The New 2011
Apple iMacs

The 2011 iMac spring update is running the new Sandy Bridge Intel processors, also known as the second generation of the "i" CPUs.

The July 2010 iMac update was running the first generation of these systems, and only saw a quad-core option on the the high-end 27-inch model.

The latest release sees all four iterations of the 2011 iMacs sporting i5 quad-core processors in their most basic configurations with the higher priced 21.5-inch and 27-inch models being upgradeable to i7 options. The i3 processor has been completely eliminated from the lineup this time around.

Performance

New Intel Core i5 and i7 processors

Up to 1.7x faster
at the core compared to previous iMacs
New quad-core Intel Core i5 processors are standard on the new iMac.The 21.5-inch iMac are powered by a 2.5GHz or 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, whereas the 27-inch iMac feature a 2.7GHz or 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5.
Upgradable to Intel i7 for the 27-inch models

8GB / 16GB
*upgradable up to 8GB / 16GB
RAM Memory
The new iMacs come with 4GB (two 2GB) of 1333MHz DDR3 memory

Graphics

21.5-inch iMac
LED-backlit glossy widescreen TFT display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels
27-inch iMac
LED-backlit glossy widescreen TFT display with a resolution of 2560 by 1440 pixels

2.5GHz quad-core
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
2.7GHz quad-core
AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
2.7GHz quad-core
AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics processor with 512MB of GDDR5 memory
3.1GHz quad-core
AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics processor with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
* Configurable to AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 2GB GDDR5

The graphics cards got a significant upgrade in the 2011 iMac spring update to the 6000-series AMD Radeon HD chips.

Storage

21.5-inch iMac

500GB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)
1TB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)

* Configurable to 2TB hard drive or 256GB solid-state second drive

27-inch iMac

1TB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)

* Configurable to 2TB hard drive or 256GB solid-state second drive

Thunderbolt

Intel's latest high-speed connector is commonly known as "Light Peak", but when Apple introduced it in its last MacBook Pro update, they changed the name to Thunderbolt.

Transfer Speeds

10 Gb

per second

2 x Faster

compared to USB 3.0's 4.8 GB per second

The 2011 iMac spring update features one of these ports on the 21.5-inch models, and two of them on the 27-inch models.

FaceTime

720p HD
The new FaceTime HD camera lets you make FaceTime video calls in 720p resolution.

Pricing

21.5-inch iMac

$1199
2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache
$1499
2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache
* Configurable to 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7

27-inch iMac

$1699
2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache
$1999
3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 6MB on-chip shared L3 cache
* Configurable to 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7

The New 2011Apple iMacs

Performance

New Intel Core i5 and i7 processors

Up to 1.7x faster

at the core compared to previous iMacs

8GB / 16GB

*upgradable up to 8GB / 16GB

RAM Memory

Graphics

21.5-inch iMac

27-inch iMac

2.5GHz quad-core

2.7GHz quad-core

2.7GHz quad-core

3.1GHz quad-core

Storage

21.5-inch iMac

500GB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)

1TB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)

27-inch iMac

1TB Hard Drive (7200 rpm)

Thunderbolt

10 Gb

per second

2 x Faster

compared to USB 3.0's 4.8 GB per second

FaceTime

720p HD

Pricing

21.5-inch iMac

$1199

$1499

27-inch iMac

$1699

$1999

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The New 2011
Apple iMacs