Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011) vs Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)

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iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011) compared with iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2011)	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014)
Overview
Released
Released	August 2011	June 2014
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i3 3.1 GHz (iMac Late 2011)	Intel Core i5-4260U
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	2
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon HD 6750M (256 MB GDDR5)	Intel HD Graphics 5000
Memory
Memory	2 GB, 4 GB or 8 GB	8 GB
Storage
Storage	250 GB	256 GB to 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.	1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz and 3 MB shared L3 cache; Ars Technica identifies the exact processor as Core i5-4260U
GPU
GPU	AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 256 MB GDDR5.	Integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000
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).	8 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory; no memory configuration or upgrade option
Storage type
Storage type	250 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer burning.	500 GB 5400-rpm hard drive; configurable to a 1 TB hard drive, 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB PCIe-based flash storage
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 and anti-reflective coating; Target Display Mode via a separately sold Thunderbolt cable. 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	802.11ac
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; Kensington lock slot. 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; optional Magic Trackpad
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. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
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
Noise
Noise	–	Apple's operator-position sound pressure is 11 dB at idle, during hard-drive seek and during its wireless-web test
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 Mavericks and the listed iLife apps were included