Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, spring 2011) comparison

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Product name	Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, spring 2011) Close	Apple iMac Close	Dell XPS One 27 (Windows 8) Close	Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2.7GHz, fall 2012) Close	Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2.9GHz, fall 2012) Close
Price	$4,209 at 1 store	$1,899 to $2,024 at 7 stores		$1,224 to $1,299 at 7 stores	$1,399 to $1,722 at 7 stores
CNET editors' rating	4.0 stars Excellent Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)	4.0 stars Excellent Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)	4.0 stars Excellent Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)	3.5 stars Very good Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)	3.5 stars Very good Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)
Average user rating	4.0 stars out of 60 reviews	3.5 stars out of 2 reviews	2.5 stars out of 6 reviews	3.0 stars out of 6 reviews	1.0 stars out of 1 review
Release date	May 03, 2011	September 11, 2012	October 12, 2012	November 29, 2012	November 29, 2012
The Bottom Line	We recommend Apple's new 27-inch iMac to digital media editors and others with serious performance needs on the strength of its impressive speed, its connected device potential, and its market-leading 27-inch display.	Apple sticks to the fundamentals with the new iMac, relying on design, strong features, and overall polish to maintain its leadership among high-end all-in-ones.	Updated with a touch screen, a new stand, and up-to-date components, the Dell XPS One 27 leads the inaugural class of Windows 8 PCs.	The 21.5-inch iMac will be a compelling lower-cost all-in-one for Mac loyalists, but you can get more capabilities from similarly priced Windows all-in-ones.	The 21.5-inch iMac will be a compelling lower-cost all-in-one for Mac loyalists, but you can get more capabilities from similarly priced Windows all-in-ones.
Basic specs
Features	See What's the Same or What's different
Audio Output	Integrated - Stereo	Integrated - Stereo	Info unavailable	Integrated - Stereo	Integrated - Stereo
Type	Personal computer	Personal computer	Info unavailable	Personal computer	Personal computer
Video Memory	1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM	512 MB GDDR5 SDRAM	Info unavailable	512 MB GDDR5 SDRAM	512 MB GDDR5 SDRAM
Product Description	Apple iMac iMac (spring 2011) - Core i5 3.1 GHz - Monitor : LED 27 in	Apple iMac iMac (fall 2012) - 3rd Gen Core i5 3.2 GHz 27 in - Monitor : LED	- 3rd Gen Core i5 3450s 3.5 GHz 27 in	Apple iMac iMac (fall 2012) - 3rd Gen Core i5 2.7 GHz - Monitor : LED 21.5 in	Apple iMac - Core i5 2.9 GHz - Monitor : LED 21.5 in
Storage Controller	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )	Info unavailable	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )
Optical Storage (2nd)	None	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable
Optical Storage	DVD±RW (±R DL)	None	8X Slot Load CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-R Drive)	None	None
Processor	1 x Intel Core i5 3.1 GHz ( Quad-Core )	Intel 3rd Gen Core i5 3.2 GHz ( Quad-Core ) 1 3 ( 3.6 GHz )	Intel 3rd Gen Core i5 3450s / 3.5 GHz	Intel 3rd Gen Core i5 1 3 2.7 GHz ( 3.2 GHz ) ( Quad-Core )	1 x Intel Core i5 3 2.9 GHz ( 3.6 GHz ) ( Quad-Core )
RAM	4 GB (installed) / 16 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz - PC3-10600	8 GB 32 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1600 MHz	6 GB DDR3 SDRAM	8 GB (installed) / 16 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1600 MHz	8 GB (installed) / 16 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1600 MHz
Cache Memory	6 MB L3 cache	6 MB L3 cache	Info unavailable	6 MB L3 cache	6 MB L3 cache
Dimensions (WxDxH)	25.6 in x 8.1 in x 20.4 in	25.6 in x 8 in x 20.3 in	Info unavailable	20.8 in x 6.9 in x 17.7 in	20.8 in x 6.9 in x 17.7 in
Hard Drive (3rd)	None	None	Info unavailable	None	None
Weight	30.4 lbs	21 lbs	Info unavailable	12.5 lbs	12.5 lbs
Monitor	27 in - LED - 2560 x 1440 - 16:9	27 in LED - 2560 x 1440	27 in	21.5 in - LED - 1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )	21.5 in - LED - 1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )
Hard Drive	1 x HDD 1 TB - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA	1 TB 1 x HDD - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA	1 TB	1 x HDD 1 TB - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA	1 x HDD 1 TB - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA
Packaged Quantity	1	1	Info unavailable	1	1
Graphics Controller	AMD Radeon HD 6970M	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX	nVidia GeForce GT 640M 2GB GDDR5	NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M	NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
Storage Removable	None	None	Info unavailable	None	None
Networking	Bluetooth 2.1 EDR IEEE 802.11a Fast Ethernet Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11g	Bluetooth 4.0 IEEE 802.11a Fast Ethernet Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11g	Info unavailable	Bluetooth 4.0 IEEE 802.11a Fast Ethernet Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11g	Bluetooth 4.0 IEEE 802.11a Fast Ethernet Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11g
Product Form Factor	All-in-one	All-in-one	Info unavailable	All-in-one	All-in-one
Operating System	Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion	Apple Mac OS X Mountain Lion	Microsoft Windows 8	Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion	Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion
Full specifications	Full specifications	Full specifications	Full specifications	Full specifications	Full specifications
Buying choices	Prices from 0 CNET Certified stores	B&H Photo-Video $1,899.00 In stock: Yes Buy direct from Apple Inc. $1,999.00 In stock: Yes Abt Electronics $1,999.00 In stock: Yes Prices from 6 CNET Certified stores	E-mail me when this product is available Find Dell XPS One 27 (Windows 8) from our auction partner, eBay	B&H Photo-Video $1,224.95 In stock: Yes Buy direct from Apple Inc. $1,299.00 In stock: Yes Abt Electronics $1,259.00 In stock: Yes Prices from 6 CNET Certified stores	B&H Photo-Video $1,399.99 In stock: Yes Buy direct from Apple Inc. $1,499.00 In stock: Yes Abt Electronics $1,429.00 In stock: Yes Prices from 5 CNET Certified stores
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