Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)

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iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) compared with iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	August 2011
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-7360U	Intel Core i3 3.1 GHz (iMac Late 2011)
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640	AMD Radeon HD 6750M (256 MB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 1 TB (better)	250 GB
CPU
CPU	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	3.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 with 3 MB shared L3 cache. The English specification and maker education price list confirm dual-core i3; conflicting translated regional processor descriptions are not used. Exact Intel SKU unestablished.
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option	AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 256 MB GDDR5.
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB	1333 MHz DDR3; 2 GB standard in one module, configurable to 4 GB (two 2 GB) or 8 GB (two 4 GB).
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD	250 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer burning.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	1920 × 1080
Display type
Display type	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.	LED-backlit glossy TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours. Panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are not published.
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 2 (better)	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac	802.11n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	–
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD	FaceTime HD camera
Back ports
Back ports	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.	Four USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two on the wired keyboard; Mini DisplayPort, FireWire 800 at 7 W, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical output and audio line-in/optical input. This education model has no published Thunderbolt or Bluetooth specification.
External displays
External displays	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	Built-in display and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop or mirroring.
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Stereo speakers with two internal 20 W amplifiers; microphone and support for Apple iPhone headset microphone.
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone	–
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth; configurable with Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad or Magic Trackpad	Wired Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Apple Mouse with scroll ball.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	5.44 kg (better)	8.8 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 175 × 450 mm	528 × 188.5 × 451 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.	Maker reference weight; actual weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process.
Power supply
Power supply	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase	Maximum continuous power 205 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz.
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 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, 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.	Education institution model with Mac OS X Lion and iLife. August 2011 month precision follows contemporary MacRumors ordering coverage and 9to5Mac shipment scheduling, corroborated by the maker price list dated 8 August; that price date is not treated as a first delivery day.