Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, Early 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac G4 (17-inch, Early 2003) | ApplePower Mac G4 (FW800) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | February 2003 | January 2003 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Motorola PowerPC G4 1.0 GHz (iMac Early 2003) | PowerPC G4 1000 MHz (Power Mac FW800), 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac FW800) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1420 MHz (Power Mac FW800) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 or 2 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB) | NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB | 256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB (better) |
| Storage | 80 GB | 60 GB to 120 GB (better) |
| 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. | Single 1 GHz, dual 1.25 GHz or dual 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4; each physical processor has 256 KB on-chip L2 cache. L3 cache is 1 MB on the single 1 GHz, 1 MB per processor on dual 1.25 GHz and 2 MB per processor on dual 1.42 GHz. Bus is 133 MHz on the single model, 167 MHz on dual models. |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce4 MX with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 4x support. | Single 1 GHz: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX with 64 MB DDR. Dual 1.25/1.42 GHz: ATI Radeon 9000 Pro with 64 MB DDR. Optional NVIDIA GeForce4 Titanium and ATI Radeon 9700 Pro, each 128 MB DDR; independent CTO options stay in details. |
| 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. | Single 1 GHz: 256 MB PC2100 DDR at 266 MHz; dual 1.25 GHz: 256 MB PC2700 DDR at 333 MHz; dual 1.42 GHz: 512 MB PC2700. Four DIMM slots support up to 2 GB. Configurations retain stock drives and GPUs at base and maximum supported memory. |
| 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. | Stock 60/80/120 GB 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 drives on 1/1.25/1.42 GHz respectively. Lower models have Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW; top model has SuperDrive (DVD-R 4x, CD-R 16x). Four bays support two ATA/100 and two ATA/66 drives; two optical bays, one occupied. Optional 180 GB drive, SuperDrive on lower models and second Combo drive are not assumed in every configuration. |
| Expansion slots | – | Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and AGP 4x graphics slot. |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 17″ | None built in |
| Resolution | 1440 × 900 | – |
| Brightness | 200 nits | – |
| 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. | – |
| Display features | Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical; articulated display arm adjusts height and angle. | – |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 0.1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s (better) |
| External displays | – | Up to 2 |
| Front ports | – | Headphone minijack and built-in speaker. |
| 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. | One FireWire 800 and two FireWire 400 (15 W total), two chassis USB 1.1, Gigabit Ethernet, V.92 modem, ADC/DVI, audio line-in/out and Apple Pro Speakers minijack. Maker four-port USB total includes two ports on the keyboard. Optional AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps 802.11g card and Bluetooth 1.1 module. |
| 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. | Two displays in extended desktop or mirroring modes. ADC and DVI connectors with included DVI-to-VGA adapter; digital up to 1920 × 1200, analogue up to 1600 × 1200. A second ADC display needs a separately sold adapter. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker and microphone; Apple Pro Speakers rated at 9 W each and internal 18 W amplifier. | Built-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Speakers and modem cable. | Apple Pro Keyboard, Apple Pro Mouse, USB keyboard extension, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | Tower |
| Weight | 10.4 kg (better) | 19.1 kg |
| Width × depth × height | – | 227 × 468 × 432 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| 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. | Maker reference 19.1 kg varies with configuration and manufacturing. Height 43.2 cm, width 22.7 cm, depth 46.8 cm. |
| Power supply | 90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 160 W. | 100–125 V or 200–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum current 6.5 A at low voltage or 7.5 A at high voltage. No wattage is supplied by this sheet. |
| 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. | Mac OS X with Classic environment rather than native Mac OS 9 boot; iLife and productivity software. Single 1 GHz and dual 1.25 GHz were available on 28 January 2003; dual 1.42 GHz was announced for the following month and subsequently reviewed. Its later availability does not change the generation’s first on-sale date. |
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