Apple iMac 24″ (M3) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)

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iMac 24″ (M3) compared with iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M3)	AppleiMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2023	December 2012
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M3	Intel Core i5-3470S, Intel Core i5-3470 or Intel Core i7-3770
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M (512 MB GDDR5), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (1 GB GDDR5) or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX (2 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 24 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB	768 GB to 3 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	2.9 GHz quad-core Core i5 or 3.2 GHz quad-core Core i5, both with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz; the upper model supports a 3.4 GHz quad-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz
GPU
GPU	8-core GPU (two-port model) or 10-core GPU (four-port models); hardware-accelerated ray tracing	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M with 512 MB GDDR5 on the 2.9 GHz model; GTX 675MX with 1 GB GDDR5 on the upper model, configurable to GTX 680MX with 2 GB GDDR5
Memory type
Memory type	–	1600 MHz DDR3; 8 GB (two 4 GB modules), configurable to 16 GB (two 8 GB) or 32 GB (four 8 GB); four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	100GB/s	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD	1 TB or 3 TB 7200-rpm hard drive, 1 TB or 3 TB Fusion Drive, or 768 GB flash storage; all storage options are available with either base processor
Media engine
Media engine	Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine; AV1 decode	–
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	LED-backlit display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours
Pixel density
Pixel density	218 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone	Fully laminated glass and anti-reflective coating; Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in this model's specification sheet
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB4, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	–	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	802.11n
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	4.0
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Two-port model: 2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s), Gigabit Ethernet optional; four-port models add 2 × USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s) and Gigabit Ethernet as standard; 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphones	Four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and optical digital audio output; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separately sold adapters
External displays
External displays	One at up to 6K 60Hz	Built-in display at full native resolution alongside one external display up to 2560 × 1600; extended desktop and video mirroring
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; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Microphones	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming	Dual microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Magic Keyboard (two-port model) or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (four-port models), and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available instead	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; optional Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	4.43 kg (better)	9.54 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	547 × 147 × 461 mm	650 × 203 × 516 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process
Power supply
Power supply	143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Noise
Noise	–	Apple's operator-position sound pressure: 15 dB at idle on the 2.9 GHz model, 14 dB on the 3.2 GHz model; 15 dB during hard-drive access on both
Materials
Materials	–	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight
Colours
Colours	Two-port model: Blue, Green, Pink, Silver; four-port models also Yellow, Orange, Purple	–
In the box
In the box	iMac, Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID on four-port models), Magic Mouse, 143W power adapter, power lead (2 m), USB-C to Lightning Cable	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife were included at launch