Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

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iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) compared with iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)	AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	June 2017	May 2011
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-7360U	Intel Core i5-2500S, Intel Core i5-2400 or Intel Core i7-2600
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	4	–
Graphics
Graphics	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640	AMD Radeon HD 6770M (512 MB GDDR5), AMD Radeon HD 6970M (1 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon HD 6970M (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 1 TB	1 TB 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	2.7 GHz quad-core Core i5-2500S or 3.1 GHz quad-core Core i5-2400; the higher model offers a 3.4 GHz quad-core Core i7-2600. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; i5 models have 6 MB shared L3 cache. Intel confirms four threads and up to 3.4 GHz for i5-2400, eight threads and up to 3.8 GHz for i7-2600.
GPU
GPU	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option	Lower model has AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB GDDR5; higher model and optional i7 have Radeon HD 6970M with 1 GB GDDR5, configurable to 2 GB
Memory type
Memory type	8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB	Four SO-DIMM slots for 1333 MHz DDR3, with 4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules; 8 or 16 GB factory upgrades. Memory is user accessible.
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD	Both base models have a 1 TB 7200 rpm hard drive, configurable to 2 TB and a 256 GB solid-state second drive. Mixed hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or presented as a single SSD; no standalone 256 GB row is inferred from the support sheet's second-drive wording. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	2560 × 1440 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
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	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, millions of colours; optional unpublished refresh rate and brightness omitted
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt, 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	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.	Two Thunderbolt ports also provide Mini DisplayPort video 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; IR receiver built in.
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	Apple publishes full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; the main count follows that maker statement rather than a higher count tested by Engadget; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, built-in 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, with Magic Trackpad substitution available from the online store
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 310 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, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Launch press specifies Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '11; the later support sheet lists OS X Lion, reflecting the software update rather than launch software.