Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) | AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | August 2020 | October 2015 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Intel Core i5-10500, Intel Core i5-10600, Intel Core i9-10910 or Intel Core i7-10700K | Intel Core i5-6500, Intel Core i7-6700K or Intel Core i5-6600 |
| CPU cores | 6, 8 or 10 | 4 |
| CPU threads | 12, 16 or 20 | 4 or 8 |
| Graphics | 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) | AMD Radeon R9 M380 (2 GB GDDR5), AMD Radeon R9 M390 (2 GB GDDR5), AMD Radeon R9 M395 (2 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon R9 M395X (4 GB GDDR5) |
| Memory | 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB (better) | 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB to 8 TB (better) | 256 GB to 3 TB |
| CPU | 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. | 3.2 GHz quad-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz in the M380 and M390 models; 3.3 GHz quad-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz in the M395 model. Only the M390 and M395 bases support the 4.0 GHz Core i7 upgrade, with Turbo Boost up to 4.2 GHz. |
| GPU | 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. | AMD Radeon R9 M380 or M390 with 2 GB GDDR5; M395 with 2 GB GDDR5 in the upper base, configurable to M395X with 4 GB GDDR5 only in that base |
| Memory type | 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. | 1867 MHz DDR3; 8 GB standard as two 4 GB modules, configurable to 16 GB or 32 GB; four user-accessible SO-DIMM slots |
| Storage type | Lower base: fixed 256 GB SSD. Middle base: 512 GB/1/2 TB SSD. Upper base: 512 GB/1/2/4/8 TB SSD. | M380 base: 1 TB 7200-rpm hard drive, 1/2/3 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB SSD. M390 base: 1/2/3 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB/1 TB SSD. M395 base: 2/3 TB Fusion Drive or 256/512 GB/1 TB SSD. The 1 TB Fusion Drive has 24 GB of flash; 2/3 TB Fusion Drives have 128 GB. |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 27″ | 27″ |
| Resolution | 5120 × 2880 | 5120 × 2880 |
| Panel | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 500 nits | – |
| Display type | LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Apple does not publish native refresh rate in the specification sheet. | LED-backlit Retina 5K display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours |
| Display features | Wide colour (P3), one billion colours and True Tone; standard glass or optional nano-texture glass | P3 colour gamut; Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in this model's specification sheet |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 2 | Up to 2 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD | FaceTime HD |
| Back ports | 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. | Four USB 3 ports, two Thunderbolt 2 ports with Mini DisplayPort output, SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 3.5 mm headphone and optical digital audio output; Kensington lock slot. HDMI, DVI, VGA and dual-link DVI require separately sold adapters. |
| External displays | 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. | Built-in display at full native resolution alongside up to two 4096 × 2160 displays, or one 5120 × 2880 dual-cable display; extended desktop and video mirroring |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers | Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone |
| Microphones | Three-mic array with directional beamforming; supports Hey Siri | Dual microphones |
| Keyboard and mouse | Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad | Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Trackpad 2 with Force Touch |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 8.92 kg (better) | 9.54 kg |
| 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. A built-in VESA mount version was also available. | Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration. 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 |
| Noise | – | Apple's 3.3 GHz Core i5, 8 GB, 2 TB Fusion Drive and Radeon M395 test configuration: operator-position sound pressure 15.5 dB at idle, wireless web and hard-drive seek |
| Materials | Recyclable, low-carbon aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight | Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass; mercury-free LED backlight |
| In the box | iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead, Lightning to USB cable and polishing cloth | iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable |
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