With all the talk of the switch to Apple Silicon architecture, many expect the next iMac desktop computer to arrive packing exciting new ARM-based processors.
However, judging by leaked benchmarks, it seems the Intel-based iMac might have one last hurrah before it is relegated to the history books. According to the Twitter leaker _rogame, there’s an iMac in the offing rocking the Intel Core i9 processor – the 10-core, 20-thread Intel Core i9 10910 which runs at 3.6GHz boosted to 4.7GHZ to be precise.
Related: Best Mac 2020
That’s not an SKU we’ve seen from Intel before and it isn’t listed on the Intel website. So, if genuine, the processor is likely to custom. The benchmarks also show the presence of an Adreno Radeon Pro 5300 GPU with 20 compute units a 1.65GHz core clock and 4GB RAM. That looks to be a variation of the 5300M released by AMD in 2019.
[Apple iMac 2020]
Intel Core i9-10910
1 Processor, 10 Cores, 20 Threads
GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 165 Stepping 5AMD Radeon Pro 5300 Compute Engine
20 Compute Units
1.65GHz core clock
4GB VRAMApple Inc. Mac-CFF7D910A743CAAF AAPJ1851,1https://t.co/RLXyEapa4z pic.twitter.com/bjul5rnZq5
— _rogame (@_rogame) July 1, 2020
Should this come to fruition, it seems like the Intel-based Mac models might be set to go out with a bang. However, while impressing out of the gate, any Intel-based Macs will be a hard sell moving forward.
Apple has pledged to support the platform through macOS updates for years to come, but the future is unquestionably the Apple Silicon architecture.
Apple is encouraging all developers to adapt their software for the new platform, which will ensure apps across the entire Apple ecosystem can be built for universal use. Although there are a number of ways existing apps can still work on a Mac moving forward, they’ll be very much an endangered species moving forward.
The Apple Silicon platform was announced at WWDC 2020, alongside the new macOS Big Sur. It’s the biggest change to the Mac line since the switch from PowerPC to Intel more than a decade ago. Apple says the first Macs rocking Apple Silicon will arrive by the end of the year, with the transition expected to last two years.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.