Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac (24-inch, Early 2008)

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iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) compared with iMac (24-inch, Early 2008)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)	AppleiMac (24-inch, Early 2008)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	April 2008
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-7360U	Intel Core 2 Duo E8235 or Intel Core 2 Duo E8435
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640	ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO (256 MB GDDR3) or NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS (512 MB GDDR3)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	2 GB or 4 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 1 TB (better)	320 GB to 1 TB
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	2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E8235, configurable to 3.06 GHz E8435; 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact processor identities cross-checked with EveryMac.
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option	Either processor supports ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256 MB GDDR3 or optional NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512 MB GDDR3
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB	Two user-accessible SO-DIMM slots for 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 2 GB standard, configurable to 4 GB
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD	320 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive with either processor, configurable to 500 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	24″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	1920 × 1200 (better)
Brightness
Brightness	–	385 nits
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.	Glossy widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; typical contrast 750:1 and 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished and omitted.
Display features
Display features	–	Optional 24-inch VESA Mount Adapter kit
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	3 × USB-A, 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 draft; compatible with 802.11a/b/g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	2.1 + EDR
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD	iSight 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.	Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two on the supplied keyboard; one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800 port, each rated 7 W; mini-DVI output, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire, mini-DVI and audio input described here.
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	One 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.
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Built-in stereo speakers with internal 24 W digital amplifier and built-in 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	Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote; optional wireless keyboard and wireless Mighty Mouse
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	5.44 kg	–
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 175 × 450 mm	569 × 207 × 520 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 weight 25.4 pounds (11.5 kg), varying by configuration and manufacturing process; shared scalar weight omitted
Power supply
Power supply	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase	Maximum continuous power 280 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase
Power use
Power use	–	Apple environmental report for MB325 at 230 V records 1.65 W off, 2.58 W sleep and 36.2 W idle with display off or 113.2 W with display on; display on means full brightness
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	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass, majority of circuit-board laminates free of brominated flame retardants and PVC-free internal cables
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.	iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Apple Remote, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife '08