Apple iMac (27-inch, Late 2009) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

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iMac (27-inch, Late 2009) compared with iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

	AppleiMac (27-inch, Late 2009)	AppleiMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2009	March 2019
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E7600, Intel Core 2 Duo E8600, Intel Core i5-750 or Intel Core i7-860	Intel Core i3-8100, Intel Core i7-8700 or Intel Core i5-8500
CPU cores
CPU cores	2 or 4	4 or 6
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4, 6 or 12
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 4670 (256 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB GDDR3)	Radeon Pro 555X (2 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 560X (4 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 20 (4 GB HBM2)
Memory
Memory	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	1 TB to 2 TB (better)	256 GB to 1 TB
CPU
CPU	3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo E7600 with 3 MB L2 or optional 3.33 GHz E8600 with 6 MB L2. Quad-core Core i5-750 runs at 2.66 GHz with up to 3.2 GHz Turbo Boost; optional Core i7-860 runs at 2.8 GHz with up to 3.46 GHz Turbo Boost and eight threads through Hyper-Threading. Both quad-core chips have 8 MB L3. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; Core 2 Duo models shipped on 20 October 2009, while maker stated quad-core models would ship in November 2009.	3.6 GHz quad-core Core i3 without Turbo Boost, or 3.0 GHz six-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz; both configurable to 3.2 GHz six-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz
GPU
GPU	Core 2 Duo models have ATI Radeon HD 4670 with 256 MB GDDR3 or optional HD 4850 with 512 MB GDDR3; quad-core models have HD 4850 with 512 MB GDDR3	Radeon Pro 555X with 2 GB GDDR5 in the lower base; Radeon Pro 560X with 4 GB GDDR5 in the upper base, configurable to Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4 GB HBM2
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules, with four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3. Macworld reports 8 and 16 GB factory upgrades for the 27-inch Core 2 Duo model; support sheet gives the same 16 GB maximum across the model.	8 GB standard, configurable to 16/32 GB; lower base uses 2400 MHz DDR4 and upper base 2666 MHz DDR4. Memory is not readily user-accessible.
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 2 TB; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x double-layer DVD burning	The current Apple sheet lists 256 GB SSD or 1 TB Fusion Drive for both bases, and these are the configurations shown. Apple made SSD storage standard in August 2020. Launch reviews describe a 1 TB hard drive in the lower base and 1 TB Fusion Drive in the upper base, with larger SSD options (Macworld and TechRadar); these historical options are not flattened into the current matrix.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	27″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	2560 × 1440	4096 × 2304 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	375 nits	500 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen LCD, millions of colours, 178° horizontal/vertical viewing angle and maker typical brightness 375 cd/m²; refresh rate unpublished and omitted. Optional VESA mounting adapter.	LED-backlit Retina 4K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac; Apple does not publish native refresh rate in this model’s specification sheet
Display features
Display features	–	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports
Ports	DisplayPort, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 2 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11n	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.1 + EDR	4.2
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Mini DisplayPort video input/output, four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 at 7 W, Gigabit Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input described here; the SD slot is not labelled SDXC.	Four USB-A ports; two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require separately sold adapters.
External displays
External displays	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously. Mini DisplayPort input supports external DisplayPort sources; HDMI input is not implied. Extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI output adapters.	Built-in display at full native resolution alongside one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz with one billion colours, two 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or two 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, microphone and support for Apple Stereo Headset microphones	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	–	Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	13.8 kg	5.48 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	650 × 207 × 517 mm	528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Dimensions include the stand; current Apple sheet lists 5.48 kg and warns that weight varies by configuration. Launch reviews tested heavier hard-drive/Fusion configurations. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 365 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	Aluminium and glass enclosure, arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight; BFR-free and PVC-free components, with PVC-free external cables in North America only	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, cleaning cloth, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '09	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable