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Aluminum iMac Q&A - Revised May 3, 2008

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How do the original "Aluminum" iMac Core 2 Duo models compare to the "White" iMac Core 2 Duo models that preceded them?

Please note that all models mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The original "Aluminum" iMac Core 2 Duo systems were replaced by the "Early 2008/Penryn Aluminum" iMac Core 2 Duo line.

Perhaps the most major difference between the original "Aluminum" iMac Core 2 Duo models and the "White" iMac Core 2 Duo models that preceded them is readily apparent with even a quick glance at the systems. The "Aluminum" models use aluminum cases and have a glass cover that "joins precisely to the aluminum enclosure creating a virtually seamless front surface" over a "glossy" display -- compared to white plastic cases and "matte" displays used by the previous systems.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

Connectivity between the models in each line is quite different as well. All models have three USB 2.0 ports on the systems themselves, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR -- with the exception of the iMac "Core 2 Duo" 1.83 17-Inch (IG) -- Gigabit Ethernet, and mini-DVI.

However, the original "Aluminum" systems have AirPort Extreme (802.11n) enabled by default and the "White" systems, with the exception of the iMac "Core 2 Duo" 1.83 17-Inch (IG), which doesn't support 802.11n at all, only support 802.11n after a software update. The "Aluminum" iMac Core 2 Duo models all have one Firewire "400" and one Firewire "800" port, just like the "White" iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 24-Inch, but the rest of the "White" iMac "Core 2 Duo" models have two Firewire "400" ports and lack a Firewire "800" port. All of the Intel-based iMac systems have a built-in iSight camera, but the one included with the "Aluminum" models is an unadvertised higher resolution model (1280x1024 compared to 640x480 on the previous models).

Internal differences between the original "Aluminum" models and the earlier "White" models are at least as substantial as the external ones. Some "Aluminum" systems have faster processors than their predecessors, but all have a faster "Santa Rosa" motherboard design with an 800 MHz frontside bus (up from 667 MHz), additional RAM capacity (4 GB compared to 2 GB or 3 GB), and different video systems.

Additionally, the keyboard included with the "Aluminum" models also has two USB 2.0 ports compared to USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard that shipped with the previous systems. The "Aluminum" models also have a low-end introductory price of US$1199 compared to US$999 for the replaced models.

The major configuration differences between the original "Aluminum" models and the "White" model that each immediately replaced are summarized below for your convenience. Please refer to the specs page for the model of interest for complete details.

iMac "Core 2 Duo" 1.83 17" (White) 2.0 20" (Aluminum)
Processor Type: 1.83 GHz "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 GHz "Core 2 Duo"
Intel Model No: T5600 T7300
Frontside Bus: 667 MHz 800 MHz
L2 Cache: 2 MB 4 MB
Hard Drive: 160 GB 250 GB
Standard RAM: 512 MB 1 GB
Maximum RAM: 2 GB 4 GB
Video System: Intel GMA 950 ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT
Video Memory: 64 MB 128 MB
Display Size: 17-Inch 20-Inch
Native Resolution: 1440x900 1680x1050
Optical Drive: DVD/CD-RW 4X DL Write SuperDrive
AirPort Extreme: 802.11a/b/g 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR: No Yes
Firewire 400/800: 400 (2), 800 (None) 400 (1), 800 (1)
Apple Model No: MA710LL MA876LL
Original Price: US$999 US$1199

iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.0 17" (White) 2.4 20" (Aluminum)
Processor Type: 2.0 GHz "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 GHz "Core 2 Duo"
Intel Model No: T7200 T7700
Frontside Bus: 667 MHz 800 MHz
L2 Cache: 4 MB 4 MB
Hard Drive: 160 GB 320 GB
Standard RAM: 1 GB 1 GB
Maximum RAM: 3 GB 4 GB
Video System: ATI Radeon X1600 ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO
Video Memory: 128 MB 256 MB
Display Size: 17-Inch 20-Inch
Native Resolution: 1440x900 1680x1050
Optical Drive: 2.4X DL Write SuperDrive 4X DL Write SuperDrive
AirPort Extreme: 802.11a/b/g/n* 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR: Yes Yes
Firewire 400/800: 400 (2), 800 (None) 400 (1), 800 (1)
Apple Model No: MA590LL MA877LL
Original Price: US$1199 US$1499

iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 20" (White) 2.4 24" (Aluminum)
Processor Type: 2.16 GHz "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 GHz "Core 2 Duo"
Intel Model No: T7400 T7700
Frontside Bus: 667 MHz 800 MHz
L2 Cache: 4 MB 4 MB
Hard Drive: 250 GB 320 GB
Standard RAM: 1 GB 1 GB
Maximum RAM: 3 GB 4 GB
Video System: ATI Radeon X1600 ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO
Video Memory: 128 MB 256 MB
Display Size: 20-Inch 24-Inch
Native Resolution: 1680x1050 1920x1200
Optical Drive: 2.4X DL Write SuperDrive 4X DL Write SuperDrive
AirPort Extreme: 802.11a/b/g/n* 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR: Yes Yes
Firewire 400/800: 400 (2), 800 (None) 400 (1), 800 (1)
Apple Model No: MA589LL MA878LL
Original Price: US$1499 US$1799

iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.16 24" (White) 2.8 24" (Aluminum)
Processor Type: 2.16 GHz "Core 2 Duo" 2.8 GHz "Core 2 Extreme"
Intel Model No: T7400 X7900
Frontside Bus: 667 MHz 800 MHz
L2 Cache: 4 MB 4 MB
Hard Drive: 250 GB 500 GB
Standard RAM: 1 GB 2 GB
Maximum RAM: 3 GB 4 GB
Video System: NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO
Video Memory: 128 MB 256 MB
Display Size: 24-Inch 24-Inch
Native Resolution: 1920x1200 1920x1200
Optical Drive: 2.4X DL Write SuperDrive 4X DL Write SuperDrive
AirPort Extreme: 802.11a/b/g/n* 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR: Yes Yes
Firewire 400/800: 400 (1), 800 (1) 400 (1), 800 (1)
Apple Model No: MA456LL N/A
Original Price: US$1999 US$2299


* Enabler software required for 802.11n support.

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