Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) | ApplePower Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | June 2003 | August 1999 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC 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 cores | 1 or 2 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) | ATI RAGE 128 (16 MB) |
| Memory | 256 MB or 2 GB (better) | 64 MB or 1 GB |
| Storage | 80 GB (better) | 10 GB |
| CPU | 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. | 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. |
| GPU | 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. | ATI RAGE 128 PCI graphics with 16 MB SDRAM. This is the PCI/Yikes board, distinct from the contemporary AGP model. |
| Memory type | 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. | 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 type | 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. | 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 slots | Four 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 | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s (better) | 0.1 Gb/s |
| Front ports | Headphone connection and built-in mono speaker. | – |
| Back ports | 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. | 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 displays | 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. | VGA output from the PCI graphics card. |
| Speakers | Built-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 mouse | Black Apple Pro input devices and DVI-to-VGA adapter. | Apple USB Keyboard and Apple USB Mouse. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | – |
| Width × depth × height | 226 × 467 × 432 mm | – |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | 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. | 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 box | 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. | 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. |
More comparisons
- 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 (PCI Graphics)
- Apple Mac Pro (M2 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
- 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 (PCI Graphics) 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 (PCI Graphics) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Mac mini (2005) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics)
- 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 (PCI Graphics) 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 (PCI Graphics) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (2003)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (2003)

