Apple iMac (20-inch, Early 2009) vs Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017)

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iMac (20-inch, Early 2009) compared with iMac (21.5-inch, 2017)

	AppleiMac (20-inch, Early 2009)	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2009	June 2017
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E8135	Intel Core i5-7360U
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Memory
Memory	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB	8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	320 GB to 1 TB	256 GB to 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8135 with 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus; exact chip identity cross-checked with EveryMac	2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz; Geekbench identifies the exact processor as Core i5-7360U
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with at least 256 MB DDR3 shared with system memory; available system memory varies with graphics requirements	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option
Memory type
Memory type	Two user-accessible SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3; 2 GB standard, factory upgrades to 4 or 8 GB	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB
Storage type
Storage type	320 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 640 GB or 1 TB; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD
Display
Screen size
Screen size	20″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1680 × 1050	1920 × 1080 (better)
Brightness
Brightness	290 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Glossy widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; maker typical brightness 290 cd/m², contrast 800:1 and 160° horizontal/vertical viewing angle. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished and omitted.	21.5-inch LED-backlit display; 1920 × 1080 with support for millions of colours. Apple does not identify the panel technology, native refresh rate or brightness in its specification sheet; Retina model display figures do not apply.
Connections
Ports
Ports	DisplayPort, 4 × 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	802.11n draft	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	4.2
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Four USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two on the supplied wired keyboard; one FireWire 800 port at 7 W, Mini DisplayPort output, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input described here; no SD slot.	Four USB-A ports, two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5 mm headphone jack and Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 3 supports DisplayPort, up to 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt and up to 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 Gen 2; Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters.
External displays
External displays	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters	Built-in display at 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 24 W digital amplifier, microphone and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Microphones	–	Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse; numeric-keypad keyboard, wireless keyboard or wireless Mighty Mouse available as options	Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth; configurable with Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad or Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	9.1 kg	5.44 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	485 × 189 × 469 mm	528 × 175 × 450 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 available.
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 200 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Noise
Noise	–	Apple reports operator-position sound pressure of 11 dB at idle and during wireless web, and 12 dB during hard-drive seek, tested on the Core i5 with 8 GB memory and 1 TB hard drive
Materials
Materials	Aluminium and glass enclosure with arsenic-free display glass, BFR-free components and PVC-free internal cables	Aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass; mercury-, BFR- and beryllium-free with regional exceptions for PVC-free power leads
In the box
In the box	iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife '09	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Lightning to USB cable, polishing cloth and power lead. Apple's current support page describes the later macOS Big Sur release.