Apple iMac 24″ (M3) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iMac 24″ (M3) compared with iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M3)	AppleiMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2023	June 2017
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M3	Intel Core i5-7400, Intel Core i7-7700 or Intel Core i5-7500
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU	Radeon Pro 555 (2 GB VRAM) or Radeon Pro 560 (4 GB VRAM)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 24 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB (better)	256 GB to 1 TB
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	3.0 GHz quad-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.5 GHz, or 3.4 GHz quad-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.8 GHz; both configurable to 3.6 GHz quad-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.2 GHz
GPU
GPU	8-core GPU (two-port model) or 10-core GPU (four-port models); hardware-accelerated ray tracing	Radeon Pro 555 with 2 GB VRAM in the 3.0 GHz base; Radeon Pro 560 with 4 GB VRAM in the 3.4 GHz base
Memory type
Memory type	–	2400 MHz DDR4; 8 GB standard, configurable to 16 GB in the lower base or 16/32 GB in the upper base. Two SO-DIMM slots require removal of the glued display and logic board to access (iFixit).
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	100GB/s	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD	Lower base: 1 TB 5400-rpm hard drive, 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB SSD. Upper base: 1 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB/1 TB SSD.
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″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	4480 × 2520 (better)	4096 × 2304
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	500 nits
Display type
Display type	4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches	LED-backlit Retina 4K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac; Apple does not publish native refresh rate in this model’s specification sheet
Pixel density
Pixel density	218 ppi	–
Display features
Display features	1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB4, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	–	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 2 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	4.2
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 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require separately sold adapters.
External displays
External displays	One at up to 6K 60Hz	Built-in display at full native resolution alongside one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz with one billion colours, two 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or two 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours
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	Built-in microphone
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	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	4.43 kg (better)	5.66 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	547 × 147 × 461 mm	528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply
Power supply	143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	–	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free 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, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable