Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Macintosh 6100/60AV
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (FW800) | ApplePower Macintosh 6100/60AV | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | January 2003 | 1994 |
| Performance | ||
| 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 601 60 MHz (Power Macintosh 6100/60AV) |
| CPU cores | 1 or 2 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) | – |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB (better) | 8 MB or 16 MB |
| Storage | 60 GB to 120 GB (better) | 250 MB |
| 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. | 60 MHz PowerPC 601 with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache and 64-bit data path at 30 MHz; 256 KB L2 cache is optional, not standard; 4 MB ROM |
| 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. | AV video card with fixed 2 MB VRAM, plus separate HDI-45 video using system DRAM |
| 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. | 8 MB soldered to the logic board and two 72-pin noncomposite 80 ns SIMM sockets accepting a matched pair; maximum 72 MB total. Original brochure lists 8 MB and 16 MB AV configurations. |
| 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. | Original AV configurations have a 250 MB internal SCSI hard drive and CD-ROM, with 8 MB RAM (M2738LL/A) or 16 MB (M2837LL/A). Service Source identifies internal AppleCD 300 Plus for the 60AV; exact support lists original 2× speed. Also includes 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy. |
| Expansion slots | Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and AGP 4x graphics slot. | One processor-direct expansion position occupied by the AV card. Unlike the non-AV 6100/60, the 60AV cannot use a NuBus adapter while retaining its AV card. |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | Ethernet |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | – |
| External displays | Up to 2 | Up to 2 |
| Front ports | Headphone minijack and built-in speaker. | – |
| 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. | ADB, AAUI-15 Ethernet, HDI-45 and DB-15 video, external DB-25 SCSI, two LocalTalk/GeoPort serial ports, 16-bit stereo audio input and output, and S-video input and output with composite adapters |
| 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. | Two simultaneous displays using DRAM and AV-card outputs. AV VRAM supports 24-bit colour at 640 × 480 and 832 × 624, or 16-bit colour at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870. Only one monitor or television can be attached to the AV card at a time. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers. | – |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Pro Keyboard, Apple Pro Mouse, USB keyboard extension, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. | Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II and two S-video-to-composite adapters; Service Source lists PlainTalk microphone standard for the 60AV. Keyboard and monitor sold separately. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Compact |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | 6.4 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 227 × 468 × 432 mm | 415 × 399.7 × 85 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| 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. | Original brochure publishes 85 × 415 × 399.7 mm and 6.4 kg, varying with installed devices; Service Source gives 85 × 415 × 399 mm. Exact support gives rounded 3.4 × 16.3 × 15.6 inch dimensions, while the shared developer note gives different physical dimensions; original brochure metric values retained. |
| 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. | Automatically configured 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz. Exact support and original brochure list 210 W maximum, excluding the display in the brochure. Service Source separately gives 132 W maximum continuous and 201 W peak AC input, excluding monitor power, with 86 W continuous DC output; conditions remain qualified. |
| 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. | Original brochure includes System 7 software, setup/learning/reference documentation and limited warranty. Exact support lists original System 7.1.2 with PowerPC Enabler 1.0 and introduction on 14 March 1994. Contemporary July 1994 MacUser retail advertising offers the exact 6100/60AV; release year 1994 retained, with first-sale month unresolved. |
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