How does the iMac "Core Duo" compare to a similar Windows "All-in-One" PC?

Please note that all systems mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The iMac "Core Duo" models were replaced by the White iMac "Core 2 Duo" line.

Mac users have historically valued the simplicity of the "all-in-one" form factor, with the display and computer integrated in a single housing, whereas Windows users typically prefer a case with expansion options and a display that can be reused with another system later. There are advantages and disadvantages to both schools of thought.

Accordingly, the "all-in-one" form factor is not particularly popular in the Windows world, so the number of systems that could be compared to the iMac "Core Duo" was rather limited. However, as tracked down by the San Francisco Chronicle, Gateway made an effort to compete with the Intel-based iMac with their Profile 6SB model.

Photo Credit: Gateway (Left) & Apple Computer (Right)

EveryMac.com commonly uses the phrase "arguably less attractive" to refer to a Windows system that would be unlikely to win a design award, but with the Gateway Profile, it is probably safe to drop the "arguably" before "less attractive". The iMac is sleek and compact while the Profile looks vaguely like someone took a small minitower case, attached a flat-panel display to its side and affixed it to the top of a VCR.

Granted, the large and boxy design of the Gateway does make the internals accessible via convenient "slide off" doors on the side and rear of the system as well as provide a variety of "legacy" ports and compatibility options. A floppy drive even is an option. This model of iMac, on the other hand, is not particularly accessible beyond upgrading the RAM, and lacks all but the latest of connectivity and compatibility options (no internal modem was available, for example).

Given that the iMac "Core Duo" is intended primarily for the consumer market, it is probably most worthwhile to compare the iMac "Core Duo" 1.83 17" to the Gateway Profile 6C ("C" is for consumer, "SB" is for "Small Business"). The Profile could be configured with several processor options, but for the sake of comparison, it can be equipped with a 3.0 GHz "Dual Core" Intel Pentium D 930 with 2x2 MB level 2 cache and a 800 MHz frontside bus. The Pentium D 930 has substantial technical differences compared to the subsequently released 1.83 GHz Intel "Core Duo" with a 2 MB shared "on chip" level 2 cache and 667 MHz frontside bus that powers the iMac. However, the differences likely would not matter much to the average consumer each system is designed to attract. Both could be configured with the iMac base of 512 MB of RAM (667 MHz DDR SDRAM, PC2-5300 for the iMac and 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM for the Profile), a 7200 RPM 160 GB hard drive, and DVD/CD-RW "combo" drives. The Profile does not offer an integrated camera as an option.

The iMac "Core Duo" 1.83 17" has a 17" 1440x900 display and ATI Radeon X1600 graphics acceleration with 128MB of GDDR3 memory. The Profile 6C can be configured with a lower-resolution 17" 1280x1024 display and by default is configured with "integrated" Intel GMA 950 graphics, but can be configured with a "NVIDIA GeForce 7300LE Video Card with 256MB TurboCache (64MB discrete DDR3 Memory)" for better graphics performance.

Ports are quite a bit different. The iMac "Core Duo" has three USB 2.0 ports (on the system, two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard, for an advertised total of five USB ports), two FireWire "400" ports, a 10/100/1000Base-T (RJ-45) Ethernet port, a Mini-VGA port that supports a second display in "extended desktop" mode with an adapter, one "audio line in" port, support for S-video output (with an adapter, sold separately), and a headphone jack that is also a mini-optical plug for external speakers. AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR are also pre-installed.

The Profile 6C has six USB 2.0 ports, two Firewire "400" ports (one 4 pin and one 6 pin), a 10/100/1000Base-T (RJ-45) Ethernet port, a "VGA-In/DVI-In" port, one line in, one line out, and two microphone ports (front and back) and a headphone jack. Legacy ports include a PC Serial port, a PC Parallel port, two PS/2 ports, and "legacy" at least from Apple's perspective, an internal modem port. 802.11g is available, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR is not.

The iMac shipped with iLife '06 and the Profile ships with Microsoft Office "Basic Edition 2003", which includes Word, Excel, and Outlook. Depending on your needs, you might value one software package over another. Gateway recommends that you also configure the system with McAfee Internet Security Suite (36-Months) for an additional US$99.99, which probably would be a good idea, but for the sake of comparing the hardware, it was omitted.

As configured, the Profile 6C is US$1318, US$19 more than the US$1299 list price of the then current iMac "Core Duo" 1.83 17". Even disregarding the fact that the iMac is the only one of the two that Apple supports running MacOS X, and the value of the operating system certainly is worthwhile, most users would no doubt find the iMac to be worth more.