Despite rumors of an imminent iMac refresh back during WWDC, the 2020 iMac sports the same design that Apple has been using for years.

Like the Mac mini, the 2020 iMac presents 10GbE connectivity as a $100 build-to-order option instead of a standard feature like it is on the iMac Pro and Mac Pro.

The base model $1,799 iMac comes with 8GB of RAM across two 4GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory modules.

That’s not a lot of memory, but there’s a total of four SO-DIMM slots in the iMac that allows you to configure additional memory above the base 8GB.

But here’s a suggestion: Don’t pay Apple for a 27-inch iMac memory upgrade.

As I noted in my 2020 iMac RAM memory upgrade tutorial, it’s possible to purchase 128GB of RAM from a third party and easily save lots of money compared to what Apple charges.

Like its predecessors, the 27-inch iMac retains the handy RAM door for conveniently accessing the DDR4 memory modules inside.

Users can upgrade memory after purchasing the iMac instead of spending a ludicrous amount of money adding RAM during the build-to-order process.

The 2020 27-inch iMac is the first iMac computer outside of the Pro version to feature the Apple T2 Security Chip.

With the 27-inch 2020 iMac, Apple has finally addressed one of my longstanding complaints with the machine — they’ve eliminated mechanical hard drives across all configurations.

For the 2020 iMac refresh, the entry-level $1,799 iMac gets 256GB of flash storage.

Because the iMac now uses flash storage instead of a hybrid mechanical drive in the base model iMac, you’ll notice much faster sustained speeds when running speed tests.

Speeds for the 256GB SSD in the base model iMac measure roughly 1,000MB/s read and 1,400MB/s write.

You can go with a simple USB 3.x-based external SSD like the Samsung T7 for relatively little money, or you can go all out and opt for a high-end Thunderbolt 3-enabled SSD like the OWC Envoy Pro EX, which will handily beats the internal 256GB of storage of the base model iMac.

Equipped with a 3.1GHz 6-core 10-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, the base model iMac Pro isn’t breaking any speed records, but it’s a competent CPU that turbo boosts up to 4.5 GHz, and features Hyperthreading.

Here are the Geekbench results prior to upgrading the 8GB of RAM in the base model iMac.

Predictably, benchmark scores best the scores from last year’s entry-level iMac model, although performance will be somewhat bottlenecked by the limited amount of RAM in the base configuration.

For basic computer usage — web browsing, word processing, and emails — it can be rightfully said that even the base model 5K iMac is a bit of an overkill.

And unlike the MacBook Pro, where things like battery life and heat play a larger role in CPU performance, you don’t have to worry as much about such restrictions on the 27-inch iMac.

Users can, of course, upgrade the CPU during the build-to-order process, but you’ll need to step up to at least the $1,999 mid-tier configuration for the ability to do so.

Keep in mind that the entry-level and mid-tier 27-inch iMac models are locked in to the Radeon Pro 5300, and cannot be upgraded to higher-specced GPUs.

And unlike the 2019 iMac, base model 2020 iMac users can directly connect a Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution for an awesome dual monitor experience.

The size and resolution of the 5K iMac hasn’t changed in 2020, but there are two noteworthy additions that will improve the experience of using the 27-inch iMac.

The second big addition to the 2020 iMac is a feature that those opting for the base model machine might been keen to forgo.

Content on the Pro Display XDR just seems to float on the surface of the display, while content on the iMac seems like’s it’s resting just below the surface of the glass?

But if this is indeed the last version of this iMac, both from a design perspective and from a CPU perspective, then I think it’s safe to say that Apple sent it off with a bang.

For instance, this is likely the last iMac to feature Boot Camp support for dual booting Windows.

With all of that being said, if a brand-new iMac design drops with markedly faster performance within the next year, you might seriously regret having purchased the 2020 version.

My take is that if you’re in serious need of a new computer and the iMac suits your needs, then go ahead and upgrade.

As I’ve showcased in this review, even the base model at $1,800 is a great value and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed

Video: How to upgrade iMac (2020) RAM