Apple iMac 24-inch All-in-One Pink 2024

The M4 iMac is a gorgeous, reliable all-in-one that nails everyday computing with a stunning 4.5K display and near-silent operation. The base config's 256GB SSD and 16GB RAM are the weak spots, and gaming performance is mediocre at best. Prices range from $1,249 to $1,499 across vendors, with Best Buy offering the better deal. Buy it for home office and family use, skip it for gaming or heavy creative work.

The M4's 8-core CPU sits at the 55th percentile in our database, which sounds unremarkable until you remember what this chip actually is. It's an ARM-based processor running macOS, and Apple's software optimization means real-world performance feels snappier than the raw numbers suggest. Apps open instantly, multitasking across a dozen Safari tabs plus Excel plus Zoom doesn't stutter, and the whole thing does it while pulling a fraction of the power a comparable Windows tower would draw. The 16GB of unified memory is shared between CPU and GPU, which helps with photo editing and light video work, but it's not a config we'd recommend for heavy 4K editing or running virtual machines.

The GPU story is more mixed. The 8-core M4 GPU lands at the 59th percentile, which puts it solidly in "fine for casual gaming and creative work" territory. You'll play older titles and indie games at decent settings, and Apple Arcade stuff runs beautifully. But this is not a gaming rig, and the 31.2 gaming score in our database confirms it. The integrated GPU shares that 16GB of RAM, so you're not getting dedicated VRAM here. For photo editing in Lightroom or Photoshop, it's plenty. For Blender renders or AAA gaming, you'll feel the ceiling pretty quickly.

Stacked against the HP OMEN GT22-3080 and Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, the iMac looks like it's playing a different sport. Those machines are gaming towers with dedicated GPUs that'll run circles around the M4 in any graphics-heavy workload. The Legion Tower 5i in particular offers far more storage and RAM headroom for less money. But they're big, loud, and they don't come with a 4.5K display. If you're a gamer or someone who needs raw compute, the iMac isn't your machine and these towers are the obvious alternative.

The ASUS ROG GM700TZ and Dell Tower ECT1250 tell a similar story. The ROG is a gaming beast with a dedicated GPU that makes the iMac's integrated graphics look like a toy. The Dell is more of a business workhorse, but again, you're buying a tower and a monitor separately. What the iMac offers that none of these do is the all-in-one experience. No cable mess, no separate webcam to buy, no speaker setup. For a home office or a family computer, that simplicity is worth something. For a power user, it's a limitation.

Here's where things get interesting. The price range across vendors spans $250, from $1,249 to $1,499 for essentially the same machine. That's a meaningful spread, and it pays to shop around. Best Buy's listing shows the base config at the lower end of that range, which makes it the better deal right now. At $1,249, you're getting a 4.5K display, a fast M4 chip, and Apple's build quality in a package that includes the screen, speakers, webcam, and mics. You'd spend close to that on a decent 4K monitor plus a mid-range Windows tower, and you wouldn't get the same fit and finish.

But the value proposition crumbles a bit when you look at the upgrade path. Apple charges a premium for extra storage and RAM, and you can't add them later. That 256GB SSD at the 16th percentile means you'll likely need external storage or cloud subscriptions, which adds hidden cost. If you're comparing against something like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i or HP OMEN, those machines give you way more raw performance per dollar, but they're towers with no display and they're aimed at gamers. For the home office crowd, the iMac's all-in-one simplicity justifies the price. For performance seekers, it doesn't.

The 24-inch iMac has been the default answer to "what desktop should I buy?" for years now, and the M4 refresh keeps that streak alive. This isn't a machine for people who want to tinker with GPUs or run a triple-monitor flight sim setup. It's for folks who want a computer that looks good on a desk, turns on instantly, and handles everyday work without breaking a sweat. The M4 chip inside is the same silicon Apple's putting in their newer MacBooks, which means this all-in-one punches way above what its slim profile suggests.

What's interesting here is the positioning. Apple's not chasing the gaming crowd with this one, and the numbers back that up. The GPU lands right in the middle of the pack at the 59th percentile, which is fine for casual stuff but won't impress anyone trying to push high frame rates. Where this thing absolutely dominates is reliability and social proof. A 99th percentile reliability score and a 4.8-star average across 1,223 reviews tell you people buy these and stay happy for years.

The base config we're looking at comes with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That storage number is going to raise eyebrows, and honestly it should. In 2024, 256GB feels tight for a desktop that costs over a grand. But the display, the build quality, and that M4 efficiency are the real story here. This is a machine that sips power, runs nearly silent, and handles photo editing, office work, and media consumption without complaint.

Gamers should absolutely skip this. The integrated M4 GPU scores 31.2 in our gaming benchmarks, which puts it near the bottom for any serious gaming workload. If you want to play modern titles at decent settings, grab a Windows tower like the HP OMEN GT22-3080 or ASUS ROG GM700TZ instead. You'll get a dedicated GPU that runs circles around the iMac for less money, though you'll need to buy a monitor separately.

Heavy creative professionals should also think twice. Video editors working with 4K or 8K footage, 3D artists, and anyone running memory-hungry applications will hit the 16GB RAM ceiling and the 256GB storage limit quickly. The M4 chip is capable, but the base config holds it back. If you need more power, look at a MacBook Pro with 32GB or more RAM, or a high-end Windows workstation. The iMac is a fantastic everyday machine, but it's not built for heavy lifting.

If you're a home office worker, a student, or someone who wants a family computer that just works, the iMac is still the best all-in-one on the market. The M4 chip handles everyday tasks with ease, the display is stunning, and the reliability numbers mean you'll probably still be using this thing in five years without a hiccup. The 4.8-star rating across 1,223 reviews isn't an accident. People buy these and they're happy.

But if you're a gamer, a video editor working with 4K footage, or someone who needs lots of local storage, look elsewhere. The 256GB base SSD and 16GB of RAM are real constraints, and the integrated GPU won't keep up with demanding workloads. For those users, a Windows tower like the Legion Tower 5i or a MacBook Pro with more RAM makes more sense. The iMac is brilliant at what it does, but what it does is not everything.