Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Macintosh 7200/100

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Power Mac G4 (FW800) compared with Power Macintosh 7200/100
ApplePower Mac G4 (FW800)ApplePower Macintosh 7200/100
Overview
ReleasedJanuary 20031996
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G4 1000 MHz (Power Mac FW800), 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac FW800) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1420 MHz (Power Mac FW800)PowerPC 601 100 MHz (Power Macintosh 7200/100)
CPU cores1 or 21
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB)–
Memory256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB (better)8 MB
Storage60 GB to 120 GB (better)800 MB
CPUSingle 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.100 MHz PowerPC 601 with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache and 50 MHz processor bus. Exact improved-model developer table lists no fitted L2 cache for the 7200/100; the shared maker catalogue documents an optional 256 KB L2 cache. The developer note introductory narrative contains a 7600/100/604 typo; its explicitly labelled processor/configuration tables establish the 7200/100 as a 601 model.
GPUSingle 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.1 MB VRAM standard, expandable to 4 MB. Original Apple catalogue describes a 32-bit graphics data path with 1 MB and 64-bit with 2 MB. It supports 24-bit colour on 16-inch displays with 2 MB and on 21-inch displays with 4 MB; exact modes depend on installed VRAM and a compatible external monitor.
Memory typeSingle 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.Exact April 1996 improved-model developer table lists 8 MB RAM in four 168-pin DIMM slots; the shared May 1996 7200/100 and 7200/120 catalogue describes 8 MB or 16 MB family configurations and expansion to 256 MB. No exact 100 MHz model 16 MB factory configuration is inferred from the combined table.
Storage typeStock 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 developer and original Apple support configuration tables list an 800 MB hard disk for the 7200/100. The joint May 1996 7200/100 and 7200/120 catalogue instead lists 1.2 GB with regional configuration wording; that unresolved family-level difference is not assigned as another exact 100 MHz configuration. A built-in CD-ROM is confirmed for all improved models; the joint catalogue gives quadruple-speed CD-ROM and Apple SuperDrive floppy. One additional 3.5-inch storage-device bay.
Expansion slotsFour open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and AGP 4x graphics slot.Three PCI expansion slots; the maker catalogue lists support for six SCSI devices. Apple explicitly supports its optional PCI Token Ring Card on 7200/100 and 7200/120, unlike earlier 7200/75 and 7200/90. The contemporary support article says the Token Ring card is incompatible with the PCI DOS Compatibility Card.
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jackEthernet
Ethernet1 Gb/s–
External displaysUp to 2–
Front portsHeadphone minijack and built-in speaker.–
Back portsOne 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.Two GeoPort-compatible serial ports, ADB, monitor output, external SCSI and 16-bit stereo audio input/output. Built-in LocalTalk, 10BASE-T and AAUI Ethernet. The original enhanced-model support article describes CurioPrime multihoming for simultaneous AppleTalk network ports.
External displaysTwo 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.External monitor required. Built-in video supports up to 1280 × 1024 with 4 MB VRAM in the original maker catalogue. The primary shared100/120 maker photograph shows a separate display and keyboard/mouse; the display is not built into the computer.
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers.–
Keyboard and mouseApple Pro Keyboard, Apple Pro Mouse, USB keyboard extension, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable.The shared maker photograph shows keyboard, mouse and an external monitor; this is an illustrated setup, not evidence all accessories were included in each bundle. The shared 7200 user guide says monitor/keyboard vary with what was purchased and the PlainTalk microphone is optional.
Design and power
TypeTowerCompact
Weight19.1 kg9.9 kg (better)
Width × depth × height227 × 468 × 432 mm366 × 429 × 157 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailMaker reference 19.1 kg varies with configuration and manufacturing. Height 43.2 cm, width 22.7 cm, depth 46.8 cm.Original May 1996 joint 7200/100 and 7200/120 Apple Facts table gives 15.7 × 36.6 × 42.9 cm (height ×width ×depth), 9.9 kg/22 lb, varying with installed devices. These are computer measurements, excluding the separately shown monitor and peripherals.
Power supply100–125 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.–
In the boxMac 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.System 7.5.3 in the exact improved-model developer note. Original Apple May 1996 current product catalogue establishes sale in 1996; actual first-sale month is unresolved, so release stays year precision. Developer-note publication 23 April 1996 and support-article publication 25 April 1996 are not treated as retail-launch dates. No successor relationship is inferred merely from shared family naming.

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