Apple Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) compared with Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
ApplePower Mac G4 (AGP Graphics)ApplePower Mac G5 (Late 2004)
Overview
Released1999October 2004
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G4 350 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics), PowerPC G4 400 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics), PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics) or PowerPC G4 500 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics)PowerPC G5 1800 MHz (Power Mac Late 2004)
CPU cores11
GraphicsATI RAGE 128 Pro (16 MB) or ATI RAGE 128 (16 MB)NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Memory64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB or 1.5 GB256 MB or 4 GB (better)
Storage10 GB to 27 GB80 GB (better)
CPUSingle 350, 400, 450 or 500 MHz PowerPC G4 with 1 MB backside L2 cache at half processor speed and 100 MHz system bus. Unknown silicon supplier omitted. Original 500 MHz announcement never shipped; only the actual February 2000 option is represented.One 1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 with 512 KB L2 cache and a 600 MHz front-side bus. This is the new single-processor model; the dual-processor models also listed on the retained sheet are June 2004 carryovers.
GPU16 MB ATI RAGE 128 AGP 2x originally, changed to RAGE 128 Pro in December 1999 (EveryMac). Pro adds DVI and supports up to 1920 × 1200, versus original VGA up to 1600 × 1200.Stock NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB DDR in AGP 8x Pro. Optional ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128 MB, Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT DDL 256 MB or 6800 Ultra DDL 256 MB. The 9800 XT and 6800 cards also occupy the adjacent PCI slot.
Memory typeFour PC100 DIMM slots, maker-supported maximum 1.5 GB. Base memory varies with dated factory configuration; higher unofficial capacities are excluded.Stock 256 MB PC3200 DDR400 in matched pairs; four DIMM slots support up to 4 GB. Configuration rows keep the stock graphics and drive at base and maximum supported memory.
Storage typeDated stock changes (EveryMac): original 450 MHz 128 MB/20 GB/DVD-ROM; October 400 MHz 128 MB/20 GB/DVD-ROM and 450 MHz 256 MB/27 GB/DVD-RAM. December adds 350 MHz 64 MB/10 GB/DVD-ROM and replaces graphics with Pro. February 2000 maker confirms 400 MHz 64 MB/10 GB/DVD-ROM, 450 MHz 128 MB/20 GB/DVD-ROM and 500 MHz 256 MB/27 GB/DVD-RAM. Zip included on original 450, October 400/450, and February 450/500; identical optical-only variants are kept in details. No unproven SCSI/drive cross-combinations.Stock 80 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA drive. Two 3.5-inch bays, each with a 150 MB/s interface. Optional 160 or 250 GB drives, including two 250 GB drives. One optical bay with 8x DVD-R SuperDrive; Combo drive is optional.
Expansion slotsThree open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and one AGP 2x slot used by graphics.Three open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and occupied AGP 8x Pro graphics slot; no PCI-X on this single-processor model.
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet0.1 Gb/s1 Gb/s (better)
External displays–Up to 2
Front ports–USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and headphone minijack.
Back portsTwo independent 12 Mbps USB ports; two external FireWire 400 ports and one internal connector; VGA, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, analog audio input/output and optional 11 Mbps AirPort card. 56K modem is standard except the top February 500 MHz configuration where it is optional. Keyboard USB excluded.Two USB 2.0, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, Gigabit Ethernet, V.92 modem, optical Toslink input/output and analogue audio line-in/out. Three chassis USB ports in total, plus two keyboard USB 1.1 ports. AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps and Bluetooth 1.1 are optional.
External displays–Stock ADC and DVI with included DVI-to-VGA adapter, supporting two displays. Optional 6800 GT/Ultra DDL cards have two dual-link DVI connectors and support two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays; a second ADC display on the stock card needs an adapter.
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker; analog audio input and output.Built-in speaker; optical and analogue connections for external audio.
Keyboard and mouseApple USB Keyboard and Apple USB Mouse.Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter, modem cable and AirPort antenna.
Design and power
TypeTowerTower
Weight13.6 kg (better)16.4 kg
Width × depth × height226 × 467 × 432 mm206 × 475 × 511 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailExact Japanese maker sheet publishes 43.2 cm height, 22.6 cm width, 46.7 cm depth and 13.6 kg weight; configuration-dependent.Maker height 51.1 cm, width 20.6 cm, depth 47.5 cm. Published reference weight for the single 1.8 GHz model is 16.4 kg, distinct from the carryover dual-processor models; weight varies with configuration.
Materials–Aluminium enclosure.
Power supplyMaximum continuous power 200 W.–
In the boxMac OS 8.6 originally. September 1999 introduction and a few original 450 MHz channel shipments are documented by Apple-History, but the first shipping month is not established; release stays at year precision. February 2000 maker release confirms immediate availability of the revised range.The October 2004 release includes Mac OS X Panther and iLife ’04. Apple’s retained specification sheet later lists iLife ’05; that later software listing does not change the hardware’s October 2004 first sale.

More comparisons