iMac Retina 5K, Late 2014

Technically a "configure-to-order" version of the iMac "Core i5" 3.5 27-Inch Aluminum (Late 2014/Retina 5K), the iMac "Core i7" 4.0 27-Inch is also documented separately for convenience. Besides the processor and its L3 cache, the two models are identical.

This iMac features a 22 nm "Haswell" Quad Core 4.0 GHz Intel "Core i7" (4790K) processor with four independent cores on one chip and an 8 MB shared L3 cache. It includes 8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM (PC3-12800) in a dual-module setup, a 1 TB "Fusion Drive" (1 TB HDD and 128 GB SSD), and an AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics processor with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. It has a built-in "FaceTime HD" webcam and stereo speakers, but no optical drive.

It sports a 27" 5120x2880 LED-backlit 16:9 widescreen IPS display, which Apple called "Retina 5K". The aluminum rear case tapers to a slim 5 mm at the edges. Connectivity consists of four USB 3.0 ports, dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi (backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n), and Bluetooth 4.0.

Compared to the earlier Late 2013 models, this model shares a nearly identical external design but offers a much higher resolution display, a slightly faster processor, a more powerful graphics processor, a standard "Fusion Drive," and Thunderbolt 2 support.

The "Late 2014" iMacs were shipped with a compact aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard and a choice of a multi-touch "Magic Mouse," a "Magic Trackpad," or a traditional wired Apple mouse.

As the top-tier build-to-order model of the first 5K iMac, this machine, with its 4.0 GHz Core i7 processor, boasted unparalleled performance for an all-in-one PC of its time. [6, 30] Its 8-thread processing capability via Hyper-Threading gave it a significant lead over the Core i5 model, delivering immense power for professional workloads. [28] The optional AMD Radeon R9 M295X graphics proved to be a powerful asset for handling the demanding 5K resolution. [3] The very advent of the 5K display was revolutionary, and this top-performance model was praised by many experts as the flagship that led this revolution. [28, 31]