Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/200MP
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) | ApplePower Macintosh 9600/200MP | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | August 2002 | 1997 |
| 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) | 2 × PowerPC 604e 200 MHz (Power Macintosh 9600/200) |
| CPU cores | 2 | 2 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (32 MB) or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) | PCI graphics accelerator (4 MB VRAM) |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB (better) | 32 MB |
| Storage | 60 GB to 120 GB (better) | 4 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. | Two physical PowerPC 604e processors at 200 MHz on one removable processor card; each has 32 KB instruction and 32 KB data caches. 50 MHz processor bus and 512 KB level-two cache soldered to the logic board. Under classic Mac OS the primary CPU runs the system and interrupts, while MP-aware applications schedule tasks on the second CPU; this is not two cores inside one chip |
| 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. | Bundled PCI graphics accelerator with 4 MB non-expandable VRAM. Exact Japanese specifications and developer note give 16-bit colour at 1280 × 1024 and 1600 × 1200, and 24-bit colour through 1152 × 870. The catalogue’s 24-bit 1280 × 1024 claim conflicts with those tables and is not transferred. Exact card identity is not inferred from a sibling |
| 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. | 32 MB standard, twelve 168-pin 64-bit 70 ns-or-faster DRAM DIMM sockets, up to 768 MB officially supported; matching modules in corresponding sockets permit interleaving. English support says 128 MB DIMMs may work but were not tested; these are not treated as an approved expansion configuration. 4 MB ROM |
| 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. | 4 GB internal Fast SCSI hard disk, manual-inject Apple SuperDrive floppy and 12× internal CD-ROM. Shared service manual names AppleCD 1800i, while developer note names AppleCD 1600i; exact mechanism name remains unresolved, so the published speed is retained. No standard Zip drive on the original 200MP; later 9600 variants differ |
| Expansion slots | Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and dedicated AGP 4x graphics slot. | Six PCI 2.0 expansion slots, five free with the supplied graphics card. Additional internal storage bays and removable processor card; no NuBus slots. Side-panel release permits access to memory, PCI cards and processor |
| 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 jack and built-in 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. | One ADB connector, two GeoPort/LocalTalk-compatible serial connectors, external SCSI, AAUI-15 and 10BASE-T Ethernet connectors, 16-bit stereo sound input and output. DB-15 monitor connector belongs to the supplied PCI card. Both Ethernet connectors share one interface; with both connected, the service manual says 10BASE-T takes priority |
| 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. | One external monitor via the supplied graphics card, up to 1600 × 1200 with compatible display and cables; developer note says the card does not support sync-on-green monitors |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers. | Built-in speaker and 16-bit stereo audio input/output |
| Microphones | – | External Apple PlainTalk microphone supplied in the Japanese bundle; no built-in microphone |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Pro Keyboard, optical Apple Pro Mouse, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. | Japanese configuration includes ADB Mouse II, PlainTalk microphone, power cable, KanjiTalk 7.5.5 CD-ROM, Internet Starter Kit, sample CDs, manuals and warranty. Keyboard and display are sold separately |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | 15.9 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 227 × 468 × 432 mm | 246 × 440 × 439 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. | Exact Japanese maker specifications: 439 mm high, 246 mm wide and 440 mm deep, 15.9 kg, varying with installed devices. Worldwide catalogue rounds height to 440 mm. Shared 8600/9600 service physical table gives a conflicting 224 mm width; the exact 9600/200MP specification takes precedence |
| 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. | 100–240 V AC automatically configured, single phase, 50/60 Hz. Shared Service Source distinguishes 390 W maximum DC supply output from AC input consumption |
| Power use | – | 560 W maximum continuous AC input and 700 W peak input, excluding monitor; exact Japanese specification and shared service manual agree. English support’s 390 W matches the service manual’s DC output rating, so it is not treated as AC consumption |
| 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. | Original system software 7.5.5 with MP-specific support; Japanese bundle uses KanjiTalk 7.5.5. Apple announced the 9600 family on 17 February 1997 and planned Canadian availability from March; August maker catalogue lists the exact 200MP offering, supporting release year 1997. Exact actual first-sale month/day remains unconfirmed. Developer note explicitly identifies 9500/180MP as predecessor |
More comparisons
- Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)
- Apple Mac Pro (M2 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)
- 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 Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/200MP
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/200MP
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/200MP
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/200MP
- Apple iMac G4 (20-inch, USB 2.0) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (2003)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (2003) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/200MP
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)