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Aluminum iMac Q&A (Aluminum iMac FAQ)
With the "Aluminum" iMac Q&A you can get answers to all of your questions about the Intel-based iMac models that use aluminum and black plastic cases. Questions range from "How do the 'Late 2009' Aluminum iMac models compare to the 'Early 2009' models that preceded them?" to "How do you upgrade the RAM in the Aluminum iMac models? How much RAM of what type do these systems support?" and everything in between.
Please note that the "Late 2009" iMac models currently are shipping and earlier models are discontinued. This Q&A covers Aluminum iMac models both current and discontinued.
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The answers to some of these questions may no longer be up-to-date. Please refer to the date published, updated, or revised.
Most Frequently Asked Aluminum iMac Q&As:
How do you upgrade the RAM in the Aluminum iMac models? How much RAM of what type do these systems support?
How do the "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models compare to the "Early 2009" models that preceded them?
How much faster are the 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo-powered "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models than the "Early 2009" models?
Can you wall mount the Aluminum iMac models? Are they VESA compliant?
What are the differences between the "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models?
How does the display quality of the 21.5-Inch and 27-Inch "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models compare to previous Aluminum iMac models?
How do you upgrade the hard drive in the Aluminum iMac models? What type of hard drive do they support?
What are the differences between the displays used in the Intel-based "Aluminum" and "White" iMac models? What is the viewable angle and the brightness of each?
Is it possible to upgrade the processor in the Aluminum iMac models?
What are the "pros and cons" of the Aluminum iMac models? Is one right for my needs?
Software Compatibility Q&As:
What version of MacOS X is pre-installed on the Aluminum iMac models?
Can the Aluminum iMac models run MacOS 9/Classic applications?
Can the Aluminum iMac models run Windows?
Can the Aluminum iMac models run Linux?
Comparison & Performance Q&As (Current - Late 2009 Alum.):
What are the differences between the "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models?
How do the "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models compare to the "Early 2009" models that preceded them?
How does the performance of the high-end Core i5/Core i7-powered "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac compare to the entry-level "Early 2009/Nehalem" Mac Pro? Is there still a reason to consider a Mac Pro over an iMac?
How much faster are the high-end Core i5/Core i7-powered "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models than the Core 2 Duo powered models? How much faster are these models than the "Early 2009" models replaced?
How much faster are the 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo-powered "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models than the "Early 2009" models?
How does the gaming performance of the "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models compare to earlier Aluminum iMac models? How much faster are the graphics?
How does the display quality of the 21.5-Inch and 27-Inch "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models compare to previous Aluminum iMac models?
What are the differences between the displays used in the Intel-based "Aluminum" and "White" iMac models? What is the viewable angle and the brightness of each?
Comparison & Performance Q&As (Disc. - Early 2009 Alum.):
What are the differences between the "Early 2009" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models?
How do the "Early 2009" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models compare to the "Early 2008/Penryn" models that preceded them?
What are the differences between the education-only "Early 2009" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo and the "White" model it replaced?
What are the differences between the education-only "Early 2009" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo and the "regular" 20-Inch "Early 2009" iMac?
How much faster are the "Early 2009" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models than the "Early 2008" models?
How does the gaming performance of the "Early 2009" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models compare to earlier Aluminum iMac models? How much faster are the graphics?
Are the "glossy" displays used by the 20-Inch and 24-Inch Aluminum iMac models better or worse than the displays used in the previous White iMac models?
What are the differences between the displays used in the Intel-based "Aluminum" and "White" iMac models? What is the viewable angle and the brightness of each?
Comparison & Performance Q&As (Disc. - Early 2008 Alum.):
What are the differences between the "Early 2008/Penryn" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models?
How do the "Early 2008/Penryn" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models compare to the original Aluminum models that preceded them?
How much faster are the "Early 2008/Penryn" Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models than the original Aluminum models?
Are the "glossy" displays used by the 20-Inch and 24-Inch Aluminum iMac models better or worse than the displays used in the previous White iMac models?
What are the differences between the displays used in the Intel-based "Aluminum" and "White" iMac models? What is the viewable angle and the brightness of each?
Comparison & Performance Q&As (Disc. - Orig. Alum.):
What are the differences between the original Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo models?
How do the original "Aluminum" iMac Core 2 Duo models compare to the "White" iMac Core 2 Duo models that preceded them?
How much faster are the original "Aluminum" iMac Core 2 Duo models than the previous "White" iMac Core 2 Duo models?
Are the "glossy" displays used by the 20-Inch and 24-Inch Aluminum iMac models better or worse than the displays used in the previous White iMac models?
What are the differences between the displays used in the Intel-based "Aluminum" and "White" iMac models? What is the viewable angle and the brightness of each?
Expansion Q&As:
How do you upgrade the RAM in the Aluminum iMac models? How much RAM of what type do these systems support?
How do you upgrade the hard drive in the Aluminum iMac models? What type of hard drive do they support?
Is it possible to upgrade the processor in the Aluminum iMac models?
What type of video processor is provided by the Aluminum iMac systems? Is it upgradable?
Do the Aluminum iMac models have PCI slots or expansion bays?
What are the capabilities of the optical drive provided by the Aluminum iMac models?
Display Q&As:
Are the "glossy" displays used by the 20-Inch and 24-Inch Aluminum iMac models better or worse than the displays used in the previous White iMac models?
How does the display quality of the 21.5-Inch and 27-Inch "Late 2009" Aluminum iMac models compare to previous Aluminum iMac models?
What are the differences between the displays used in the Intel-based "Aluminum" and "White" iMac models? What is the viewable angle and the brightness of each?
What does "nits" mean as a unit of brightness? How does "nits" compare to "cd/m"?
What type of video processor is provided by the Aluminum iMac systems? Is it upgradable?
Do the Aluminum iMac models support dual displays? What is the maximum resolution for an external display?
Can you wall mount the Aluminum iMac models? Are they VESA compliant?
File Transfer, Networking, & Communication Q&As:
How can I transfer files from my old Mac to my Aluminum iMac?
Do the Aluminum iMac models support 802.11n?
What is is 802.11n? How is it different from 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a?
How does the "ultra thin" keyboard provided with the Aluminum iMac models compare to a more traditional desktop keyboard? How does it feel?
Design, Configuration, & Purchasing Q&As:
Who designed the Aluminum iMac?
Where can I buy an Aluminum iMac model?
What are the default configurations? What custom configurations are available?
What are the "pros and cons" of the Aluminum iMac models? Is one right for my needs?
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