Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics)

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Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) compared with Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics)
ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)ApplePower Mac G4 (PCI Graphics)
Overview
ReleasedJune 2003August 1999
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003)PowerPC G4 350 MHz (Power Mac PCI Graphics) or PowerPC G4 400 MHz (Power Mac PCI Graphics)
CPU cores1 or 21
GraphicsATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB)ATI RAGE 128 (16 MB)
Memory256 MB or 2 GB (better)64 MB or 1 GB
Storage80 GB (better)10 GB
CPUStock 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.Single 350 or 400 MHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine; 100 MHz system bus. Exact EveryMac PCI sheets specify 1 MB backside L2 cache; the retained maker page lists 512 KB or 1 MB without exact ties. No silicon supplier is inferred from Apple/Motorola/IBM co-development.
GPUStock 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.ATI RAGE 128 PCI graphics with 16 MB SDRAM. This is the PCI/Yikes board, distinct from the contemporary AGP model.
Memory typeStock 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.64 MB PC100 SDRAM standard. Four DIMM slots support up to 1 GB. Configurations preserve 10 GB factory storage at base and maximum RAM.
Storage typeStock 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.400 MHz launch configuration: 10 GB Ultra ATA/33 and 32x CD-ROM; October 1999 speed-reduced 350 MHz retains those factory specifications (EveryMac). Retained Apple sheet also lists 24x CD-ROM without precise configuration ties. Optional drives are not expanded into unsupported cross-combinations.
Expansion slotsFour PCI slots and an occupied AGP 4x graphics slot.Three open 33 MHz PCI slots plus the 66 MHz PCI slot used by graphics.
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet
Ethernet1 Gb/s (better)0.1 Gb/s
Front portsHeadphone connection and built-in mono speaker.–
Back portsTwo 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.Two chassis USB ports at 12 Mbps, two external FireWire 400 ports, VGA, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K modem and analog audio input/output. The retained maker FireWire count of three is not supported by the exact PCI port specification (EveryMac). No AirPort slot; keyboard ports are not included.
External displaysADC 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.VGA output from the PCI graphics card.
SpeakersBuilt-in mono speaker and connection for Apple Pro Speakers; no built-in microphone.Built-in speaker. Audio line-out is not counted as a dedicated headphone jack.
Keyboard and mouseBlack Apple Pro input devices and DVI-to-VGA adapter.Apple USB Keyboard and Apple USB Mouse.
Design and power
TypeTowerTower
Weight19.1 kg–
Width × depth × height226 × 467 × 432 mm–
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailMaker 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.Maker publishes 17-inch height, 8.9-inch width, 18.4-inch depth and 30-pound weight. Metric main fields omitted; no unit conversion or sibling measurements.
Power supply–Maximum continuous power 200 W.
In the boxMac 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.Mac OS 8.6. Full contemporary AppleInsider report says Jobs confirmed the 400 MHz configuration shipping immediately on 31 August 1999; the Canadian maker release instead promises September. First-sale month uses the named US report without implying universal regional availability.

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