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Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiMac 24″ (M4)AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2011)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2024May 2011
Performance
ProcessorApple M4Intel Core i5-2500S, Intel Core i5-2400 or Intel Core i7-2600
CPU cores8 or 104
Graphics8-core GPU or 10-core GPUAMD Radeon HD 6770M (512 MB GDDR5), AMD Radeon HD 6970M (1 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon HD 6970M (2 GB GDDR5)
AI engine (NPU)38 TOPS–
Memory16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB
Storage256 GB to 2 TB1 TB to 2 TB
CPU8-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)2.7 GHz quad-core Core i5-2500S or 3.1 GHz quad-core Core i5-2400; the higher model offers a 3.4 GHz quad-core Core i7-2600. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; i5 models have 6 MB shared L3 cache. Intel confirms four threads and up to 3.4 GHz for i5-2400, eight threads and up to 3.8 GHz for i7-2600.
GPUHardware-accelerated ray tracingLower model has AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB GDDR5; higher model and optional i7 have Radeon HD 6970M with 1 GB GDDR5, configurable to 2 GB
Memory type–Four SO-DIMM slots for 1333 MHz DDR3, with 4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules; 8 or 16 GB factory upgrades. Memory is user accessible.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory bandwidth120GB/s–
Storage typeSSDBoth base models have a 1 TB 7200 rpm hard drive, configurable to 2 TB and a 256 GB solid-state second drive. Mixed hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or presented as a single SSD; no standalone 256 GB row is inferred from the support sheet's second-drive wording. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning.
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine; AV1 decode–
Display
Screen size24″27″
Resolution4480 × 25202560 × 1440
PanelIPS LCDIPS LCD
Refresh rate60 Hz–
Brightness500 nits–
Display type4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inchesGlossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, millions of colours; optional unpublished refresh rate and brightness omitted
Pixel density218 ppi–
Display features1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; nano-texture glass option on four-port models–
Connections
Ports2 × Thunderbolt 4, headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack
Ethernet–1 Gb/s
External displaysUp to 1Up to 1
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E802.11n
Bluetooth5.32.1 + EDR
Camera12MP Center StageFaceTime HD camera
Back ports2 × 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 modelTwo Thunderbolt ports also provide Mini DisplayPort video output; four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 at 7 W, Gigabit Ethernet, SDXC slot, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input are described here because the main port list has no fields for them; IR receiver built in.
External displaysTwo-port model: one at up to 6K 60Hz; four-port models: two at up to 6K 60Hz, or one at up to 8K 60HzApple publishes full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; the main count follows that maker statement rather than a higher count tested by Engadget; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI adapters
Camera12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View; 1080p HD video recording; advanced image signal processor with computational video–
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; Spatial Audio with Dolby AtmosStereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, built-in microphone and support for iPhone headset microphones
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming–
Keyboard and mouseMagic 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 insteadApple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse, with Magic Trackpad substitution available from the online store
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight4.42 kg13.8 kg
Width × depth × height547 × 147 × 461 mm650 × 207 × 517 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Power supply143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)Maximum continuous power 310 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase
Materials100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overallAluminium and glass enclosure, arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight; BFR-free and PVC-free components, with PVC-free AC cord availability limited to named regions
ColoursBlue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver–
In the boxiMac, 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, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Launch press specifies Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '11; the later support sheet lists OS X Lion, reflecting the software update rather than launch software.

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