Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac (24-inch, Late 2006)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) compared with iMac (24-inch, Late 2006)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)	AppleiMac (24-inch, Late 2006)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	September 2006
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-7360U	Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 or Intel Core 2 Duo T7600
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640	NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT (128 MB GDDR3) or NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT (256 MB GDDR3)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	1 GB, 2 GB or 3 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 1 TB (better)	250 GB to 500 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	2.16 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.
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option	NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT with 128 MB GDDR3, configurable to GeForce 7600 GT with 256 MB GDDR3 with either processor
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB	Two SO-DIMM slots for PC2-5300 (667 MHz) DDR2 SDRAM; 1 GB standard as two 512 MB modules, configurable to 2 or 3 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, configurable to 500 GB; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD burning. Maker lists processor, memory, storage and graphics upgrades independently.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	24″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	1920 × 1200 (better)
Brightness
Brightness	–	400 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.	Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; typical contrast 700:1 and 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.
Display features
Display features	–	Optional 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	802.11g; 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.2	2.0 + 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 and two USB 1.1 ports on its keyboard; one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800 port sharing 15 W, mini-DVI, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input
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 Apple Remote; optional wireless keyboard and 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	574 × 207 × 523 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 24.7 pounds (11.2 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 220 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase
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.	iMac, 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 trial