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.

* Enabler software required for 802.11n support.

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