Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple iMac Pro (2017)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) | AppleiMac Pro (2017) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | September 2003 | December 2017 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0) | Intel Xeon W-2140B, Intel Xeon W-2150B, Intel Xeon W-2170B or Intel Xeon W-2191B |
| CPU cores | 1 | 8, 10, 14 or 18 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) | Radeon Pro Vega 56 (8 GB HBM2), Radeon Pro Vega 64 (16 GB HBM2) or Radeon Pro Vega 64X (16 GB HBM2) |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB | 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB (better) |
| Storage | 80 GB to 160 GB | 1 TB to 4 TB (better) |
| 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. | Xeon W at 3.2 GHz with 8 cores (Turbo Boost 4.2 GHz), 3.0 GHz with 10 cores (4.5 GHz), 2.5 GHz with 14 cores (4.3 GHz) or 2.3 GHz with 18 cores (4.3 GHz). Exact W-B CPU identities follow Geekbench. The 8/10-core versions launched first; Macworld reports later January 2018 availability for 14/18-core options. Apple changed the standard configuration to 10 cores in August 2020. |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 4x support. | Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8 GB HBM2, optionally Vega 64 or Vega 64X with 16 GB HBM2. Vega 64X is a later option included in Apple’s current specification sheet, absent from the launch reviews. |
| 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. | Quad-channel 2666 MHz DDR4 ECC; 32 GB standard, configurable to 64/128/256 GB. The current maker sheet includes the later 256 GB option; launch reviews cover up to 128 GB. No user-accessible memory door. |
| 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. | 1 TB SSD, configurable to 2 or 4 TB |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 17″ | 27″ |
| Resolution | 1440 × 900 | 5120 × 2880 (better) |
| Panel | – | IPS LCD |
| Brightness | 200 nits | 500 nits (better) |
| 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. | LED-backlit Retina 5K display; IPS panel confirmed by EveryMac. Native refresh rate omitted because Apple does not publish it in the specification sheet. |
| Display features | Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical; articulated display arm adjusts height and angle. | Wide colour (P3); supports one billion colours |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 4 × Thunderbolt 3, 4 × USB-A, SD card slot, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 0.1 Gb/s | 10 Gb/s (better) |
| External displays | – | Up to 4 |
| Wi-Fi | – | 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | – | 5.0 |
| Camera | – | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| 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. | Four USB-A ports; four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports with DisplayPort 1.2, Thunderbolt up to 40 Gb/s and USB 3.1 Gen 2 up to 10 Gb/s; UHS-II SDXC, Nbase-T Ethernet supporting 1/2.5/5/10Gb and 3.5 mm headphone jack. Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI and VGA require adapters. |
| 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 5120 × 2880 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, four 3840 × 2160 displays at 60 Hz with one billion colours, or four 4096 × 2304 displays at 60 Hz with millions of colours, alongside the built-in display |
| 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. | Stereo speakers |
| Microphones | – | Four microphones; supports Hey Siri |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Speakers and modem cable. | Space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2; optional space grey Magic Trackpad 2 |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 10.4 kg | 9.7 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | – | 650 × 203 × 516 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. | Dimensions include the stand; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. Optional VESA mount adapter kit. |
| Power supply | 90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 160 W. | 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase |
| Materials | – | Recyclable aluminium enclosure; arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LED backlight |
| 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 Pro, space grey Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, space grey Magic Mouse 2, Lightning to USB cable and power lead |
More comparisons
- Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple Mac Studio (M4 Max or M3 Ultra)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple iMac Pro (2017)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M4) vs Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M3) vs Apple iMac Pro (2017)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M3) vs Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)
- Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple Mac Pro (M2 Ultra)
- Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple Mac Studio (M1 Max / M1 Ultra)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M1) vs Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)
- Apple iMac 24″ (M1) vs Apple iMac Pro (2017)
- Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
- Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020)
- Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple Mac Pro (2019)
- Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)
- Apple iMac Pro (2017) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
- Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2019)
- Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2019)

