Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0) | ApplePower Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | September 2003 | January 2002 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | Motorola 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 cores | 1 | 1 or 2 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) | ATI Radeon 7500 (32 MB) or NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB) |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB | 256 MB, 512 MB or 1.5 GB (better) |
| Storage | 80 GB to 160 GB (better) | 40 GB to 80 GB |
| 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. | 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. |
| GPU | NVIDIA 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 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. | 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 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. | 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 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 are not published 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 |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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 speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Speakers and modem cable. | Apple Pro Keyboard, optical Apple Pro Mouse and modem cable. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | Tower |
| Weight | 10.4 kg (better) | 13.6 kg |
| Width × depth × height | – | 226 × 467 × 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 weight 13.6 kg varies with configuration and manufacturing process; height 43.2, width 22.6, depth 46.7 cm. |
| Power supply | 90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 160 W. | Maximum continuous power 360 W. |
| 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. | 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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