Apple iMac 24″ (M3) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

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iMac 24″ (M3) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M3)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2023	October 2014
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M3	Intel Core i5-4690 or Intel Core i7-4790K
CPU cores
CPU cores	8	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU	AMD Radeon R9 M290X (2 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon R9 M295X (4 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	8 GB or 24 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 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	3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz, configurable to a 4.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.4 GHz
GPU
GPU	8-core GPU (two-port model) or 10-core GPU (four-port models); hardware-accelerated ray tracing	AMD Radeon R9 M290X with 2 GB GDDR5, configurable to AMD Radeon R9 M295X with 4 GB GDDR5; either graphics option can be paired with either processor
Memory type
Memory type	–	1600 MHz DDR3; 8 GB (two 4 GB modules), configurable to 16 GB (two 8 GB modules) or 32 GB (four 8 GB modules); 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 Fusion Drive as standard; optional 3 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB flash storage (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	–
Display type
Display type	4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches	27-inch Retina 5K 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	Laminated display and anti-reflective coating described by Macworld; Target Display Mode is unavailable (Engadget and Ars Technica). Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in the specification sheet.
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB4, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 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	802.11ac
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 2 ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and optical digital audio output; Kensington lock slot. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI need separately sold adapters.
External displays
External displays	One at up to 6K 60Hz	Built-in display at native resolution alongside one external display up to 3840 × 2160; 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. 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
Noise
Noise	–	Apple's operator-position sound pressure is 15 dB at idle, during hard-drive seek and during its wireless-web test; tested on the standard Core i5/M290X/Fusion Drive configuration
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 with Retina 5K display, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Yosemite and built-in creative and productivity apps