Apple iMac (24-inch, Early 2009) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

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iMac (24-inch, Early 2009) compared with iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

	AppleiMac (24-inch, Early 2009)	AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2009	May 2011
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E8135, Intel Core 2 Duo E8335 or Intel Core 2 Duo E8435	Intel Core i5-2500S, Intel Core i5-2400 or Intel Core i7-2600
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	4
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 9400M (256 MB shared DDR3), NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 (256 MB GDDR3), NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 (512 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB GDDR3)	AMD Radeon HD 6770M (512 MB GDDR5), AMD Radeon HD 6970M (1 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon HD 6970M (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	4 GB or 8 GB	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	640 GB to 1 TB	1 TB to 2 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo E8135, 2.93 GHz E8335 or 3.06 GHz E8435; all with 6 MB shared L2 cache and 1066 MHz frontside bus. Exact chip identities cross-checked with EveryMac.	2.7 GHz quad-core Core i5-2500S or 3.1 GHz quad-core Core i5-2400; the higher model offers a 3.4 GHz quad-core Core i7-2600. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; i5 models have 6 MB shared L3 cache. Intel confirms four threads and up to 3.4 GHz for i5-2400, eight threads and up to 3.8 GHz for i7-2600.
GPU
GPU	2.66 GHz model has NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256 MB shared DDR3. 2.93 GHz model has GeForce GT 120 with 256 MB GDDR3, configurable to GT 130 or ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512 MB GDDR3. Maker lists 3.06 GHz with GT 130 or HD 4850; unsupported 3.06 GHz/GT 120 combinations omitted.	Lower model has AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB GDDR5; higher model and optional i7 have Radeon HD 6970M with 1 GB GDDR5, configurable to 2 GB
Memory type
Memory type	Two user-accessible SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3; 4 GB standard, factory upgrade to 8 GB	Four SO-DIMM slots for 1333 MHz DDR3, with 4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules; 8 or 16 GB factory upgrades. Memory is user accessible.
Storage type
Storage type	2.66 and 2.93 GHz models have 640 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA drives, configurable to 1 TB; maker storage section lists 3.06 GHz with 1 TB. Conservative rows retain those explicit combinations; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning	Both base models have a 1 TB 7200 rpm hard drive, configurable to 2 TB and a 256 GB solid-state second drive. Mixed hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or presented as a single SSD; no standalone 256 GB row is inferred from the support sheet's second-drive wording. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	24″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1920 × 1200	2560 × 1440 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	385 nits	–
Display type
Display type	Glossy widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; maker typical brightness 385 cd/m², contrast 750:1 and 178° horizontal/vertical viewing angle. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished and omitted.	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, millions of colours; optional unpublished refresh rate and brightness omitted
Connections
Ports
Ports	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt, 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 draft	802.11n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	2.1 + EDR
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	FaceTime HD camera
Back ports
Back ports	Four USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two on the supplied wired keyboard; one FireWire 800 port at 7 W, Mini DisplayPort output, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input described here; no SD slot.	Two Thunderbolt ports also provide Mini DisplayPort 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 are described here because the main port list has no fields for them; IR receiver built in.
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	Apple publishes full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; the main count follows that maker statement rather than a higher count tested by Engadget; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with internal 24 W digital amplifier, microphone and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones	Stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, built-in microphone and support for iPhone headset microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse; numeric-keypad keyboard, wireless keyboard or wireless Mighty Mouse available as options	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse, with Magic Trackpad substitution available from the online store
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	11.5 kg (better)	13.8 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	569 × 207 × 520 mm	650 × 207 × 517 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 280 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase	Maximum continuous power 310 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase
Materials
Materials	Aluminium and glass enclosure with arsenic-free display glass, BFR-free components and PVC-free internal cables	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	iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Leopard and iLife '09	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Launch press specifies Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '11; the later support sheet lists OS X Lion, reflecting the software update rather than launch software.