Apple iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009) vs Apple iMac 24″ (M3)

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iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009) compared with iMac 24″ (M3)

	AppleiMac (20-inch, Mid 2009)	AppleiMac 24″ (M3)
Overview
Released
Released	April 2009	November 2023
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz (iMac Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz (iMac Mid 2009)	Apple M3
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	8
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU
Memory
Memory	1 GB, 2 GB or 4 GB	8 GB or 24 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	160 GB to 320 GB	256 GB to 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	2.0 or 2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo with 3 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. The retained configuration table says 2.6 GHz, but its processor description and Apple's July 2011 education price list confirm 2.26 GHz; exact Intel SKU not established.	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB shared DDR3 according to the retained maker specification; contemporary EveryMac coverage describes 128 MB at launch, so the retained maker value is used.	8-core GPU (two-port model) or 10-core GPU (four-port models); hardware-accelerated ray tracing
AI engine
AI engine	–	16-core Neural Engine
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	–	100GB/s
Memory type
Memory type	Two SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3; configurations A/B have 1 GB standard and C has 2 GB. Factory options are 2 or 4 GB; the retained specification supports up to 8 GB, which is not listed as a factory configuration.	–
Storage type
Storage type	160 or 320 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning.	SSD
Media engine
Media engine	–	Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine; AV1 decode
Display
Screen size
Screen size	20″	24″
Resolution
Resolution	1680 × 1050	4480 × 2520 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	60 Hz
Brightness
Brightness	290 nits	500 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	Glossy TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours; typical contrast 800:1 and 160-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.	4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches
Pixel density
Pixel density	–	218 ppi
Display features
Display features	–	1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × USB4, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	–
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n draft	Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	5.3
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	1080p FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Four USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two on the keyboard; FireWire 800 at 7 W, Mini DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. Bluetooth is not published in this exact model specification.	Two-port model: 2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s), Gigabit Ethernet optional; four-port models add 2 × USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s) and Gigabit Ethernet as standard; 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones
External displays
External displays	Built-in display and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop or mirroring, with optional DVI, VGA or dual-link DVI adapters.	One at up to 6K 60Hz
Camera
Camera	–	1080p FaceTime HD camera; advanced image signal processor with computational video
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers and microphone; internal 24 W digital amplifier and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones.	High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Microphones
Microphones	–	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.	Magic Keyboard (two-port model) or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (four-port models), and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	9.1 kg	4.43 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	485 × 189 × 469 mm	547 × 147 × 461 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker reference weight; actual weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process.	–
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 200 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz.	143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)
Colours
Colours	–	Two-port model: Blue, Green, Pink, Silver; four-port models also Yellow, Orange, Purple
In the box
In the box	Education institution model. Contemporary EveryMac coverage records April 2009 release; a maker-confirmed first delivery day is unavailable. Launch configuration A includes Leopard and iLife ’09; later B/C specifications list Snow Leopard and iLife ’11, with their introduction dates unestablished.	iMac, Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID on four-port models), Magic Mouse, 143W power adapter, power lead (2 m), USB-C to Lightning Cable