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Apple Macintosh PowerBook 520c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMacintosh PowerBook 520cApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz)
Overview
ReleasedMay 1994April 2004
Display
Screen size9.5″15.2″
Resolution640 × 4801280 × 854
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type9.5-inch backlit dual-scan passive-matrix colour LCD with 256 colours15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68LC040 50 MHz (PowerBook 520)PowerPC G4 1.33 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch 2004) or PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch 2004)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory12 MB256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB
Storage240 MB to 320 MB60 GB to 80 GB
CPUMotorola 68LC040 with 50 MHz internal processor speed and 25 MHz bus interface; no floating-point unit1.33 or 1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB DDR; 128 MB build-to-order option restricted to 1.5 GHz configurations.
Memory type4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese bundled configurations contain 12 MBPC2700 DDR333: 256 MB standard on 1.33 GHz, 512 MB on 1.5 GHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage typeInternal SCSI hard drive and 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive; Japanese configurations pair 12 MB RAM with 240 or 320 MB storage. English support also lists a 160 MB drive1.33 GHz base: 60 GB 4200 rpm, with 80 GB 5400 rpm build-to-order option. 1.5 GHz base: 80 GB 4200 rpm, with 80 GB 5400 rpm alternative. Combo drive or 4× DVD-R SuperDrive; drive-speed variants retained here rather than duplicate capacity rows.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 3 hoursUp to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity–50 Wh
Weight2.9 kg2.6 kg
Thickness57 mm–
Width × depth292 × 245 mm–
Battery life detailNickel-metal hydride intelligent battery; Japanese specification claims three hours per battery, with one supplied and room for two. April 1995 Apple Facts instead gives 2–4 hours on one battery and 4–7 hours on two; 2.9 kg includes one battery50 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 2.6 kg includes battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 2.8 cm, width 34.8 cm, depth 24.1 cm.
Charger–65 W power adapter
Materials–Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports–2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi–AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth–1.1
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailADB, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, AAUI Ethernet, HDI-30 SCSI, stereo audio input/output, external video and power input; optional internal modem and PCMCIA module supporting two Type II or one Type III cardTwo USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, Type I/II PC Card slot, DVI, S-video, audio input and headphone output.
External displaysMirroring and extended desktop through an optional video adapter cableDual display/mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included; ADC adapter separate.
Keyboard–Full-size keyboard; ambient-sensor backlight standard on 1.5 GHz and optional on 1.33 GHz.
TrackpadBuilt-in solid-state trackpadTap, double-tap and drag support
SpeakersTwo stereo speakers and a built-in microphoneStereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker
Microphones–Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the boxJapanese 12 MB/240 MB bundle includes one intelligent battery, power adapter, KanjiTalk 7.5 media and PowerBook Mobility Bundle; the 12 MB/320 MB bundle adds Express Modem IIApple UK confirms immediate availability on 19 April 2004; Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’04 supplied.

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