Apple iMac G5 (17-inch, Ambient Light Sensor) vs Apple Mac mini (2005)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

iMac G5 (17-inch, Ambient Light Sensor) compared with Mac mini (2005)

	AppleiMac G5 (17-inch, Ambient Light Sensor)	AppleMac mini (2005)
Overview
Released
Released	May 2005	January 2005
Performance
Processor
Processor	IBM PowerPC G5 1.8 GHz (iMac Ambient Light Sensor) or IBM PowerPC G5 2 GHz (iMac Ambient Light Sensor)	PowerPC G4 7447A (1.25 GHz) or PowerPC G4 7447A (1.42 GHz)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Radeon 9600 (128 MB)	ATI Radeon 9200
Memory
Memory	512 MB or 2 GB (better)	256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB
Storage
Storage	160 GB to 400 GB (better)	40 GB to 80 GB
CPU
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.	1.25 or 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 512 KB L2 cache and 167 MHz system bus; EveryMac identifies the single-core 7447A processor, cross-checked with the Freescale fact sheet hosted by NXP
GPU
GPU	ATI Radeon 9600 with 128 MB dedicated video memory; AGP 8x support.	ATI Radeon 9200 with 32 MB dedicated DDR SDRAM and AGP 4X support
Memory type
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.	One slot for 333 MHz PC2700 DDR SDRAM, up to 1 GB. Original January models had 256 MB standard; Apple raised standard memory to 512 MB on 26 July 2005. Configurations include original and later memory options.
Storage type
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.	1.25 GHz model has a 40 GB Ultra ATA hard drive, configurable to 80 GB; 1.42 GHz models have 80 GB. Combo drive reads DVDs and burns CDs; optional 4x SuperDrive writes DVDs. July 2005 added a standard SuperDrive model at 1.42 GHz.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	None built in
Resolution
Resolution	1440 × 900	–
Display type
Display type	Widescreen LCD with millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness not published in the retained exact maker specification.	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s (better)	0.1 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	–	Up to 1
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	802.11g	Optional 802.11g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.0 + EDR	Optional internal Bluetooth
Back ports
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.	Two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 (8 W), DVI, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and headphone/audio line output. No audio input. Modem standard on original models; July 2005 lower model retains it, higher models make it optional.
External displays
External displays	Optional Mini-VGA adapters provide VGA, S-video or composite output; no DVI connector is listed.	DVI digital output up to 1920 × 1200; included VGA adapter supports up to 1920 × 1080. Optional Apple DVI to Video Adapter provides S-video/composite output.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers and microphone.	Built-in speaker
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard and Apple Mouse; the later Mighty Mouse and iSight-generation remote are not substituted for the launch accessories.	Display, keyboard and mouse sold separately; DVI-to-VGA adapter included
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	Compact
Weight
Weight	8.4 kg	1.32 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	426 × 173 × 430 mm	165.1 × 165.1 × 50.8 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Maker weight 1.32 kg; Apple notes variation by configuration and manufacturing process
Power supply
Power supply	–	Maximum continuous power 85 W; 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz single phase
In the box
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.	Mac mini, power adapter, install DVDs and documentation. January models ship with Mac OS X Panther and iLife '05; July configurations use Tiger. AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth optional at launch, standard on the July 1.42 GHz models.