Request a product

Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) vs Apple iMac G3 (Early 2001)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiMac (21.5-inch, 2017)AppleiMac G3 (Early 2001)
Overview
ReleasedJune 2017February 2001
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i5-7360UPowerPC G3 400 MHz (iMac), PowerPC G3 500 MHz (iMac) or PowerPC G3 600 MHz (iMac)
CPU cores21
CPU threads4–
GraphicsIntel Iris Plus Graphics 640ATI RAGE 128 Pro (8 MB) or ATI RAGE 128 Ultra (16 MB)
Memory8 GB or 16 GB64 MB, 128 MB or 1 GB
Storage256 GB to 1 TB10 GB to 40 GB
CPU2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz; Geekbench identifies the exact processor as Core i5-7360U400 MHz PowerPC G3 with 512 KB backside L2 cache at 160 MHz; 500 MHz and 600 MHz models have 256 KB on-chip L2 cache at processor speed. All use a 100 MHz system bus. Generic clock-only chip records do not infer silicon suppliers; cache differences remain in model details.
GPUIntel Iris Plus Graphics 640; no discrete graphics option400 MHz configuration: ATI RAGE 128 Pro with 8 MB SDRAM. 500 MHz and 600 MHz configurations: ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16 MB SDRAM; AGP 2x. A contemporary Macworld report observed European 500 MHz store listings with 512 KB cache and 8 MB Pro graphics, but explicitly questioned their accuracy and had no Apple confirmation. The current maker matrix is retained; no inferred regional CPU supplier or alternate SKU is added.
Memory type8 GB of 2133 MHz DDR4, configurable to 16 GB64 MB PC100 SDRAM standard on 400/500 MHz configurations; 128 MB on 600 MHz Special Edition. Two DIMM slots support up to 1 GB in the current maker sheet. Configurations retain each base and maximum memory with its original processor and drive.
Storage type1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, configurable to 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB SSD400 MHz: 10 GB Ultra ATA and 24x CD-ROM, Indigo. 500 MHz: 20 GB and 8x/4x/24x CD-RW, Indigo, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. 600 MHz Special Edition: 40 GB and CD-RW, Graphite, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. Maker lists up to 40 GB build-to-order storage without precise processor ties, so extra cross-combinations are not created.
Display
Screen size21.5″15″
Resolution1920 × 10801024 × 768
Refresh rate–75 Hz
Display type21.5-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.Nominal 15-inch shadow-mask CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal and 0.28 mm dot pitch; no fixed LCD native resolution.
Display features–1024 × 768 at 75 Hz; 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz. Scalar refresh describes the highest-resolution mode.
Connections
Ports2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack
Ethernet1 Gb/s0.1 Gb/s
External displaysUp to 2–
Wi-Fi802.11ac–
Bluetooth4.2–
CameraFaceTime HD–
Back portsFour 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 FireWire 400 ports and VGA video mirroring on every configuration; Two 12 Mbps USB ports on the computer, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, audio line-in/out and two front headphone jacks; keyboard USB ports are not counted as chassis ports. All configurations are AirPort ready with an optional 11 Mbps card.
External displaysBuilt-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 coloursVGA output mirrors the built-in screen; no extended desktop.
SpeakersStereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphoneIntegrated Odyssey stereo sound system designed with Harman Kardon, built-in microphone and fanless enclosure.
MicrophonesBuilt-in microphone–
Keyboard and mouseMagic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth; configurable with Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad or Magic TrackpadApple Pro Keyboard and optical Apple Pro Mouse.
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight5.44 kg15.8 kg
Width × depth × height528 × 175 × 450 mm381 × 435 × 381 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailDimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was available.Maker publishes height 38.1, width 38.1 and depth 43.5 cm, weight 15.8 kg. EveryMac instead gives depth 43.4 cm and 15.7 kg; current maker figures are preferred.
Power supply100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase100–260 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 150 W.
NoiseApple 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–
MaterialsAluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass; mercury-, BFR- and beryllium-free with regional exceptions for PVC-free power leads–
In the boxiMac, 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.Mac OS 9.1, iTunes, iMovie 2 and Disc Burner; CD-RW configurations write music and data CDs but cannot read DVDs. Maker confirms immediate availability on 22 February 2001. Copied PCI-slot/eMac entries in the retained sheet are excluded as unrelated template artifacts.

More comparisons