Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, Ambient Light Sensor) vs Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, iSight)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, Ambient Light Sensor) | AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, iSight) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | May 2005 | October 2005 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | IBM PowerPC G5 1.8 GHz (iMac Ambient Light Sensor) or IBM PowerPC G5 2 GHz (iMac Ambient Light Sensor) | IBM PowerPC G5 1.9 GHz (iMac iSight) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon 9600 (128 MB) | ATI Radeon X600 Pro (128 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 512 MB or 2 GB | 512 MB, 1 GB, 1.5 GB or 2.5 GB (better) |
| Storage | 160 GB to 400 GB | 160 GB to 500 GB (better) |
| CPU | 1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 with 600 MHz frontside bus and Combo drive, or 2.0 GHz with 667 MHz bus and SuperDrive; both have 512 KB L2 cache. Generic maker-clock chip records retain the single-core identity cross-checked with exact EveryMac sources; uncertain 970/970FX 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 Generic maker-clock chip record avoids borrowing uncertain silicon revision or unpublished thread/power figures.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 | ATI Radeon 9600 with 128 MB dedicated video memory; AGP 8x support. | ATI Radeon X600 Pro with 128 MB dedicated DDR video memory; PCI Express. |
| Memory type | 400 MHz DDR SDRAM (PC3200), two 184-pin DIMM slots; 512 MB standard and 2 GB supported maximum. Configurations conservatively list the published base and maximum; no intermediate factory pairing is inferred. | 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 | 160 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 250 or 400 GB. The 1.8 GHz base has a Combo drive (DVD reading/CD writing); the 2.0 GHz base has an 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD writing. | 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 | – | 250 nits |
| Display type | Widescreen LCD with millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness not published in the retained exact maker specification. | 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. |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11g | 802.11g |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 + EDR | 2.0 + EDR |
| Camera | – | iSight camera |
| Back ports | Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer, plus two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports, Mini-VGA output, Gigabit Ethernet, headphone/optical output and audio line-in. Built-in 56K V.92 modem is confirmed by launch press and exact manual; retained USB-HSP wording describes its internal transport, rather than an extra external USB device. | 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 | Optional Mini-VGA adapters provide VGA, S-video or composite output; no DVI connector is listed. | 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 and microphone. | Built-in stereo speakers and microphone; 12 W digital amplifier. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard and Apple Mouse; the later Mighty Mouse and iSight-generation remote are not substituted for the launch accessories. | 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 | – | Maker reference weight; actual weight varies with configuration and manufacturing process. |
| Power supply | – | Maximum continuous power 180 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz. |
| In the box | iMac G5, keyboard, mouse, power cord, install/restore DVDs and documentation; Mac OS X Tiger, iLife ’05 and AppleWorks. Classic support is available but not preinstalled and cannot boot Mac OS 9. | 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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