How to find out which Mac you have: version, age and serial number

How to find out which Mac you have: version, age and serial number

There are lots of reasons why you might need to identify which Mac you have. Perhaps you are planning to sell a used Mac and you want find out what its worth. If you are selling your Mac, youll also want to be able to accurately let the buyer know what they're getting. Maybe you are the one buying a second-hand Mac and you want to check that you arent about to purchase an antique model that wont have the power to deal with your day to day tasks. Alternatively, you may be wondering if you should update the operating system and want to be sure that the latest version of macOS wont break your computer. In this article we will help you find out the model number and age of a Mac, plus how to tell what processor your Mac has, and how to check how much RAM is inside your Mac. Apple makes six types of Mac, although within each of those categories there can be big differences in terms of screen size and processor power.

 There are three types of Mac laptop: And there are three types of Mac desktop: There are a number of key differences between these Mac models. To find out more about the different Macs Apple makes read our . Theres an easy way to identify exactly which Mac or MacBook you have: However, if you dont have access to the Mac in question and you cant access the Apple menu, you should be able to determine which Mac model it is if you follow this guide: It you up the Mac laptop you will see the name of the model printed on the black bar below the screen. Thats as long as you dont have a MacBook Pro from between 2012 and 2016 Apple removed the name from the bezel for a number of years, but the name returned in later models. Another way to distinguish is the screen quality the MacBook Air, and some older models of the MacBook Pro do not have Retina displays. Retina displays have more pixels for a superior image.

The MacBook is currently Apples smallest and lightest Mac (although in the past the 11in MacBook Air was even lighter but Apple doesnt sell that any more). The current MacBook Pro is only a little thicker than the MacBook and MacBook Air but previous generations have been considerably bigger and heavier. The current line of MacBook comes in four colours: Rose Gold, Gold, Space Grey and Silver, while the MacBook Air is only available in silver. The MacBook Pro currently comes in Space Grey or Silver. The MacBook only has one port a USB-C port which you use to charge as well as for plugging in peripherals. The MacBook Air has a MagSafe port, two USB 3 ports, Headphone jack, SDXC card slot, and Thunderbolt 2. The MacBook Pro has two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports (depending on whether it is 13or 15-inch), and a headphone jack. Some newer MacBook Pro models feature a Touch Bar strip above the keyboard.

The iMac is the only desktop Mac that comes with a built in screen. There are two screen sizes currently 21.5in or 27in, but in the past the iMac has come in all shapes and sizes. In recent years most of the iMacs sold have a Retina display, these are very good quality screens that offer up to 5120x2880 resolution with support for 1 billion colours. Some 21.5-inch iMacs still have standard displays, though. As we said above, the iMac currently comes in two different sizes: 21.5in and 27in. (That measurement is the diagonal measurement of the screen in inches.) If your iMac was manufactured before 2009 it may have a smaller 20or 24-inch screen, and if you go even further back in time there were 15and 17-inch iMacs. Before that there as the old CRT display (and if thats what you are looking at you practically have an antique!) As the iMac design has evolved the iMac has got thinner. Since 2015 the screen on iMac models has been about 5mm thick, so if its thicker than that your iMac is older. The Mac mini is Apples most compact Mac, with current models measuring 20cm by 20cm, and about 3.5cm high (older models were a little larger). If you are looking at the current generation of Mac Pro its about 25cm high.

Older Mac Pro models were about twice as tall. The iMac is currently encased in aluminium and has been since 2007. If your iMac is white (or any other shade of plastic), its much older. When Apple introduced the Mac mini in 2005 it was white and silver, the design didnt change significantly until 2010 when it got an all aluminium case, and again in 2011 when it lost the SuperDrive. The Mac Pro has a design overhaul back in 2013, and its due another one soon. If you have a Mac thats black and looks a little like a trash can, then you have the current generation of Mac Pro. If its an aluminium box with a cheese-grater front then its one of the models with Intel inside, that Apple launched between 2006 and 2012.

If its got a plastic case then you have a pre-Intel Mac Pro. Current editions of the iMac have a good collection of ports, including SDXC card slot, USB 3, Thunderbolt 3/USB-C, and Gigabit Ethernet. Models from before 2017 will have the older Thunderbolt standard instead of Thunderbolt 3. The current Mac mini has two Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, HDMI, SDXC, and ethernet. The only real difference in terms of ports is that much older Mac mini models may have a optical drive slot on the front. If yours does it must date from before 2011.

If you know the model number (or model identifier) and the processor speed, you generally have all the information you need to identify your Mac model. Heres how to find the model number of your Mac, you can find this by following these instructions: However, note that the model identifier can be shared by more than one Mac, so you will need more information to confidently identify the Mac in question. Finding out the age of a Mac is an important step towards uncovering the details of the components Apple used inside it.

Once you know when the Mac in question was launched (which isnt necessarily when it was purchased) you can find out which generation of processor is inside as well as other information that may help you determine whether its better of worse than another Mac. That date is when that particular generation of Mac launched. It may be that the Mac was manufactured and purchased some time after that date, so it may not be that old physically.

For example, you can buy a new MacBook Air right now, but that model is essentially the same as the one that launched in 2015. The important thing is that once you know the launch date, you can find out information about the processor and other components inside it, as we explain below. Redirect: https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac/how-check-specs-of-your-mac-specifications-3594298/ 4,613 There are many reasons why you might need to know your Mac's specifications. Perhaps you're thinking of buying a new game, app or accessory and you want to check whether it's compatible or whether your Mac has enough power to run it. Whatever the reason, there's a quick and easy way to find out all of your Macs specs: While the About This Mac window will reveal some details about your processor, e.g. 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5.

It wont reveal which generation processor is inside your Mac, e.g. Broadwell, Haswell, Kaby Lake. If you want to find out which generation of Intel processor is inside the Mac in question (or, if the Mac is really old whether its an Intel processor or a PowerPC), Apple doesnt make it easy for you. This makes it difficult to compare different generations of Mac, because one 3.2GHz processor isnt necessarily the same as another 3.2GHz processor if one is two generations older than the other there could be a big difference in performance. To discover which generation of processor is inside the Mac you need to find out the following from About This Mac: Once you have this information, visit for their comprehensive list of all Mac processors.

If you want to find out how different processors compare, read As before, you can check how much RAM your Mac has by following these steps: We have a . There are a few reasons why you may need to find your Macs serial number. It could be to get help with a technical issue, to find out whether the Mac has been recalled due to a known fault, or in the unfortunate circumstances of having your Mac stolen. The location of your serial number is determined by the Mac model and we have a .

Youll also find your serial number if you click on the Apple Menu > About This Mac as above. Do not fret, we thought about you too! Every Mac, be it laptop or desktop computer, has a factory sticker indicating its model number and serial number. Another way to find the model and serial number of your Mac is to also check the original packaging or the original receipt/invoice -that's to say, if you still have them!