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Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple Macintosh 512K

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiMac 24″ (M4)AppleMacintosh 512K
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2024September 1984
Performance
ProcessorApple M468000 8 MHz (Macintosh 512K)
CPU cores8 or 101
Graphics8-core GPU or 10-core GPU–
AI engine (NPU)38 TOPS–
Memory16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB512 KB
Storage256 GB 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)8 MHz 68000 with a 16-bit data path; no PMMU, FPU, cache or second processor
Memory type–Fixed 0.5 MB onboard RAM, 64K ROM; no RAM slots or built-in memory expansion
GPUHardware-accelerated ray tracing–
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory bandwidth120GB/s–
Storage typeSSD400K removable floppy drive with manual loading; no internal hard drive, hard-drive interface or internal CD drive
Expansion slots–None
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″9″
Resolution4480 × 2520512 × 342
PanelIPS LCDCRT
Refresh rate60 Hz–
Brightness500 nits–
Display type4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inchesBuilt-in monochrome CRT with one-bit bitmap; 9-inch diagonal confirmed in Apple's original SE/30 owner manual, Macintosh product-line appendix. Apple explicitly notes 512 × 342 pixels, correcting its generic table's 512 × 384
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 jackHeadphone jack
External displaysUp to 1–
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E–
Bluetooth5.3–
Camera12MP Center Stage–
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 modelExternal floppy DB-19, printer and modem serial ports and speaker/headphone output; no SCSI, Ethernet or external video. Serial ports do not support handshaking or synchronous modems
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 60Hz–
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 Atmos–
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 instead–
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight4.42 kg–
Width × depth × height547 × 147 × 461 mm–
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detail–Maker 16.5 lb; 13.6 in height × 9.6 in width × 10.9 in depth, retained in original units
Power supply143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)Maximum 60 W, 105–125 V, 50–60 Hz, 0.5 A; 4.5 V alkaline
Materials100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overall–
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)Original system software 0.7; maker introduction 10 September 1984 and discontinuation 14 April 1986. Actual shipping month September 1984 comes from Macworld's historical timeline; no exact first-sale day adopted

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