iMac Retina 4K, Mid-2017

The iMac "Core i7" 3.6 21.5-Inch Aluminum (Retina 4K, Mid-2017/Kaby Lake) is a "configure-to-order" version of the "Core i5" 3.0 or 3.4 21.5-Inch models, but is also documented separately for convenience. Besides the processor and its L3 cache, this model can be configured identically to its standard counterparts.

This iMac features a 14-nm "Kaby Lake" 3.6 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (7700) with four independent cores on a single chip and an 8 MB shared L3 cache. It includes 8 GB of 2400 MHz DDR4 SDRAM (reportedly onboard but actually upgradable), either a 1 TB hard drive or a 1 TB "Fusion" drive, and either a Radeon Pro 555 or 560 graphics processor with 2 GB or 4 GB of dedicated VRAM, respectively. A "FaceTime HD" webcam and stereo speakers are also integrated.

It sports a 21.5" 4096x2304 LED-backlit 16:9 widescreen IPS DCI-P3 "Retina 4K" display, running "pixel doubled" to appear as 2048x1152. The aluminum rear case tapers to a thin 5 mm at the edges. Connectivity includes four USB 3.0 ports, dual Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.2.

Compared to its predecessor, this model maintains a nearly identical external design but offers a more advanced processor and architecture, dedicated graphics, a brighter display, and modern Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports. The "Mid-2017" iMacs shipped with a compact aluminum Apple Magic Keyboard and "Magic Mouse 2". Upgrades were available for a "Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad" (US$30) and a "Magic Trackpad 2" (US$50), which added multi-touch and "Force Touch" capabilities.

As the top-tier build-to-order option for the 21.5-inch 4K model, this machine's Core i7 processor with Hyper-Threading significantly outpaced the Core i5 models in multi-threaded performance. [36] This difference was particularly evident in CPU-intensive tasks like 4K video editing and programming. The combination with Radeon Pro 560 graphics delivered very high performance within a compact chassis. [9] Although RAM was technically user-upgradable, the complexity of the process made it prudent to select sufficient capacity at the time of purchase. An upgrade to a Fusion Drive or SSD was also recommended, positioning this as a configuration for users seeking maximum performance.