Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible

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Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) compared with Power Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible
ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)ApplePower Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible
Overview
ReleasedAugust 20021995
Performance
Processor2 × 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 601 66 MHz (Power Macintosh 6100/66)
CPU cores21
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce4 MX (32 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB)–
Memory256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB (better)16 MB
Storage60 GB to 120 GB (better)500 MB
CPUDual 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.Macintosh side uses a 66 MHz PowerPC 601 with integrated FPU and PMMU, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and a 64-bit data path at 33 MHz. The separate Intel 80486DX2-66 on the DOS Compatibility Card runs at 66 MHz with a 33 MHz bus and 8 KB internal cache; it runs PC applications independently, rather than adding a second PowerPC core. The main processor comparison describes the Macintosh processor only.
GPUDual 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.Macintosh HDI-45 video uses system DRAM. The DOS card has separate 512 KB video RAM and a VGA controller; Sound Blaster-compatible 16-bit stereo playback is mixed with Macintosh and CD audio. PC sound hardware provides output only, while Macintosh audio has input and output.
Memory typeDual 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.8 MB on the Macintosh logic board and two 72-pin SIMM slots installed in pairs; maximum supported Macintosh RAM 72 MB. The DOS card can share selected Macintosh memory or use its own single 72-pin SIMM up to 32 MB; PC-local memory is not additional Macintosh RAM. AppleFacts also lists 8 MB system memory, but the shown 16 MB/500 MB factory configuration is explicitly ordered as M3972LL/A in Apple's TIL 16756.
Storage type60/80/120 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.M3972LL/A has a 500 MB internal hard drive, plus built-in 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy; optional double-speed CD-ROM reads Macintosh and DOS discs. Exact current support gives a broader 350–500 MB range; the initial January newsletter anticipated 16 MB/350 MB before final availability, so that prospective configuration is not added. DOS drive files reside on the Macintosh hard drive.
Expansion slotsFour open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and dedicated AGP 4x graphics slot.The sole processor-direct expansion position is occupied by the DOS Compatibility Card and its adapter; AV and NuBus expansion cannot coexist in that position. The PC processor card has a local-memory SIMM socket and sound expansion card.
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jackEthernet
Ethernet1 Gb/s–
External displaysUp to 2Up to 2
Front portsHeadphone jack and built-in speaker.–
Back portsTwo 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.ADB, HDI-45 Macintosh display output, DB-25 external SCSI, two GeoPort serial ports, AAUI Ethernet, microphone input and speaker output. The DOS card's 26-pin connection uses a monitor adapter cable with display and PC joystick connectors. Macintosh serial and printer interfaces can emulate PC connections, with compatibility limits in the developer guide.
External displaysTwo 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.One shared display or two separate simultaneous Macintosh and PC displays; only one environment receives keyboard and mouse input at a time. Macintosh video supports 512 × 384 and 640 × 480 at 16-bit colour, or 832 × 624 at 8-bit. DOS card supports VGA/SVGA displays; the developer note lists shared VGA 640 × 480 and SVGA 800 × 600 monitors. Depth and supported modes depend on environment and driver.
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers.–
Keyboard and mouseApple Pro Keyboard, optical Apple Pro Mouse, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable.Apple's DOS-card specification lists the compatibility card, MS-DOS 6.22 manual and disks, Windows 3.1, Macintosh PC Exchange User's Guide and monitor cable. Gallery monitor, keyboard and mouse illustrate the original maker setup and do not establish a universal factory bundle.
Design and power
TypeTowerCompact
Weight19.1 kg–
Width × depth × height227 × 468 × 432 mm414 × 396 × 86 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailExact 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.Original AppleFacts gives 86 × 414 × 396 mm (height × width × depth), used here. Exact support gives 3.4 × 16.3 × 15.6 inches and 14 lb; shared service manual gives 85 × 415 × 399 mm and 6.4 kg depending on installed devices. AppleFacts prints inconsistent 16.2 lb and 3.3 kg; headline weight omitted rather than resolving that conflict by guessing.
Power supply100–125 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.Exact support lists 210 W maximum and automatically configured 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz. Shared-family Service Source separately gives 132 W maximum continuous AC input, 201 W peak input excluding monitor power, and 86 W continuous DC output; these ratings retain their different conditions.
In the boxMac 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.Original System 7.5 with PowerPC Enabler 1.1.1, MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1. Apple support records introduction on 3 January 1995; January Apple Directions only promises first-quarter shipments. April 1995 AppleFacts lists the current product and the contemporary June TidBITS review describes a purchased unit, establishing sale in 1995 without proving the first-sale month. Apple explicitly calls the earlier Quadra 610 DOS Compatible its predecessor.

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