Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

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iMac Pro (2017) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)

	AppleiMac Pro (2017)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
Overview
Released
Released	December 2017	October 2014
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Xeon W-2140B, Intel Xeon W-2150B, Intel Xeon W-2170B or Intel Xeon W-2191B	Intel Core i5-4690 or Intel Core i7-4790K
CPU cores
CPU cores	8, 10, 14 or 18	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8 GB HBM2), Radeon Pro Vega 64 (16 GB HBM2) or Radeon Pro Vega 64X (16 GB HBM2)	AMD Radeon R9 M290X (2 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon R9 M295X (4 GB GDDR5)
Memory
Memory	32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB (better)	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB
Storage
Storage	1 TB to 4 TB (better)	256 GB to 3 TB
CPU
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.	3.5 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz, configurable to a 4.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.4 GHz
GPU
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.	AMD Radeon R9 M290X with 2 GB GDDR5, configurable to AMD Radeon R9 M295X with 4 GB GDDR5; either graphics option can be paired with either processor
Memory type
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.	1600 MHz DDR3; 8 GB (two 4 GB modules), configurable to 16 GB (two 8 GB modules) or 32 GB (four 8 GB modules); four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots
Storage type
Storage type	1 TB SSD, configurable to 2 or 4 TB	1 TB Fusion Drive as standard; optional 3 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB flash storage (SSD)
Display
Screen size
Screen size	27″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	5120 × 2880	5120 × 2880
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	500 nits	–
Display type
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.	27-inch Retina 5K display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours
Display features
Display features	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours	Laminated display and anti-reflective coating described by Macworld; Target Display Mode is unavailable (Engadget and Ars Technica). Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in the specification sheet.
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	10 Gb/s (better)	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 4 (better)	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	4.0
Camera
Camera	1080p FaceTime HD	FaceTime HD
Back ports
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 3 ports, two Thunderbolt 2 ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone and optical digital audio output; Kensington lock slot. DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI need separately sold adapters.
External displays
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	Built-in display at native resolution alongside one external display up to 3840 × 2160; extended desktop and video mirroring
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Microphones	Four microphones; supports Hey Siri	Dual microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2; optional space grey Magic Trackpad 2	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; optional Magic Trackpad
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	9.7 kg	9.54 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	650 × 203 × 516 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. 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
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 is 15 dB at idle, during hard-drive seek and during its wireless-web test; tested on the standard Core i5/M290X/Fusion Drive configuration
Materials
Materials	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
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 with Retina 5K display, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Yosemite and built-in creative and productivity apps