Apple iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

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iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

	AppleiMac (20-inch, Mid 2009)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Overview
Released
Released	April 2009	August 2020
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz (iMac Mid 2009) or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz (iMac Mid 2009)	Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	6, 8 or 10
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	12, 16 or 20
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3)	Radeon Pro 5300 (4 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5500 XT (8 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5700 (8 GB GDDR6) or Radeon Pro 5700 XT (16 GB GDDR6)
Memory
Memory	1 GB, 2 GB or 4 GB	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	160 GB to 320 GB	256 GB to 8 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.	Six-core Core i5 at 3.1 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.5 GHz) or 3.3 GHz (4.8 GHz), or eight-core Core i7 at 3.8 GHz (5.0 GHz). Upper two bases configurable to 3.6 GHz ten-core Core i9 (5.0 GHz). Exact CPU identities follow Geekbench. Apple specifies a 5.0 GHz Core i7 limit in this iMac, while Intel lists 5.1 GHz for the chip itself.
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.	Radeon Pro 5300 with 4 GB GDDR6 on the two Core i5 bases. Upper base has Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8 GB GDDR6, optionally Radeon Pro 5700 with 8 GB or 5700 XT with 16 GB GDDR6.
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.	2666 MHz DDR4; 8 GB standard as two 4 GB modules. Four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots; configurable to 16/32/64/128 GB on every base.
Storage type
Storage type	160 or 320 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning.	Lower base: fixed 256 GB SSD. Middle base: 512 GB/1/2 TB SSD. Upper base: 512 GB/1/2/4/8 TB SSD.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	20″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1680 × 1050	5120 × 2880 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
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.	LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet.
Display features
Display features	–	Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass
Connections
Ports
Ports	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	–	5.0
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.	Four 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; UHS-II SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Optional 10Gb Ethernet supports 1/2.5/5/10Gb connections. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters.
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 6K or 5K external display, or two 4K displays; two 6K displays require Radeon Pro 5700 or 5700 XT. All listed external modes run at 60 Hz.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers and microphone; internal 24 W digital amplifier and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones.	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	–	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse.	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	9.1 kg	8.92 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	485 × 189 × 469 mm	650 × 203 × 516 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.	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 200 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz.	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	–	Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
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, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth