Apple iMac G3 (Mid 1999) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

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iMac G3 (Mid 1999) compared with iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)

	AppleiMac G3 (Mid 1999)	AppleiMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
Overview
Released
Released	April 1999	March 2019
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 333 MHz (iMac)	Intel Core i3-8100, Intel Core i7-8700 or Intel Core i5-8500
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	4 or 6
CPU threads
CPU threads	–	4, 6 or 12
Graphics
Graphics	ATI RAGE Pro Turbo (6 MB)	Radeon Pro 555X (2 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 560X (4 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 20 (4 GB HBM2)
Memory
Memory	32 MB or 128 MB	8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	6 GB	256 GB to 1 TB (better)
CPU
CPU	333 MHz PowerPC G3 with 66 MHz system bus and 512 KB backside L2 cache. Generic clock-only record does not infer a silicon supplier.	3.6 GHz quad-core Core i3 without Turbo Boost, or 3.0 GHz six-core Core i5 with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz; both configurable to 3.2 GHz six-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6 GHz
GPU
GPU	ATI RAGE Pro Turbo with 6 MB video memory. The retained maker resolution table includes a conflicting 2 MB column; The exact Macworld review and EveryMac specification identify 6 MB for this revision.	Radeon Pro 555X with 2 GB GDDR5 in the lower base; Radeon Pro 560X with 4 GB GDDR5 in the upper base, configurable to Radeon Pro Vega 20 with 4 GB HBM2
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 contemporary Macworld review give 256 MB. The conservative configurations retain the current maker maximum.	8 GB standard, configurable to 16/32 GB; lower base uses 2400 MHz DDR4 and upper base 2666 MHz DDR4. Memory is not readily user-accessible.
Storage type
Storage type	6 GB ATA hard drive and tray-loading 24x CD-ROM.	The current Apple sheet lists 256 GB SSD or 1 TB Fusion Drive for both bases, and these are the configurations shown. Apple made SSD storage standard in August 2020. Launch reviews describe a 1 TB hard drive in the lower base and 1 TB Fusion Drive in the upper base, with larger SSD options (Macworld and TechRadar); these historical options are not flattened into the current matrix.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15″	21.5″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	4096 × 2304 (better)
Panel
Panel	–	IPS LCD
Brightness
Brightness	–	500 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.	LED-backlit Retina 4K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac; Apple does not publish native refresh rate in this model’s specification 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).	Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack	2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	0.1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s (better)
External displays
External displays	–	Up to 2
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	802.11ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	4.2
Camera
Camera	–	FaceTime HD
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).	Four USB-A ports; two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; SDXC, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5 mm headphone jack; Kensington lock slot. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require separately sold adapters.
External displays
External displays	–	Built-in display at full native resolution alongside one 5120 × 2880 display at 60 Hz with one billion colours, two 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or two 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers with SRS processing and microphone.	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	–	Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse; Blueberry, Grape, Tangerine, Lime and Strawberry case colours.	Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	–	5.48 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	–	528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker does not publish a weight in the retained sheet; height 15.8, width 15.2 and depth 17.6 inches. No converted or sibling metric values are added.	Dimensions include the stand; current Apple sheet lists 5.48 kg and warns that weight varies by configuration. Launch reviews tested heavier hard-drive/Fusion configurations. A built-in VESA mount version was also available.
Power supply
Power supply	–	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials
Materials	–	Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the box
In the box	Mac OS 8.5.1. Conservative April 1999 sale month follows Golem’s contemporary report quoting immediate shipping; retained maker introduction date and database day disagree.	iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable