Apple iMac G3 (Early 1999) vs Apple Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White)

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iMac G3 (Early 1999) compared with Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White)

	AppleiMac G3 (Early 1999)	ApplePower Macintosh G3 (Blue and White)
Overview
Released
Released	January 1999	January 1999
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 266 MHz (iMac)	PowerPC G3 300 MHz (Power Macintosh G3 Blue and White), PowerPC G3 350 MHz (Power Macintosh G3 Blue and White), PowerPC G3 400 MHz (Power Macintosh G3 Blue and White) or PowerPC G3 450 MHz (Power Macintosh G3 Blue and White)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)	ATI RAGE 128 (16 MB SDRAM)
Memory
Memory	32 MB or 128 MB	64 MB or 128 MB
Storage
Storage	6 GB	6 GB to 12 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.	Original 300, 350 and 400 MHz PowerPC G3 range; later 350, 400 and 450 MHz. The 300 MHz has 512 KB backside L2 cache; faster models have 1 MB, all at half processor clock. 100 MHz system bus, integrated FPU, 32 KB each instruction/data L1 cache. Manufacturer supplier is not assigned without exact fitted-chip evidence.
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.	ATI RAGE 128 GL PCI card with 16 MB SDRAM, installed in the dedicated 66 MHz PCI slot. Supports QuickDraw 3D RAVE and OpenGL; DVD configurations add a hardware MPEG-2 decoder module.
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.	Four 168-pin 3.3 V unbuffered PC100 SDRAM slots; maker maximum 1 GB. Factory memory of 64 or 128 MB stays tied to each configuration.
Storage type
Storage type	6 GB ATA hard drive and tray-loading 24x CD-ROM.	Apple’s Japanese model list separates original factory pairs: 300 MHz/64 MB/6 GB ATA/CD (M6670); 350 MHz/64 MB/6 GB ATA/DVD (M6668); 350 MHz/128 MB/12 GB ATA/CD/Zip (M6666); 400 MHz/128 MB/9 GB Ultra2 Wide SCSI/CD (M6665). Later pairs: 350 MHz/64 MB/6 GB ATA/CD (M7556); 400 MHz/64 MB/6 GB ATA/DVD (M7555); 400 MHz/128 MB/12 GB ATA/CD/Zip (M7554); 450 MHz/128 MB/9 GB Ultra2 Wide SCSI/CD (M7553). Service Source distinguishes original 24x or 32x CD drives; current revised sheet gives 32x CD and 5x DVD. Optional BTO combinations are not multiplied into unverified configurations.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	–	Four PCI slots: three 64-bit 33 MHz slots and one 32-bit 66 MHz slot occupied by graphics. Two extra internal hard-drive expansion bays; SCSI configurations use a PCI controller card.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15″	None built in
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	–
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.	–
Display features
Display features	1024 × 768 at 75 Hz, 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz (EveryMac exact-model specification).	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack	2 × 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).	Two 12 Mbps USB ports, two FireWire 400 ports, one ADB port, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, VGA and stereo audio input/output. Optional 56K modem is separate. Keyboard’s two USB ports excluded from chassis count. Current maker table corrects the developer note: ADB total current maximum is 500 mA, not 100 mA.
External displays
External displays	–	Graphics supports up to 1600 × 1200 at 32 bits per pixel for 2D; 3D maximum is 1600 × 1200 with thousands of colours or 1280 × 1024 with millions.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with SRS processing and microphone.	One built-in speaker; 16-bit stereo input/output at up to 44.1 kHz.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse; Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime and Strawberry case colours.	Apple USB Keyboard and Apple USB Mouse; Macintosh-to-VGA display adapter.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	Tower
Weight
Weight	–	13 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	–	226 × 467 × 432 mm
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.	Maker centimetre figures converted directly to millimetres. Published 13.0 kg example includes CD-ROM, Zip and an ATA hard drive; fitted devices change weight.
Power supply
Power supply	–	200 W maximum continuous, excluding display; 115 V AC (90–132 V) or 230 V AC (180–264 V), 47–63 Hz.
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.	Mac OS 8.5.1 originally; later stock has Mac OS 8.6. Apple’s 5 January 1999 release says the new range arrives on the market; contemporary January demonstration coverage says Apple is now shipping. Month precision retained, no inferred exact first-delivery day. Server G3 bundled configurations are excluded.