Apple Power Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) | ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | July 2000 | June 2003 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 400 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet), 2 × PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet) or 2 × PowerPC G4 500 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet) | PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) |
| CPU cores | 1 or 2 | 1 or 2 |
| Graphics | ATI RAGE 128 Pro (16 MB) | ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) |
| Memory | 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB or 1.5 GB | 256 MB or 2 GB (better) |
| Storage | 20 GB to 40 GB | 80 GB (better) |
| CPU | 400 MHz single processor; 450 and 500 MHz dual PowerPC G4 processors. Each physical processor has 1 MB backside L2 cache; 100 MHz system bus. Supplier unspecified in these generic clock-only records. | Stock single 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 with 256 KB L2 cache and 1 MB L3 cache. Contemporary Macworld reporting of Apple Store configurations also documents dual 1.25 GHz processors, each with 2 MB L3; this custom build is labelled in configuration details rather than presented as a second stock base. |
| GPU | ATI RAGE 128 Pro with 16 MB SDRAM in an AGP 2x slot; ADC and VGA outputs. | Stock ATI Radeon 9000 Pro with 64 MB DDR in an AGP 4x slot. Macworld also documents a custom dual-processor build with NVIDIA GeForce4 Titanium; that build has other upgrades and is not treated as a freely interchangeable stock configuration. |
| Memory type | 400 MHz: 64 MB, dual 450: 128 MB, dual 500: 256 MB PC100 SDRAM. Four DIMM slots support up to 1.5 GB; Mac OS 9 maximum per application 999 MB. | Stock 256 MB PC2700 DDR333; four DIMM slots, maximum 2 GB. The single-processor configurations retain the stock drive and graphics at base and maximum memory. The documented dual-processor custom base has 256 MB. |
| Storage type | Stock 400: 20 GB 5400 rpm/DVD-ROM; dual 450: 30 GB 7200 rpm/DVD-ROM; dual 500: 40 GB 7200 rpm/DVD-RAM. The retained storage prose says 20 GB 7200 rpm where its configuration matrix and launch release specify 30 GB; matrix retained. Ultra ATA/66, three drive bays supporting two ATA or three SCSI drives. Optional SCSI 36/72 GB, Zip and optical options are not expanded into unproven cross-combinations. | Stock 80 GB 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; up to four internal drives. Tray-loading Combo drive reads DVD at 8x and CD at 32x, writes CD-R at 16x and CD-RW at 10x. Macworld documents a dual 1.25 GHz custom base with 80 GB, Combo drive and Radeon 9000 Pro, and a separate upgraded build with 2 GB RAM, two 160 GB drives, SuperDrive and GeForce4 Titanium. The two-drive build is described here without flattening its drives into a single capacity. |
| Expansion slots | Three open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and one AGP 2x graphics slot. | Four PCI slots and an occupied AGP 4x graphics slot. |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| Front ports | – | Headphone connection and built-in mono speaker. |
| Back ports | Two external FireWire 400 ports and two USB ports at 12 Mbps each; Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem and analog audio input/output. Optional 11 Mbps AirPort card. Keyboard USB ports excluded. | Two USB 1.1, two FireWire 400, Gigabit Ethernet with Auto-MDIX, ADC and DVI display connectors, audio line-in/out and Apple Pro Speakers connection. The maker lists a V.92 modem. Optional original AirPort; the contemporary Apple-spokesman report confirms no AirPort Extreme, internal Bluetooth or FireWire 800. |
| External displays | ADC carries video, USB and display power; VGA also available, with graphics resolutions up to 1920 × 1200. | ADC and DVI connectors with included DVI-to-VGA adapter. Digital resolution up to 1920 × 1200; analogue up to 1600 × 1200. The exact sheet does not publish a simultaneous display count. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker and analog audio input/output. | Built-in mono speaker and connection for Apple Pro Speakers; no built-in microphone. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Pro Keyboard and optical Apple Pro Mouse. | Black Apple Pro input devices and DVI-to-VGA adapter. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 13.6 kg (better) | 19.1 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 226 × 467 × 432 mm | 226 × 467 × 432 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | 43.2 cm height, 22.6 cm width, 46.7 cm depth and 13.6 kg reference weight; weight varies with configuration. | Maker dimensions: height 43.2 cm, width 22.6 cm, depth 46.7 cm; weight 19.1 kg. These published metric values differ slightly from the FW800 sheet. |
| Power supply | Maximum continuous power 220 W. | – |
| In the box | Mac OS 9, QuickTime and iMovie 2. Apple confirms all three factory configurations immediately available on 19 July 2000. Later review software updates are not launch firmware. | Mac OS X 10.2.4 and bootable Mac OS 9.2.2, install/restore DVD and Apple Hardware Test. First sale uses the 23 June 2003 Macworld report that these models were for sale at Apple’s online store; a 29 June report quotes an Apple spokesman confirming manufacture and sale. The first day is contemporary Apple Store reporting rather than a retained maker launch notice. |
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