an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB of internal flash storage. The unified memory can be upgraded to 16GB for +$200 or 24GB for +$400. The internal flash storage can be upgraded to 512GB for +$200 or 1TB for +$400.
The mid-level 24-inch iMac starts at $1,499 and gives users an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB of internal flash storage. The unified memory can be upgraded to 16GB for +$200 or 24GB for +$400.The internal flash storage can be upgraded to 512GB for +$200, 1TB for +$400, or 2TB for +$800.
Fully maxed out and equipped with the highest-tech peripherals, the M3 series 24-inch iMac reaches a grand total of $2,858.
Since the iMac is classified as an all-in-one desktop computer, it’s a good choice for someone who wants a stay-at-home computer that does it all. Apple takes excessive pride in the machine’s incredible thinness and the availability of vibrant colors that iMac comes in. Interestingly, there’s still no dark option.
You can learn more about the latest iMac on Apple’s website.