Apple iMac 24″ (M1) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)

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iMac 24″ (M1) compared with iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M1)	AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2021	July 2010
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M1	Intel Core i3-550, Intel Core i5-680, Intel Core i5-760 or Intel Core i7-870
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	2 or 4
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	ATI Radeon HD 5670 (512 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon HD 5750 (1 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	256 GB to 2 TB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	3.2 GHz dual-core Core i3-550 or optional 3.6 GHz dual-core Core i5-680, both with Hyper-Threading and 4 MB L3 cache; higher model has a 2.8 GHz quad-core Core i5-760 or optional 2.93 GHz quad-core Core i7-870 with Hyper-Threading, both with 8 MB L3 cache. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; optional unpublished boost figures omitted.
GPU
GPU	7-core GPU in the two-port model; 8-core GPU in the four-port model	Dual-core models have ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB GDDR3; quad-core models have ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1 GB GDDR5
Memory type
Memory type	–	4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots support up to 16 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3. UK launch release offers factory upgrades to 8 or 16 GB for both models.
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD; two-port model configurable to 512 GB or 1 TB, four-port model to 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB	1 TB 7200 rpm hard drive standard, configurable to 2 TB. UK launch release explicitly offers a 256 GB SSD as a primary or secondary drive. Separate hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or combined into a single SSD capacity. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with double-layer DVD burning.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	24″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	4480 × 2520 (better)	2560 × 1440
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits (better)	375 nits
Display type
Display type	4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches; IPS panel and 60 Hz refresh rate confirmed by Notebookcheck	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, 2560 × 1440 pixels and maker typical brightness 375 cd/m²; refresh rate unpublished and omitted
Pixel density
Pixel density	218 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; anti-reflective coating	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB4, headphone jack	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	–	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6	802.11n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	2.1 + EDR
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD	iSight camera
Back ports
Back ports	Two-port model: two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; optional Gigabit Ethernet. Four-port model adds two USB 3 ports up to 10 Gb/s and includes Gigabit Ethernet. Both have a 3.5 mm headphone jack.	Mini DisplayPort audio/video input and 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.
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 6K 60 Hz, alongside the built-in display at full resolution	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; Mini DisplayPort input can display an external DisplayPort source. Extended desktop and mirroring, with optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI output adapters.
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD camera; advanced image signal processor with computational video	–
Speakers
Speakers	High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; spatial audio with Dolby Atmos	Built-in stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, microphone and support for iPhone headset microphones
Microphones
Microphones	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming; Hey Siri	–
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard; keyboard has Touch ID on the four-port model and optionally on the two-port model; Magic Trackpad and Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad available separately
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	4.46 kg (better)	13.8 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	547 × 147 × 461 mm	650 × 207 × 517 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Power supply
Power supply	143 W external power adapter with magnetic connection; Gigabit Ethernet built into the adapter where fitted	Maximum continuous power 365 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase
Noise
Noise	7 dBA sound pressure at idle and during Apple's wireless web test (operator position)	–
Materials
Materials	Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure	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
Colours
Colours	Two-port model: Blue, Green, Pink, Silver. Four-port model also comes in Yellow, Orange and Purple.	–
In the box
In the box	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, 143 W power adapter, 2 m power lead, USB-C to Lightning cable	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife at launch