Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, iSight)

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iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) compared with iMac G5 (17-inch, iSight)

	AppleiMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)	AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, iSight)
Overview
Released
Released	September 2003	October 2005
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)	IBM PowerPC G5 1.9 GHz (iMac iSight)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)	ATI Radeon X600 Pro (128 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB	512 MB, 1 GB, 1.5 GB or 2.5 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	80 GB to 160 GB	160 GB to 500 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 with 167 MHz system bus and 256 KB on-chip L2 cache. Single-core generic maker-clock record avoids inferring a silicon revision.	1.9 GHz PowerPC G5 with 512 KB L2 cache and 633 MHz frontside bus; single-core identity cross-checked with exact EveryMac source. Generic maker-clock chip record avoids borrowing uncertain silicon revision or unpublished thread/power figures.
GPU
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 4x support.	ATI Radeon X600 Pro with 128 MB dedicated DDR video memory; PCI Express.
Memory type
Memory type	256 MB PC2700 (333 MHz) DDR SDRAM standard; factory options 512 MB or 1 GB. One 184-pin DIMM and one user-accessible SO-DIMM slot. Configurations retain Apple's supported 1 GB maximum, not unofficial upgrade limits.	533 MHz DDR2; 512 MB built in plus one expansion slot. Maker factory upgrades provide total capacities of 1, 1.5 or 2.5 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	80 GB 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, configurable to 160 GB; 4x SuperDrive DVD-R/CD-RW. The published memory and storage factory options are retained for the 1.25 GHz processor.	160 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 250 or 500 GB. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD writing, 4x DVD rewritable writing and 24x CD writing.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	1440 × 900
Brightness
Brightness	200 nits	250 nits (better)
Display type
Display type	Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours and typical 300:1 contrast. Panel technology and refresh rate are not published in the exact maker sheet.	TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours; typical contrast 500:1 and viewing angles of 140 degrees horizontal/120 degrees vertical. Panel technology and refresh rate unpublished.
Display features
Display features	Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical; articulated display arm adjusts height and angle.	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	0.1 Gb/s	1 Gb/s (better)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	802.11g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	2.0 + EDR
Camera
Camera	–	iSight camera
Back ports
Back ports	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 jack, Apple speaker minijack and audio line-in. AirPort Extreme 802.11g card and internal Bluetooth are optional, rather than standard.	Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports sharing 8 W, Mini-VGA output, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical output and audio line-in.
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.	Optional Mini-VGA adapters provide VGA mirroring or S-video/composite output; no DVI connector or extended-desktop mode is listed.
Camera
Camera	–	Built-in iSight; exact maker resolution is unpublished and omitted.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker and microphone, Apple Pro Speakers rated at 7 W each and internal 14 W amplifier; the earlier revision's 9 W speakers are not substituted.	Built-in stereo speakers and microphone; 12 W digital amplifier.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Speakers and modem cable.	Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Apple Remote.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	10.4 kg	7 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.	Maker reference weight; actual weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process.
Power supply
Power supply	90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 160 W.	Maximum continuous power 180 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz.
In the box
In the box	Launch Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar and iLife, with Apple's productivity software and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. The retained specification lists the later Mac OS X 10.3 Panther bundle. Maker launch confirms immediate availability on 8 September 2003.	iMac G5, Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Tiger, iLife ’05, Front Row and Photo Booth. Apple announced availability the week after 12 October 2005; release remains October at month precision.