AppleInsider | Review: 20-inch iMac Core Duo 2.0GHz

20-inch iMac Core Duo 2.0GHz

February 5, 2006 EST
By Nick Aziz

Company:
Apple Computer, Inc.

Web site
http://www.apple.com

Price:
20-inch iMac Core Duo 2.0GHz
US $1699.00

I hadn't planned on buying a new desktop computer until the fall, but Apple's iMac update caught me off guard. Suddenly, Apple was selling a computer that seemed to offer the right balance of performance and value to meet the needs of the average "prosumer."

By today's standards, I'm not a particularly demanding user. I don't edit videos in Final Cut Pro; I don't even use iMovie. I like the occasional game, but primarily I use my computer for Internet-based work. The applications that run constantly on my machine are Safari, Mail, Adium X, iTunes, NetNewsWire, Photoshop, Transmit, and TextEdit -- all of which I use to maintain Leftlane News, my webzine about cars and the auto industry.

Given my experience with a dual-2.0GHz Power Mac G5, I had high hopes for the new iMac Core Duo. The original Power Mac G5's level of performance is the gold standard to which all other Macs are judged, even to this day. I had hoped the new iMac would be the $1700 equivalent to the original Power Mac G5 dual-2.0GHz, but unfortunately it's not that simple.

Set up and Initial impressions

Like all recent Apple products, the iMac comes packaged in a deceptively-compact box. Unpacking the computer is simple and tidy, with the only exception being the clear film used to protect the iMac's beautiful aluminum stand (there's still sticky residue all over the base). How very un-Apple, I thought.

Nitpicking aside, setting up the iMac was a painless process. My biggest challenge was locating the power switch, but the iMac's clean, buttonless bezel is worth this one-time hassle. The iMac boots very quickly in about 44 seconds, which compared to a minute and three seconds for the dual-2.0GHz Power Mac.

The first thing about the iMac that will catch your eye is its display -- a brilliant, 20-inch flat panel that puts many other monitors to shame. The 1680x1050 resolution offers enough pixels to fit plenty of information, while leaving standard text very readable. Next to this machine, my 19-inch LaCie Electron Blue III appears drained and blurry.

Another thing you'll probably notice is the built-in iSight camera. At first, it may feel a bit like Big Brother is watching you. A privacy shutter like the one on the original iSight would be nice. Of course, that would detract from the iMac's seamless exterior, which Apple has worked so hard to maintain. In terms of quality, the camera-phone-sized iSight is impressive. Like the iPod nano, Apple reduced a once bulky device into something surprisingly small, all while maintaining full functionality.

Speaking of seamless enclosures, the company also found an ingenious and simple way to attach the Front Row remote to the side of the iMac -- with hidden magnets. Only Apple could make something so rudimentary seem so profound. The only downside is that the remote quickly begins to create scratches on the machine's glossy surface. Like the iPod, the iMac looks beautiful out of the box, but its glassy surface is easily marred by other objects.

Front Row disappointment

Unfortunately, all is not well in the world of Front Row, Apple's new media software that offers a simple and centralized way for users to play their music, enjoy photo slideshows, and watch video such as DVDs, iMovies, and programming purchased from the company's iTunes Music Store.

In my experience with the new iMac -- and with other iMacs at my local reseller -- there is a great deal of latency when using the bundled infrared Apple Remote. Sometimes it doesn't respond to my inputs at all, while other times Front Row simply lags.

With several applications running, it takes 10-20 seconds for Front Row to open. Likewise, it takes an equally irritating amount of time for Front Row to close, and for the system to return to normal. Navigating the Front Row interface is also an aggravating experience, with long delays between actions.

These software problems are compounded by the often-unresponsive remote. With no applications running, it still takes several clicks of the "menu" button to activate Front Row, regardless of distance from the computer, or where the remote is pointed. There is no such delay when using the remote with a video iPod, which leads me to believe the iMac is to blame.

Native applications

Native Intel software on this machine are probably as quick as those on a the Power Mac G5 dual-2.0 mentioned earlier. The new machine may be 2X faster than this, and 3X faster than that, but in the end, it is on par with a similarly-clocked dual-processor Power Mac. And that's a good thing -- a Power Mac-rivaling computer can be had for $1,700 -- that's an $1,100 savings over a G5 tower with a 20" Cinema Display. Of course, the compact all-in-one iMac has nowhere near the expandability of a Power Mac, but for most users, the iMac is an incredible proposition.

I tested Unreal Tournament 2004 for Intel side-by-side with the Power Mac G5 dual-2.0Ghz, equipped with a Radeon X800 with 256MB of memory, and 1.5 GB of system RAM. The iMac, by comparison, has a Radeon X1600 -- also with 256MB of memory -- but just 512MB of system RAM. Both machines were set to maximum settings in the Unreal setup menu. The iMac was set to a resolution of 1680x1050, while the Power Mac was set to 1600x1200 pixels.

To compare the performance of both machines, I ran the intro segment of the "Convoy" Assault map, using the built-in 'stat fps' function. Because there is no stat analysis package currently available for Intel Macs, it was impossible to generate an overall running average. However, I still came out with some interesting stats. During the intro, the iMac never dipped below 48 frames per second, and it peaked at around 110. The Power Mac, by comparison, went as low as 38 frames per second at some parts, and as high as 118 at others. Overall, the iMac was marginally faster than the Power Mac, though the overall experience was nearly identical.

Rosetta: simply unusable

Because Apple switched to an entirely new type of microprocessor, it was forced to create a technology called Rosetta that enables programs designed for PowerPC Macs to run on new Intel machines. Unlike a typical emulator like Virtual PC, Rosetta runs behind the scenes, meaning the average user would have no idea whether the program they're running is made for Intel or PowerPC.

Applications that have been updated to run on Intel machines are called universal-binaries, because they run on both architectures. Apple has converted all of its programs already, and many third-party developers are beginning to release updates to their programs as well.

While iApps and universal-binaries are as snappy as ever, Rosetta apps are very slow -- to the detriment of the entire system. When running just two Rosetta programs in the background -- Photoshop and NetNewsWire -- the whole system slows down significantly. There are even times when the whole computer system will choke, and remain unresponsive for several seconds.

Switching from Safari to Photoshop via the Dock results in about 20 seconds of the dreaded "spinning beach ball" in my experiences. That's with a single 300x125 image loaded in the program. NetNewsWire is also horrifically slow for such a simple application. In fact, it takes about a minute to switch from TextEdit to NetNewsWire and reload my subscriptions.

If I had to compare the performance of this machine -- while running applications under Rosetta -- to a another Mac that I've owned, I'd say it's comparable to the single-processor 800Mhz Power Mac G4 it replaced on my desk -- and that machine hadn't been reformatted or seen maintenance in years. My 1.33GHz iBook G4 is noticeably snappier than the new iMac, and that's a real disappointment.

I cannot emphasize enough how much Rosetta slows the entire machine. With PowerPC apps running, the whole system is useless. I cannot imagine running any processor-intensive tasks inside Rosetta -- the experience would be nothing short maddening. In fact, I think you'd be hard pressed to get anything accomplished.

Increasing the RAM from the stock configuration could help with the sluggishness, but one would expect Apple would have included enough RAM to cover such basic tasks, especially when many new users will have no idea that half of their applications are running in emulation.

Upon closing Rosetta programs, the machine becomes snappy again. The difference is truly like night and day.

To buy, or not to buy

So how would I advise a prospective iMac buyer who is concerned with the performance of Rosetta? If you're like me, and mainly use Apple apps, the occasional use of Rosetta might be bearable. I look forward to the availability of a universal binary application I can use in place of Photoshop for simple tasks. Unfortunately for power users, using Photoshop under Rosetta will not be an option.

If you make a living using a demanding suite of programs like those from Adobe or Macromedia, I cannot recommend an Intel Mac at this time. Rosetta is simply too slow.

One could argue that the iMac is not meant for power users, and that's why Apple transitioned it to Intel first. But cropping images in Photoshop should not cause any dual-2.0GHz machine to slow to a crawl.

When considering an Intel Mac, ask yourself this: 'Are the programs that I use every day available as universal binaries?' If the answer is yes, you'll have the best Power Mac for under $1700 you ever owned. If the answer is no, you'll be in for a bit of a wait before the full potential of the system can be realized.

Buy this iMac for only $1449.99 from Amazon.com through April 28th.

Pros: Great enclosure, excellent display, good dual-binary gaming performance. Huge performance potential.

Cons: Poor Rosetta performance. Front Row can be unresponsive.

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