Apple iMac G3 (1998) vs Apple iMac G3 (Slot Loading, 1999)

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iMac G3 (1998) compared with iMac G3 (Slot Loading, 1999)

	AppleiMac G3 (1998)	AppleiMac G3 (Slot Loading, 1999)
Overview
Released
Released	August 1998	October 1999
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 233 MHz (iMac)	PowerPC G3 350 MHz (iMac) or PowerPC G3 400 MHz (iMac)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI RAGE IIc (2 MB)	ATI RAGE 128 VR (8 MB)
Memory
Memory	32 MB or 128 MB	64 MB, 128 MB or 512 MB (better)
Storage
Storage	4 GB	6 GB to 13 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	233 MHz PowerPC G3 processor with 66 MHz system bus and 512 KB backside L2 cache at 117 MHz. The exact silicon supplier is not established by the maker sheet; generic clock-only chip record.	350 MHz or 400 MHz PowerPC G3 with 100 MHz system bus and 512 KB backside L2 cache. Apple developer history gives 140/160 MHz cache clocks while EveryMac gives 200 MHz for the DV Special Edition; optional cache-clock fields are omitted. Exact processor supplier is not established.
GPU
GPU	ATI RAGE IIc with 2 MB SGRAM standard; maker options increase video memory to 4 MB or 6 MB. Configurations retain the standard graphics allocation.	ATI RAGE 128 VR with 8 MB video memory and AGP support. Retained sheet says SGRAM while the developer note says SDRAM; memory technology is not silently selected.
Memory type
Memory type	32 MB SDRAM standard in two SO-DIMM slots; original July 1998 Apple datasheet supports up to 128 MB. Do not substitute the Revision B maximum.	PC100 SDRAM in two DIMM slots, up to 512 MB in the retained maker sheet. Base 350 MHz and DV models have 64 MB; DV Special Edition has 128 MB. Configurations retain each base and published maximum with its original processor and drive.
Storage type
Storage type	4 GB IDE hard drive and tray-loading 24x CD-ROM drive. No floppy drive.	350 MHz: 6 GB ATA hard drive and slot-loading 24x CD-ROM, Blueberry. 400 MHz DV: 10 GB and 4x DVD-ROM, five fruit colours. 400 MHz DV Special Edition: 13 GB and 4x DVD-ROM, Graphite. These are configurations of one generation.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15″	15″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	1024 × 768
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	75 Hz	75 Hz
Display type
Display type	Nominal 15-inch shadow-mask CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal and 0.28 mm dot pitch; it has no fixed LCD native resolution.	Nominal 15-inch CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal; no fixed LCD native resolution.
Display features
Display features	Maximum supported mode 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz; 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz. The scalar refresh rate describes the highest-resolution mode.	Maximum mode 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz; 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz (EveryMac exact DV Special Edition specification).
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	0.1 Gb/s	0.1 Gb/s
Back ports
Back ports	Two 12 Mbps USB ports on the computer, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90/K56flex modem, 4 Mbps IrDA, audio line-in and line-out, plus two front headphone jacks. No FireWire or external VGA output.	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. Two FireWire 400 ports and VGA video mirroring are present only on DV and DV Special Edition. AirPort card is optional across this generation.
External displays
External displays	–	DV and DV Special Edition mirror the internal display through VGA; the 350 MHz entry configuration has no external video connector.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with SRS surround processing and built-in microphone.	Integrated Harman Kardon Odyssey stereo sound system and built-in microphone. Convection cooling uses no fan.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse.	Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Current retained maker sheet: height 15.8, width 15.2 and depth 17.6 inches, weight 40 pounds. Original Apple July 1998 datasheet instead gives height 39.5, width 38 and depth 44 cm, weight 17.3 kg (38.1 pounds). Conflicting main metric values are omitted.	Retained Apple sheet gives height 15.8, width 15.2 and depth 17.6 inches, weight 34.7 pounds. Exact developer note gives height 39.5, width 38 and depth 44 cm and weight 15.5 kg (34 pounds). Disagreeing main dimensions and weight are omitted.
Power supply
Power supply	Retained maker sheet lists 80 W maximum continuous power; the original Apple datasheet lists 200 W. This conflict is retained rather than selecting a scalar rating.	–
In the box
In the box	Mac OS 8.1. First on sale 15 August 1998, corroborated by Apple’s contemporary retrospective release and retained introduction date.	Mac OS 8.6 at launch; TIME notes Mac OS 9 would begin shipping subsequently. Conservative October 1999 sale month follows the contemporary physical DV Special Edition reviews; the retained introduction day differs from the launch event date.