Apple iMac Core 2 Duo (Late 2009)

Apple iMac Core 2 Duo (Late 2009)
alaScore 95

5626 reviews

May, 2013

  • No negative mentions yet

alaTest has collected and analyzed 5626 reviews from magazines and websites. Reviews about the reliability and size are on the whole positive. The usability and design also get good feedback, whereas there are some mixed comments about the value for money.

design, usability, size, reliability

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Desktops the Apple iMac Core 2 Duo (Late 2009) is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 95/100 = Excellent quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 5626 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Showing 4338 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews
Showing 1 - 10 of 4338 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (1292)

Consumer review by:

Great performance, great screen

 

Using the iMac for graphic and webdesign and am very pleased. Really love the sd-card slot, the huge screen (2560x1440) and the 4 separate ram slots (up to 16GB).

Expert review by:

iMac - 27-inch

 

Apple's latest iMac is a sight to behold. It's the largest all-in-one PC we've ever seen—in fact with a 27-inch screen, it's probably the first time anyone's ever made one this size. Whether or not this is excessive for a home PC will depend on your...

This is all quite a hassle considering Boot Camp has worked so smoothly on most other Apple machines in the past. A few instructions or warnings would have at least prepared us for the surprise and ordeal. The new iMac is definitely not ready for...

Expert review by:

27-inch and 21.5-inch iMacs (Late 2009)

 

Glancing at a spec sheet, Apple's latest iMacs might seem likerun-of-the mill product refreshes. Sure, there's the requisiteprocessor bumps and storage updates, but an iMac's an iMac, right? Ah,not so much. When you see these machines in person, their...

Larger, LED-backlit display. SD card slot. Half a terabyte of storage. Supports up to 16GB of RAM. Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse

We'd love a matte display option. Only larger iMacs support video input. No number pad on the keyboard. Only one FireWire port. Apple Remote is now an optional extra

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Expert review by:

Apple 24-inch iMac

 

From a cost vs performance perspective, RAM is usually our favorite Mac upgrade. So we're stoked that the new 3.06GHz iMac can handle up to 8GB, compared to just 4GB last time around. But be warned, taking advantage of that capacity is going to require...

Gorgeous screen. More included RAM and higher total capacity. Improved graphics. Four USB 2.0 ports. Monster hard drive

Still no matte display option. No FireWire 400 port. Compact keyboard lacks number pad. DDR3 RAM still very expensive

Speedier performance and the slim design might leave some people wondering if they really need a Mac Pro. Chances are, the newest iMac offers all the power you'll need.

Expert review by:

Apple 20-Inch 2.4 GHz iMac

 

Have your credit card ready - this all-metal marvel is ready to shine for the holidays.

Compact, stylish, slim design. Worthy performance. Innovative keyboard expands F-key behavior.

Viewing angle is a bit narrow. Glossy screen produces distracting reflections. No matte screen option.

From its new aluminum case to its speedy performance, there's a lot to like about the new iMac. If you were hoping that the iMac's new design would resemble an Apple Cinema Display, however, don't hold your breath. We're probably a few years away from...

Expert review by:

1.83GHz, 2.16GHz, and 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo iMacs

 

Your Choice: Small and Cheaper, or Big and More Expensive

Affordable. Rosetta speed has improved over previous generation of Intel-based iMacs ; Lackluster video performance. No Apple Remote. 2GB memory ceiling. Rosetta speed still slower than native PowerPC performance

Lackluster video performance. No Apple Remote. 2GB memory ceiling. Rosetta speed still slower than native PowerPC performance

Our favorite new Mac is the 24-inch iMac. For serious hobbyists, or professionals on a budget, the 24-inch iMac is an ideal Mac - and while you'll still take a performance hit when using non-Intel-native applications, the new processors do a lot to...

Editor's Choice!

Expert review by:

Apple iMac 21.5-inch (Thunderbolt)

 

The newest iMac has a second-generation Intel Core processor and Thunderbolt. It's the fastest $1,200 all-in-one desktop PC, period.

Compact chassis. Quad-core power. 3D performance. Good price. 1080p screen. No power brick

Needs adapters for HDMI, USB 3.0, DVI, eSATA, and other advanced data connections. No Blu-ray. Only a 500GB drive

Expert review by:

Apple 21.5-inch Core i5 iMac/2.5GHz (quad-core)

 

Expert review by:

Apple iMac (27-inch/Core i7) All-in-One PC Desktop Review

 

Simply the fastest all-in-one PC we've seen ; Beautiful big 27-inch display

Lacks extras: Multi-touch, Blu-ray, TV tuner, etc ; Pricey

Fastest all-in-one PC we've seen runs Windows and OS X, and has a huge screen…but lacks extras like mulit-touch, Blu-ray, and a TV tuner.

Expert review by:

Apple's 27-Inch iMac Is Big, Bright and Beautifull...

 

With a stupid-large, superbright display and a blazingly fast quad-core processor, the 27-inch iMac is an envy-inspiring desktop all-in-one computer.

Did we mention the screen? Sexpot good looks. Core i7 processor is fast enough for the autobahn, and quad-core technology means you get support for next year's apps today

All-glass front enclosure throws off enough glare to give you a tan. Screen is too big for anyone under 6-foot-2, unless they’re sitting on a phone book. Speakers have too much low-end. You're better off hooking up some sleek Harman Kardons or, better...

Expert review by:

Apple 21.5-inch iMac/3.06GHz (ATI graphics)

 

Impressive image quality from display and any angle ; New SD card slot ; Improved speaker system

Apple Remote not included ; Glare and reflections from screen may frustrate some users ; FireWire 400 peripherals require an adapter

Product Specifications

Designed to be the digital centerpiece of your home and the fastest way to the Internet, the iMac family comes with a choice of flat-panel displays. iMac offers fast G4 processors, fast 333MHz DDR memory, blazing 3D graphics and high-speed USB 2.0. Plus the latest in wireless communications with support for AirPort Extreme and optional built-in Bluetooth. The iLife software application suite that come on your iMac include iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD. They let you do fun, creative things with your pictures, music and movies - and share them with family and friends - in ways that people who use PCs can only dream about. And whether you're creating music CDs, publishing your digital pictures online, editing digital video or burning your own DVDs, you can do all these things and more quite nicely without referring to a manual. It's all part of the iLife experience. The iMac with SuperDrive lets you burn your own movies and photos on a disc that plays in almost any standard player. And, naturally, you can pop in your DVD movies and watch them in widescreen letterbox format on the brilliant LCD display of your iMac. Say goodbye to being forced to set up your computer near a phone jack. Pop an optional AirPort Extreme Card into your iMac, and you're ready for the freedom of wireless networking from anywhere in your home or dorm - up to 45 metres from an AirPort Extreme Base Station. And by the way, adding an AirPort Extreme Card is a snap, even for first-time computer users. Beneath the iMac's base is an access cover held in place by four screws. Images printed under the access cover show you how additional memory and the AirPort Extreme Card fit in the base when properly installed. It's that simple. All iMac models can be custom-configured with an internal Bluetooth module to connect your digital devices wirelessly. Operating within a 30-foot radius, it enables wireless data transfers between a rapidly growing list of Bluetooth-enabled products, including the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Wireless Mouse. Using iSync, you can use Bluetooth to synchronize your personal information between your iMac, your mobile phone and your Palm OS-based handheld. If you're interested in getting Bluetooth capability for your iMac, the easiest way is to have the Bluetooth module built in at the time you order your system - you can order a Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mouse at the same time, too. If you decide after purchasing your system that you want Bluetooth capability, you can easily plug in an external D-Link USB Bluetooth Adapter. The iMac's sizzling graphics processors kick Quartz Extreme and 3D games and graphics into high gear with hardware transform and lighting (T&L), per-pixel shading and drop-dead gorgeous effects at high resolutions. All models deliver over a billion textured pixels per second. And with Quartz Extreme, the graphics processors take over the transform and lighting calculation functions from the iMac's CPU, freeing the PowerPC G4 processor to perform essential system tasks faster than ever before. Thanks to what's inside its ultra-compact 27 cm base, the iMac is several leaps ahead of any other consumer desktop system out there - just like its revolutionary predecessor. So how did Apple pack so much power and functionality into such a small space? Credit a rigorous design approach that optimized every available bit of space and resulted in no wasted corners. Starting with a custom-designed circular logic board that fills the entire diameter of the base, Apple engineered enough space to fit in a full-height optical drive such as the SuperDrive. On top of the optical drive are a high-capacity 3.5-inch hard disk drive and even the power supply - a split design that tucks neatly into the top of the base.

Audio Output

Type:Sound card

Cabinet (Chassis)

Form Factor:All-in-one
Manufacturer Form Factor:All-in-one

Cache Memory

Installed Size:3MB/8MB
Per Processor Size:3MB/8MB

Dimensions & Weight

Depth:7.4in/8.1in
Height:17.8in/20.4in
Weight:20.5lbs/30.4lbs
Width:20.8in/25.6in

Display (Projector)

Diagonal Size:21.5in/27in
Diagonal Size (metric):54.6cm/68.6cm
Max Resolution:1920 x 1080/2560 x 1440
Type:LCD display
Widescreen Display: Yes

Environmental Standards

ENERGY STAR Qualified: Yes
EPEAT Compliant: Yes
EPEAT Level:EPEAT Gold

Header

Compatibility:Mac
Manufacturer:Apple
Packaged Quantity:1
Product Line:Apple iMac

Mainboard

Data Bus Speed:1066MHz

Modem

Type: None

Networking

Data Link Protocol:Gigabit Ethernet / Fast Ethernet / IEEE 802.11b / IEEE 802.11a / IEEE 802.11g / IEEE 802.11n / Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Type:Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported: Yes
Wireless Protocol:802.11 a/b/g/n / Bluetooth 2.1 EDR

Optical Storage

Read Speed:24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
Rewrite Speed:16x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW)
Type:DVD
Write Speed:24x (CD) / 8x (DVD

OS Provided

Type:Apple MacOS X 10.6

Processor

64-bit Computing: Yes
Clock Speed:2.66GHz/3.06GHz
Installed Qty:1
Manufacturer:Intel
Max Supported Qty:1
Multi-Core Technology:Dual-Core/Quad-Core
Type:Core 2 Duo/Core i5

RAM

Installed Size:4GB
Max Supported Size:16GB
Technology:DDR3 SDRAM

Service & Support

Type:1 year warranty

Storage Floppy Drive

Type: None

Storage Hard Drive

Interface Type:Serial ATA-300

Storage Hard Drive (2nd)

Type: None

Storage Removable

Type: None

System

Hard Drive(-s) Total Capacity:1TB/500GB
Type:Personal computer

Video Memory

Installed Size:256MB/512MB

Video Output

Graphics Processor / Vendor:ATI Radeon HD 4670/ATI Radeon HD 4850/NVIDIA GeForce 9400M