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Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Early 2013) vs Apple iMac 24″ (M4)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Early 2013)AppleiMac 24″ (M4)
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2013November 2024
Performance
ProcessorIntel Core i3 3.3 GHz (iMac Early 2013)Apple M4
CPU cores28 or 10
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 40008-core GPU or 10-core GPU
AI engine (NPU)–38 TOPS
Memory4 GB16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB
Storage500 GB256 GB to 2 TB
CPU3.3 GHz dual-core Core i3 confirmed by the US maker education price list and contemporary Apple-store coverage. A conflicting New York state price-list row says 3.1 GHz; the corroborated US maker row is used. Exact secondary EveryMac identifies i3-3225, but the chip record retains the maker clock name.8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores (two-port model), or 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores (four-port models)
GPUIntel HD Graphics 4000, sharing system memory; maker price list confirms the graphics model.Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
AI engine–16-core Neural Engine
Memory bandwidth–120GB/s
Memory type4 GB in two 2 GB modules confirmed by the maker price list; 1600 MHz DDR3 and internal-only memory access according to EveryMac. Secondary reports of higher memory options are not expanded into an unverified factory matrix.–
Storage type500 GB hard drive confirmed by the maker price list; EveryMac specifies 5400 rpm Serial ATA. No built-in optical drive. Unspecified alternative storage capacities are omitted.SSD
Media engine–Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine; AV1 decode
Display
Screen size21.5″24″
Resolution1920 × 10804480 × 2520
PanelIPS LCDIPS LCD
Refresh rate–60 Hz
Brightness–500 nits
Display typeEveryMac specifies an IPS LED-backlit display with laminated cover glass and antireflective coating. No retained exact maker technical sheet was found; panel technology comes from this named exact-model secondary source. Brightness and refresh rate are unpublished.4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches
Pixel density–218 ppi
Display features–1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; nano-texture glass option on four-port models
Connections
Ports4 × USB-A, 2 × Thunderbolt, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 4, headphone jack
External displays–Up to 1
Ethernet1 Gb/s–
Wi-Fi802.11n (EveryMac)Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth4.0 (EveryMac)5.3
CameraFaceTime HD camera (EveryMac)12MP Center Stage
Back portsAccording to EveryMac: four USB 3 ports, two first-generation Thunderbolt ports, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet and headphone/optical digital output with iPhone headset microphone support.2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 (two-port model) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (four-port models), each with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) and DisplayPort; Gigabit Ethernet on the power adapter, standard on four-port models and optional on the two-port model
External displays–Two-port model: one at up to 6K 60Hz; four-port models: two at up to 6K 60Hz, or one at up to 8K 60Hz
Camera–12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View; 1080p HD video recording; advanced image signal processor with computational video
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakers and dual microphones, according to EveryMac.High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Microphones–Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
Keyboard and mouseWired Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and traditional Apple Mouse, according to EveryMac.Magic Keyboard (two-port model) or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (four-port models), and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight–4.42 kg
Width × depth × height–547 × 147 × 461 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Power supply–143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)
Materials–100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overall
Colours–Blue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver
In the boxEducation-only model confirmed by Apple documentation. Maker price list confirms the stock 3.3 GHz/4 GB/500 GB configuration; other detailed figures come from the named exact-model EveryMac source. March 2013 month precision follows contemporary Apple-store coverage and maker pricing; initial orders quoted 5–7 business days, not confirmed delivery on 5 March.iMac, Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID on four-port models), Magic Mouse, 143W power adapter, power lead (2 m), USB-C Charge Cable, polishing cloth (nano-texture glass only)

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