Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009) vs Apple iMac Pro (2017)

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iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009) compared with iMac Pro (2017)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009)	AppleiMac Pro (2017)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2009	December 2017
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E7600 or Intel Core 2 Duo E8600	Intel Xeon W-2140B, Intel Xeon W-2150B, Intel Xeon W-2170B or Intel Xeon W-2191B
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	8, 10, 14 or 18
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3) or ATI Radeon HD 4670 (256 MB GDDR3)	Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8 GB HBM2), Radeon Pro Vega 64 (16 GB HBM2) or Radeon Pro Vega 64X (16 GB HBM2)
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB	32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	500 GB to 2 TB	1 TB to 4 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo E7600 with 3 MB shared L2 cache or optional 3.33 GHz E8600 with 6 MB; exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac	Xeon W at 3.2 GHz with 8 cores (Turbo Boost 4.2 GHz), 3.0 GHz with 10 cores (4.5 GHz), 2.5 GHz with 14 cores (4.3 GHz) or 2.3 GHz with 18 cores (4.3 GHz). Exact W-B CPU identities follow Geekbench. The 8/10-core versions launched first; Macworld reports later January 2018 availability for 14/18-core options. Apple changed the standard configuration to 10 cores in August 2020.
GPU
GPU	Base model has NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with at least 256 MB DDR3 shared with system memory; higher model has ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256 MB dedicated GDDR3	Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8 GB HBM2, optionally Vega 64 or Vega 64X with 16 GB HBM2. Vega 64X is a later option included in Apple’s current specification sheet, absent from the launch reviews.
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules of 1066 MHz DDR3; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots support up to 16 GB. Macworld and Macwelt report an 8 GB factory option for this size, distinct from the maker's 16 GB supported maximum.	Quad-channel 2666 MHz DDR4 ECC; 32 GB standard, configurable to 64/128/256 GB. The current maker sheet includes the later 256 GB option; launch reviews cover up to 128 GB. No user-accessible memory door.
Storage type
Storage type	Base model has a 500 GB 7200 rpm hard drive; higher model has 1 TB, configurable to 2 TB. The model-specific storage upgrade division is cross-checked with Macworld. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning.	1 TB SSD, configurable to 2 or 4 TB
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	5120 × 2880 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	320 nits	500 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen LCD, millions of colours, 178° horizontal/vertical viewing angle and maker typical brightness 320 cd/m²; refresh rate unpublished and omitted	LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Native refresh rate omitted because Apple does not publish it in the specification sheet.
Display features
Display features	–	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports
Ports	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack	4 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	10 Gb/s (better)
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 4 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	5.0
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	1080p FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Mini DisplayPort video output, four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 at 7 W, Gigabit Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input described here; the SD slot is not labelled SDXC.	Four USB-A ports; four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort 1.2, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; UHS-II SDXC, Nbase-T Ethernet supporting 1/2.5/5/10Gb and 3.5 mm headphone jack. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters.
External displays
External displays	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters	Two 5120 × 2880 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, four 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or four 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours, alongside the built-in display
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, microphone and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	–	Four microphones; supports Hey Siri
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse	Space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2; optional space grey Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	9.3 kg (better)	9.7 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 188.5 × 451 mm	650 × 203 × 516 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. Optional VESA mount adapter kit.
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 241 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	Aluminium and glass enclosure, arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight; BFR-free and PVC-free components, with PVC-free external cables in North America only	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '09	iMac Pro, space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, space grey Magic Mouse 2, Lightning to USB cable and power lead