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

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

	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)	AppleiMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Mid 2015)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2014	May 2015
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core i5-4690 or Intel Core i7-4790K	Intel Core i5-4590
CPU cores
CPU cores	4	4
CPU threads
CPU threads	4 or 8	4
Graphics
Graphics	AMD Radeon R9 M290X (2 GB GDDR5) or AMD Radeon R9 M295X (4 GB GDDR5)	AMD Radeon R9 M290 (2 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	Fixed 3.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5-4590 with Turbo Boost up to 3.7 GHz; exact chip identified in Macworld and The Register's tests. Apple's configure-to-order section is headed 3.5 GHz and repeats options from the higher model; those processor options are excluded from this entry.
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 M290 with 2 GB GDDR5; the higher model's M290X and optional M295X are outside this configuration
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	1600 MHz DDR3; 8 GB (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)	1 TB 7200-rpm hard drive, configurable to 3 TB hard drive, 1 TB or 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
Display type
Display type	27-inch Retina 5K display with IPS technology and support for millions of colours	27-inch 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.	–
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 1
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, headphone and optical digital audio output; Kensington lock slot. 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 native resolution alongside one external display up to 3840 × 2160; 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	Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse; optional Magic Trackpad
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 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 and glass enclosure; arsenic-free display 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 with Retina 5K display, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Yosemite and built-in creative and productivity apps	iMac with Retina 5K display, Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse and power lead; OS X Yosemite