Apple iMac G5 (20-inch, 2004) vs Apple iMac G5 (20-inch, Ambient Light Sensor)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

iMac G5 (20-inch, 2004) compared with iMac G5 (20-inch, Ambient Light Sensor)
AppleiMac G5 (20-inch, 2004)AppleiMac G5 (20-inch, Ambient Light Sensor)
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2004May 2005
Performance
ProcessorIBM PowerPC G5 1.8 GHz (iMac 2004)IBM PowerPC G5 2 GHz (iMac Ambient Light Sensor)
CPU cores11
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)ATI Radeon 9600 (128 MB)
Memory256 MB or 2 GB512 MB or 2 GB
Storage160 GB to 250 GB250 GB to 400 GB (better)
CPU1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 with 600 MHz frontside bus and 512 KB on-chip L2 cache. Generic maker-clock chip record retains the single-core identity; uncertain silicon revision is not inferred.2.0 GHz PowerPC G5 with 667 MHz frontside bus, 512 KB L2 cache and SuperDrive. Generic maker-clock chip records retain the single-core identity cross-checked with exact EveryMac sources; uncertain 970/970FX silicon revision is not inferred.
GPUNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 8x support.ATI Radeon 9600 with 128 MB dedicated video memory; AGP 8x support.
Memory type256 MB PC3200 (400 MHz) DDR SDRAM standard, expandable to 2 GB in two slots. Configurations conservatively list the published base and maker maximum.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.
Storage type160 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, with a 250 GB build-to-order option confirmed by maker launch press. Slot-loading SuperDrive DVD-R/CD-RW writes DVD-R at 4x and reads DVDs at 8x; writes CD-R at 16x and CD-RW at 8x.250 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive, configurable to 400 GB; 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x double-layer DVD writing.
Display
Screen size20″20″
Resolution1680 × 10501680 × 1050
Brightness230 nits–
Display typeWidescreen 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.Widescreen LCD with millions of colours; panel technology, refresh rate and brightness not published in the retained exact maker specification.
Display featuresTypical viewing angles: 170° horizontal and vertical.–
Connections
Ports3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet0.1 Gb/s1 Gb/s (better)
Wi-Fi–802.11g
Bluetooth–2.0 + EDR
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/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, 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.
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.Optional Mini-VGA adapters provide VGA, S-video or composite output; no DVI connector is listed.
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakers, internal 12 W digital amplifier and built-in microphone.Built-in stereo speakers and microphone.
Keyboard and mouseApple Keyboard, Apple Mouse and modem cable.Apple Keyboard and Apple Mouse; the later Mighty Mouse and iSight-generation remote are not substituted for the launch accessories.
Design and power
TypeAll-in-oneAll-in-one
Weight11.4 kg11.4 kg
Width × depth × height493 × 189 × 472 mm493 × 189 × 472 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailPublished metric size and reference weight; weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.–
Power supply100–120 V AC or 100–240 V AC depending on country of purchase, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 180 W.–
In the boxLaunch 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, 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.

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