Apple iMac G3 (Summer 2001) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)

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iMac G3 (Summer 2001) compared with Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)

	AppleiMac G3 (Summer 2001)	ApplePower Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
Overview
Released
Released	July 2001	July 2000
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 500 MHz (iMac), PowerPC G3 600 MHz (iMac) or PowerPC G3 700 MHz (iMac)	PowerPC G4 400 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet), 2 × PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet) or 2 × PowerPC G4 500 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1 or 2
Graphics
Graphics	ATI RAGE 128 Ultra (16 MB)	ATI RAGE 128 Pro (16 MB)
Memory
Memory	128 MB, 256 MB or 1 GB	64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB or 1.5 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	20 GB to 60 GB (better)	20 GB to 40 GB
CPU
CPU	500, 600 or 700 MHz PowerPC G3 with 256 KB on-chip L2 cache at processor speed; 100 MHz system bus. Clock-only chip records do not infer a silicon supplier.	400 MHz single processor; 450 and 500 MHz dual PowerPC G4 processors. Each physical processor has 1 MB backside L2 cache; 100 MHz system bus. Supplier unspecified in these generic clock-only records.
GPU
GPU	ATI RAGE 128 Ultra with 16 MB SDRAM in every configuration; AGP 2x.	ATI RAGE 128 Pro with 16 MB SDRAM in an AGP 2x slot; ADC and VGA outputs.
Memory type
Memory type	500 MHz: 128 MB; 600/700 MHz: 256 MB PC100 SDRAM. Two DIMM slots support up to 1 GB. The configurations preserve the base processor/drive ties at base and maximum memory.	400 MHz: 64 MB, dual 450: 128 MB, dual 500: 256 MB PC100 SDRAM. Four DIMM slots support up to 1.5 GB; Mac OS 9 maximum per application 999 MB.
Storage type
Storage type	500 MHz: 20 GB, Indigo or Snow. 600 MHz: 40 GB, Snow or Graphite. 700 MHz Special Edition: 60 GB, Snow or Graphite. All have an 8x/4x/24x CD-RW drive; no DVD reading. Apple says 500/600 MHz available immediately on 18 July; 700 MHz expected in August.	Stock 400: 20 GB 5400 rpm/DVD-ROM; dual 450: 30 GB 7200 rpm/DVD-ROM; dual 500: 40 GB 7200 rpm/DVD-RAM. The retained storage prose says 20 GB 7200 rpm where its configuration matrix and launch release specify 30 GB; matrix retained. Ultra ATA/66, three drive bays supporting two ATA or three SCSI drives. Optional SCSI 36/72 GB, Zip and optical options are not expanded into unproven cross-combinations.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	–	Three open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and one AGP 2x graphics slot.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15″	None built in
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	–
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	75 Hz	–
Display type
Display type	15-inch nominal shadow-mask CRT, 13.8-inch viewable diagonal and 0.28 mm dot pitch.	–
Display features
Display features	1024 × 768 at 75 Hz, 800 × 600 at 95 Hz and 640 × 480 at 117 Hz. Main refresh describes the highest-resolution mode.	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, 2 × headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet	0.1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s (better)
Front ports
Front ports	Two headphone jacks.	–
Back ports
Back ports	Two FireWire 400 ports, two USB ports at 12 Mbps each, VGA mirroring, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem and audio line-in/out. Keyboard USB ports are excluded from chassis counts. Optional 11 Mbps AirPort card; not built-in wireless.	Two external FireWire 400 ports and two USB ports at 12 Mbps each; Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem and analog audio input/output. Optional 11 Mbps AirPort card. Keyboard USB ports excluded.
External displays
External displays	VGA output mirrors the built-in screen.	ADC carries video, USB and display power; VGA also available, with graphics resolutions up to 1920 × 1200.
Speakers
Speakers	Odyssey stereo sound system designed with Harman Kardon; built-in microphone.	Built-in speaker and analog audio input/output.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Pro Keyboard and optical Apple Pro Mouse.	Apple Pro Keyboard and optical Apple Pro Mouse.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	Tower
Weight
Weight	15.8 kg	13.6 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	381 × 435 × 381 mm	226 × 467 × 432 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker publishes height 38.1, width 38.1 and depth 43.5 cm; weight 15.8 kg.	43.2 cm height, 22.6 cm width, 46.7 cm depth and 13.6 kg reference weight; weight varies with configuration.
Power supply
Power supply	Maximum continuous power 150 W.	Maximum continuous power 220 W.
In the box
In the box	Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X supplied with iTunes, iMovie 2 and Disc Burner. Later software revisions described in reviews are not launch firmware.	Mac OS 9, QuickTime and iMovie 2. Apple confirms all three factory configurations immediately available on 19 July 2000. Later review software updates are not launch firmware.