For $1799, the entry-level 5K iMac is a very good deal for anyone looking for a powerful machine that can be upgraded to some extent. Of course, when it comes to an all-in-one machine like the iMac, the term “upgrade” is used loosely, but it’s still fairly remarkable how much headroom you can garner from Apple’s entry-level 27-inch 5K machine.

In this hands-on post and video walkthrough, we’ll consider several reasons why the base-model 5K iMac is such a compelling proposition for those in need of a new Mac. In fact, it’s arguably the best deal in Macs that Apple currently offers.