Apple iMac 24″ (M1) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

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iMac 24″ (M1) compared with iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M1)	AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2021	May 2011
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M1	Intel Core i5-2500S, Intel Core i5-2400 or Intel Core i7-2600
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	4
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	AMD Radeon HD 6770M (512 MB GDDR5), AMD Radeon HD 6970M (1 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon HD 6970M (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	1 TB to 2 TB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	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	7-core GPU in the two-port model; 8-core GPU in the four-port model	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	–	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.
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	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	4480 × 2520 (better)	2560 × 1440
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 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60 Hz refresh rate confirmed by Notebookcheck	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, millions of colours; optional unpublished refresh rate and brightness omitted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	2 × Thunderbolt, 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	FaceTime HD 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.	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	One external display up to 6K 60 Hz, alongside the built-in display at full resolution	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
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	Stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, built-in 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, with Magic Trackpad substitution available from the online store
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 310 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, 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.