Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

	AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2010)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Overview
Released
Released	July 2010	August 2020
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i3-550, Intel Core i5-680, Intel Core i5-760 or Intel Core i7-870	Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K
CPU cores
CPU cores	2 or 4	6, 8 or 10
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	12, 16 or 20
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Radeon HD 5670 (512 MB GDDR3) or ATI Radeon HD 5750 (1 GB GDDR5)	Radeon Pro 5300 (4 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5500 XT (8 GB GDDR6), Radeon Pro 5700 (8 GB GDDR6) or Radeon Pro 5700 XT (16 GB GDDR6)
Memory
Memory	4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB	8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 2 TB	256 GB to 8 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	3.2 GHz dual-core Core i3-550 or optional 3.6 GHz dual-core Core i5-680, both with Hyper-Threading and 4 MB L3 cache; higher model has a 2.8 GHz quad-core Core i5-760 or optional 2.93 GHz quad-core Core i7-870 with Hyper-Threading, both with 8 MB L3 cache. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; optional unpublished boost figures omitted.	Six-core Core i5 at 3.1 GHz (Turbo Boost 4.5 GHz) or 3.3 GHz (4.8 GHz), or eight-core Core i7 at 3.8 GHz (5.0 GHz). Upper two bases configurable to 3.6 GHz ten-core Core i9 (5.0 GHz). Exact CPU identities follow Geekbench. Apple specifies a 5.0 GHz Core i7 limit in this iMac, while Intel lists 5.1 GHz for the chip itself.
GPU
GPU	Dual-core models have ATI Radeon HD 5670 with 512 MB GDDR3; quad-core models have ATI Radeon HD 5750 with 1 GB GDDR5	Radeon Pro 5300 with 4 GB GDDR6 on the two Core i5 bases. Upper base has Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8 GB GDDR6, optionally Radeon Pro 5700 with 8 GB or 5700 XT with 16 GB GDDR6.
Memory type
Memory type	4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots support up to 16 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3. UK launch release offers factory upgrades to 8 or 16 GB for both models.	2666 MHz DDR4; 8 GB standard as two 4 GB modules. Four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots; configurable to 16/32/64/128 GB on every base.
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB 7200 rpm hard drive standard, configurable to 2 TB. UK launch release explicitly offers a 256 GB SSD as a primary or secondary drive. Separate hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or combined into a single SSD capacity. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with double-layer DVD burning.	Lower base: fixed 256 GB SSD. Middle base: 512 GB/1/2 TB SSD. Upper base: 512 GB/1/2/4/8 TB SSD.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	27″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	2560 × 1440	5120 × 2880 (better)
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	375 nits	500 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, 2560 × 1440 pixels and maker typical brightness 375 cd/m²; refresh rate unpublished and omitted	LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet.
Display features
Display features	–	Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass
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	5.0
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	1080p FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	Mini DisplayPort audio/video input and output, four USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 at 7 W, Gigabit Ethernet, SDXC slot, headphone/optical digital output and line-in/optical digital input. FireWire and audio input are described here because the main port list has no fields for them.	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; UHS-II SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Optional 10Gb Ethernet supports 1/2.5/5/10Gb connections. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters.
External displays
External displays	Full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; Mini DisplayPort input can display an external DisplayPort source. Extended desktop and mirroring, with optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI output adapters.	One 6K or 5K external display, or two 4K displays; two 6K displays require Radeon Pro 5700 or 5700 XT. All listed external modes run at 60 Hz.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, microphone and support for iPhone headset microphones	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	–	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad available separately	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	13.8 kg	8.92 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	650 × 207 × 517 mm	650 × 203 × 516 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. 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 AC cord availability limited to named regions	Recyclable, low-carbon 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 at launch	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth