Apple iMac (20-inch, Early 2009) vs Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)

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iMac (20-inch, Early 2009) compared with iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)

	AppleiMac (20-inch, Early 2009)	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2009	May 2011
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E8135	Intel Core i5-2400S, Intel Core i5-2500S or Intel Core i7-2600S
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)	AMD Radeon HD 6750M (512 MB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon HD 6770M (512 MB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	320 GB to 1 TB	500 GB to 2 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	2.5 GHz quad-core Core i5-2400S or 2.7 GHz quad-core Core i5-2500S; the higher model offers a 2.8 GHz quad-core Core i7-2600S upgrade. Exact model identities cross-checked with EveryMac; the i5 has 6 MB shared L3 cache. Intel confirms the i7 has eight threads and up to 3.8 GHz Turbo Boost.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with at least 256 MB DDR3 shared with system memory; available system memory varies with graphics requirements	2.5 GHz model has AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512 MB GDDR5; 2.7 GHz and optional i7 models have Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB GDDR5
Memory type
Memory type	Two user-accessible SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3; 2 GB standard, factory upgrades to 4 or 8 GB	Four SO-DIMM slots, 1333 MHz DDR3; 4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules. Base model offers an 8 GB factory upgrade; higher model offers 8 or 16 GB. Memory is user accessible.
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	Base model has a 500 GB 7200 rpm hard drive. Higher model has a 1 TB 7200 rpm drive, configurable to 2 TB and a 256 GB solid-state second drive. Mixed hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or presented as a single SSD; no standalone 256 GB row is inferred from the support sheet's second-drive wording. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	20″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1680 × 1050	1920 × 1080 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
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.	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, millions of colours; optional unpublished refresh rate and brightness omitted
Connections
Ports
Ports	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	Thunderbolt, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n draft	802.11n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.1 + EDR
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	FaceTime HD camera
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.	One Thunderbolt port also provides Mini DisplayPort video output; four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 at 7 W, Gigabit Ethernet, SDXC slot, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input are described here because the main port list has no fields for them; IR receiver built in.
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	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with internal 24 W digital amplifier, microphone and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones	Stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, built-in microphone and support for iPhone headset microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse; numeric-keypad keyboard, wireless keyboard or wireless Mighty Mouse available as options	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse, with Magic Trackpad substitution available from the online store
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	9.1 kg (better)	9.3 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	485 × 189 × 469 mm	528 × 188.5 × 451 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 200 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase	Maximum continuous power 205 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase
Materials
Materials	Aluminium and glass enclosure with arsenic-free display glass, BFR-free components and PVC-free internal cables	Aluminium and glass enclosure, arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight; BFR-free and PVC-free components, with PVC-free AC cord availability limited to named regions
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, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Launch press specifies Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '11; the later support sheet lists OS X Lion, reflecting the software update rather than launch software.