Apple iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

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iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) compared with iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

	AppleiMac (27-inch, Late 2012)	AppleiMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
Overview
Released
Released	December 2012	March 2019
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-3470S, Intel Core i5-3470 or Intel Core i7-3770	Intel Core i3-8100, Intel Core i7-8700 or Intel Core i5-8500
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	4 or 6
CPU threads
CPU threads	4 or 8	4, 6 or 12
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M (512 MB GDDR5), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (1 GB GDDR5) or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX (2 GB GDDR5)	Radeon Pro 555X (2 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 560X (4 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 20 (4 GB HBM2)
Memory
Memory	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB
Storage
Storage	768 GB to 3 TB (better)	256 GB to 1 TB
CPU
CPU	2.9 GHz quad-core Core i5 or 3.2 GHz quad-core Core i5, both with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz; the upper model supports a 3.4 GHz quad-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz	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	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M with 512 MB GDDR5 on the 2.9 GHz model; GTX 675MX with 1 GB GDDR5 on the upper model, configurable to GTX 680MX with 2 GB GDDR5	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	1600 MHz DDR3; 8 GB (two 4 GB modules), configurable to 16 GB (two 8 GB) or 32 GB (four 8 GB); four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots	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 or 3 TB 7200-rpm hard drive, 1 TB or 3 TB Fusion Drive, or 768 GB flash storage; all storage options are available with either base processor	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	–	500 nits
Display type
Display type	LED-backlit display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours	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	Fully laminated glass and anti-reflective coating; Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in this model's specification sheet	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, 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	4.0	4.2
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and optical digital audio output; DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separately sold adapters	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	Built-in display at full native resolution alongside one external display up to 2560 × 1600; extended desktop and video mirroring	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	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; optional Magic Trackpad	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	9.54 kg	5.48 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	650 × 203 × 516 mm	528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process	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	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Noise
Noise	Apple's operator-position sound pressure: 15 dB at idle on the 2.9 GHz model, 14 dB on the 3.2 GHz model; 15 dB during hard-drive access on both	–
Materials
Materials	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Mountain Lion and iLife were included at launch	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable