

If you're upgrading from an iMac, however, you'll need to purchase a new display, since you can't use Target Display Mode on M1 Macs. In contrast, the Mac Studio is just the computer part-it lacks a display, keyboard, and mouse-but it does offer up to a 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU, 128GB RAM, and 8TB storage, far outpacing any iMac ever made. IMac and iMac Pro: up to 18-cores of power.

For a brief time, Apple also sold a 27-inch iMac Pro that used Intel Xeon W processors with up to 18-cores, a variety of high-end graphics cards, and up to 256GB RAM and 4TB storage. What started as a colorful consumer all-in-one has evolved quite a bit over the years, with the most recent 27-inch model sporting a beautiful 5K Retina display, Intel 10th generation Core i9 processors, up to 128GB RAM, and up to 8TB storage. The iMac is easily Apple's most famous computer, the one that set Apple on its trajectory to becoming the company it is today. Spoiler alert: If you're concerned that the Mac Studio won't be a suitable update from your existing iMac, you need not worry. So whether you're looking to upgrade from an old all-in-one or add a new Mac to your collection, you're probably wondering how Mac Studio compares to the iMacs it has replaced and whether it's a worthy replacement for Apple's upper-end iMac.

Obviously, the Mac Studio fills the gap left when Apple discontinued the 27-inch iMac, but at the same time, it's also an evolution of the Mac mini and a call back to the Mac Pros of old. The Mac Studio is in some ways a brand new Mac, and in other ways, it's an evolution of Macs that came before.
