Apple iMac (20-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

iMac (20-inch, Late 2006) compared with iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
AppleiMac (20-inch, Late 2006)AppleiMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2006March 2019
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core 2 Duo T7400 or Intel Core 2 Duo T7600Intel Core i3-8100, Intel Core i7-8700 or Intel Core i5-8500
CPU cores24 or 6
CPU threads–4, 6 or 12
GraphicsATI Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon X1600 (256 MB GDDR3)Radeon Pro 555X (2 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 560X (4 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 20 (4 GB HBM2)
Memory1 GB, 2 GB or 3 GB8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage250 GB to 500 GB256 GB to 1 TB (better)
CPU2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo T7400, configurable to 2.33 GHz T7600; 4 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz system bus. Exact processor identities cross-checked with EveryMac.3.6 GHz quad-core Core i3 without Turbo Boost, or 3.0 GHz six-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz; both configurable to 3.2 GHz six-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz
GPUATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3, configurable to 256 MB with either processorRadeon Pro 555X with 2 GB GDDR5 in the lower base; Radeon Pro 560X with 4 GB GDDR5 in the upper base, configurable to Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4 GB HBM2
Memory typeTwo SO-DIMM slots for PC2-5300 (667 MHz) DDR2 SDRAM; 1 GB standard as two 512 MB modules, configurable to 2 or 3 GB8 GB standard, configurable to 16/32 GB; lower base uses 2400 MHz DDR4 and upper base 2666 MHz DDR4. Memory is not readily user-accessible.
Storage type250 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 500 GB; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD burning. Maker lists processor, memory, storage and graphics upgrades independently.The current Apple sheet lists 256 GB SSD or 1 TB Fusion Drive for both bases, and these are the configurations shown. Apple made SSD storage standard in August 2020. Launch reviews describe a 1 TB hard drive in the lower base and 1 TB Fusion Drive in the upper base, with larger SSD options (Macworld and TechRadar); these historical options are not flattened into the current matrix.
Display
Screen size20″21.5″
Resolution1680 × 10504096 × 2304 (better)
Panel–IPS LCD
Brightness280 nits500 nits (better)
Display typeWidescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; typical contrast 800:1 and 170° horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.LED-backlit Retina 4K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac; Apple does not publish native refresh rate in this model’s specification sheet
Display features–Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet1 Gb/s1 Gb/s
External displaysUp to 1Up to 2 (better)
Wi-Fi802.11g; 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme802.11ac
Bluetooth2.0 + EDR4.2
CameraiSight cameraFaceTime HD
Back portsThree 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 inputFour 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; SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require separately sold adapters.
External displaysOne 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.Built-in display at full 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
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakers with internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphoneStereo speakers
Microphones–Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouseApple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Apple Remote; optional wireless keyboard and mouseRechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight–5.48 kg
Width × depth × height493 × 189 × 472 mm528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailMaker weight 22 pounds (10 kg), varying by configuration and manufacturing process; shared scalar weight omittedDimensions include the stand; current Apple sheet lists 5.48 kg and warns that weight varies by configuration. Launch reviews tested heavier hard-drive/Fusion configurations. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supplyMaximum continuous power 180 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials–Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the boxiMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, iLife '06, Front Row, Photo Booth, Microsoft Office 2004 Test Drive and iWork trialiMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable

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