Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8100/80
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) | ApplePower Macintosh 8100/80 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | June 2003 | 1994 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) | PowerPC 601 80 MHz (Power Macintosh 8100/80) |
| CPU cores | 1 or 2 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) | – |
| Memory | 256 MB or 2 GB (better) | 8 MB or 16 MB |
| Storage | 80 GB (better) | 250 MB to 1 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. | 80 MHz PowerPC 601 with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit data path at 40 MHz; 4 MB ROM |
| 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. | Power Macintosh video card with 2 MB VRAM, expandable to 4 MB using four 512 KB SIMMs; separate HDI-45 video shares system DRAM. The non-AV model has no S-video input or output. |
| 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. | 8 MB soldered to the logic board and eight 72-pin noncomposite SIMM sockets, using matched pairs rated 80 ns or faster; maximum 264 MB total |
| 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. | Internal SCSI hard drive and 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy; 2× AppleCD 300i Plus CD-ROM is configuration-dependent. Apple's US brochure lists 8 MB/250 MB with or without CD-ROM, 16 MB/500 MB with or without CD-ROM, and 16 MB/1 GB with CD-ROM; an additional 16 MB/500 MB bundle includes SoftWindows. |
| Expansion slots | Four PCI slots and an occupied AGP 4x graphics slot. | Three NuBus slots for long or short cards; processor-direct slot occupied by the video card. Internal space accommodates a half-height 5.25-inch device, one full-height 3.5-inch hard drive and one removable 3.5-inch device. |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | Ethernet |
| External displays | – | Up to 2 |
| Ethernet | 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. | ADB, AAUI-15 Ethernet, HDI-45 and DB-15 video, external DB-25 SCSI, two LocalTalk/GeoPort serial ports, and 16-bit stereo audio input and output; the brochure includes an HDI-45 display adapter with the non-AV model |
| 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. | Maker brochure supports two simultaneous displays. The VRAM output supports 24-bit colour at 640 × 480 and 832 × 624; 2 MB VRAM gives 16-bit colour at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870, while 4 MB gives 24-bit colour at those resolutions. |
| Speakers | Built-in mono speaker and connection for Apple Pro Speakers; no built-in microphone. | – |
| Keyboard and mouse | Black Apple Pro input devices and DVI-to-VGA adapter. | Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II and display adapter included in the US non-AV bundles; keyboard and monitor separate |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | 11.5 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 226 × 467 × 432 mm | 196 × 396 × 360 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. | Original Apple Service Source lists 360 × 196 × 396 mm and 11.5 kg, varying by installed devices. The US brochure's 30.6 cm height conflicts with its own 14.25-inch figure; the UK brochure and Service Source give 36 cm. Apple's support sheet lists 14 × 7.7 × 15.75 inches and 25.3 lb; metric headline dimensions use the original service document. |
| Power supply | – | Automatically configured 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; Service Source distinguishes 298 W maximum continuous and 453 W peak AC input, excluding the monitor, from 200 W continuous DC output. Brochures and support list 200 W maximum without that distinction. |
| 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. | Original System Software 7.1.2 with PowerPC Enabler 1.0, setup and reference documentation and limited warranty. Apple records introduction on 14 March 1994; April 1994 Apple Directions states the exact model is available in large quantities worldwide, establishing sale in 1994 without resolving the first-sale month. |
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