Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)

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iMac 24″ (M4) compared with iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)

	AppleiMac 24″ (M4)	AppleiMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
Overview
Released
Released	November 2024	December 2012
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M4	Intel Core i5-3470S, Intel Core i5-3470 or Intel Core i7-3770
CPU cores
CPU cores	8 or 10	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)
AI engine (NPU)
AI engine (NPU)	38 TOPS	–
Memory
Memory	16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB
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 (two-port model), or 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores (four-port models)	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	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	120GB/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; nano-texture glass option on four-port models	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 × Thunderbolt 4, 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	12MP Center Stage	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 (two-port model) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (four-port models), each with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) and DisplayPort; Gigabit Ethernet on the power adapter, standard on four-port models and optional on the two-port model	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	Two-port model: one at up to 6K 60Hz; four-port models: two at up to 6K 60Hz, or one at up to 8K 60Hz	Built-in display at full native resolution alongside one external display up to 2560 × 1600; extended desktop and video mirroring
Camera
Camera	12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View; 1080p HD video recording; 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	4.42 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	100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overall	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight
Colours
Colours	Blue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver	–
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 Charge Cable, polishing cloth (nano-texture glass only)	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife were included at launch