Apple iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012) vs Apple iMac Pro (2017)

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iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012) compared with iMac Pro (2017)

	AppleiMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)	AppleiMac Pro (2017)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2012	December 2017
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-3330S, Intel Core i5-3470S or Intel Core i7-3770S	Intel Xeon W-2140B, Intel Xeon W-2150B, Intel Xeon W-2170B or Intel Xeon W-2191B
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	8, 10, 14 or 18
CPU threads
CPU threads	4 or 8	–
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M (512 MB GDDR5) or NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M (512 MB GDDR5)	Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8 GB HBM2), Radeon Pro Vega 64 (16 GB HBM2) or Radeon Pro Vega 64X (16 GB HBM2)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	1 TB	1 TB to 4 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	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.	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	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	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	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.	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	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.	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	–	500 nits
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours	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	Fully laminated glass with anti-reflective coating; Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in the model's specification sheet	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, 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	4.0	5.0
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD	1080p FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	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	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	Built-in display at native resolution alongside one external display up to 2560 × 1600; extended desktop and video mirroring	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	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Four microphones; supports Hey Siri
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad available as a configuration option	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	5.68 kg (better)	9.7 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	528 × 175 × 450 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	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. Optional VESA mount adapter kit.
Power supply
Power supply	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase	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	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife were included at launch	iMac Pro, space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, space grey Magic Mouse 2, Lightning to USB cable and power lead