Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/200

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Power Mac G4 (FW800) compared with Power Macintosh 9600/200
ApplePower Mac G4 (FW800)ApplePower Macintosh 9600/200
Overview
ReleasedJanuary 20031997
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 604e 200 MHz (Power Macintosh 9600/200)
CPU cores1 or 21
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB)IMS Twin Turbo 128 M4A (4 MB VRAM)
Memory256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB (better)32 MB
Storage60 GB to 120 GB (better)4 GB
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.200 MHz PowerPC 604e with integrated floating-point unit, 64 KB L1 cache and 512 KB L2 cache
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.Bundled IMS Twin Turbo 128 M4A PCI video card with 4 MB VRAM; Apple lists output up to 1600 × 1200 pixels
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.32 MB standard, expandable to 768 MB using twelve 168-pin DIMM slots
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.4 GB internal SCSI hard drive, 1.44 MB floppy drive and 12× CD-ROM drive
Expansion slotsFour open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and AGP 4x graphics slot.Six PCI slots, one occupied by the bundled video card; additional internal drive bays
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.DB-15 video on the PCI card, Apple Desktop Bus, external DB-25 SCSI, two serial ports, AAUI and 10BASE-T Ethernet, stereo audio input and output
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.Bundled video card supports one external display at up to 1600 × 1200 pixels
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.–
Design and power
TypeTowerTower
Weight19.1 kg–
Width × depth × height227 × 468 × 432 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.Apple lists 17.3 × 9.7 × 17.3 inches and 35 lb
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.Apple lists a 390 W maximum
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.Original System Software 7.5.5. Apple lists 17 February 1997 as introduction and expected Canadian availability in March; a distinct verified first-sale date was not established.

More comparisons