Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010)

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iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011) compared with iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2010)
Overview
Released
Released	August 2011	July 2010
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i3 3.1 GHz (iMac Late 2011)	Intel Core i3-540, Intel Core i3-550 or Intel Core i5-680
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon HD 6750M (256 MB GDDR5)	ATI Radeon HD 4670 (256 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon HD 5670 (512 MB GDDR3)
Memory
Memory	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB	4 GB or 8 GB
Storage
Storage	250 GB	500 GB to 2 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.	3.06 GHz dual-core Core i3-540 or 3.2 GHz dual-core Core i3-550, both with Hyper-Threading and 4 MB L3 cache; the higher model offers a 3.6 GHz dual-core Core i5-680 with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost. Exact processor identities cross-checked with EveryMac; unpublished optional boost figures omitted.
GPU
GPU	AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 256 MB GDDR5.	3.06 GHz model has ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256 MB GDDR3; 3.2 GHz and optional i5 models have ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB GDDR3
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).	4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules, with factory upgrade to 8 GB in the UK launch release. Four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots support up to 16 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3; the user maximum is distinct from the published factory options.
Storage type
Storage type	250 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer burning.	Base model has a 500 GB 7200 rpm hard drive; higher model has 1 TB, configurable to 2 TB. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with double-layer DVD burning.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	21.5″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1080	1920 × 1080
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	–	330 nits
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit glossy TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours. Panel technology, brightness and refresh rate are not published.	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, 1920 × 1080 pixels; maker typical brightness 330 cd/m². Refresh rate unpublished and omitted.
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, 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	–	2.1 + EDR
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD camera	iSight camera
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.	Mini DisplayPort audio/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 appear here because the main port list has no fields for them.
External displays
External displays	Built-in display and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop or mirroring.	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers with two internal 20 W amplifiers; microphone and support for Apple iPhone headset microphone.	Built-in stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, microphone and support for iPhone headset 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 separately
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	8.8 kg (better)	9.3 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 188.5 × 451 mm	528 × 188.5 × 451 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.	–
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 205 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz.	Maximum continuous power 241 W; 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 AC cord availability limited to named regions
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, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife at launch