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

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiMac G3 (Slot Loading, 1999)AppleiMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
Overview
ReleasedOctober 1999March 2019
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G3 350 MHz (iMac) or PowerPC G3 400 MHz (iMac)Intel Core i3-8100, Intel Core i7-8700 or Intel Core i5-8500
CPU cores14 or 6
CPU threads–4, 6 or 12
GraphicsATI RAGE 128 VR (8 MB)Radeon Pro 555X (2 GB GDDR5), Radeon Pro 560X (4 GB GDDR5) or Radeon Pro Vega 20 (4 GB HBM2)
Memory64 MB, 128 MB or 512 MB8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB
Storage6 GB to 13 GB256 GB to 1 TB
CPU350 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.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
GPUATI 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.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 typePC100 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.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 type350 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.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 size15″21.5″
Resolution1024 × 7684096 × 2304
Panel–IPS LCD
Brightness–500 nits
Refresh rate75 Hz–
Display typeNominal 15-inch CRT with 13.8-inch viewable diagonal; no fixed LCD native resolution.LED-backlit Retina 4K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac; Apple does not publish native refresh rate in this model’s specification sheet
Display featuresMaximum mode 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz; 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz (EveryMac exact DV Special Edition specification).Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack2 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet0.1 Gb/s1 Gb/s
External displays–Up to 2
Wi-Fi–802.11ac
Bluetooth–4.2
Camera–FaceTime HD
Back portsTwo 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.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 displaysDV and DV Special Edition mirror the internal display through VGA; the 350 MHz entry configuration has no external video connector.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
SpeakersIntegrated Harman Kardon Odyssey stereo sound system and built-in microphone. Convection cooling uses no fan.Stereo speakers
Microphones–Built-in microphone
Keyboard and mouseApple USB Keyboard and round Apple USB Mouse.Rechargeable Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2; optional Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Trackpad 2
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight–5.48 kg
Width × depth × height–528 × 175 × 450 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailRetained 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.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–100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Materials–Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight
In the boxMac 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.iMac, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, power lead and Lightning to USB cable

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