Base model M1 24" iMac vs upgraded model, worth an extra $200? Performance & benchmarks!

The new base model iMac has sparked debate over whether it's too stripped down compared to the upgraded $1,499 model that brings additional ports, Touch ID, an additional GPU core, and Ethernet in the power brick. In today's video we're going to compare these two models directly to see if the difference is noticeable. M1 iMac performance benchmarks and comparison could help you decide which is right for you!
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[@lukemiani]

How would you configure an iMac? Would you go for the higher end model or go for a base one? Would you add Touch ID and Ethernet to the base for $80? Also, as some have pointed out it seems like the base model iMac has one cooling fan compared to 2 in the higher tier models. Would that effect your decision?

[@ravengomez9777]

Base model after long consideration, but I respect that it comes down to individual work needs. I think most consumers of all tier models will need a hub for other ports like the sd card slot, therefore making the Ethernet port on the power block nonessential to me. I just purchased a 9 in 1 white matching dongle that I think will actually look pretty sleek! It also still blows my mind that the Magic keyboard isn’t back-lit. Knowing I’ll have to eventually buy an external backlit keyboard for night hour working turned me off to shelling out money for the touch ID version. I’d say paying the $50 for the trackpad over the Magic Mouse would be a smart value since the silver trackpad two still goes for about $120 on Amazon. And well.. the less we speak about the Magic Mouse the better.. Overall if you’re not needing to run high level programs for your daily use don’t buy into all the hype and buy the base model. Think ahead me put that extra $200 towards a Mac, m1x/m2 chip lineup product like the MacBook Air in the future. Once the majority of us make a full return to work- post pandemic that need for a portable device will ramp up again!

[@NckLpz214]

Hi Luke love watching your videos. Quick suggestion - maybe have different colors for each machine in the graphs. For example MacBook Air red, mid tier iMac blue, base tier iMac yellow and MacBook Pro green, it would be faster to visualize.

[@NckLpz214]

As to your actual question I would probably do the mid tier just for resale value. I think it would be easier to sell a mid tier product vs a “cheap base model” that you can’t upgrade. As for me personally I would never ever use it hard enough to ever notice the difference in performance.

[@TheGloriousLeader]

@Cheshire Cat you aren’t making any sense…

[@mizshellytee]

I wouldn't. I'd either go with a near fully-specced Mac Mini and get an adapter thingie that gives me extra ports at the front and a SD card slot + use the monitor I already have, or wait for an iMac Pro.

[@Nupagadiesiebensachen]

Apple technician here: the base model has only one fan inside, while the mid and higher tier models come with two cooling fans. Maybe that explains the slight differences in performance. Would be interesting to monitor the temperatures while comparing them.

[@MrTarmonbarry]

So in a way Apple are setting the base model up to fail with only fitting one fan , there's a surprise

[@jansix4287]

This is nuts. And couldn’t I add a second fan myself? Those cost $4 max.

[@akiraalder]

oh wow the more you know

[@SN-hn9zi]

@@MrTarmonbarry the MacBook Air is fanless so stop spreading nonsense you don’t understand

[@Deniz-qh6qz]

@@SN-hn9zi He's talking about the imac...

[@Sisamuth]

Nice seeing Luke Miani uploading daily

[@m_a_r_kx]

Yessir

[@gliderman9302]

As long as he has apple releases he will upload daily

[@siddharthagupta8528]

yessir

[@ablandanderamika912]

*nice-looking Luke Miani

[@flamingkillermc2806]

Yessir

[@Andrew4337]

I was steered to the mid tier by other you tubers but now I’m getting the base. Thanks Duke.

[@jimhibert]

Spend the $ on the higher end machine. Even after I drop the extra $200, I will still be able to make the mortgage payment this month.

[@alliejr]

Base plus $200 Thunderbolt dock will give you more for your money.

[@ignxdank]

@@alliejr Well you do want to get a 16gb ram

[@whitemailprivilege2830]

What’s a mortgage?

[@jimhibert]

@@whitemailprivilege2830 It’s the albatross of the American Dream.

[@mikelee428]

That’s you. Everyone doesn’t have the extra money.

[@HighPeakMapping]

A next day upload is a Miani blessing

[@Ilijah_Senteno]

Finally a good youtube who test what the average person would buy and not get the most expensive model.

[@teerexx52]

I bought the upgraded version mainly for the Touch ID. Love this computer.

[@firasrabaia]

Would u like to give out the touchpad 😂 . Are u interested in selling it ?

[@pranavsachdeva1141]

I have been using MacBook Pro with 2 ports for years, use it for browsing, research, creating documents, presentations, entertainment etc, only very rarely i have to use the port, except charging. In base iMac, one gets same two ports, plus a separate charging port. So it is one extra port than MacBook Pro, i think for 90% of people, base model is absolutely fine. The video and photo editors, graphic designers, constitute less than 10 percent of market of 24 inch iMac model.

[@mattiaalesi7129]

How do you manage to foresee all my questions and doubts? It is the third of your videos that I watch and EVERY TIME I find the answer. Thank you!

[@jeffhale1189]

👀 I purchased the upgraded model. I really wanted the extra ports and Touch ID. Thanks for this video. Blessings on your day 🍎

[@callmeNeno]

Good move; you get what you pay for & don’t regret later ~~

[@larsgrissellchristensen2669]

Super interesting video 👍. I think the 200 extra is a no brainer. I am more interested in seeing some comparisons between 8 vs 16 GB ram.

[@FouDeFafa]

I’ve been following you for a while now and noticed a serious improvement in the quality of your script and energy in this video. Best video from you so far. Keep up the good work!!

[@CFC.NobarR]

Touch ID keyboard - $50 extra if you want just that extra.

[@XxZannexX]

Another extra is the ethernet power brick for $30.

[@Thiccies]

Also available in the version with the numeric keypad

[@Alusky]

That makes a world of difference. Imo Touch ID is a must. So the comparison should really be the $1349 base vs the $1499 mid both with Touch ID. So then it's about spending $150 on ethernet + 2 thunderbolt ports and a little bump in performance. Buy one or two dongles for under $50 and then you end up with a $100 price difference for the performance increase. Much easier decision to make.

[@pokiblue5870]

Apple care + only ….$

[@aalyanbhanji6496]

@@Alusky to me, TouchID is almost useless because of Apple Watch unlock

[@wiredmind]

10/10 for the way I couldn't hear the M1's fans over my own iMac's fan

[@gliderman9302]

IKR, it’s so quiet

[@MAGAIVER]

My late 2013 27" is dead silent, has always been. Never had any other mac so I thought they were all this quiet.

[@wiredmind]

@@MAGAIVER Mine's a 2017 21.5, it's absolutely full of issues frankly. But it still just about does what I need it to so I don't feel like shelling out for anything new. If it eventually gives up I'll probably just buy a nice monitor and connect it to my laptop. (Huawei Matebook D, it's been amazing for the ~1.5 years I've had it)

[@daniaviles]

@@MAGAIVER same with both my iMac 2011 21.5" and 2013 21.5". Upgradeable to 32Gb and 16Gb and 2TB SSD easily. These new iMac M1 are the same as the 4GB Mac Mini 2014, many people back them thought that base model was a good option ... I'm sad as I know that sooner or later I will need to switch, I am not buying a non upgradeable Mac ...

[@dabnisbrickey6527]

My 2006 imac is silent too. I have an ssd in there though

[@viralvideos259]

Daily Luke, I am loving this video. This is the type of videos that fellow tech KZbinrs should be doing

[@DBLCreations]

Hi Luke, you also forget to mention that you get more color options with the extra $200, (if the color you want happens to be in the $200 mark up) :-) But other than that, man you're killing it with the video's pumping out so frequently! Love it!

[@SydenyTrainsVideos]

Also the base iMac can come with Touch ID, in the keyboard language section on the apple website.

[@natepfeiffer5224]

How much extra does it cost?

[@midhunb2710]

@@natepfeiffer5224 $50 which is pretty awesome imo

[@riponrip4574]

Ya yay ya

[@vetrixfx9264]

@@midhunb2710 50$ and you say it's awesome lmao

[@MemeFactoryFaculty]

Blender will get native M1 support on the 26th! Make sure to test that when it comes out!

[@sddrx6000]

Blender 3.0 Beta already is M1 based

[@woodcider]

Can you do reviews on hubs for the iMac? Especially ones that don’t hang awkwardly from the back.

[@paulwilliams4274]

@luke miani would it be possible for you to please start enabling captions on your videos? I am hard of hearing and being able to read captions would make your already great videos even better!! Please consider!! Thank you.

[@SaeedHussien]

Quick tip for Graphs you’re making: saying “lower/higher is better” is helpful

[@charitygoldart]

I second this!!

[@EskeAndersen]

I have the base model, and here's why: 1) I haven't used an ethernet cable in at least 5 years (no need for that port) 2) I don't use cabled mice and keyboards, so I don't need more than 2 USB ports 3) I do not like the Magic Keyboard and will probably switch to something else (so no need for touch id) 4) I won't be gaming much on this computer, so the 7 graphics cores are fine So I don't really see myself regretting not buying the mid-tier model.

[@doctor1206]

I really liked this video, Luke. I didnt know your channel. Now I discovered that and it's very good. Keep like that :) Greetings from Italy.

[@fc-dz4wd]

Nice explanation and evaluation of imac

[@alexemmett5252]

LUKE when you get massive remember me your the best like there isn't a better KZbinr than you how you don't have 20 m subs I don't know but your the best and don't ever forget that

[@andresings._1297]

YESSSSSSS I WAS WAITING FOR THIS VIDEOOOOO

[@visantibanez]

I hope that in the future they sell base models with good specs, because 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is insufficient for most people

[@TristanErvin]

This right here. The baseline for these new gen macs should be at LEAST 16GB of RAM. This is unacceptable from Apple and sadly, these influencers aren’t being 100% honest with their viewers. Thank goodness for people like Luke.

[@Evie0133]

Congrats on 300K, Luke!! I remember watching you since like 60K, and you've come such a long way!! Truly love your content :)

[@milesostrand4276]

it's very funny how in Sweden the base model is more expensive than the upgraded version in the US

[@LiLBitsDK]

it's called taxes in Sweden ;-) sales tax and EU import toll...

[@5nakedoc]

Also i think, pricing in the us is without Sales tax. You still have to pay taxes at the cashier

[@devasyagupta1286]

Thanks man wanting a video in this topic for so long. 🔥

[@md28stads]

The "Nobody wants a Dongle" made me LOL! Love this dude

[@Izeezus]

300k soon Luke! Congrats!

[@WarriorsPhoto]

Luke, I started watching your videos with my budget in mind. Thank you for sharing your findings and letting me know that the budget machine will do fine. (:

[@jackilynpyzocha662]

Thanks for the reviews, Luke!

[@jefferyjones8399]

I think I’m going to get the base model and just upgrade the RAM.

[@this.is.shashwat]

You can't do that lol XD

[@this.is.shashwat]

M1 iMacs don't have upgradable RAM

[@DragonCollector01]

Of course you can upgrade the RAM to 16 GB on Base Model

[@jefferyjones8399]

@@this.is.shashwat you can choose between 8 and 16 GB when purchasing. That’s what I’m talking about.

[@vidpetrovic8907]

@@this.is.shashwat they dont have USER upgradable ram...

[@CookedLight]

Will be interesting to see you compare the base model with 16 gig against the mid-tier one at the same price

[@chr123412]

You can also choose the Touch-ID Keyboard for the base model iMac (at least in Germany for 50€)

[@nitrax8629]

Interesting finding, I heard that the base model uses a more basic cooling solution with only one fan and a simplified heatsink... Don't know if it's true, but would make sense.

[@Fedgery007]

Great info! I was going to buy the mid range but I think the base will be ok for me.

[@MissStateFan]

You can add the Touch ID keyboard/numeric keyboard to the base mac when you’re selecting your stuff.

[@NicholasDeCola]

Makes sense Add memory to the base model for me thanks luke Great video ✨✨👍

[@carbsncaffeine9254]

Best review i've ever seen comparing two identical machines

[@ARprofessor]

clicked 'liked' just for the "apples to apples" pun - nice!

[@iCaveDave]

Just FYI Blender does now have a public Apple Silicon native beta out there now :)

[@callmeNeno]

That’s why I went for MacBook Air M1 second tier variant with 8GPU and 512gb ssd

[@MaxR.]

Can only agree with that. Got the same!

[@vinniemcgheesr.5294]

Thanks Luke, your videos are always very informative

[@TaterJade]

I went with pink mid tier (for red back), super excited ♦️ Thank You for all the information, definitely helped me make my decision!

[@abhishekparadkar7826]

I love how amazing your b-roll fullage looks lately, keep it up!

[@EFCONNECT]

I think the increased heat could also be caused by the vents and fans trying to fight thermal dynamics--heat rises. The vents are on the bottom and the fans blow down to extract heat. Another factor could be the presence of a display. I know displays normally give off heat, though it may be from their power supply which Apple has outside the iMac.

[@MrTarmonbarry]

heat rises and fans on the bottom . Think different , think Apple . Where did old t.v,s have the vents ??, oh yes , at the top . We have come a long way ))))))))

[@Pipsispite]

Hmm I’d say the mid tiers cpu performance improvement like seen in Cinebench is thanks to the fact that the 8 core equipped iMacs have 2 fans and the 7-core ones have 1 fan.

[@lukedstaten]

That purple one though! 10/10

[@bolttracks]

I keep looking for a teardown video to finally get some insight on the thermal design

[@PJElliot]

The final cut render is being done by an add-on accelerator, which is the same for both. Hence the identical times.

[@squalley]

300k Subs! I was here a 300.... Yeah 300 subs. I think I was 301. Congrats on the continued journey and i’ll be along for the ride. 🥃

[@michaelbaldwin5953]

base one with a 16gb upgrade sounds more sensible + plug in an external SSD for the increased storage.

[@SirJackII]

Almost to 300k Subs, Luke! Keep it up!

[@miniroll32]

The base iMac has one fan and a basic heatsink, whereas the mid and upper-tier models have two fans and heat pipe. This has been confirmed by Apple and early testers. Also, the images that Apple provided for the internals of the iMac show the *back* of the logic board, which is why you're unable to see the heat pipe connecting to the SoC in said chassis.

[@utubetjc]

I ordered the mid level today. BTW great review of each.

[@andreweh4]

For us in Canada it is $1699 and $1949 for a difference of $350.00 between the two. I am still rocking my 2012 Macbook Pro, My 2012 Mac Mini and My 27" 2011 iMac with an upgraded video card.

[@anonymeguy6363]

The touch id on the keyboard, is like the ethernet on the power brick, available as a bonus on the low-tier imac for 50$.

[@anonymeguy6363]

So the "real" price difference is 120$ for the 2 non-thunderbolts usb type C.

[@Del129]

This video helped me decide, especially because it has the 2 colors I was going to get in each represented tier. I’m getting the mid mainly for the purple lol, and the extras too.

[@charitygoldart]

I call BS on the “and the extras too” - but I hear you, I literally only want a higher end one to have purple! Are we silly??

[@louisinese]

@@charitygoldart naw i feel the same way, Id get green for the base tier and was considering the mid tier because it had purple.

[@louisinese]

I honestly think thats why purple isnt an option in the base tier, its an incentive the catch people like us three.

[@shrikarreddy1648]

1:32 you can also add Touch Id to the base model

[@miguelverjan4779]

THANK UPU FOR THIS VIDEO !! I’m deciding which one to get

[@JeffDoehring]

We did our Apple refresh last year with 4 MacBook Airs (M1) and an iMac M1 mid range. I do notice a huge difference in coding on the iMac vs the Air with the compiling being much faster on the iMac. I do love the iMac screen as well.

[@DabidRobinson]

Love your setup!

[@jackilynpyzocha662]

I love orange, like the "Tangerine" G3s 1998/99s. Elle Woods would like it, the upgraded model; iMac 2021!

[@TheGunnyBadger03xx]

Yes, it does it make it worth the $200. Plus, the 2nd fan in the upgraded model will help sustained performance. I also opted for 16GB of RAM since I tend to run VMs.

[@TriStruggleBus]

Why would I need to subscribe ans hit the notification bell, when I won’t want to miss this one? I’m watching it already! 😁 Maybe time to rephrase that opener a little? 😁 Love the videos, cannot wait for the new 14 and 16 inch MBPs, and will make my order probably right after watching the first few reviews here.

[@chrislamaster3816]

Production quality of a million+ sub channel. Cant wait for the subs to get there.

[@PolluxChung]

I am totally fine with my M1 mini, now have to shop for a better monitor though.

[@briankerrison8504]

Not weird ..the fans cool the alloy backing on iMac display.. they’ve optimised the thermal dynamics by utilising the alloy cover as a cooling baffle.. pushing warm air over full expanse of display.. 👍👍😎

[@JKNProductions]

I think the base model iMac only has one fan where as the mid tier and up have 2 fans. That might explain some of the differences in the scores

[@amitkalyan2317]

The target use case for the iMac is as a family computer and mostly for everyday tasks. The base model’s performance is more than enough for what most people will use it for (productivity, web browsing, media consumption etc). Most people also don’t need to plug anything into a computer other than storage because the input devices are wireless anyway, the speakers and webcam are built in and most people don’t need a second monitor. The two ports are therefore more than enough. I would say that it’s better to configure the base model with whatever you need. I’d personally go for the VESA mount version, add in Ethernet, the keyboard with Touch ID and the Magic Trackpad instead of mouse. That would still be cheaper than the mid level version even after you buy an affordable arm for it. However, it would look dope on a CBS Ollin arm in white.

[@wasbeen]

You can upgrade the Ethernet and Touch ID on the order page, so paying £130 (in UK) for the processor and 2USB ports..... I’ll keep the cash.

[@dushantmahesh]

Hi Luke love the vids but can u break it down into chapters so it's easy to navigate just saying thanks for the daily uploads

[@Chrisisfort]

Yo your so close to 300k!!!

[@stephenwabaxter]

I'd say that if you use Thunderbolt for an external drive and for an external monitor then go for the 4 port model leaving 2 USB C ports available to connect iPhone & iPad.

[@coffeebrakevideos]

That was interesting thank you Luke.

[@BAYWATOFFICIAL]

I love your speaking . Keep going bro

[@DerekZimmer]

How do the iMacs hold up today? What about buying a used one and using it as a quasi second monitor with Universal Control? The monitor is still excellent.

[@skm6777]

It would be cool if some company were to make USB hubs that color-match the back of the iMacs, so you can just command strip them there and not clutter the desk or ruin the esthetic.

[@MrTarmonbarry]

Does it really matter , if they are on the back you do not see them anyway

[@jmal]

＊ＡＥＳＴＨＥＴＩＣ

[@MrTarmonbarry]

@@jmal Why bother , you will not see it , its on the back

[@jmal]

@@MrTarmonbarry /r/whoooosh

[@MrTarmonbarry]

@@jmal How do you work that out??. You say its for aesthetic reasons and i said its a waste of time because its hidden . Make your mind up , do you want it coloured as he talked anout or are you not bothered . I do know what aesthetic means and what the other commenter said make no sense . There is a theme running here

[@OConnelsSideOfDaRiver]

For me, I'm getting the base, upgrading the ram and driving on down to Dongle Town.

[@khorymcneil7116]

Wait the put the glowing apple light on the back 🙌🏾💯 that’s nice

[@mgaesthetic]

Awesome video! 🤩 👏

[@althescottishbiker]

I bought my mid 2012 model new when it came out. I have been using it daily and its been great. Only now it is struggling with multiple layers of 4k footage when editing. I have ordered a new mid teir with 16gb of RAM. I am hoping to get 10 years out of it. Great videos Luke, thanks.

[@siennevanheerde]

Have you recieved it? How does it work?

[@althescottishbiker]

@@siennevanheerde not yet. It should arrive tomorrow.

[@sarahc3305]

I work from home and mainly doing some administrative stuff like google, email, word docs, google drive upload, watch some videos, Lightroom and a little bit of photoshop. The base model is more than enough. I rather get new tech every 2-3 years than the best model of the current. Just some thought...

[@TheDeathmail]

I personally think the ports, touch id and ethernet port aren't worth $200, but being charged for that anyways to just get more profit.... The lower tier one seems to exist solely to make the midrange look better... at least in my opinion...

[@pedromartinezny]

Hey I don’t do videos or music editing, I just do more word processing documents, and watch videos and movies, is the base model and good fit, thanks a lot for the video.

[@jfree791]

How would you compare the base model with 16GB RAM to this one at $1499 ?

[@petros6013]

The desktop wallpaper at the beginning look so nice.

[@DavidGetchel]

I was leaning towards a 7-core GPU with 16GB of RAM, but since I'd be using blender mostly, the difference is big enough to go 8/8/16. Thanks for doing blender tests.

[@ImpactSpace]

You think Blender (when using Eevee) runs better than on my iMac with R570? Since there is still no Metal support, I am currently using CPU-rendering only... I wonder how much the M1 would help me, or maybe better wait for the M1X?

[@DavidGetchel]

@@ImpactSpace I'm not sure. It'll probably take a bit for them to optimize for it. But I'm on a 2012 MBP so anything is an upgrade.

[@robertgingg7243]

Don’t forget the extra colors the mid level gets you. 🧡💛💜

[@jonathanmarten6976]

The base model imac has only 1 fan, while the upgraded version has 2. That's the difference imo. Not that it has binned cpu cores.

[@rodefshalom]

I think for a family or an office where multiple users might use a single iMac, the Touch ID alone seems a no-brainer.

[@murd777]

The $30 ethernet is only an adapter that goes behind the computer. The power supply with the ethernet port cost more money.

[@timg6930]

Good video. I was hoping someone would do some side by side comparisons.

[@sh1121]

The colors look pretty cool in real life! They looked terrible in Apple’s videos.

[@richardlevangie]

If memory serves, the lower core iMac has one fan, and 8-core GPU has two. I expect that’s affecting the test scores more than anything else.

[@LiveNaturallyLove]

Great video