Apple iMac 2013 review, specs: The 27-inch Apple iMac has been called the pro computer for the masses by one tech reviewer. In many ways, the new Haswell-powered desktop is a visual stunner, but bears under the hood features that makes it useful for the consumer that requires added power in processing.

Slashgear noted that the 27-inch Apple iMac 2013 has faster processors, beefier graphics and an extra jolt of speed for Apple’s Fusion Drive technology. The iMac 27-inch 2013 edition definitely impresses on aesthetics, but it also is competitive when it comes to performance and specs.

SPECS
Specs of the base model 27-inch unit are: 27-inch 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution display, 3.2 GHz i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB hard drive. The review unit by Mashable has specs of 3.4 GHz quad-core i5, 8 GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 775M video card, and Apple’s proprietary 1 TB Fusion Drive (retail $2,199).

HARDWARE AND DESIGN

The 2013 27-inch iMac model reviewed by Slashgear has display that sports bright colors and broad viewing angles. The unit has better-than-HD display, which the tech site notes is a good balance between specs and pricing.

This year’s iMac, last year’s, has no optical drive. The ports are clustered in a row along the lower side of the bowed aluminum rear panel. The ports have also been unchanged. There’s a headphone socket, SD card slot, four USB 3.0, two Thunderbolt and a gigabit ethernet. There’s also a power socket centered behind the cable tidy hole in the stand. The power button for the machine is a slightly dimpled key on the opposite side.

Right above the display is a FaceTime HD camera, which allows you to make 720p video calls, and dual microphones for beam-formed audio. Slashgear notes that there is an ambient light sensor hidden behind the glass bezel, which adjusts the display brightness automatically. You can tweak it by using the dedicated keys on Apple’s bundled Bluetooth keyboard. There is a Magic Mouse supplied as a standard, which can be substituted with a Magic Trackpad if needed.

According to Mashable, the all-in-one’s overall performance is excellent with the iMac being one very speedy computer. The only time it had trouble running anything was with “The Witcher 2,” which was going at 20 frames per second when displaying full resolution. Once the display resolution is lowered to 1920 x 1440 pixels, it now runs at a smooth and stable 33 frames per second. When the game “Metro: Last Light” was run at the highest settings there was not a slight drop in performance, showcasing the processing prowess and speed of the machine.

The iMac too is far from a messy computer, jumbled in wires and all sorts of connections. The Cupertino tech giant was able to make this desktop similar to a laptop without strapping on a battery.

Price for the 27-inch Apple iMac 2013 begins at $1,799 and though the basic model works well, Apple still provides upgrades and customizations which could make the final price for the all-in-one expensive.

The Apple iMac 2013 27-inch is intended for a consumer-level work, though it’s heavily used by creative professionals for mid-range tasks. The Mac Pro, Apple’s highest-end workstation is geared for high-end tasks like video, photo and music editing as well as medical work and scientific simulations.