What are the differences between the "Early 2008/Penryn" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models?

Please note that all models mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. The "Early 2008/Penryn" iMac series was replaced by the "Early 2009" iMac series on March 3, 2009.

The "Early 2008/Penryn" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models use the same "elegant" aluminum cases as the original models and likewise have a glass cover that "joins precisely to the aluminum enclosure creating a virtually seamless front surface" with the entire computer tucked discreetly behind the flat-panel display.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

All the "Early 2008/Penryn" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models -- the iMac "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 20-Inch (08), 2.66 20-Inch (08), 2.8 24-Inch (08), and 3.06 24-Inch (08) -- have glossy displays, energy-efficient 45 nm "Penryn" Intel "Core 2 Duo" processors -- with two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip and a 6 MB shared level 2 cache -- a 1066 MHz system bus, and support for 4 GB of 800 MHz PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM.

These systems also share vertically mounted slot-loading DVD+R DL "SuperDrives," built-in iSight video cameras, three USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire "400" port, and a Firewire "800" port, built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, and mini-DVI. Each system has a 7200 RPM hard drive as well.

Additionally, like the original models, the "Early 2008/Penryn"Aluminum systems are paired with an "ultra-thin aluminum" Apple Keyboard (0.33 inches at the front edge) based on the polarizing keyboard design introduced with the MacBook.

All differences between the standard configurations of the systems are summarized in this handy chart:

† A 3.06 GHz "Core 2 Duo" processor also is available as a build-to-order upgrade for US$200.

†† The low-end configuration has an ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics processor, the middle two configurations have ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO graphics processors, and the high-end configuration has a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS graphics processor.

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