Apple iMac MRR12LL/ABTO/CTO Silver 2019

The iMac's 5K resolution and 99th percentile reliability are the real headline grabbers here. For $850, you get a beautiful display and a snappy i9 CPU, but you'll have to live with a below-average GPU, cramped storage, and one of the worst port selections we've seen. It's a specialized tool that still shines for certain creative workflows.

Apple's aging 27-inch iMac might be a few years old, but at $850 it's a fascinating value play. Our numbers show it sits in the 99th percentile for reliability, which means this thing just doesn't quit. Pair that with a 5K Retina display pushing 5120-by-2880 resolution and 500 nits of P3 color, and you've got one of the best screens we've tested, period. The Intel Core i9-9900K inside is no slouch either, landing in the 85th percentile for CPU performance across our database of desktop systems. So for tasks like photo editing, coding, or office work, it still feels snappy.

But the rest of the spec sheet tells a different story. The Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5 sits squarely in the middle of the pack for graphics, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM plus a 512GB SSD both hover around the 29th percentile. That's fine for everyday use, but starts to feel tight if you're a video editor or run multiple virtual machines. And the port situation, well, let's just say the 7th percentile ranking is about as bad as it gets among desktops. For $850, you're getting a killer screen and a great CPU wrapped in a package that falls short in almost every other area.

The star of the show is that 8-core i9. In CPU-bound workloads, this iMac punches above its weight class, delivering compile times and export speeds that still rank among the better desktops we've tracked. It's not the absolute fastest thing out there, but it's far from outdated for productivity. You can expect snappy performance in Lightroom, Xcode, or Excel, even with multiple apps open.

The GPU, on the other hand, is more of a mixed bag. The Radeon Pro 580X is essentially a rebadged RX 580, which puts it right at the 54th percentile. That means it handles casual photo and light video editing without breaking a sweat, but you'll want to keep your expectations in check for 3D rendering or modern gaming. Paired with 16GB of RAM, you're fine for most workflows, but keep an eye on memory pressure if you upgrade to a higher-resolution monitor or run heavy creative apps. The 512GB SSD is quick, but you'll probably need external storage sooner rather than later.

At $850, this iMac is a steal if you value a premium 5K display and a stout CPU above everything else. You'd struggle to buy a standalone 5K monitor for less, and the iMac throws in a capable desktop computer for free, basically. It handily undercuts Apple's current M1 or M3 iMac pricing while offering a larger screen. The catch is that the GPU, storage, and port shortfalls mean you're paying for a great display with an aging computer attached. For creators who need color accuracy and single-core speed, it's a solid deal. For anyone else, that money might be better spent on a newer machine with more balanced specs.

Stacked against the gaming towers like the ASUS ROG GM700TZ or Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, this iMac gets absolutely trounced in graphics and expandability. Those machines pack RTX 40-series GPUs and room for multiple drives, while the iMac is locked into a middling 580X and limited storage. But the iMac fights back with its 5K panel and 99th percentile reliability, something those gaming rigs can't touch. The Dell XPS desktop and HP OmniDesk are more direct competitors, but none of them offer a screen this good. You're making a trade-off: display and build quality versus raw performance and upgrade potential. For a photo editor, the iMac wins; for a gamer, it's not even a contest.

If you need serious GPU horsepower for 3D rendering, gaming, or machine learning, look elsewhere. The 580X's 54th percentile ranking just doesn't cut it compared to modern desktops that come with RTX 3060s or better. Creative pros who regularly work with huge 8K timelines or multi-layer effects will also feel the pinch from the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, both in the bottom third. And honestly, if having a handful of USB-C and USB-A ports is non-negotiable, the 7th percentile port score here is a dealbreaker. You'd be better served by a newer PC or even an Apple Silicon Mac mini with an aftermarket 4K display.

If you've found an iMac i9 with the 5K display for $850, it's hard to ignore. Our data shows it's an insanely reliable machine with a CPU that still holds its own. The screen is best-in-class, and the price makes it one of the cheapest ways to get a genuine 5K workspace. But you have to accept that you're buying into a platform with weak ports, an aging GPU, and a future that probably doesn't include many more macOS releases. For the right niche, it's a screaming deal. For everyone else, an M1 or M3 iMac, even a used one, might be a smarter long-term bet.