Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8200/120
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (FW800) | ApplePower Macintosh 8200/120 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | January 2003 | 1996 |
| 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 601 120 MHz (Power Macintosh 7200/120) |
| 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) | 16 MB |
| Storage | 60 GB to 120 GB (better) | 1.2 GB |
| 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. | 120 MHz PowerPC 601 soldered to the logic board, integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB level-one cache, 40 MHz 64-bit processor bus and standard 256 KB level-two cache. Apple's brochure describes a logic-board upgrade plus separately purchased processor card for an 8500 conversion, not a standard removable 8200 processor card |
| 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. | Built-in accelerated video with 1 MB soldered VRAM, expandable to 4 MB using three VRAM sockets. Exact support table gives 16-bit colour through 832 × 624 and 8-bit at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870 with standard VRAM; 1280 × 1024 requires at least 2 MB. 4 MB allows 24-bit at 1024 × 768 and 16-bit at 1152 × 870 and 1280 × 1024 |
| 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. | UK brochure specifies 16 MB for 8200/120, matching its exact support page. Shared Service Source describes 8 or 16 MB across both models without pairing them; the 8 MB 8200/100 configuration is not transferred. Four 168-pin 64-bit 5 V 70 ns-or-faster DIMM sockets, 256 MB supported maximum; no memory interleaving. Apple says 128 MB DIMMs can be used but were not tested. 4 MB ROM |
| 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. | 1.2 GB internal SCSI hard disk, manual-inject 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy and AppleCD 600i 4× CD-ROM in the original UK ordering configuration. Exact support also lists 8× CD-ROM without identifying its full configuration; no additional RAM/storage pairing is invented. UK brochure gives internal/external SCSI up to 5 MB/s and an additional 3.5-inch disk or other SCSI-device bay |
| Expansion slots | Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and AGP 4x graphics slot. | Three PCI 2.0 slots; no standard analogue AV module. Optional PC Compatibility Cards are separately purchased PCI hardware, not a second processor in the base configuration |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s (better) | 0.01 Gb/s |
| External displays | 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. | DB-15 display output, one ADB connector, external DB-25 SCSI, two GeoPort/LocalTalk-compatible serial connectors, AAUI and 10BASE-T Ethernet, mini-jacks for 16-bit stereo sound input and output up to 44.1 kHz. The two Ethernet connectors share one interface; 10BASE-T takes priority if both are connected |
| 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. | One external display through built-in video; up to 1280 × 1024 requires additional VRAM and a compatible monitor. Brochure colour-depth headline describes expanded VRAM, not standard 1 MB |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers. | Built-in speaker; stereo sound output for external speakers |
| Microphones | – | Supports an external Apple PlainTalk microphone |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Pro Keyboard, Apple Pro Mouse, USB keyboard extension, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. | Apple ADB Mouse II, system software 7.5.3 or later, Internet-access software, setup and reference documentation and limited warranty listed in the UK brochure; keyboard and monitor purchased separately |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | 11.3 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 227 × 468 × 432 mm | 196 × 400 × 356 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. | UK brochure and Service Source give 356 mm high, 196 mm wide and 400 mm deep, 11.3 kg; weight varies with installed devices |
| 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. | 100–240 V AC, automatically configured, single phase, 50–60 Hz. UK brochure specifies 225 W maximum excluding display; shared Service Source distinguishes 225 W DC output from 340 W continuous/520 W peak AC input, while exact support gives 150 W without that distinction. This conflict remains explicit and no consumption headline is selected |
| 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. | Apple lists 22 April 1996 as introduction. Original April 1996 UK brochure includes exact ordering information and specifications, supporting sale year 1996; the actual first-sale month/day remains unconfirmed. Service Source labels this family Europe-only and exact support states it was not sold in the US |
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