Real Kato Blog: The Skinny on the New Macs

A comparison of the previous generation desktops to the newly released models.

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Mac mini

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Old $599 model:

2x1.83 GHz/667MHz, 1GB RAM, 80GB HD, Intel GMA950, FW400, 4xUSB2.0, DVI, Combo drive

New $599 model:
2x2.0 GHz/1066MHz, 1GB RAM, 120GB HD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, FW800, 5xUSB2.0, MiniDVI+DisplayPort, 8xSuperDrive

Verdict:
Faster RAM and new graphics are nice. They finally ditched the Combo drive. But 1GB base RAM? Really? Upgrade the RAM here and you've got yourself a nice computer.

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Old $799 model:
2x2.0GHz/667MHz, 1GB RAM, 120GB HD, Intel GMA950, FW400, 4xUSB2.0, DVI, SuperDrive

New $799 model:
2x2.0 GHz/1066MHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB HD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, FW800, 5xUSB2.0, MiniDVI+DisplayPort, 8xSuperDrive

Verdict:
Faster RAM but same CPU speed; a reasonable amount of RAM and disk space; faster graphics. A solid upgrade.

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iMac

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Old $1199 model:
20" display, 2x2.4 GHz/1066MHz, 1GB RAM, 250GB HD, ATI Radeon HD 2400XT, FW400, FW800, 3xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

New $1199 model:
20" display, 2x2.66 Ghz/1066MHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB HD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, FW800, 4xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

Verdict:
Just a small bump to most specs over the previous model, but this is still a nice entry-level iMac for most users, especially now that 2GB RAM is standard.

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Old $1499 model:
20" display, 2x2.66 GHz/1066MHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB HD, ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO, FW400, FW800, 3xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

New $1499 model:
24" display, 2x2.66 GHz/1066MHz, 4GB RAM, 640GB HD, Nvidia GeForce 9400M, FW800, 4xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

Verdict:
It would have been nice to see better graphics at this level, and maybe an LED-backlit display. But 4GB RAM, 640GB HD, and a 24" display, wow; this'll be a big seller for typical family users who aren't big gamers.

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Old $1799 model:
24" display, 2x2.8 GHz/1066MHz, 2GB RAM, 320GB HD, ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO, FW400, FW800, 3xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

New $1799 model:
24" display, 2x2.93 GHz/1066MHz, 4GB RAM, 640GB HD, Nvidia GeForce GT120, FW800, 3xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

Verdict:
The GT120 (a.k.a. GeForce 9500) is a screamer for an entry-level GPU. 4GB RAM and a 640GB HD are nice. Would like to see an LED-backlit display; this ventures on the "pro-sumer" category.

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Old $2199:
24" display, 2x3.06 GHz/1066MHz, 2GB RAM, 500GB HD, Nvidia GeForce 8800GS, FW400, FW800, 3xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

New $2199:
24" display, 2x3.06 GHz/1066 MHz, 4GB RAM, 1TB HD, Nvidia GeForce GT130, FW800, 3xUSB2.0, 8xSuperDrive

Verdict:
Beefy specs, but not a huge step up from the $1799 model. But sometimes, you just want the top of the line. (Hint: GPU can be upgraded to an ATI
Radeon 4850 for another $50.)

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Mac Pro:

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Old $2799:
8x2.8 GHz/1600MHz, 2GB, ATI2600XT, 320GB, 2xFW800, 2xFW400, 5xUSB2.0, 16xSuperDrive

New $2499 model:
4x2.66 GHz (Nehalem), 3GB, Nvidia GeForce GT120, 640GB, 4xFW800, 5xUSB2.0, 18xSuperDrive

New $3299 model:
8x2.26 Ghz (Nehalem), 6GB, Nvidia GeForce GT120, 640GB, 4xFW800, 5xUSB2.0, 18xSuperDrive

Verdict:
Don't be fooled by the lower clock speeds; the new Nehalem (Core i7) architecture is waaaay faster than the Intel's old frontside-bus architecture. 3GB RAM is a curious choice for the lower-end model, what with most iMac models starting at 4GB. And the top-end model starts at 2.26 GHz for $3299; those new CPUs must be pricey indeed.

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Conclusions

This is really a fairly small upgrade across the board. The form factors are practically unchanged.

Firewire 400 has been dropped everywhere, in favor of Firewire 800.

Apple seems to love the Nvidia GeForce 9400M at the low end. Those GT120 and GT130 GPUs seem plenty powerful for more serious gaming.

No LED display on the iMac is a bummer. Nehalem on the iMac was on everyone's wish list, too, but it probably turned out to be too expensive for a consumer machine.

No machine should come with just 1GB RAM these days.

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