Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/132
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) | ApplePower Macintosh 8500/132 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | June 2003 | 1996 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1250 MHz (Power Mac MDD 2003) | PowerPC 604 132 MHz (Power Macintosh 9500/132) |
| CPU cores | 1 or 2 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64 MB) | – |
| Memory | 256 MB or 2 GB (better) | 16 MB |
| Storage | 80 GB (better) | 1.2 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. | One 132 MHz PowerPC 604 on a removable processor card, with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB level-one cache, 256 KB level-two cache and a 44 MHz processor bus. The 50 MHz figure on the shared Japanese sheet is the family maximum, not the 132 MHz model's bus |
| 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. | Built-in 64-bit video subsystem with 2 MB VRAM, expandable to 4 MB. Standard memory supports 24-bit colour through 832 × 624, 16-bit at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870, and 8-bit at 1280 × 1024. With 4 MB, 24-bit colour extends through 1152 × 870 and 16-bit to 1280 × 1024; monitor and video output simultaneously require 4 MB. Exact model tables take precedence over contradictory high-colour catalogue appendix claims |
| 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. | 16 MB standard for the 8500/132, eight 168-pin 64-bit 70 ns-or-faster DRAM DIMM sockets, up to 512 MB supported; corresponding matching DIMMs permit interleaving. The shared Japanese page's 32 MB package is explicitly the 8500/150 and is not transferred. English support says 128 MB DIMMs were untested. 4 MB ROM |
| 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. | Exact Japanese 8500/132 configuration has a 1.2 GB internal Fast SCSI hard disk, manual-inject Apple SuperDrive floppy and AppleCD 600i 4× CD-ROM. Shared Service Source lists 1.2 or 2 GB across 132/150/180 but does not pair an additional 132 configuration, so none is inferred. Additional internal storage bay; external SCSI up to seven devices at 5 MB/s, internal channel up to 10 MB/s |
| Expansion slots | Four PCI slots and an occupied AGP 4x graphics slot. | Three PCI 2.0 slots, all free with onboard video, and an internal Digital Audio/Video connector for compatible compression hardware; no NuBus slots |
| 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 |
| 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. | One ADB connector, two GeoPort/LocalTalk-compatible serial connectors, DB-15 display output, external DB-25 SCSI, AAUI-15 and 10BASE-T Ethernet connectors, 16-bit stereo sound input/output, left/right RCA audio input/output, composite video input/output and S-video input/output. Both Ethernet connectors share one interface and cannot be used concurrently 24-bit analogue composite and S-video input/output. Japanese sheet specifies live display through 640 × 480 NTSC or 768 × 576 PAL/SECAM, capture through 320 × 240 at 25 frames/s NTSC, and a separate maximum 640 × 480 NTSC capture size without that frame-rate claim. NTSC and PAL/SECAM output supported; full-size preview is not full-size continuous capture |
| 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. | One external display up to 1280 × 1024; available colour depth depends on VRAM. Simultaneous monitor and video output requires 4 MB VRAM |
| Speakers | Built-in mono speaker and connection for Apple Pro Speakers; no built-in microphone. | Built-in speaker; stereo sound and RCA line audio interfaces support 16-bit, 44.1 kHz sampling |
| Microphones | – | Apple PlainTalk external microphone included in the exact Japanese package; no built-in microphone |
| Keyboard and mouse | Black Apple Pro input devices and DVI-to-VGA adapter. | Japanese 16 MB/1.2 GB package includes ADB Mouse II, PlainTalk microphone, power cable, KanjiTalk 7.5.3 CD-ROM, VideoShop 3.0J, manuals and warranty. Keyboard and display sold separately |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 19.1 kg | – |
| Width × depth × height | 226 × 467 × 432 mm | 196 × 400 × 355.6 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. | Exact Japanese sheet gives 355.6 × 196 × 400 mm, consistent with service manual's rounded 356 × 196 × 400 mm. Catalogue gives 363 × 196 × 401 mm. Weight is unresolved and omitted from the headline; exact Japanese page says 12.7 kg, but English support, service manual and catalogue give 25 lb or approximately 11.3 kg. All qualify weight by installed devices |
| Power supply | – | 100–240 V AC automatically configured, single phase, 50–60 Hz. Service Source distinguishes 225 W maximum DC output from AC consumption |
| Power use | – | 340 W maximum continuous AC input and 520 W peak input, excluding monitor; exact Japanese specification and shared Service Source agree |
| 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 7.5.3. English support gives 22 April 1996 as introduction; Apple's May 1996 catalogue lists the exact 8500/132 as an offering, supporting release year 1996. Actual first-sale month/day remains unconfirmed |
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 (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 G5 (Late 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/132
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/132
- 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 G5 (Late 2004) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/132
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/132
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (2003)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (2003) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/132
- Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003)