Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, Early 2003) vs Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, 2004)

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iMac G4 (17-inch, Early 2003) compared with iMac G5 (17-inch, 2004)

	AppleiMac G4 (17-inch, Early 2003)	AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, 2004)
Overview
Released
Released	February 2003	September 2004
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola PowerPC G4 1.0 GHz (iMac Early 2003)	IBM PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz (iMac 2004) or IBM PowerPC G5 1.8 GHz (iMac 2004)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB)	NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Memory
Memory	256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB	256 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	80 GB	80 GB to 160 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	1 GHz PowerPC G4 with 133 MHz system bus and 256 KB on-chip L2 cache. Generic maker-clock record retains the single-core identity cross-checked with the exact EveryMac source; a silicon revision is not inferred.	1.6 GHz PowerPC G5 with 533 MHz frontside bus and Combo drive, or 1.8 GHz with 600 MHz bus and SuperDrive; both have 512 KB on-chip L2 cache. Generic maker-clock chip records retain the single-core identity cross-checked with exact EveryMac sources; a silicon revision is not inferred.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce4 MX with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 4x support.	NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 8x support.
Memory type
Memory type	256 MB PC2100 (266 MHz) DDR SDRAM standard; factory options 512 MB or 1 GB. One 184-pin DIMM and one user-accessible SO-DIMM slot. Configurations use Apple's supported 1 GB maximum, rather than unofficial upgrade limits.	256 MB PC3200 (400 MHz) DDR SDRAM standard, expandable to 2 GB in two slots. Configurations conservatively list the published base and maker maximum.
Storage type
Storage type	80 GB 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive and 4x SuperDrive DVD-R/CD-RW. Reads DVDs at 8x; writes CD-R at 16x and CD-RW at 8x. No unsupported storage option is paired with this processor.	80 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; The maker launch lists a 160 GB build-to-order option. The 1.6 GHz model uses a slot-loading Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW; the 1.8 GHz model uses SuperDrive DVD-R/CD-RW with 4x DVD-R writing. The launch press's generic 250 GB option is not paired with the 17-inch model without exact support.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	1440 × 900
Brightness
Brightness	200 nits	200 nits
Display type
Display type	Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours and typical 300:1 contrast; panel technology and refresh rate unpublished in the exact maker sheet.	Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours and typical 350:1 contrast. Panel technology and refresh rate are not published in the exact maker sheet.
Display features
Display features	Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical; articulated display arm adjusts height and angle.	Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical.
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	0.1 Gb/s	0.1 Gb/s
Back ports
Back ports	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.92 modem, headphone jack, Apple speaker minijack and audio line-in. AirPort Extreme 802.11g card and internal Bluetooth module are optional factory upgrades, not standard equipment.	Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer, up to 480 Mbps, plus two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports with 8 W shared power, Mini-VGA, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, headphone/optical digital audio output and audio line-in. AirPort Extreme 802.11g card and internal Bluetooth module are optional, rather than standard.
External displays
External displays	Mini-VGA provides video mirroring on a VGA display or S-video/composite television through optional adapters. Output resolutions: 640 × 480 at 60 Hz, 800 × 600 at 75 Hz or 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz.	Mini-VGA provides video mirroring on a VGA display or S-video/composite television through optional adapters. Output resolutions: 640 × 480 at 60 Hz, 800 × 600 at 75 Hz or 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker and microphone; Apple Pro Speakers rated at 9 W each and internal 18 W amplifier.	Built-in stereo speakers, internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Speakers and modem cable.	Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse and modem cable.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	10.4 kg	8.4 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	–	426 × 173 × 430 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Adjustable maker ranges: height 331–509 mm, width 423–449 mm and depth 270–423 mm; base diameter 270 mm. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.	Published metric size and reference weight; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Power supply
Power supply	90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 160 W.	100–120 V AC or 100–240 V AC depending on country of purchase, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 180 W.
In the box
In the box	Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar, iLife and bundled productivity software, with the Classic environment. Maker launch confirms immediate availability on 4 February 2003. The later USB 2.0 generation is a separate model.	Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, iLife ’04 and bundled productivity software, with Classic environment support. The retained specification lists the later iLife ’05 bundle. Apple announced the model on 31 August 2004 and stated worldwide shipping would begin in mid-September; the release field therefore retains September month precision.