Apple iMac (20-inch, Early 2006) vs Apple iMac 24″ (M1)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac (20-inch, Early 2006) | AppleiMac 24″ (M1) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | January 2006 | May 2021 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core Duo T2500 | Apple M1 |
| CPU cores | 2 | 8 |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3) | 7-core GPU or 8-core GPU |
| Memory | 512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB | 8 GB or 16 GB (better) |
| Storage | 250 GB to 500 GB | 256 GB to 2 TB (better) |
| CPU | 2 GHz Intel Core Duo T2500 with 2 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz system bus; exact identity documented in Ars Technica's launch review | 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores |
| GPU | ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3, configurable to 256 MB | 7-core GPU in the two-port model; 8-core GPU in the four-port model |
| AI engine | – | 16-core Neural Engine |
| Memory type | Two SO-DIMM slots for PC2-5300 (667 MHz) DDR2 SDRAM; 512 MB standard as one module, expandable to 2 GB. The intermediate 1 GB factory option is documented by Sound On Sound's launch review. | – |
| Storage type | 250 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 500 GB; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD burning | SSD; two-port model configurable to 512 GB or 1 TB, four-port model to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 20″ | 24″ |
| Resolution | 1680 × 1050 | 4480 × 2520 (better) |
| Panel | – | IPS LCD |
| Refresh rate | – | 60 Hz |
| Brightness | 280 nits | 500 nits (better) |
| Display type | Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; typical contrast 800:1 and viewing angles 170° horizontal and vertical. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished. | 4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches; IPS panel and 60 Hz refresh rate confirmed by Notebookcheck |
| Pixel density | – | 218 ppi |
| Display features | – | 1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; anti-reflective coating |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB4, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | – |
| External displays | Up to 1 | Up to 1 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11g; 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 + EDR | 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 analogue audio line input | Two-port model: two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; optional Gigabit Ethernet. Four-port model adds two USB 3 ports up to 10 Gb/s and includes Gigabit Ethernet. Both have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. |
| External displays | One external display in extended desktop or mirroring mode; digital resolutions up to 1920 × 1200. DVI, VGA, S-video and composite adapters sold separately; analogue maximum omitted because the archived maker page gives an unresolved 2045 × 1536 figure. | One external display up to 6K 60 Hz, alongside the built-in display at full resolution |
| Camera | – | 1080p FaceTime HD camera; advanced image signal processor with computational video |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers with internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone | High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos |
| Microphones | – | Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming; Hey Siri |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Apple Remote; optional wireless keyboard and mouse | Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard; keyboard has Touch ID on the four-port model and optionally on the two-port model; Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | – | 4.46 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 493 × 189 × 472 mm | 547 × 147 × 461 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | Maker weight 22 pounds (10 kg), varying by configuration and manufacturing process; shared scalar weight omitted | – |
| Power supply | Maximum continuous power 180 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase | 143 W external power adapter with magnetic connection; Gigabit Ethernet built into the adapter where fitted |
| Noise | – | 7 dBA sound pressure at idle and during Apple's wireless web test (operator position) |
| Materials | – | Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure |
| Colours | – | Two-port model: Blue, Green, Pink, Silver. Four-port model also comes in Yellow, Orange and Purple. |
| In the box | iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger and iLife '06, Front Row, Photo Booth, Microsoft Office 2004 Test Drive and iWork trial | iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, 143 W power adapter, 2 m power lead, USB-C to Lightning cable |
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