Apple iMac (17-inch, Early 2006) vs Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, 2004)

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iMac (17-inch, Early 2006) compared with iMac G5 (17-inch, 2004)

	AppleiMac (17-inch, Early 2006)	AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, 2004)
Overview
Released
Released	January 2006	September 2004
Performance
Processor
Processor	Intel Core Duo T2400	IBM PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz (iMac 2004) or IBM PowerPC G5 1.8 GHz (iMac 2004)
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Radeon X1600 (128 MB GDDR3)	NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Memory
Memory	512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB	256 MB or 2 GB
Storage
Storage	160 GB to 250 GB (better)	80 GB to 160 GB
CPU
CPU	1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 with 2 MB shared L2 cache and 667 MHz system bus; exact identity confirmed by Ars Technica's tested unit	1.6 GHz PowerPC G5 with 533 MHz frontside bus and Combo drive, or 1.8 GHz with 600 MHz bus and SuperDrive; both have 512 KB on-chip L2 cache. Generic maker-clock chip records retain the single-core identity cross-checked with exact EveryMac sources; a silicon revision is not inferred.
GPU
GPU	ATI Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3; the maker's 256 MB upgrade applies only to the separate 20-inch model	NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 8x support.
Memory type
Memory type	Two SO-DIMM slots for PC2-5300 (667 MHz) DDR2 SDRAM; 512 MB standard as one module, expandable to 2 GB. The intermediate 1 GB factory option is documented by Sound On Sound's full exact-model review.	256 MB PC3200 (400 MHz) DDR SDRAM standard, expandable to 2 GB in two slots. Configurations conservatively list the published base and maker maximum.
Storage type
Storage type	160 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 250 GB in the maker's archived technical sheet; slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD burning. Sound On Sound also describes a 500 GB order option; omitted from configurations because the maker sheet only ties 500 GB to the 20-inch model.	80 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; The maker launch lists a 160 GB build-to-order option. The 1.6 GHz model uses a slot-loading Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW; the 1.8 GHz model uses SuperDrive DVD-R/CD-RW with 4x DVD-R writing. The launch press's generic 250 GB option is not paired with the 17-inch model without exact support.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	1440 × 900
Brightness
Brightness	250 nits (better)	200 nits
Display type
Display type	Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, millions of colours; typical contrast 500:1, viewing angles 140° horizontal and 120° vertical. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.	Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours and typical 350:1 contrast. Panel technology and refresh rate are not published in the exact maker sheet.
Display features
Display features	–	Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical.
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s (better)	0.1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 1	–
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11g; 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.0 + EDR	–
Camera
Camera	iSight camera	–
Back ports
Back ports	Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer and two USB 1.1 ports on its keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports sharing 8 W, mini-DVI, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical digital output and analogue audio line input	Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer, up to 480 Mbps, plus two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports with 8 W shared power, Mini-VGA, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, headphone/optical digital audio output and audio line-in. AirPort Extreme 802.11g card and internal Bluetooth module are optional, rather than standard.
External displays
External displays	One external display in extended desktop or mirroring mode; digital resolutions up to 1920 × 1200. DVI, VGA, S-video and composite adapters sold separately; analogue maximum omitted because the archived maker page gives an unresolved 2045 × 1536 figure.	Mini-VGA provides video mirroring on a VGA display or S-video/composite television through optional adapters. Output resolutions: 640 × 480 at 60 Hz, 800 × 600 at 75 Hz or 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone	Built-in stereo speakers, internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Apple Remote; optional wireless keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse and modem cable.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	–	8.4 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	426 × 173 × 430 mm	426 × 173 × 430 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker weight 15.5 pounds (7 kg), varying by configuration and manufacturing process; shared scalar weight omitted	Published metric size and reference weight; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 180 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase	100–120 V AC or 100–240 V AC depending on country of purchase, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 180 W.
In the box
In the box	iMac, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger and iLife '06, Front Row, Photo Booth, Microsoft Office 2004 Test Drive and iWork trial	Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, iLife ’04 and bundled productivity software, with Classic environment support. The retained specification lists the later iLife ’05 bundle. Apple announced the model on 31 August 2004 and stated worldwide shipping would begin in mid-September; the release field therefore retains September month precision.