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Apple iMac G3 (Early 2001) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)

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

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AppleiMac G3 (Early 2001)AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Overview
ReleasedFebruary 2001August 2020
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G3 400 MHz (iMac), PowerPC G3 500 MHz (iMac) or PowerPC G3 600 MHz (iMac)Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K
CPU cores16, 8 or 10
CPU threads–12, 16 or 20
GraphicsATI RAGE 128 Pro (8 MB) or ATI RAGE 128 Ultra (16 MB)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)
Memory64 MB, 128 MB or 1 GB8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB
Storage10 GB to 40 GB256 GB to 8 TB
CPU400 MHz PowerPC G3 with 512 KB backside L2 cache at 160 MHz; 500 MHz and 600 MHz models have 256 KB on-chip L2 cache at processor speed. All use a 100 MHz system bus. Generic clock-only chip records do not infer silicon suppliers; cache differences remain in model details.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.
GPU400 MHz configuration: ATI RAGE 128 Pro with 8 MB SDRAM. 500 MHz and 600 MHz configurations: ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16 MB SDRAM; AGP 2x. A contemporary Macworld report observed European 500 MHz store listings with 512 KB cache and 8 MB Pro graphics, but explicitly questioned their accuracy and had no Apple confirmation. The current maker matrix is retained; no inferred regional CPU supplier or alternate SKU is added.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 type64 MB PC100 SDRAM standard on 400/500 MHz configurations; 128 MB on 600 MHz Special Edition. Two DIMM slots support up to 1 GB in the current maker sheet. Configurations retain each base and maximum memory with its original processor and drive.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 type400 MHz: 10 GB Ultra ATA and 24x CD-ROM, Indigo. 500 MHz: 20 GB and 8x/4x/24x CD-RW, Indigo, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. 600 MHz Special Edition: 40 GB and CD-RW, Graphite, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. Maker lists up to 40 GB build-to-order storage without precise processor ties, so extra cross-combinations are not created.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 size15″27″
Resolution1024 × 7685120 × 2880
Panel–IPS LCD
Brightness–500 nits
Refresh rate75 Hz–
Display typeNominal 15-inch shadow-mask CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal and 0.28 mm dot pitch; no fixed LCD native resolution.LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet.
Display features1024 × 768 at 75 Hz; 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz. Scalar refresh describes the highest-resolution mode.Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet0.1 Gb/s1 Gb/s
External displays–Up to 2
Wi-Fi–802.11ac
Bluetooth–5.0
Camera–1080p FaceTime HD
Back portsTwo FireWire 400 ports and VGA video mirroring on every configuration; Two 12 Mbps USB ports on the computer, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, audio line-in/out and two front headphone jacks; keyboard USB ports are not counted as chassis ports. All configurations are AirPort ready with an optional 11 Mbps card.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 displaysVGA output mirrors the built-in screen; no extended desktop.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.
SpeakersIntegrated Odyssey stereo sound system designed with Harman Kardon, built-in microphone and fanless enclosure.Stereo speakers
Microphones–Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri
Keyboard and mouseApple Pro Keyboard and optical Apple Pro Mouse.Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight15.8 kg8.92 kg
Width × depth × height381 × 435 × 381 mm650 × 203 × 516 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailMaker publishes height 38.1, width 38.1 and depth 43.5 cm, weight 15.8 kg. EveryMac instead gives depth 43.4 cm and 15.7 kg; current maker figures are preferred.Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply100–260 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 150 W.100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials–Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the boxMac OS 9.1, iTunes, iMovie 2 and Disc Burner; CD-RW configurations write music and data CDs but cannot read DVDs. Maker confirms immediate availability on 22 February 2001. Copied PCI-slot/eMac entries in the retained sheet are excluded as unrelated template artifacts.iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth

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