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M1 iMac Base Model VS Upgrade | Should You Pay More?

10:29 video

I bought two of the new 24-inch M1 iMacs to see if the spec’d-up version is worth it: the base model at $1,299 and a spec’d-up version at $1,899. CalDigit sponsored this video.

What’s the same

Both have the same M1 chip: an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, starting with 8 GB of unified memory. The base model has 8 GB and 256 GB of storage; the upgraded one has 16 GB and 512 GB. Both have the super-thin design (“large iPads on a stand”), color-matched stand that tilts, and a 23.5-inch 4.5K display in a white bezel with a chin (I’d prefer a chinless design with black bezels). The perforated bottom handles the six-speaker audio system (two pairs of force-canceling woofers and a tweeter) and the fans. The new camera and mic system, with a 1080p camera and M1 image processing, is on par with or better than an iPad’s.

Unboxing and what’s different

The unboxing is wild: the iMac sits upside down in the box, the sides fold out, and the accessories are under a flap. Each iMac gets a color-matched USB-C to Lightning cable, a color-matched mouse or trackpad, a braided color-matched magnetic power adapter and a color-matched Magic Keyboard. The differences:

  • The upgraded model’s power adapter has Ethernet built in; the base’s doesn’t.
  • The upgraded model’s keyboard has Touch ID, a first for an iMac; the base has a lock button. After a few days, I love it: it’s faster and more convenient than Apple Watch unlock and as good as Touch ID on a MacBook.
  • Colors: the base is limited to blue, green, pink and silver; the upgraded model also comes in orange, yellow and purple.
  • Ports: the base has just two Thunderbolt ports; the upgraded has two Thunderbolt and two USB-C.

No matter which you get, you’ll probably have more to plug in, or devices that need an adapter. CalDigit makes Thunderbolt and USB-C docks, hubs and storage: the HDMI dock (HDMI output, three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, a UHS-II SD card reader and gigabit Ethernet), the TS3 Plus (the best Thunderbolt dock I’ve used, with 15 ports including DisplayPort, five USB-A, two USB-C, Thunderbolt out, audio in and out and gigabit Ethernet) and the Element Hub (four Thunderbolt 4 ports for fast external storage or 10 Gbps Ethernet with the Connect 10G).

Performance

  • Geekbench: the base got 1710 single-core and 7567 multi-core, versus 1747 and 7717 for the 16 GB model. Metal: 19,846 vs. 21,788.
  • Cinebench R23: 1489 and 7132 for the base vs. 1506 and 7792.
  • Fans: the base has one fan, the upgraded model two. The M1 is so efficient that I’m not sure two fans give an advantage, but the fan noise is different from previous Macs: like TV static or a speaker turned up too high with no audio. During Cinebench, the base’s fan ran about 7,000 RPM; the two fans of the upgraded model ran lower and quieter. It’s not enough to be concerned or irritated.
  • Final Cut Pro export: both were fine in the editor, and the base finished in 6:24, beating the 16 GB model’s 6:29.
  • Minecraft: both near 60 fps, mostly jitter-free.
  • In general use (browsing, documents, video), the difference is imperceptible.

Should you pay more?

The $600 difference breaks down as: $30 for the power adapter with Ethernet, $50 for Touch ID on the keyboard (so the two extra USB-C ports are effectively $120), $200 for 16 GB and $200 for 512 GB. Since they perform nearly identically, you can feel good going with the base model, though consider how much RAM your browser will want in two or three years, so I’d still upgrade to 16 GB if you can afford it. Touch ID is NICE, but not a must-have. For ports and Ethernet, I think you’re better off with a Thunderbolt dock like CalDigit’s, which gives many more expansion options than paying $120 for two USB-C ports and $30 for Ethernet, and you can add external storage later. My recommendation: start with the base and work up, and if you need more ports, get something that really gives you more.

Which iMac and color are you getting?

In this video

  • 0:00 intro and what’s the same
  • 1:55 what’s different in the box
  • 2:56 physical differences
  • 5:03 Geekbench Cinebench and fans
  • 7:32 Final Cut and disk speed
  • 8:34 should you pay more?

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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