Apple iMac 21.5-inch (2.5GHz, spring 2011) comparison

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Product name	Apple iMac 21.5-inch (2.5GHz, spring 2011) Close	Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2.7GHz, fall 2012) Close	Apple iMac Close	Apple iMac (21.5-inch, 2.9GHz, fall 2012) Close	Apple iMac 27-inch (3.1GHz, spring 2011) Close
Price	$2,370 at 1 store	$1,199 to $1,722 at 8 stores	$1,849 to $1,999 at 7 stores	$1,399 to $1,499 at 7 stores	$1,599 to $4,209 at 2 stores
CNET editors' rating	3.5 stars Very good Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)	3.5 stars Very good Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)	4.0 stars Excellent Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)	3.5 stars Very good Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)	4.0 stars Excellent Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
Average user rating	4.0 stars out of 26 reviews	3.0 stars out of 6 reviews	3.5 stars out of 3 reviews	1.0 stars out of 1 review	4.0 stars out of 60 reviews
Release date	May 03, 2011	November 29, 2012	September 11, 2012	November 29, 2012	May 03, 2011
The Bottom Line	Apple's $1,199 iMac doesn't offer the same home entertainment features as Windows-based all-in-ones, but its speed, looks, and the future utility of its Thunderbolt port make it a strong choice for performance-sensitive professionals.	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.	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.	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.	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.
Basic specs
Features	See What's the Same or What's different
Audio Output	Integrated - Stereo	Integrated - Stereo	Integrated - Stereo	Integrated - Stereo	Integrated - Stereo
Type	Personal computer	Personal computer	Personal computer	Personal computer	Personal computer
Video Memory	512 MB GDDR5 SDRAM	512 MB GDDR5 SDRAM	512 MB GDDR5 SDRAM	512 MB GDDR5 SDRAM	1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM
Product Description	Apple iMac iMac (spring 2011) - Core i5 2.5 GHz - Monitor : LED 21.5 in	Apple iMac iMac (fall 2012) - 3rd Gen Core i5 2.7 GHz - Monitor : LED 21.5 in	Apple iMac iMac (fall 2012) - 3rd Gen Core i5 3.2 GHz 27 in - Monitor : LED	Apple iMac - Core i5 2.9 GHz - Monitor : LED 21.5 in	Apple iMac iMac (spring 2011) - Core i5 3.1 GHz - Monitor : LED 27 in
Storage Controller	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )	Serial ATA ( Serial ATA-300 )
Optical Storage (2nd)	None	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	None
Optical Storage	DVD±RW (±R DL)	None	None	None	DVD±RW (±R DL)
Processor	1 x Intel Core i5 2.5 GHz ( Quad-Core )	Intel 3rd Gen Core i5 1 3 2.7 GHz ( 3.2 GHz ) ( Quad-Core )	Intel 3rd Gen Core i5 3.2 GHz ( Quad-Core ) 1 3 ( 3.6 GHz )	1 x Intel Core i5 3 2.9 GHz ( 3.6 GHz ) ( Quad-Core )	1 x Intel Core i5 3.1 GHz ( Quad-Core )
RAM	4 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz - PC3-10600	8 GB (installed) / 16 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1600 MHz	8 GB 32 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1600 MHz	8 GB (installed) / 16 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1600 MHz	4 GB (installed) / 16 GB (max) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz - PC3-10600
Cache Memory	6 MB L3 cache	6 MB L3 cache	6 MB L3 cache	6 MB L3 cache	6 MB L3 cache
Dimensions (WxDxH)	20.8 in x 7.4 in x 17.8 in	20.8 in x 6.9 in x 17.7 in	25.6 in x 8 in x 20.3 in	20.8 in x 6.9 in x 17.7 in	25.6 in x 8.1 in x 20.4 in
Hard Drive (3rd)	None	None	None	None	None
Weight	20.5 lbs	12.5 lbs	21 lbs	12.5 lbs	30.4 lbs
Monitor	21.5 in - LED - 1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )	21.5 in - LED - 1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )	27 in LED - 2560 x 1440	21.5 in - LED - 1920 x 1080 ( Full HD )	27 in - LED - 2560 x 1440 - 16:9
Hard Drive	1 x HDD 500 GB - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA	1 x HDD 1 TB - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA	1 TB 1 x HDD - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA	1 x HDD 1 TB - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA	1 x HDD 1 TB - Serial ATA-300 - Serial ATA
Packaged Quantity	1	1	1	1	1
Graphics Controller	AMD Radeon HD 6750M	NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX	NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M	AMD Radeon HD 6970M
Storage Removable	None	None	None	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	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	Bluetooth 2.1 EDR 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	All-in-one	All-in-one	All-in-one
Operating System	Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion	Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion	Apple Mac OS X Mountain Lion	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 $1,199.99 In stock: Yes Buy direct from Apple Inc. $1,299.00 In stock: Yes J&R Music and Computer World $1,199.95 In stock: Yes Prices from 6 CNET Certified stores	B&H Photo-Video $1,849.99 In stock: Yes Buy direct from Apple Inc. $1,999.00 In stock: Yes J&R Music and Computer World $1,869.95 In stock: Yes Prices from 6 CNET Certified stores	Buy direct from Apple Inc. $1,499.00 In stock: Yes B&H Photo-Video $1,399.99 In stock: Yes J&R Music and Computer World $1,399.00 In stock: Yes Prices from 6 CNET Certified stores	Buy direct from Apple Inc. $1,599.00 In stock: Yes Price from 1 CNET Certified store
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