Apple iMac (17-inch, Mid 2006) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

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iMac (17-inch, Mid 2006) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

	AppleiMac (17-inch, Mid 2006)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Overview
Released
Released	July 2006	August 2020
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core Duo T2400	Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	6, 8 or 10
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	12, 16 or 20
Graphics
Graphics	Intel GMA950	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
Memory	512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	80 GB to 160 GB	256 GB to 8 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo; exact T2400 identity cross-checked with EveryMac. Existing chip record is reused; no sibling processor figures are borrowed.	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
GPU	Intel GMA950 integrated graphics, sharing system memory.	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
Memory type	667 MHz DDR2; 512 MB standard, configurable to 1 or 2 GB. The exact maker manual specifies matched pairs of 512 MB or 1 GB modules for the upgrades.	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
Storage type	80 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 160 GB; 24x Combo drive reads DVDs and reads/writes CDs, rather than burning DVDs.	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
Screen size	17″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	5120 × 2880 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	250 nits	500 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	EveryMac specifies 1440 × 900 pixels, typical brightness 250 cd/m², contrast 500:1 and viewing angles of 140 degrees horizontal/120 degrees vertical. Exact model panel technology and refresh rate remain unpublished.	LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet.
Display features
Display features	–	Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass
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 2
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11g	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	5.0
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	1080p FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports, Mini-DVI video output, Gigabit Ethernet and audio input/output. External-display resolution is omitted because the secondary figure explicitly refers to a different later model.	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
External displays	–	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
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers and microphone.	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	–	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse; Apple Remote is optional. Macworld confirms Bluetooth is not included.	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	–	8.92 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	–	650 × 203 × 516 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply
Power supply	–	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	–	Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	Institution-only education configuration; Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.6 and iLife ’06. Later secondary OS version 10.4.7 does not replace the maker launch wording.	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth