Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)

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iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) compared with iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)	AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	July 2010
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-7360U	Intel Core i3-550, Intel Core i5-680, Intel Core i5-760 or Intel Core i7-870
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2 or 4
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640	ATI Radeon HD 5670 (512 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon HD 5750 (1 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 1 TB	256 GB to 2 TB (better)
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	3.2 GHz dual-core Core i3-550 or optional 3.6 GHz dual-core Core i5-680, both with Hyper-Threading and 4 MB L3 cache; higher model has a 2.8 GHz quad-core Core i5-760 or optional 2.93 GHz quad-core Core i7-870 with Hyper-Threading, both with 8 MB L3 cache. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; optional unpublished boost figures omitted.
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option	Dual-core models have ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB GDDR3; quad-core models have ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1 GB GDDR5
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB	4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots support up to 16 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3. UK launch release offers factory upgrades to 8 or 16 GB for both models.
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD	1 TB 7200 rpm hard drive standard, configurable to 2 TB. UK launch release explicitly offers a 256 GB SSD as a primary or secondary drive. Separate hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or combined into a single SSD capacity. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with double-layer DVD burning.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	2560 × 1440 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	–	375 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 LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, 2560 × 1440 pixels and maker typical brightness 375 cd/m²; refresh rate unpublished and omitted
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, 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	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.	Mini DisplayPort audio/video input and output, four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 at 7 W, Gigabit Ethernet, SDXC slot, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input are described here because the main port list has no fields for them.
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	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; Mini DisplayPort input can display an external DisplayPort source. Extended desktop and mirroring, with optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI output adapters.
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Built-in stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, microphone and support for iPhone headset microphones
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 Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad available separately
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	5.44 kg (better)	13.8 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 175 × 450 mm	650 × 207 × 517 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.	–
Power supply
Power supply	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase	Maximum continuous power 365 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	Aluminium and glass enclosure, arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight; BFR-free and PVC-free components, with PVC-free AC cord availability limited to named regions
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 Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife at launch