Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/132
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (FW800) | ApplePower Macintosh 8500/132 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 604 132 MHz (Power Macintosh 9500/132) |
| 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. | One 132 MHz PowerPC 604 on a removable processor card, with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB level-one cache, 256 KB level-two cache and a 44 MHz processor bus. The 50 MHz figure on the shared Japanese sheet is the family maximum, not the 132 MHz model's bus |
| 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 64-bit video subsystem with 2 MB VRAM, expandable to 4 MB. Standard memory supports 24-bit colour through 832 × 624, 16-bit at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870, and 8-bit at 1280 × 1024. With 4 MB, 24-bit colour extends through 1152 × 870 and 16-bit to 1280 × 1024; monitor and video output simultaneously require 4 MB. Exact model tables take precedence over contradictory high-colour catalogue appendix claims |
| 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. | 16 MB standard for the 8500/132, eight 168-pin 64-bit 70 ns-or-faster DRAM DIMM sockets, up to 512 MB supported; corresponding matching DIMMs permit interleaving. The shared Japanese page's 32 MB package is explicitly the 8500/150 and is not transferred. English support says 128 MB DIMMs were untested. 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. | Exact Japanese 8500/132 configuration has a 1.2 GB internal Fast SCSI hard disk, manual-inject Apple SuperDrive floppy and AppleCD 600i 4× CD-ROM. Shared Service Source lists 1.2 or 2 GB across 132/150/180 but does not pair an additional 132 configuration, so none is inferred. Additional internal storage bay; external SCSI up to seven devices at 5 MB/s, internal channel up to 10 MB/s |
| Expansion slots | Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and AGP 4x graphics slot. | Three PCI 2.0 slots, all free with onboard video, and an internal Digital Audio/Video connector for compatible compression hardware; no NuBus slots |
| 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. | One ADB connector, two GeoPort/LocalTalk-compatible serial connectors, DB-15 display output, external DB-25 SCSI, AAUI-15 and 10BASE-T Ethernet connectors, 16-bit stereo sound input/output, left/right RCA audio input/output, composite video input/output and S-video input/output. Both Ethernet connectors share one interface and cannot be used concurrently 24-bit analogue composite and S-video input/output. Japanese sheet specifies live display through 640 × 480 NTSC or 768 × 576 PAL/SECAM, capture through 320 × 240 at 25 frames/s NTSC, and a separate maximum 640 × 480 NTSC capture size without that frame-rate claim. NTSC and PAL/SECAM output supported; full-size preview is not full-size continuous capture |
| 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 up to 1280 × 1024; available colour depth depends on VRAM. Simultaneous monitor and video output requires 4 MB VRAM |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers. | Built-in speaker; stereo sound and RCA line audio interfaces support 16-bit, 44.1 kHz sampling |
| Microphones | – | Apple PlainTalk external microphone included in the exact Japanese package; no built-in microphone |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Pro Keyboard, Apple Pro Mouse, USB keyboard extension, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. | Japanese 16 MB/1.2 GB package includes ADB Mouse II, PlainTalk microphone, power cable, KanjiTalk 7.5.3 CD-ROM, VideoShop 3.0J, manuals and warranty. Keyboard and display sold separately |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | – |
| Width × depth × height | 227 × 468 × 432 mm | 196 × 400 × 355.6 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. | Exact Japanese sheet gives 355.6 × 196 × 400 mm, consistent with service manual's rounded 356 × 196 × 400 mm. Catalogue gives 363 × 196 × 401 mm. Weight is unresolved and omitted from the headline; exact Japanese page says 12.7 kg, but English support, service manual and catalogue give 25 lb or approximately 11.3 kg. All qualify weight by 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. Service Source distinguishes 225 W maximum DC output from AC consumption |
| Power use | – | 340 W maximum continuous AC input and 520 W peak input, excluding monitor; exact Japanese specification and shared Service Source agree |
| 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 system software 7.5.3. English support gives 22 April 1996 as introduction; Apple's May 1996 catalogue lists the exact 8500/132 as an offering, supporting release year 1996. Actual first-sale month/day remains unconfirmed |
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