It looks like the new 2020 iMac will have an Intel processor, but should you wait for the Apple silicon model?

n-Track Studio 9
(Image credit: n-Track Software)

When Apple announced that it was to transition away from Intel processors to its own ARM-based silicon chips, it made clear that the process was expected to take two years and that new Intel machines were still in the pipeline. And, it turns out that one of these could be a revised iMac.

A leak on Geekbench that was spotted by Twitter user @_rogame suggests that this could contain a custom 10th-generation Core i9-10910 processor offering 10 CPU cores, 20 threads and 20MB of L3 cache.

As well as new internals, it’s also expected that the 2020 iMac will come in a redesigned case, with thinner bezels and a more industrial look.

All of which leads us to conclude that, if you’re thinking about buying an iMac right now, you should probably wait.

The bigger question, of course, is whether it’s still worth buying an Intel Mac at all, but with the first Apple Silicon machines not expected to arrive until the end of 2020 at the earliest, a powerful new Intel-based Mac might still be very tempting...

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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