Apple Macintosh PowerBook 520c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| AppleMacintosh PowerBook 520c | ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | May 1994 | October 2005 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 9.5″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 640 × 480 | 1680 × 1050 (better) |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 9.5-inch backlit dual-scan passive-matrix colour LCD with 256 colours | 17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology, absolute brightness and refresh rate unpublished on maker sheet |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 | ||
| Processor | Motorola 68LC040 50 MHz (PowerBook 520) | PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Late 2005) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | – | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 12 MB | 512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB (better) |
| Storage | 240 MB to 320 MB | 100 GB to 120 GB (better) |
| CPU | Motorola 68LC040 with 50 MHz internal processor speed and 25 MHz bus interface; no floating-point unit | 1.67 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 type | 4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese bundled configurations contain 12 MB | 512 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 type | Internal 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 drive | 120 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 hours | Up to 5.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | – | 58 Wh |
| Weight | 2.9 kg (better) | 3.1 kg |
| Thickness | 57 mm | 26 mm (better) |
| Width × depth | 292 × 245 mm | 392 × 259 mm |
| Battery life detail | Nickel-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 battery | 58 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 system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | ADB, 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 card | Two 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 displays | Mirroring and extended desktop through an optional video adapter cable | Simultaneous 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 |
| Trackpad | Built-in solid-state trackpad | Solid-state trackpad with tap, double-tap, drag and scrolling support |
| Speakers | Two stereo speakers and a built-in microphone | Two built-in stereo speakers |
| Microphones | – | Internal omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | Japanese 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 II | Power 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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