Apple Macintosh PowerBook 520c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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Macintosh PowerBook 520c compared with PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
AppleMacintosh PowerBook 520cApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
ReleasedMay 1994October 2005
Display
Screen size9.5″17″
Resolution640 × 4801680 × 1050 (better)
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type9.5-inch backlit dual-scan passive-matrix colour LCD with 256 colours17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology, absolute brightness and refresh rate unpublished on maker sheet
Display features–Millions of colours at native resolution; maker UK launch claims up to 46% brighter than preceding 17-inch model
Performance
ProcessorMotorola 68LC040 50 MHz (PowerBook 520)PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores11
Graphics–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory12 MB512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB (better)
Storage240 MB to 320 MB100 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPUMotorola 68LC040 with 50 MHz internal processor speed and 25 MHz bus interface; no floating-point unit1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 512 KB on-chip L2 SRAM and 167 MHz system bus; exact silicon supplier/process omitted
GPU–ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with AGP 4× support, 128 MB DDR video memory and dual-link DVI
Memory type4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese bundled configurations contain 12 MB512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM running at 333 MHz standard in one SO-DIMM; two slots, maximum 2 GB, with 512 MB and 1 GB module options
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 drive120 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard or 100 GB 7200 rpm build-to-order, with Sudden Motion Sensor. Slot-loading 8× DVD±R SuperDrive supports 2.4× double-layer DVD+R, 4× DVD±RW, 24× CD-R and 16× CD-RW; optional DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo drive
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 3 hoursUp to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity–58 Wh
Weight2.9 kg (better)3.1 kg
Thickness57 mm26 mm (better)
Width × depth292 × 245 mm392 × 259 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 battery58 Wh lithium-ion with charge indicator LEDs; maker up to 5.5 hours depends on configuration and use. Maker reference 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing. Metric dimensions are maker centimetres expressed in millimetres
Charger–65 W power adapter with cable management system
Materials–Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports–2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi–AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth–2.0 + EDR
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 at up to 480 Mbps, FireWire 800 and 400, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, DVI, S-video and Type I/II PC Card slot; combined optical-digital/analogue input and output minijacks; Kensington lock slot
External displaysMirroring and extended desktop through an optional video adapter cableSimultaneous native 1680 × 1050 internal and up to 2560 × 1600 external display with millions of colours; dual-link DVI, including 30-inch Cinema HD display; mirroring, VGA with included DVI adapter, composite with included S-video adapter
Keyboard–Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor; 78 US or 79 ISO keys, 12 function keys, inverted-T arrows and embedded keypad
TrackpadBuilt-in solid-state trackpadSolid-state trackpad with tap, double-tap, drag and scrolling support
SpeakersTwo stereo speakers and a built-in microphoneTwo built-in stereo speakers
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 IIPower adapter, AC wall plug, power cord, lithium-ion battery, modem cable, DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters; Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and iLife ’05 supplied. Apple UK confirms immediate availability on 19 October 2005

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