Apple iMac (24-inch, Early 2009) vs Apple iMac Pro (2017)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac (24-inch, Early 2009) | AppleiMac Pro (2017) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | March 2009 | December 2017 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo E8135, Intel Core 2 Duo E8335 or Intel Core 2 Duo E8435 | Intel Xeon W-2140B, Intel Xeon W-2150B, Intel Xeon W-2170B or Intel Xeon W-2191B |
| CPU cores | 2 | 8, 10, 14 or 18 |
| 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) | Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8 GB HBM2), Radeon Pro Vega 64 (16 GB HBM2) or Radeon Pro Vega 64X (16 GB HBM2) |
| Memory | 4 GB or 8 GB | 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB (better) |
| Storage | 640 GB to 1 TB | 1 TB to 4 TB (better) |
| 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 | Two user-accessible SO-DIMM slots for 1066 MHz DDR3; 4 GB standard, factory upgrade to 8 GB | 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 | 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 | 1 TB SSD, configurable to 2 or 4 TB |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 24″ | 27″ |
| Resolution | 1920 × 1200 | 5120 × 2880 (better) |
| Panel | – | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 385 nits | 500 nits (better) |
| 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. | 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 | – | Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 4 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 10 Gb/s (better) |
| External displays | Up to 1 | Up to 4 (better) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11n draft | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + EDR | 5.0 |
| Camera | iSight camera | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| 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. | 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 | Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters | 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 | Built-in stereo speakers with internal 24 W digital amplifier, microphone and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | – | Four microphones; supports Hey Siri |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse; numeric-keypad keyboard, wireless keyboard or wireless Mighty Mouse available as options | Space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2; optional space grey Magic Trackpad 2 |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 11.5 kg | 9.7 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 569 × 207 × 520 mm | 650 × 203 × 516 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | – | Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. Optional VESA mount adapter kit. |
| Power supply | Maximum continuous power 280 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase | 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase |
| Materials | Aluminium and glass enclosure with arsenic-free display glass, BFR-free components and PVC-free internal cables | Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight |
| 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 Pro, space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, space grey Magic Mouse 2, Lightning to USB cable and power lead |
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