Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)

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iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011) compared with iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)
Overview
Released
Released	August 2011	November 2012
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i3 3.1 GHz (iMac Late 2011)	Intel Core i5-3330S, Intel Core i5-3470S or Intel Core i7-3770S
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon HD 6750M (256 MB GDDR5)	NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M (512 MB GDDR5) or NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (512 MB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB	8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	250 GB	1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	3.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 with 3 MB shared L3 cache. The English specification and maker education price list confirm dual-core i3; conflicting translated regional processor descriptions are not used. Exact Intel SKU unestablished.	2.7 GHz quad-core Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.2 GHz), or 2.9 GHz quad-core Core i5 (up to 3.6 GHz); the 2.9 GHz model can be configured with a 3.1 GHz quad-core Core i7 (up to 3.9 GHz). iFixit's teardown identifies the base processor as i5-3330S; Geekbench reports i5-3335S on other units, an unresolved component suffix difference.
GPU
GPU	AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 256 MB GDDR5.	NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M on the 2.7 GHz configuration, or GT 650M on the 2.9 GHz and optional Core i7 configurations; each has 512 MB GDDR5
Memory type
Memory type	1333 MHz DDR3; 2 GB standard in one module, configurable to 4 GB (two 2 GB) or 8 GB (two 4 GB).	1600 MHz DDR3; 8 GB (two 4 GB modules), configurable to 16 GB (two 8 GB modules) at purchase. Memory access requires dismantling the computer.
Storage type
Storage type	250 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer burning.	1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive; the upper 2.9 GHz configuration and its Core i7 option support a 1 TB Fusion Drive. This matrix follows Apple's published specification sheet; Ars Technica later reported Fusion Drive becoming available on the 2.7 GHz model.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	1920 × 1080
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit glossy TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours. Panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are not published.	LED-backlit display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours
Display features
Display features	–	Fully laminated glass with anti-reflective coating; Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in the model's specification sheet
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n	802.11n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	4.0
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD camera	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Four USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two on the wired keyboard; Mini DisplayPort, FireWire 800 at 7 W, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical output and audio line-in/optical input. This education model has no published Thunderbolt or Bluetooth specification.	Four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and optical digital audio output; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI need separately sold adapters
External displays
External displays	Built-in display and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop or mirroring.	Built-in display at native resolution alongside one external display up to 2560 × 1600; extended desktop and video mirroring
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers with two internal 20 W amplifiers; microphone and support for Apple iPhone headset microphone.	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Microphones	–	Dual microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Wired Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Apple Mouse with scroll ball.	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad available as a configuration option
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	8.8 kg	5.68 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 188.5 × 451 mm	528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker reference weight; actual weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process.	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 205 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz.	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	–	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	Education institution model with Mac OS X Lion and iLife. August 2011 month precision follows contemporary MacRumors ordering coverage and 9to5Mac shipment scheduling, corroborated by the maker price list dated 8 August; that price date is not treated as a first delivery day.	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife were included at launch