Apple iMac 24″ (M1) vs Apple iMac G3 (Early 2001)

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iMac 24″ (M1) compared with iMac G3 (Early 2001)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M1)	AppleiMac G3 (Early 2001)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2021	February 2001
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M1	PowerPC G3 400 MHz (iMac), PowerPC G3 500 MHz (iMac) or PowerPC G3 600 MHz (iMac)
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	1
Graphics
Graphics	7-core GPU or 8-core GPU	ATI RAGE 128 Pro (8 MB) or ATI RAGE 128 Ultra (16 MB)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 16 GB (better)	64 MB, 128 MB or 1 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	10 GB to 40 GB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	400 MHz PowerPC G3 with 512 KB backside L2 cache at 160 MHz; 500 MHz and 600 MHz models have 256 KB on-chip L2 cache at processor speed. All use a 100 MHz system bus. Generic clock-only chip records do not infer silicon suppliers; cache differences remain in model details.
GPU
GPU	7-core GPU in the two-port model; 8-core GPU in the four-port model	400 MHz configuration: ATI RAGE 128 Pro with 8 MB SDRAM. 500 MHz and 600 MHz configurations: ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16 MB SDRAM; AGP 2x. A contemporary Macworld report observed European 500 MHz store listings with 512 KB cache and 8 MB Pro graphics, but explicitly questioned their accuracy and had no Apple confirmation. The current maker matrix is retained; no inferred regional CPU supplier or alternate SKU is added.
Memory type
Memory type	–	64 MB PC100 SDRAM standard on 400/500 MHz configurations; 128 MB on 600 MHz Special Edition. Two DIMM slots support up to 1 GB in the current maker sheet. Configurations retain each base and maximum memory with its original processor and drive.
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	400 MHz: 10 GB Ultra ATA and 24x CD-ROM, Indigo. 500 MHz: 20 GB and 8x/4x/24x CD-RW, Indigo, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. 600 MHz Special Edition: 40 GB and CD-RW, Graphite, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. Maker lists up to 40 GB build-to-order storage without precise processor ties, so extra cross-combinations are not created.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	24″	15″
Resolution
Resolution	4480 × 2520 (better)	1024 × 768
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	–
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	75 Hz (better)
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	Nominal 15-inch shadow-mask CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal and 0.28 mm dot pitch; no fixed LCD native resolution.
Pixel density
Pixel density	218 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; anti-reflective coating	1024 × 768 at 75 Hz; 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz. Scalar refresh describes the highest-resolution mode.
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB4, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	–	0.1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	–
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	–
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD	–
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 FireWire 400 ports and VGA video mirroring on every configuration; Two 12 Mbps USB ports on the computer, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, audio line-in/out and two front headphone jacks; keyboard USB ports are not counted as chassis ports. All configurations are AirPort ready with an optional 11 Mbps card.
External displays
External displays	One external display up to 6K 60 Hz, alongside the built-in display at full resolution	VGA output mirrors the built-in screen; no extended desktop.
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	Integrated Odyssey stereo sound system designed with Harman Kardon, built-in microphone and fanless enclosure.
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 Pro Keyboard and optical Apple Pro Mouse.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	4.46 kg (better)	15.8 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	547 × 147 × 461 mm	381 × 435 × 381 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Maker publishes height 38.1, width 38.1 and depth 43.5 cm, weight 15.8 kg. EveryMac instead gives depth 43.4 cm and 15.7 kg; current maker figures are preferred.
Power supply
Power supply	143 W external power adapter with magnetic connection; Gigabit Ethernet built into the adapter where fitted	100–260 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 150 W.
Noise
Noise	7 dBA sound pressure at idle and during Apple's wireless web test (operator position)	–
Materials
Materials	Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure	–
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	Mac OS 9.1, iTunes, iMovie 2 and Disc Burner; CD-RW configurations write music and data CDs but cannot read DVDs. Maker confirms immediate availability on 22 February 2001. Copied PCI-slot/eMac entries in the retained sheet are excluded as unrelated template artifacts.