Apple iMac G3 (Early 1999) vs Apple iMac G4 (15-inch, Flat Panel)

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iMac G3 (Early 1999) compared with iMac G4 (15-inch, Flat Panel)

	AppleiMac G3 (Early 1999)	AppleiMac G4 (15-inch, Flat Panel)
Overview
Released
Released	January 1999	January 2002
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac)	Motorola PowerPC G4 700 MHz (iMac Flat Panel) or Motorola PowerPC G4 800 MHz (iMac Flat Panel)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)	NVIDIA GeForce2 MX (32 MB)
Memory
Memory	32 MB or 128 MB	128 MB, 256 MB or 1 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	6 GB	40 GB to 60 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	266 MHz PowerPC G3 with 66 MHz system bus and 512 KB backside L2 cache. Generic clock-only record does not infer a silicon supplier.	700 or 800 MHz PowerPC G4 with 256 KB on-chip L2 cache and 100 MHz system bus. Generic maker-clock chip records retain the single-core identity cross-checked with exact EveryMac sources; an uncertain silicon revision is not inferred.
GPU
GPU	ATI RAGE Pro Turbo with 6 MB video memory. The retained maker resolution table includes a conflicting 2 MB column; Apple’s January 1999 release explicitly states 6 MB.	NVIDIA GeForce2 MX with 32 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 2x support.
Memory type
Memory type	32 MB SDRAM in two SO-DIMM slots. Current retained maker sheet gives a 128 MB maximum; older Apple developer history and Italian launch release give 256 MB. The conservative configurations retain the current maker maximum.	SDRAM, expandable to 1 GB, with one 168-pin DIMM and one user-accessible SO-DIMM slot. Launch CD-RW base: 128 MB; Combo and SuperDrive bases: 256 MB. Configurations conservatively show those published bases and the maker's maximum.
Storage type
Storage type	6 GB ATA hard drive and tray-loading 24x CD-ROM.	Launch combinations: 700 MHz with CD-RW and 40 GB hard drive; 700 MHz with Combo drive and 40 GB; 800 MHz with SuperDrive and 60 GB. Optical options on the 700 MHz model account for its different base memory. Drives use Ultra ATA. Combo reads DVDs and writes CDs; SuperDrive writes DVDs and CDs.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15″	15″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	1024 × 768
Brightness
Brightness	–	200 nits
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	75 Hz	–
Display type
Display type	Nominal 15-inch CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal; not a fixed-native-resolution LCD.	TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours and typical 300:1 contrast. Panel technology and refresh rate are not established by the exact maker sheet.
Display features
Display features	1024 × 768 at 75 Hz, 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz (EveryMac exact-model specification).	Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical. Articulated arm adjusts the display's height and angle.
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	0.1 Gb/s	0.1 Gb/s
Back ports
Back ports	Two USB ports on the computer, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, audio line-in/out and two front headphone jacks. No FireWire, external VGA output or AirPort option. The infrared port and mezzanine slot from earlier revisions are absent (EveryMac).	Three USB 1.1 ports on the computer, plus two on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports with 8 W shared power, Mini-VGA, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, headphone jack and Apple speaker minijack. Original AirPort 802.11b card is optional; wireless networking is not standard.
External displays
External displays	–	Mini-VGA provides video mirroring through an optional VGA adapter: 640 × 480 at 60 Hz, 800 × 600 at 75 Hz or 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz. The original model does not list S-video or composite output.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with SRS processing and microphone.	Built-in speaker and microphone; selected configurations include Apple Pro Speakers rated at 9 W each with an internal 18 W amplifier.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse; Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime and Strawberry case colours.	Apple Pro Keyboard and Apple Pro Mouse; Apple Pro Speakers are included with the Combo and SuperDrive launch configurations.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	–	9.7 kg
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker retained sheet gives weight 40 pounds; height 15.8, width 15.2 and depth 17.6 inches. No converted or sibling metric values are added.	Adjustable maker ranges: height 329–509 mm, width 384–415 mm and depth 270–415 mm; base diameter 270 mm. The reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process, so no single fixed-position dimension is selected.
Power supply
Power supply	–	90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 130 W.
In the box
In the box	Launch Mac OS 8.5; retained sheet lists 8.5.1. Apple’s Italian release confirms availability in January 1999; an exact worldwide first-sale day is unestablished.	Launch software: Mac OS X 10.1.2 and Mac OS 9.2.2, with iTunes, iMovie and iPhoto; iDVD requires SuperDrive. The 800 MHz SuperDrive configuration was stated to ship in late January 2002, the 700 MHz Combo in February and CD-RW in March. The release month records the first configuration, not the 7 January announcement.