gdgt

For a general consumer setup we can't help but think this is a bit too much. The vastly more affordable and still hugely capable 21.5-inch model makes a lot more sense ... But, for ease of setup, aesthetic appeal, and overall performance and flexibility, the iMac is as hard to ignore as ever.

If you’re looking for a machine that eliminates the technical hurdles of your daily grind, while delivering more than enough power to make your leisure-time activities much smoother, too, this is it.

We recommend Apple's new 27-inch iMac to digital media editors and others with serious performance needs on the strength of its impressive speed, its connected device potential, and its market-leading 27-inch display.

The 2011 iMacs bring the product line up to date with the latest Intel’s processors and with FaceTime HD cameras, and the inclusion of Thunderbolt and SATA-3 compatible drive connections makes them ready for the next generation of storage devices.

It's pricey, has a huge screen, and is as powerful as an Asgardian thunder god. If you need a graphics PC for your business, the new Apple iMac 27-inch (Thunderbolt) will rival the huge tower workstations currently available.

It used to be that if you needed a fast desktop that ran OS X you ... had to shell out for a Mac Pro. With this generation I firmly believe that the 27-inch iMac is a real alternative.

This isn’t the all-in-one for buyers on a budget, and shopping around for regular desktops may find you equal or greater performance for your money, but the 2011 iMac is a polished update to one of the best machines on the market today.