Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, 2004) vs Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, iSight)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, 2004) | AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, iSight) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | September 2004 | October 2005 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | IBM PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz (iMac 2004) or IBM PowerPC G5 1.8 GHz (iMac 2004) | IBM PowerPC G5 1.9 GHz (iMac iSight) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) | ATI Radeon X600 Pro (128 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 256 MB or 2 GB | 512 MB, 1 GB, 1.5 GB or 2.5 GB (better) |
| Storage | 80 GB to 160 GB | 160 GB to 500 GB (better) |
| CPU | 1.6 GHz PowerPC G5 with 533 MHz frontside bus and Combo drive, or 1.8 GHz with 600 MHz bus and SuperDrive; both have 512 KB on-chip L2 cache. Generic maker-clock chip records retain the single-core identity cross-checked with exact EveryMac sources; a silicon revision is not inferred. | 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 Generic maker-clock chip record avoids borrowing uncertain silicon revision or unpublished thread/power figures.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 | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 8x support. | ATI Radeon X600 Pro with 128 MB dedicated DDR video memory; PCI Express. |
| Memory type | 256 MB PC3200 (400 MHz) DDR SDRAM standard, expandable to 2 GB in two slots. Configurations conservatively list the published base and maker maximum. | 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 | 80 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; The maker launch lists a 160 GB build-to-order option. The 1.6 GHz model uses a slot-loading Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW; the 1.8 GHz model uses SuperDrive DVD-R/CD-RW with 4x DVD-R writing. The launch press's generic 250 GB option is not paired with the 17-inch model without exact support. | 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 | 17″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 1440 × 900 | 1440 × 900 |
| Brightness | 200 nits | 250 nits (better) |
| Display type | Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours and typical 350:1 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 | Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical. | – |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 0.1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s (better) |
| Wi-Fi | – | 802.11g |
| Bluetooth | – | 2.0 + EDR |
| Camera | – | iSight camera |
| 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/optical digital audio output and audio line-in. AirPort Extreme 802.11g card and internal Bluetooth module 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 | 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 | – | Built-in iSight; exact maker resolution is unpublished and omitted. |
| Speakers | Built-in stereo speakers, internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone. | Built-in stereo speakers and microphone; 12 W digital amplifier. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse and modem cable. | Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and Apple Remote. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | All-in-one | All-in-one |
| Weight | 8.4 kg | 7 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 426 × 173 × 430 mm | 426 × 173 × 430 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | Published metric size and reference weight; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process. | Maker reference weight; actual weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process. |
| Power supply | 100–120 V AC or 100–240 V AC depending on country of purchase, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 180 W. | Maximum continuous power 180 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz. |
| In the box | Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, iLife ’04 and bundled productivity software, with Classic environment support. The retained specification lists the later iLife ’05 bundle. Apple announced the model on 31 August 2004 and stated worldwide shipping would begin in mid-September; the release field therefore retains September month precision. | 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. |
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