Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple Macintosh LC II

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iMac 24″ (M4) compared with Macintosh LC II
AppleiMac 24″ (M4)AppleMacintosh LC II
Overview
ReleasedNovember 20241992
Performance
ProcessorApple M468030 16 MHz (Macintosh LC II)
CPU cores8 or 101
Graphics8-core GPU or 10-core GPU–
AI engine (NPU)38 TOPS–
Memory16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB (better)4 MB
Storage256 GB to 2 TB (better)40 MB to 80 MB
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)16 MHz Motorola 68030 with integrated memory-management unit, 16-bit data path and 0.5 KB L1 cache; no standard floating-point coprocessor
GPUHardware-accelerated ray tracingBuilt-in video with 256 KB VRAM supports 8-bit colour at 512 × 384 and 4-bit at 640 × 480; 512 KB VRAM allows 16-bit at 512 × 384 or 8-bit at 640 × 480
Memory type–4 MB soldered to the logic board plus two 30-pin SIMM slots, populated as a matched pair; Apple supports 4–10 MB. With two 4 MB SIMMs, the lowest 2 MB of onboard RAM is inaccessible.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory bandwidth120GB/s–
Storage typeSSDInternal 1.44 MB floppy drive and 40 or 80 MB internal SCSI hard-drive options
Expansion slots–One LC processor-direct slot; an optional floating-point coprocessor card can occupy it
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″None built in
Resolution4480 × 2520–
PanelIPS LCD–
Refresh rate60 Hz–
Brightness500 nits–
Display type4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inches–
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 modelApple Desktop Bus, DB-15 video, DB-25 SCSI, printer and modem serial ports, microphone input and sound output; no built-in Ethernet
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 60HzBuilt-in video supports 512 × 384 and 640 × 480 displays; colour depth depends on fitted VRAM
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 AtmosInternal speaker with mono audio input and output
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-oneCompact
Weight4.42 kg4 kg (better)
Width × depth × height547 × 147 × 461 mm310 × 389 × 74 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detail–Apple's 2.9 × 12.2 × 15.3 inch and 8.8 lb reference dimensions; metric fields are rounded conversions
Power supply143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)Maximum 50 W; 90–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; 3.6 V lithium clock battery
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 7.0.1. Apple lists 23 March 1992 as introduction; a separate maker first-sale date was not established.

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