Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple Macintosh 128K

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″ (M4) compared with Macintosh 128K

	AppleiMac 24″ (M4)	AppleMacintosh 128K
Overview
Released
Released	November 2024	January 1984
Performance
Processor
Processor	Apple M4	68000 8 MHz (Macintosh 128K)
CPU cores
CPU cores	8 or 10	1
Graphics
Graphics	8-core GPU or 10-core GPU	–
AI engine (NPU)
AI engine (NPU)	38 TOPS	–
Memory
Memory	16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)	128 KB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB	–
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)	8 MHz 68000; maker lists no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor
Memory type
Memory type	–	Fixed 128 KB RAM and 64 KB ROM, Apple's original SE/30 owner manual Macintosh product-line appendix and contemporaneous reviews. Retained Apple support sheet incorrectly labels RAM 0.125 MB; no built-in expansion, with third-party upgrades described separately
GPU
GPU	Hardware-accelerated ray tracing	–
AI engine
AI engine	16-core Neural Engine	–
Memory bandwidth
Memory bandwidth	120GB/s	–
Storage type
Storage type	SSD	Built-in 400 KB removable floppy drive, manually loaded and automatically ejected; no internal hard drive or hard-drive interface. Floppy capacity remains removable-media detail, not main internal storage
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	–	None
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″	9″
Resolution
Resolution	4480 × 2520 (better)	512 × 342
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	CRT
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	60 Hz	–
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	–
Display type
Display type	4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches	9-inch monochrome CRT, 512 × 342 pixels; 9-inch diagonal confirmed in Apple's original SE/30 owner manual, Macintosh product-line appendix; generic maker table 512 × 384 conflicts with its explicit note 512 × 342
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	One-bit black-and-white bitmap display; no separate text mode, as described in BYTE
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 4, headphone jack	Headphone jack
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	–
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	–
Camera
Camera	12MP Center Stage	–
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	External floppy DB-19, printer and modem serial ports, keyboard, mouse and speaker/headphone output; no USB, ADB, SCSI, Ethernet, FireWire or external video. Maker warns serial ports lack handshaking and synchronous modem support
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	–
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	–
Microphones
Microphones	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming	–
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	–
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	4.42 kg	–
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	547 × 147 × 461 mm	–
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Maker 16.5 lb and 13.6 in height × 9.6 in width × 10.9 in depth; original units retained
Power supply
Power supply	143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)	Maker maximum 60 W, 105–125 V, 50–60 Hz, 0.5 A; 4.5 V alkaline
Materials
Materials	100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overall	–
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)	Separate keyboard and mouse; initial MacWrite/MacPaint bundle described by LA Times. Apple introduction 24 January 1984; January retail month supported by actual 29 January LA Times review, not inferred exact first-sale day. BYTE identifies Motorola 68000; support sheet omits supplier