Apple iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) | AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | May 2011 | August 2020 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2500S, Intel Core i5-2400 or Intel Core i7-2600 | Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K |
| CPU cores | 4 | 6, 8 or 10 |
| CPU threads | – | 12, 16 or 20 |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon HD 6770M (512 MB GDDR5), AMD Radeon HD 6970M (1 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon HD 6970M (2 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 | 4 GB, 8 GB or 16 GB | 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better) |
| Storage | 1 TB to 2 TB | 256 GB to 8 TB (better) |
| CPU | 2.7 GHz quad-core Core i5-2500S or 3.1 GHz quad-core Core i5-2400; the higher model offers a 3.4 GHz quad-core Core i7-2600. Exact identities cross-checked with EveryMac; i5 models have 6 MB shared L3 cache. Intel confirms four threads and up to 3.4 GHz for i5-2400, eight threads and up to 3.8 GHz for i7-2600. | 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 | Lower model has AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 512 MB GDDR5; higher model and optional i7 have Radeon HD 6970M with 1 GB GDDR5, configurable to 2 GB | 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 | Four SO-DIMM slots for 1333 MHz DDR3, with 4 GB standard as two 2 GB modules; 8 or 16 GB factory upgrades. Memory is user accessible. | 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 | Both base models have a 1 TB 7200 rpm hard drive, configurable to 2 TB and a 256 GB solid-state second drive. Mixed hard-drive-plus-SSD options are described here rather than labelled Fusion Drive or presented as a single SSD; no standalone 256 GB row is inferred from the support sheet's second-drive wording. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 4x 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 | 27″ | 27″ |
| Resolution | 2560 × 1440 | 5120 × 2880 (better) |
| Panel | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | – | 500 nits |
| Display type | Glossy LED-backlit IPS widescreen display, millions of colours; optional unpublished refresh rate and brightness omitted | LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet. |
| Display features | – | Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × Thunderbolt, 4 × USB-A, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 1 | Up to 2 (better) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11n | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 + EDR | 5.0 |
| Camera | FaceTime HD camera | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| Back ports | Two Thunderbolt ports also provide Mini DisplayPort video 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; IR receiver built in. | 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 | Apple publishes full built-in resolution and one external display up to 2560 × 1600 simultaneously; the main count follows that maker statement rather than a higher count tested by Engadget; extended desktop and mirroring, optional DVI/VGA/dual-link DVI 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 | Stereo speakers with two internal 17 W amplifiers, built-in microphone and support for iPhone headset microphones | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | – | Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse, with Magic Trackpad substitution available from the online store | Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 13.8 kg | 8.92 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 650 × 207 × 517 mm | 650 × 203 × 516 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| 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 | Maximum continuous power 310 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase | 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase |
| 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 | iMac, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation. Launch press specifies Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '11; the later support sheet lists OS X Lion, reflecting the software update rather than launch software. | iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth |
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