Apple iMac (17-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac (17-inch, Late 2006) | AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | September 2006 | August 2020 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo T5600, Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 or Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 | Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K |
| CPU cores | 2 | 6, 8 or 10 |
| CPU threads | – | 12, 16 or 20 |
| Graphics | Intel GMA 950 (64 MB shared DDR2) or ATI Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3) | Radeon Pro 5300 (4 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5500 XT (8 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5700 (8 GB GDDR6) or Radeon Pro 5700 XT (16 GB GDDR6) |
| Memory | 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB or 3 GB | 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better) |
| Storage | 160 GB to 500 GB | 256 GB to 8 TB (better) |
| 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. | Six-core Core i5 at 3.1 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.5 GHz) or 3.3 GHz (4.8 GHz), or eight-core Core i7 at 3.8 GHz (5.0 GHz). Upper two bases configurable to 3.6 GHz ten-core Core i9 (5.0 GHz). Exact CPU identities follow Geekbench. Apple specifies a 5.0 GHz Core i7 limit in this iMac, while Intel lists 5.1 GHz for the chip itself. |
| 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 5300 with 4 GB GDDR6 on the two Core i5 bases. Upper base has Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8 GB GDDR6, optionally Radeon Pro 5700 with 8 GB or 5700 XT with 16 GB GDDR6. |
| 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. | 2666 MHz DDR4; 8 GB standard as two 4 GB modules. Four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots; configurable to 16/32/64/128 GB on every base. |
| 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. | Lower base: fixed 256 GB SSD. Middle base: 512 GB/1/2 TB SSD. Upper base: 512 GB/1/2/4/8 TB SSD. |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 17″ | 27″ |
| Resolution | 1440 × 900 | 5120 × 2880 (better) |
| Panel | – | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 250 nits | 500 nits (better) |
| 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 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet. |
| Display features | – | Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 1 | Up to 2 (better) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11g; 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | – | 5.0 |
| Camera | iSight camera | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| 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; UHS-II SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Optional 10Gb Ethernet supports 1/2.5/5/10Gb connections. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters. |
| 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. | One 6K or 5K external display, or two 4K displays; two 6K displays require Radeon Pro 5700 or 5700 XT. All listed external modes run at 60 Hz. |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers with internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | – | Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri |
| 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 numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | – | 8.92 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 426 × 173 × 430 mm | 650 × 203 × 516 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| 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; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was also available. |
| 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 | – | Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight |
| 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, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth |
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