Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002)

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iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) compared with Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002)
AppleiMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)ApplePower Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002)
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2003January 2002
Performance
ProcessorMotorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)PowerPC G4 800 MHz (Power Mac QuickSilver 2002), PowerPC G4 933 MHz (Power Mac QuickSilver 2002) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1000 MHz (Power Mac QuickSilver 2002)
CPU cores11 or 2
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)ATI Radeon 7500 (32 MB) or NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB)
Memory256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB256 MB, 512 MB or 1.5 GB (better)
Storage80 GB to 160 GB (better)40 GB to 80 GB
CPU1.25 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.Single 800/933 MHz or dual 1 GHz PowerPC G4. Each processor has 256 KB on-chip L2 cache; 800 MHz has no L3, while 933 MHz and dual 1 GHz have 2 MB DDR L3 per processor. 133 MHz system bus. Supplier omitted from generic per-processor records.
GPUNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 4x support.800 MHz: ATI Radeon 7500 32 MB DDR; 933 MHz and dual 1 GHz: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 64 MB DDR. Retained maker options include GeForce4 Ti 128 MB with ADC/DVI; that later option is not launch stock or an unproven configuration cross-product.
Memory type256 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.256 MB PC133 SDRAM on single-processor models, 512 MB on dual 1 GHz. Three DIMM slots support up to 1.5 GB; configurations retain stock processor/storage/graphics ties at base and maximum memory.
Storage type80 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.800 MHz: 40 GB; 933 MHz: 60 GB; dual 1 GHz: 80 GB, all 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/66. Entry model has CD-RW (24x/10x/32x in current maker sheet), higher models SuperDrive (DVD-R 2x, CD-R 8x). Optional Combo drive, Zip 250 and 36/72 GB SCSI choices remain detailed rather than unproven CPU combinations. Three hard-drive bays, supporting two ATA or three SCSI drives.
Expansion slots–Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots plus dedicated AGP 4x graphics slot.
Display
Screen size17″None built in
Resolution1440 × 900–
Brightness200 nits–
Display typeWidescreen 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.–
Display featuresTypical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical; articulated display arm adjusts height and angle.–
Connections
Ports3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet0.1 Gb/s1 Gb/s (better)
External displays–Up to 2
Back portsThree 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.Two USB chassis ports at 12 Mbps; the maker’s four-port total includes two on the keyboard. Two FireWire 400, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, headphone/line-out minijack and Apple Pro Speakers minijack. Optional 11 Mbps AirPort 802.11b card, no built-in wireless or analog audio-input jack.
External displaysMini-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.Extended desktop or mirroring on two displays. Standard Radeon 7500/GeForce4 MX cards provide ADC and VGA; optional GeForce4 Ti provides ADC and DVI. A second ADC display requires a separately sold adapter. Supported resolutions depend on the card.
SpeakersBuilt-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 speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers.
Keyboard and mouseApple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Speakers and modem cable.Apple Pro Keyboard, optical Apple Pro Mouse and modem cable.
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneTower
Weight10.4 kg (better)13.6 kg
Width × depth × height–226 × 467 × 432 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailAdjustable 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 13.6 kg varies with configuration and manufacturing process; height 43.2, width 22.6, depth 46.7 cm.
Power supply90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 160 W.Maximum continuous power 360 W.
In the boxLaunch 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.Mac OS X 10.1 as default startup system, with Mac OS 9.2; iTunes 2, iMovie 2 and iDVD 2 for SuperDrive. Apple confirms all three stock configurations immediately available on 28 January 2002.

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