Apple iMac (17-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

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iMac (17-inch, Late 2006) compared with iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

	AppleiMac (17-inch, Late 2006)	AppleiMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
Overview
Released
Released	September 2006	March 2019
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo T5600, Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 or Intel Core 2 Duo T7400	Intel Core i3-8100, Intel Core i7-8700 or Intel Core i5-8500
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4 or 6
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4, 6 or 12
Graphics
Graphics	Intel GMA 950 (64 MB shared DDR2) or ATI Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3)	Radeon Pro 555X (2 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 560X (4 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 20 (4 GB HBM2)
Memory
Memory	512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB or 3 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	160 GB to 500 GB	256 GB to 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo T5600 with 2 MB shared L2 cache; higher configuration has 2.0 GHz T7200 or optional 2.16 GHz T7400 with 4 MB shared L2 cache. All use a 667 MHz system bus; exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac.	3.6 GHz quad-core Core i3 without Turbo Boost, or 3.0 GHz six-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz; both configurable to 3.2 GHz six-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz
GPU
GPU	Intel GMA 950 with 64 MB DDR2 shared system memory on the 1.83 GHz configuration; ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 on the 2.0 and 2.16 GHz configurations	Radeon Pro 555X with 2 GB GDDR5 in the lower base; Radeon Pro 560X with 4 GB GDDR5 in the upper base, configurable to Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4 GB HBM2
Memory type
Memory type	Two SO-DIMM slots for PC2-5300 (667 MHz) DDR2 SDRAM. Entry configuration has two 256 MB modules, configurable to 1 or 2 GB; higher configurations have two 512 MB modules, configurable to 2 or 3 GB.	8 GB standard, configurable to 16/32 GB; lower base uses 2400 MHz DDR4 and upper base 2666 MHz DDR4. Memory is not readily user-accessible.
Storage type
Storage type	160 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; higher configurations can have 250 or 500 GB. Entry configuration has a 24x Combo drive for DVD reading and CD writing; higher configurations have an 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD burning.	The current Apple sheet lists 256 GB SSD or 1 TB Fusion Drive for both bases, and these are the configurations shown. Apple made SSD storage standard in August 2020. Launch reviews describe a 1 TB hard drive in the lower base and 1 TB Fusion Drive in the upper base, with larger SSD options (Macworld and TechRadar); these historical options are not flattened into the current matrix.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	4096 × 2304 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	250 nits	500 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; typical contrast 500:1, viewing angles 140° horizontal and 120° vertical. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.	LED-backlit Retina 4K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac; Apple does not publish native refresh rate in this model’s specification sheet
Display features
Display features	–	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 2 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11g; 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	4.2
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer and two USB 1.1 ports on its keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports sharing 8 W, mini-DVI, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR is standard on higher configurations; not standard on the entry configuration, but listed as an order option in Apple's UK announcement.	Four USB-A ports; two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require separately sold adapters.
External displays
External displays	One external display in extended desktop or mirroring mode; digital resolutions up to 1920 × 1200 and analogue up to 2048 × 1536. DVI, VGA, S-video and composite adapters sold separately.	Built-in display at full native resolution alongside one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz with one billion colours, two 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or two 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	–	Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse; Apple Remote included with higher configurations and optional on the entry model; optional wireless keyboard and mouse for higher configurations	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	–	5.48 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	426 × 173 × 430 mm	528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker weight 15.5 pounds (7 kg), varying by configuration and manufacturing process; shared scalar weight omitted	Dimensions include the stand; current Apple sheet lists 5.48 kg and warns that weight varies by configuration. Launch reviews tested heavier hard-drive/Fusion configurations. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 180 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	–	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Apple Remote except on the entry configuration. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, iLife '06, Front Row, Photo Booth, Microsoft Office 2004 Test Drive and iWork trial.	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable