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Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple iMac G3 (Early 2001)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiMac 24″ (M4)AppleiMac G3 (Early 2001)
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2024February 2001
Performance
ProcessorApple M4PowerPC G3 400 MHz (iMac), PowerPC G3 500 MHz (iMac) or PowerPC G3 600 MHz (iMac)
CPU cores8 or 101
Graphics8-core GPU or 10-core GPUATI RAGE 128 Pro (8 MB) or ATI RAGE 128 Ultra (16 MB)
AI engine (NPU)38 TOPS–
Memory16 GB, 24 GB or 32 GB64 MB, 128 MB or 1 GB
Storage256 GB to 2 TB10 GB to 40 GB
CPU8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores (two-port model), or 10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores (four-port models)400 MHz PowerPC G3 with 512 KB backside L2 cache at 160 MHz; 500 MHz and 600 MHz models have 256 KB on-chip L2 cache at processor speed. All use a 100 MHz system bus. Generic clock-only chip records do not infer silicon suppliers; cache differences remain in model details.
GPUHardware-accelerated ray tracing400 MHz configuration: ATI RAGE 128 Pro with 8 MB SDRAM. 500 MHz and 600 MHz configurations: ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16 MB SDRAM; AGP 2x. A contemporary Macworld report observed European 500 MHz store listings with 512 KB cache and 8 MB Pro graphics, but explicitly questioned their accuracy and had no Apple confirmation. The current maker matrix is retained; no inferred regional CPU supplier or alternate SKU is added.
Memory type–64 MB PC100 SDRAM standard on 400/500 MHz configurations; 128 MB on 600 MHz Special Edition. Two DIMM slots support up to 1 GB in the current maker sheet. Configurations retain each base and maximum memory with its original processor and drive.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Memory bandwidth120GB/s–
Storage typeSSD400 MHz: 10 GB Ultra ATA and 24x CD-ROM, Indigo. 500 MHz: 20 GB and 8x/4x/24x CD-RW, Indigo, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. 600 MHz Special Edition: 40 GB and CD-RW, Graphite, Blue Dalmatian or Flower Power. Maker lists up to 40 GB build-to-order storage without precise processor ties, so extra cross-combinations are not created.
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; video decode engine; video encode engine; ProRes encode and decode engine; AV1 decode–
Display
Screen size24″15″
Resolution4480 × 25201024 × 768
PanelIPS LCD–
Refresh rate60 Hz75 Hz
Brightness500 nits–
Display type4.5K Retina display; actual diagonal 23.5 inchesNominal 15-inch shadow-mask CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal and 0.28 mm dot pitch; no fixed LCD native resolution.
Pixel density218 ppi–
Display features1 billion colours; wide colour (P3); True Tone; nano-texture glass option on four-port models1024 × 768 at 75 Hz; 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz. Scalar refresh describes the highest-resolution mode.
Connections
Ports2 × Thunderbolt 4, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack
Ethernet–0.1 Gb/s
External displaysUp to 1–
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6E–
Bluetooth5.3–
Camera12MP Center Stage–
Back ports2 × Thunderbolt / USB 4 (two-port model) or 4 × Thunderbolt 4 (four-port models), each with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10Gb/s) and DisplayPort; Gigabit Ethernet on the power adapter, standard on four-port models and optional on the two-port modelTwo FireWire 400 ports and VGA video mirroring on every configuration; Two 12 Mbps USB ports on the computer, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, audio line-in/out and two front headphone jacks; keyboard USB ports are not counted as chassis ports. All configurations are AirPort ready with an optional 11 Mbps card.
External displaysTwo-port model: one at up to 6K 60Hz; four-port models: two at up to 6K 60Hz, or one at up to 8K 60HzVGA output mirrors the built-in screen; no extended desktop.
Camera12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View; 1080p HD video recording; advanced image signal processor with computational video–
SpeakersHigh-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo sound; Spatial Audio with Dolby AtmosIntegrated Odyssey stereo sound system designed with Harman Kardon, built-in microphone and fanless enclosure.
MicrophonesStudio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming–
Keyboard and mouseMagic Keyboard (two-port model) or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID (four-port models), and Magic Mouse; Magic Trackpad or Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad available insteadApple Pro Keyboard and optical Apple Pro Mouse.
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight4.42 kg15.8 kg
Width × depth × height547 × 147 × 461 mm381 × 435 × 381 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detail–Maker publishes height 38.1, width 38.1 and depth 43.5 cm, weight 15.8 kg. EveryMac instead gives depth 43.4 cm and 15.7 kg; current maker figures are preferred.
Power supply143W external power adapter; power lead (2 m)100–260 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 150 W.
Materials100% recycled aluminium in the stand; more than 15% recycled content overall–
ColoursBlue, Purple, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Silver–
In the boxiMac, Magic Keyboard (with Touch ID on four-port models), Magic Mouse, 143W power adapter, power lead (2 m), USB-C Charge Cable, polishing cloth (nano-texture glass only)Mac OS 9.1, iTunes, iMovie 2 and Disc Burner; CD-RW configurations write music and data CDs but cannot read DVDs. Maker confirms immediate availability on 22 February 2001. Copied PCI-slot/eMac entries in the retained sheet are excluded as unrelated template artifacts.

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