Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac Pro (2017) | AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | December 2017 | August 2020 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Xeon W-2140B, Intel Xeon W-2150B, Intel Xeon W-2170B or Intel Xeon W-2191B | Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K |
| CPU cores | 8, 10, 14 or 18 | 6, 8 or 10 |
| CPU threads | – | 12, 16 or 20 |
| Graphics | Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8 GB HBM2), Radeon Pro Vega 64 (16 GB HBM2) or Radeon Pro Vega 64X (16 GB HBM2) | 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 | 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB (better) | 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB |
| Storage | 1 TB to 4 TB | 256 GB to 8 TB (better) |
| CPU | Xeon W at 3.2 GHz with 8 cores (Turbo Boost 4.2 GHz), 3.0 GHz with 10 cores (4.5 GHz), 2.5 GHz with 14 cores (4.3 GHz) or 2.3 GHz with 18 cores (4.3 GHz). Exact W-B CPU identities follow Geekbench. The 8/10-core versions launched first; Macworld reports later January 2018 availability for 14/18-core options. Apple changed the standard configuration to 10 cores in August 2020. | 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 | Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8 GB HBM2, optionally Vega 64 or Vega 64X with 16 GB HBM2. Vega 64X is a later option included in Apple’s current specification sheet, absent from the launch reviews. | 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 | Quad-channel 2666 MHz DDR4 ECC; 32 GB standard, configurable to 64/128/256 GB. The current maker sheet includes the later 256 GB option; launch reviews cover up to 128 GB. No user-accessible memory door. | 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 | 1 TB SSD, configurable to 2 or 4 TB | 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 | 5120 × 2880 | 5120 × 2880 |
| Panel | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 500 nits | 500 nits |
| Display type | LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Native refresh rate omitted because Apple does not publish it in the specification sheet. | 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); supports one billion colours | Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 4 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 10 Gb/s (better) | 1 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 4 (better) | Up to 2 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| Back ports | Four USB-A ports; four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort 1.2, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; UHS-II SDXC, Nbase-T Ethernet supporting 1/2.5/5/10Gb and 3.5 mm headphone jack. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require 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; 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 | Two 5120 × 2880 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, four 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or four 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours, alongside the built-in display | 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 | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Four microphones; supports Hey Siri | Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri |
| Keyboard and mouse | Space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2; optional space grey Magic Trackpad 2 | Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 9.7 kg | 8.92 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 650 × 203 × 516 mm | 650 × 203 × 516 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. Optional VESA mount adapter kit. | Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. A built-in VESA mount version was also available. |
| Power supply | 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase | 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase |
| Materials | Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight | Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight |
| In the box | iMac Pro, space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, space grey Magic Mouse 2, Lightning to USB cable and power lead | iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth |
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