Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)

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iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) compared with iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)

	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2014	October 2015
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-4690 or Intel Core i7-4790K	Intel Core i5-6500, Intel Core i7-6700K or Intel Core i5-6600
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	4 or 8	4 or 8
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon R9 M290X (2 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon R9 M295X (4 GB GDDR5)	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
Memory	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB
Storage
Storage	256 GB to 3 TB	256 GB to 3 TB
CPU
CPU	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	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
GPU	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	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
Memory type	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	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
Storage type	1 TB Fusion Drive as standard; optional 3 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB flash storage (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
Screen size	27″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	5120 × 2880	5120 × 2880
Panel
Panel	IPS LCD	IPS LCD
Display type
Display type	27-inch Retina 5K display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours	LED-backlit Retina 5K display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours
Display features
Display features	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.	P3 colour gamut; Apple does not publish brightness or refresh rate in this model's specification sheet
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	Up to 2 (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11ac	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0
Camera
Camera	FaceTime HD	FaceTime HD
Back ports
Back ports	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.	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
External displays	Built-in display at native resolution alongside one external display up to 3840 × 2160; extended desktop and video mirroring	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
Speakers	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone	Stereo speakers; supports Apple iPhone headset with microphone
Microphones
Microphones	Dual microphones	Dual microphones
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; optional Magic Trackpad	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Trackpad 2 with Force Touch
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	9.54 kg	9.54 kg
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. 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
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	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
Materials	Recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display glass and mercury-free LED backlight	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free display glass; mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	iMac with Retina 5K display, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Yosemite and built-in creative and productivity apps	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable