Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) | ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | August 2002 | June 2003 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | 2 × PowerPC G4 867 MHz (Power Mac Mirrored Drive Doors 2002), 2 × PowerPC G4 1000 MHz (Power Mac Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) | PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) |
| CPU cores | 2 | 1 or 2 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (32 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) | ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB | 256 MB or 2 GB |
| Storage | 60 GB to 120 GB (better) | 80 GB |
| CPU | Dual 867 MHz, dual 1 GHz or dual 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processors; each physical processor has 256 KB on-chip L2 cache. 867 MHz and 1 GHz have 1 MB DDR SRAM L3 per processor; 1.25 GHz has 2 MB. System bus 133 MHz on dual 867, 167 MHz on dual 1/1.25 GHz. CPU count describes physical processors; supplier is not inferred. | 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 | Dual 867 MHz: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 32 MB DDR. Dual 1/1.25 GHz: ATI Radeon 9000 Pro 64 MB DDR. Optional NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 128 MB; independent CTO options are not expanded into unsupported stock combinations. | 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 | Dual 867 MHz: 256 MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM at 266 MHz. Dual 1 GHz: 256 MB PC2700 DDR at 333 MHz; dual 1.25 GHz: 512 MB PC2700. Four DIMM slots support up to 2 GB. Configurations preserve stock processor/drive/graphics ties at base and maximum memory. | 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 | 60/80/120 GB 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 stock drives respectively. Dual 867 MHz has Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW (CD-R 16x); faster models SuperDrive (DVD-R 2x, CD-R 8x). Four hard-drive bays support two ATA/100 and two ATA/66 drives, or up to four SCSI drives with a separately sold PCI card. Two optical bays, one occupied; optional second Combo drive. Maker optional storage choices remain in details rather than assumed CPU cross-pairs. | 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 | Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and dedicated AGP 4x 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, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 2 | – |
| Front ports | Headphone jack and built-in speaker. | Headphone connection and built-in mono speaker. |
| Back ports | Two FireWire 400, two USB chassis ports (maker four-port total includes two keyboard ports), Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, ADC/DVI, stereo audio line-in/out and Apple Pro Speakers minijack. Optional 11 Mbps AirPort 802.11b card. Bluetooth is a separately listed adapter, not built-in. No FireWire 800 in this 2002 generation. | 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 | Two displays in extended desktop or mirroring modes; ADC and DVI with included DVI-to-VGA adapter. Connecting two ADC displays requires a separately sold DVI-to-ADC adapter. | 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; optional Apple Pro Speakers. | Built-in mono speaker and connection for Apple Pro Speakers; no built-in microphone. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Pro Keyboard, optical Apple Pro Mouse, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. | Black Apple Pro input devices and DVI-to-VGA adapter. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | 19.1 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 227 × 468 × 432 mm | 226 × 467 × 432 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | Exact maker reference weight 19.1 kg varies with configuration and manufacturing process; height 43.2, width 22.7, depth 46.8 cm. These published dimensions differ slightly from earlier G4 sheets and are retained. | 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 | 100–125 V AC or 200–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz. Maximum current 6.5 A at low voltage or 7.5 A at high voltage; maker publishes no maximum wattage here. | – |
| In the box | Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar as default startup system, plus bootable Mac OS 9.2.2; iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes and iDVD for SuperDrive. Maker August 13 release says dual 867/1 GHz available that week, so first sale uses August month precision. Actual dual-1.25 GHz shipping confirmed 18 September. January 2003 FireWire 800 models and June 2003 reissue are separate generations. | 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. |
More comparisons
- Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)
- Apple Mac Studio (M4 Max or M3 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
- Apple Mac Pro (M2 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)
- Apple Mac Pro (M2 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
- Apple Mac Pro (2019) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)
- Apple Mac Pro (2006) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)
- Apple Mac Pro (2006) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Mac mini (2005) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004)

