The latest Apple 27″ iMacs with Retina 5K Display wed stunning 5K graphic display with 5120 x 2880 native resolution for cleaner and more eye-catching graphics than on any other previous model into a sleek 5mm thin design.
Apple 27″ iMac with Retina 5K Display (order from B&H) features a quad-core 4th-gen Haswell 3.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor into the mix, along with 8GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM. The four SO-DIMM slots are user accessible, so you have the option to upgrade the RAM up to 32GB for higher-end video or photo production needs.
To aid you in that endeavor, this late 2014 iMac is also equipped with a 1TB Fusion Drive. Boot times are greatly reduced, resulting in a faster, smoother user experience.
To help with the enhanced display, this iMac also includes an AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics card with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. This powerful GPU was designed for high-level gaming, but will do double duty when editing videos or large resolution photos.
The newest iMacs now include an integrated FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, stereo speakers, a full-size keyboard with 78 keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement), and a Magic Mouse.
Outfitted with 802.11ac Wi-Fi (backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n) for the speediest hook-ups to your home network, this iMac is also configured with Bluetooth 4.0, as well as an SDXC card slot for extra storage, four USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, and a Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) jack. It also has a Kensington lock slot for added security.
The 27″ iMac with Retina 5K Display runs on the Mac OS X Yosemite operating system. Yosemite has been designed to take advantage of high-end displays, and to integrate iOS devices and your desktop Macs with ease. It also improves almost every area of the Mac OS X, including but not limited to, Safari, Finder, AirDrop and FaceTime, to name a few.
For ports, the iMac has dual Thunderbolt 2 ports (which also double as Mini DisplayPorts) and four USB 3.0 ports. You’ll be able to connect with various compatible components. If you would rather go wireless with your peripherals, you can use Bluetooth 4.0 technology where compatible.
My favorite Apple iMac configuration for Photo and Video
Of course if you want an iMac that’s screamin’ fast for video or high-end photo processing, there are a few upgrades that will really optimize performance!
Here’s the way I like it:
Upgrade to 4th Generation Haswell Intel Core i7 Processor
The iMac houses a quad-core 4th-gen Haswell Intel Core i7 processor. Its quad cores can reach a stock speed of 4.0GHz. It can also be overclocked up to 4.4GHz, thanks to Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 technology. The 4th-gen Haswell Intel processor uses low voltage for better energy efficiency while still providing fast performance.
Upgrade to AMD Radeon M295X Graphics Card
All the pixels in the world won’t do you any good if you can’t quickly and efficiently command them into action. That’s why the iMac with Retina 5K display features a dedicated AMD Radeon M295X graphics card with up to 3.5 teraflops of graphics compute power. So you experience stunning motion graphics, jaw-dropping visual effects, and 3D graphics on the built-in Retina 5K display.
Upgrade to 32GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM
The best upgrade you can make for high-end video or photo processing is to Max out to 32GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM. The four SO-DIMM slots are user accessible, but upgrade now and you won’t regret it.
Upgrade to 3TB Fusion Drive
Fusion Drive combines fast flash storage with a traditional hard drive. It automatically and dynamically moves frequently used files to flash for quicker access. With Fusion Drive in your iMac, booting up, copying files, and importing photos are faster. Over time, as the system learns how you work, Fusion Drive makes your Mac experience even better. All while letting you store your digital life on a traditional, roomy hard drive.
