Apple continues to eliminate the dGPU

[NTMBK]

Apple just refreshed the 21.5" iMac, and this time around there isn't even the option for a discrete GPU: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/1...tina-imac-with-4k-display-better-color-gamut/

Looks like integrated graphics got Good Enough for yet another use case.

 

[ShintaiDK]

No surprise. Specially after all the overheating trouble.

Welcome to the future, a world without dGPUs. Death of the dinosaur.

 

[Zodiark1593]

No surprise. Specially after all the overheating trouble.

Welcome to the future, a world without dGPUs. Death of the dinosaur, and an era of slow compute and gaming.

Fixed.

 

[BigDaveX]

I was under the impression that the cheaper iMac models had already abandoned dGPUs some time around the Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge era.

 

[SPBHM]

well, people with these probably don't touch any gaming... because if they do, any random 260X/GTX 750 will totally destroy it.

 

[RussianSensation]

well, people with these probably don't touch any gaming... because if they do, any random 260X/GTX 750 will totally destroy it.

Exactly. Essentially for gaming, 4K would destroy even a 980 - the fastest mobile GPU out right now. Gaming on OSX means lower performance to start with in many games (sometimes 30-50% lower performance) vs. a Windows environment, not to mention the overall library of games on OSX is tiny in comparison to the PC.

The last $1099 iMac already went away with a discrete GPU so this isn't news.

The pricing on the 4K 21.5 is a fail though:

$1499
21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display
3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB of onboard memory, configurable up to 16GB
1TB hard drive1
Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200
Retina 4K 4096-by-2304 P3 display

vs.

$1799
27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display
3.2GHz Processor
1TB Storage
3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB (two 4GB) memory, configurable up to 32GB
1TB hard drive1
AMD Radeon R9 M380 with 2GB video memory
Retina 5K 5120-by-2880 P3 display

http://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/imac

If someone is really complaining about lack of dGPU option, for $300 extra, it's a no brainer to move to the 27" 5K model and it comes with a discrete GPU and future expandability to 32GB.

27" 5K >>>> 21.5" 4K all day. Who the hell wants to use a 21.5" desktop in 2015? :hmm:

 

[AtenRa]

The shocking part is not the iGPU,

The Retina iMac starts at $1,499 and includes a quad-core Intel Broadwell processor, 8GB of 1867MHz LPDDR3 RAM, Intel's integrated Iris Pro Graphics 6200 GPU, and a 1TB 5400 RPM hard drive. That Retina display has a native resolution of 4096×2304, giving it the same 217 PPI pixel density as the 27-inch version. In addition to having more pixels, the 4K iMac also supports a wider DCI-P3 color gamut instead of the heretofore standard sRGB.

Well, at least you get a 4K iMac at a bargain price

 

[Headfoot]

I use 21.5"...... times three for eyefinity!

 

[RussianSensation]

The shocking part is not the iGPU,

Well, at least you get a 4K iMac at a bargain price

Yup, I just started reading into the article and when I saw 1TB 5400rpm hard drive, that means the stock configuration is basically a worthless unit without upgrading the HDD.

They also charge +$200 to move up from 8GB to 16GB of LPDDR3 memory, +$200 to move 1 step in the i5 upgrade path from 3.6Ghz to 3.8Ghz, and +$200 for 256GB flash SSD. With these prices and stock 5400rpm mechanical drive, the lack of a budget dGPU should be the least of the worries of the consumer. If that flash storage is actually the PCIe 3.0 x4 drives like Samsung 950/951, that not too bad. To make matters worse, this is the Broadwell CPU, not even Skylake. Way to milk your customers Apple so they can refresh next summer/fall to Skylake.

Looking at these prices and marketing gimmick of having a 4K 21.5" screen, this just reminds me why I stay away from Apple desktop products (iMac and the Pro) as they are way overpriced. In this case though I don't see why anyone with half a brain spending $1500+ on a Mac wouldn't just spend $300 extra and go for the 27".

 

[RussianSensation]

I use 21.5"...... times three for eyefinity!

Apple sheep. 4K, 5K, 8K, doesn't matter the screen size as long as the number is better, except when it comes to iPhones. ha!

While on the PC we can get a 29" 2560x1080 FreeSync monitor for $299, Samsung 32" WQHD LED Monitor (S32D850T) for $499, AMH A409U UHD 40" 3840X2160 16:9 4K LED Monitor 60Hz DP1.2 for $599.

Any of these screens will provide a way better user experience than a 21.5" 4K Apple display made by LG/Samsung or another Korean 3rd party. :hmm:

 

[asendra]

Yup, I just started reading into the article and when I saw 1TB 5400rpm hard drive, that means the stock configuration is basically a worthless unit without upgrading the HDD.

They also charge +$200 to move up from 8GB to 16GB of LPDDR3 memory, +$200 to move 1 step in the i5 upgrade path from 3.6Ghz to 3.8Ghz, and +$200 for 256GB flash SSD. With these prices and stock 5400rpm mechanical drive, the lack of a budget dGPU should be the least of the worries of the consumer. If that flash storage is actually the PCIe 3.0 x4 drives like Samsung 950/951, that not too bad. To make matters worse, this is the Broadwell CPU, not even Skylake. Way to milk your customers Apple so they can refresh next summer/fall to Skylake.

Looking at these prices and marketing gimmick of having a 4K 21.5" screen, this just reminds me why I stay away from Apple desktop products (iMac and the Pro) as they are way overpriced. In this case though I don't see why anyone with half a brain spending $1500+ on a Mac wouldn't just spend $300 extra and go for the 27".

Can't use Skylake because right now the only dGPU available in those is the 530, not an iris pro upgrade/replacement exactly.

 

[AtenRa]

Apple sheep. 4K, 5K, 8K, doesn't matter the screen size as long as the number is better, except when it comes to iPhones. ha!

While on the PC we can get a 29" 2560x1080 FreeSync monitor for $299, Samsung 32" WQHD LED Monitor (S32D850T) for $499, AMH A409U UHD 40" 3840X2160 16:9 4K LED Monitor 60Hz DP1.2 for $599.

Any of these screens will provide a way better user experience than a 21.5" 4K Apple display made by LG/Samsung or another Korean 3rd party. :hmm:

The thing is you can buy a Broadwell Core i7 HD6200 NUC with 16GB memory and Samsung SM951 256GB for less than $900. Add any of those Monitors and voila.

But, its not iMAC :whiste:

 

[Hugo Drax]

Apple is using the 1TB 5400 Drives because they were able to buy a large lot of those drives from a surplus reseller.

 

[Mondozei]

No surprise. Specially after all the overheating trouble.

Welcome to the future, a world without dGPUs for desktop home PCs. Death of the dinosaur.

Fixed(again).

People have been predicting the death of the dGPU forever - hasn't happened. The only thing which has happened is that low-end/budget dGPUs are dying for desktop/non-gaming PCs. But this is logical. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner.

However, as RS pointed out, iGPU performance for mainstream gaming at 1080p is laughable, let alone 4K.

 

[RussianSensation]

Apple is using the 1TB 5400 Drives because they were able to buy a large lot of those drives from a surplus reseller.

Also, by making the base configuration lacking in so many areas, they are encouraging more built-to-order custom systems and upgrades which means even higher profit margins. Classic Apple strategy to milk the customer.

Can't use Skylake because right now the only dGPU available in those is the 530, not an iris pro upgrade/replacement exactly.

Nah, I bet the real reason is because Intel gave them a huge discount on those Broadwell chips that no one wants. Look at the price difference between the 21.5 model and 27" model despite the later having Skylake, not Broadwell, a more expensive 5K screen (we know how steep 5K 27" would be vs. a 4K 27" one even, nevermind a 21.5 4K) and a discrete GPU!

I can't believe a $1500 PC in 2015 has a 1TB 5400 rpm HDD as standard. Even the $499 Xbox One Elite bundle has an 1TB SSHD and that's despite a more expensive Elite controller bundled in too.

The thing is you can buy a Broadwell Core i7 HD6200 NUC with 16GB memory and Samsung SM951 256GB for less than $900. Add any of those Monitors and voila.

But, its not iMAC :whiste:

They didn't even put USB-C, but they said it's the future when they unveiled the MacBook. :whiste: No USB 3.1 either.

The crazy part continues to be this:

"the 4K iMac doesn't support Target Display Mode, since no current Mac could drive it at its native resolution at 60Hz over a single cable."
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/1...ter-screen-21-5-inch-4k-retina-imac-reviewed/

It would be easier to swallow paying $1500-2000 for a 4-5K iMac that can later be used as an external display but for now this is just a closed box that will continue to be outdated over time; and it's impossible to upgrade on your own. They even got rid of the DDR accessible port bays so you have to pay huge premiums to upgrade the RAM from the factory. :twisted:

Trackpad 2 is $129 and Magic Mouse 2 is $79. They also put the lightning connector on the bottom of the mouse which means if the battery dies, you can't use the mouse while it's being recharged.

It's funny though on Mac forums Apple fanboys complaining how iMacs don't have Maxwell GPUs. Like seriously, if they want a gaming rig, build a PC/Hackintosh with dual OS boot. ^_^

 

[Ma_Deuce]

It's funny though on Mac forums Apple fanboys complaining how iMacs don't have Maxwell GPUs. Like seriously, if they want a gaming rig, build a PC/Hackintosh with dual OS boot. ^_^

The big appeal to using Mac is NOT having to work on your computer and just use it instead. Like a toaster or a microwave, from 1998 with a 5400 rpm HDD...

 

[DrMrLordX]

I'm just waiting for Apple to discover a cache of old Quantum Bigfoot harddrives somewhere so they can slap em in the next iMacs . . .

 

[Blue_Max]

I'm just waiting for Apple to discover a cache of old Quantum Bigfoot harddrives somewhere so they can slap em in the next iMacs . . .

Most of these young'uns won't get how big of a zinger that was.

The good news is that it's using the Iris Pro 6200 which is pretty darned good! Best IGP out there, bar none.

But the pricing is just plain stupid. Stoo-pid. I think they're trying to kill the 21.5" model off... this dumb move will do it.

 

[TeknoBug]

Is Tim Cook in charge of the computer department? Holy cow Apple isn't doing it right on these lol, the lightning port on the BOTTOM of the mouse is beyond stupid... and the slow ass HDD's. lol

My sister has a 27" iMac from a few years ago, quite a phenomenal system and still is better than this new one mentioned.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

The continued use of mechanical hard drives on the lower end of Mac offerings is a pure penalty that Apple places on the cheaper/poorer Apple buyers. It is just that those Apple buyers are also too stupid to realize they're being penalized.

Like a good [Apple] customer, stupid will be there.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Most of these young'uns won't get how big of a zinger that was.

Darn dirty kids need to get off mah lawn! *shakes fist*

The good news is that it's using the Iris Pro 6200 which is pretty darned good! Best IGP out there, bar none.

At least they got that part right.

The continued use of mechanical hard drives on the lower end of Mac offerings is a pure penalty that Apple places on the cheaper/poorer Apple buyers. It is just that those Apple buyers are also too stupid to realize they're being penalized.

Kinda like the 16Gb iPhone6. If you buy cheap, Apple tries to punish you. It's their way of reminding you that poor people are bad. Go buy Android phones poor people! Apple tries to hurt you! With a steeck!

 

[MrTeal]

No surprise. Specially after all the overheating trouble.

Welcome to the future, a world without dGPUs. Death of the dinosaur, and an era of slow compute and gaming.

Fixed.

Ah, but that's the catch. Why would you want to do all that nasty compute on your own iMac, when if you really need compute you can just use the iCompute iCloud, coming soon.

 

[Rakehellion]

Apple sheep. 4K, 5K, 8K, doesn't matter the screen size as long as the number is better, except when it comes to iPhones. ha!

While on the PC we can get a 29" 2560x1080 FreeSync monitor for $299, Samsung 32" WQHD LED Monitor (S32D850T) for $499, AMH A409U UHD 40" 3840X2160 16:9 4K LED Monitor 60Hz DP1.2 for $599.

Any of these screens will provide a way better user experience than a 21.5" 4K Apple display made by LG/Samsung or another Korean 3rd party. :hmm:

So Samsung's Samsung display is better than Apple's Samsung display? Cool trolling.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Any of these screens will provide a way better user experience than a 21.5" 4K Apple display made by LG/Samsung or another Korean 3rd party. :hmm:

What are you talking about? Retailers like Apple, Dell, and HP use only A graded panels from the display OEMs for their high end units (ultrasharp, cinema and imac displays, etc).

 

[Anteaus]

It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Apple users don't game because they can't game therefore they don't game. Apple is basically selling low to mid level laptop with a nice screen. Even the dedicated GPU option on the more expensive machine is just a mobile solution.

Apple products were always expensive, but for many years the innovation and quality was enough to provide value to the fans. Innovation has stifled, so Apple is resorting the tried and true process of reducing capability while maintaining price point. They need to be careful because its a double edged sword.