Apple iMac 24″ (M3) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)

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iMac 24″ (M3) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M3)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2023	March 2019
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M3	Intel Core i5-8500, Intel Core i5-8600, Intel Core i9-9900K or Intel Core i5-9600K
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	6 or 8
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	6 or 16
Graphics
Graphics	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU	Radeon Pro 570X (4 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 575X (4 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 580X (8 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 48 (8 GB HBM2)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 24 GB	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB	256 GB to 3 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	Six-core Core i5 at 3.0 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.1 GHz), 3.1 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.3 GHz) or 3.7 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.6 GHz); upper two bases configurable to 3.6 GHz eight-core Core i9 with Turbo Boost up to 5.0 GHz. Exact K-suffix CPU identities follow Geekbench’s model database; Macworld instead lists KF suffixes.
GPU
GPU	8-core GPU (two-port model) or 10-core GPU (four-port models); hardware-accelerated ray tracing	Radeon Pro 570X or 575X with 4 GB GDDR5, or Radeon Pro 580X with 8 GB GDDR5; only the upper base supports Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 8 GB HBM2
Memory type
Memory type	–	2666 MHz DDR4; 8 GB standard as two 4 GB modules in four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots. Lower base configurable to 16/32 GB; upper two bases to 16/32/64 GB.
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	100GB/s	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD	570X base: 1/2 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB/1 TB SSD. 575X base: 1/2/3 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB/1 TB SSD. 580X/Vega base: 2/3 TB Fusion Drive or 512 GB/1/2 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″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	4480 × 2520	5120 × 2880 (better)
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 5K 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-A 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
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)	9.42 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. 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