[Hothot Review]How powerful is the iMac after about two and a half years? Is it worth upgrading from the M1 version?Compare with the latest M3 version

Apple “iMac (24 inch, 2023)” starting from 198,800 yen

Apple released the iMac (24 inch, 2023), which uses the M3 chip, on November 7th. The “iMac (24 inch, M1, 2021)” equipped with M1 was released on May 21, 2021, but the M2 equipped iMac was skipped, so this is the first new model released in about two and a half years. become. Since I borrowed the actual machine of this product, I will mainly focus on the performance improvement in this review.

[[M3-equipped version of “iMac” is here! Let’s show you the completed beauty and powerful performance[actual operation included]]

Adopts M3 which is “up to 2x faster” and can install 24GB of memory

The iMac (24 inch, 2023) uses macOS Sonoma version 14.1.1 as the OS and M3 as the processor. The memory is 8GB/16GB/24GB unified memory (LPDDR5), and the storage is 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB SSD. Apple claims that “iMacs equipped with the M3 are up to 2x faster than the previous generation with the M1,” and as we’ll discuss later in the benchmark section, they’ve also achieved significant performance improvements in actual apps.

There are no major changes to the specs other than the processor upgrade. What has changed is that the maximum memory capacity has increased to 24GB, and wireless communication has changed to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The specifications of the 24-inch 4,480 x 2,520 dot low-reflection display and interface configuration are the same. Please refer to the table below for detailed specifications.

[Table 1]Specifications of new and old “24-inch iMac”Product name iMac (24-inch, 2023)iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021)OSmacOS Sonoma version 14.1.1macOS Big Sur version 11.3CPUApple M3
(8-core CPU, 8-core or 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine)Apple M1
(8-core CPU, 7-core or 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) Memory 8GB/16GB/24GB Unified Memory (LPDDR5) 8GB/16GB Unified Memory (LPDDR4) Storage 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB SSD Display 24 types (4,480 x 2,520 dots, low reflection, brightness 500 cd/m2, color gamut P3) Communication Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 interface Thunderbolt 3 x 2 (also compatible with USB4), USB 3.1 Type- C x 2 (10 core GPU model only), Gigabit Ethernet (optional for 8 core GPU model), 3.5mm headphone jack Thunderbolt 3 x 2 (also compatible with USB4), USB 3.1 Type-C x 2 (8 core GPU model only) ), Gigabit Ethernet (8-core GPU model only), 3.5mm headphone jack Camera 1080p Web camera Body size 547 x 147 x 461mm Weight 4.43kg (2-port model)
4.48kg (4 port model) 4.46kg (2 port model)
4.48kg (4-port model) Security Fingerprint authentication with Touch ID (when equipped keyboard is selected) Included items Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, 143W power adapter, power cord, USB-C to Lightning cable Color blue, green, pink, silver, yellow, orange, purple

Due to the effects of the weaker yen, prices for standard configuration models and customization prices are rising. However, the iMac’s built-in memory and storage cannot be expanded or replaced later, so please choose the specifications carefully when purchasing.

[Table 2]List of prices for standard configuration of new and old “24-inch iMac” Standard configuration price Equipped with M1 (7-core GPU/8GB/256GB)
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Equipped with M3 (8 core GPU/8GB/256GB) 154,800 yen
↓
198,800 yen Equipped with M1 (8 core GPU/8GB/256GB)
↓
Equipped with M3 (10 core GPU/8GB/256GB) 177,800 yen
↓
234,800 yen Equipped with M1 (8 core GPU/8GB/512GB)
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Equipped with M3 (10 core GPU/8GB/512GB) 199,800 yen
↓
262,800 yen[Table 3]Examples of customization prices for new and old “24-inch iMacs” Customized parts Price for old model Price for new model Memory 8GB → 16GB + 22,000 yen + 28,000 yen Memory 8GB → 24GB – + 50,000 yen 6,000 yen Storage 256GB → 512GB + 22,000 yen + 28,000 yen Storage 256GB → 1TB + 44,000 yen + 56,000 yen Storage 256GB → 2TB + 88,000 yen + 112,000 yen Storage 512GB → 1TB + 2 2,000 yen + 28,000 yen Storage 512GB → 2TB + 66,000 yen + 84,000 yen

An attractive new model as an integrated model for personal users

“iMac (24 inch, 2023)” skipped M2 and upgraded its processor from M1 to M3, but the performance has been significantly improved not only in benchmark software but also in actual application speed. Although the processing power itself pales in comparison to the models equipped with the M3 Pro and M3 Max, this is simply because the machines equipped with both processors are professional-grade machines, and the M3-equipped iMac also has the performance to comfortably handle creative work.

We are looking forward to the arrival of the 27-inch model that was available in the Intel processor era and the higher-performance Pro model, but this time’s “iMac (24-inch, 2023)” is also available in a variety of 7 color models. Therefore, it can be said that it is an attractive new model as an integrated type for personal users.