Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Macintosh 5500/225

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Power Mac G4 (FW800) compared with Power Macintosh 5500/225

	ApplePower Mac G4 (FW800)	ApplePower Macintosh 5500/225
Overview
Released
Released	January 2003	1997
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G4 1000 MHz (Power Mac FW800), 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac FW800) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1420 MHz (Power Mac FW800)	PowerPC 603e 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 5500)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1 or 2	1
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB)	–
Memory
Memory	256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB (better)	16 MB or 32 MB
Storage
Storage	60 GB to 120 GB (better)	2 GB to 4 GB
CPU
CPU	Single 1 GHz, dual 1.25 GHz or dual 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4; each physical processor has 256 KB on-chip L2 cache. L3 cache is 1 MB on the single 1 GHz, 1 MB per processor on dual 1.25 GHz and 2 MB per processor on dual 1.42 GHz. Bus is 133 MHz on the single model, 167 MHz on dual models.	225 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit 50 MHz system bus.
GPU
GPU	Single 1 GHz: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX with 64 MB DDR. Dual 1.25/1.42 GHz: ATI Radeon 9000 Pro with 64 MB DDR. Optional NVIDIA GeForce4 Titanium and ATI Radeon 9700 Pro, each 128 MB DDR; independent CTO options stay in details.	2 MB built-in SGRAM with hardware 2D and 3D acceleration, including QuickDraw 3D, video capture and QuickTime/MPEG-1 playback. Exact education brochure specifies 24-bit colour through 832 × 624 and 16-bit colour through 1024 × 768. Exact support and shared service tables also list 1152 × 870 at 16-bit and 1280 × 1024 at 8-bit; the brochure does not establish these as built-in CRT modes, so its documented 1024 × 768 display mode is retained as the headline. Display resolution can be changed in software; the CRT has no fixed pixel matrix.
Memory type
Memory type	Single 1 GHz: 256 MB PC2100 DDR at 266 MHz; dual 1.25 GHz: 256 MB PC2700 DDR at 333 MHz; dual 1.42 GHz: 512 MB PC2700. Four DIMM slots support up to 2 GB. Configurations retain stock drives and GPUs at base and maximum supported memory.	US education ordering model M5761LL/A has 32 MB RAM; the shared service manual also documents 16 MB configurations sold worldwide. No system RAM is soldered on the logic board. Two 168-pin DIMM slots support up to 128 MB with 5 V, 60 ns or faster EDO DIMMs; the brochure specifies noncomposite modules with 1K or 2K refresh. The service manual supports both fast-page and EDO DIMMs, noting that mixing them can use fast-page timings.
Storage type
Storage type	Stock 60/80/120 GB 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 drives on 1/1.25/1.42 GHz respectively. Lower models have Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW; top model has SuperDrive (DVD-R 4x, CD-R 16x). Four bays support two ATA/100 and two ATA/66 drives; two optical bays, one occupied. Optional 180 GB drive, SuperDrive on lower models and second Combo drive are not assumed in every configuration.	Exact US education brochure specifies a 2 GB IDE hard drive, 12× CD-ROM and 1.44 MB SuperDrive floppy. Exact support and shared service document 24× optical configurations too. Later US education configurations have 32 MB/24× and Mac OS 8.0; Europe has 32 MB/2 GB/24× with a 33.6 Kbit/s modem, while Japan has 32 MB/4 GB/24× with the same modem and Mac OS 8.0.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and AGP 4x graphics slot.	One PCI 2.0 expansion slot for a 7-inch card with a Macintosh driver, Communications Slot II used by the Ethernet card or regional modem, video-input slot and TV/FM tuner bay. The education brochure lists optional Apple TV/FM Radio System and Avid Cinema Video Editing System. The shared service provides a digital-video connector for compatible expansion hardware; it is not compatible with the earlier Quadra 660AV/840AV connector.
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	12.8″
Resolution
Resolution	–	1024 × 768
Panel
Panel	–	CRT
Display type
Display type	–	Built-in multiple-scan flat-square colour CRT, 15-inch nominal with 12.8-inch diagonal viewable image and 0.28 mm dot pitch. A refresh rate specifically established for the highest brochure-documented built-in mode remains unpublished and is omitted.
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	Headphone jack, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s (better)	0.01 Gb/s
External displays
External displays	Up to 2	–
Front ports
Front ports	Headphone minijack and built-in speaker.	Headphone output, sound-volume and display controls; infrared receiver for the optional TV/FM remote.
Back ports
Back ports	One FireWire 800 and two FireWire 400 (15 W total), two chassis USB 1.1, Gigabit Ethernet, V.92 modem, ADC/DVI, audio line-in/out and Apple Pro Speakers minijack. Maker four-port USB total includes two ports on the keyboard. Optional AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps 802.11g card and Bluetooth 1.1 module.	US education brochure and exact support specify 10BASE-T Ethernet, ADB, external DB-25 SCSI, two RS-232/RS-422/LocalTalk/GeoPort-compatible serial ports, PlainTalk-compatible sound input and stereo output. The Ethernet card occupies Communications Slot II; later European and Japanese configurations instead supply a 33.6 Kbit/s modem. Brochure supports six external SCSI devices. Video-input card is included in the education brochure and accepts composite and S-Video; TV/FM tuner and Avid Cinema are optional.
External displays
External displays	Two displays in extended desktop or mirroring modes. ADC and DVI connectors with included DVI-to-VGA adapter; digital up to 1920 × 1200, analogue up to 1600 × 1200. A second ADC display needs a separately sold adapter.	US education brochure includes NTSC TV-output capability for a compatible television, VCR or camcorder. Computer-monitor output requires the appropriate external video connector; the shared service documents video mirroring rather than an independent extended desktop. Regional video bundles vary.
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers.	Built-in stereo speakers, 16-bit stereo sound input/output and SRS 3D surround processing, with rear stereo speaker output.
Microphones
Microphones	–	Built-in microphone; PlainTalk-compatible external sound input.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Pro Keyboard, Apple Pro Mouse, USB keyboard extension, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable.	Exact M5761LL/A education brochure includes AppleDesign Keyboard, ADB Mouse II, 32 MB RAM, 2 GB drive, 12× CD-ROM, internet-access software and setup/reference documentation. Video-input and NTSC TV-output hardware are included in this education presentation; TV/FM tuner and Avid Cinema are optional. Exact photographs show the beige 225 MHz model with keyboard/mouse; later international bundles differ.
Design and power
Type
Type	Tower	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	19.1 kg (better)	21 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	227 × 468 × 432 mm	383 × 406 × 445 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker reference 19.1 kg varies with configuration and manufacturing. Height 43.2 cm, width 22.7 cm, depth 46.8 cm.	Exact education brochure gives 44.5 × 38.3 × 40.6 cm (height × width × depth), 21 kg / 47 lb; support database agrees with these inch dimensions and 47 lb. AppleFacts August 1997 second page instead prints tower-like 40.6 × 19.8 × 42.9 cm and 20 kg, inconsistent with its all-in-one identity. The shared service swaps width/depth and prints inconsistent pound weights. Brochure complete-unit measurements are retained, with weight varying by installed devices.
Power supply
Power supply	100–125 V or 200–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; maximum current 6.5 A at low voltage or 7.5 A at high voltage. No wattage is supplied by this sheet.	Exact support specifies 220 W maximum, 110–240 V AC at 50–60 Hz. The original education brochure separately lists 150 W maximum excluding the display, 110/220 V and 47–63 Hz. Shared service lists 125 W and 220 W maximum for all line/load conditions; these differently qualified ratings are not treated as measured operating consumption.
Noise
Noise	–	Variable-speed fan automatically runs at the lowest speed needed to minimise noise; the processor also has a small cooling fan. No acoustic measurement is published in these sources.
In the box
In the box	Mac OS X with Classic environment rather than native Mac OS 9 boot; iLife and productivity software. Single 1 GHz and dual 1.25 GHz were available on 28 January 2003; dual 1.42 GHz was announced for the following month and subsequently reviewed. Its later availability does not change the generation’s first on-sale date.	Exact support lists original System 7.5.5 and Enabler 411; education brochure lists Mac OS 7.6 or later and describes Mac OS 7.6.1 software, while later service configurations use Mac OS 8.0. Apple records introduction on 17 February 1997, but the August 1997 current ordering brochure and catalogue establish sale only at year precision in this record. Actual first-sale month remains unresolved. Energy Saver schedules sleep, starting up and shutdown.