Apple Macintosh PowerBook 540c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Macintosh PowerBook 540c compared with PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 540c	ApplePowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz)
Overview
Released
Released	May 1994	2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9.5″	12.1″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	1024 × 768 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	9.5-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or 32,768 colours at 640 × 400	12.1-inch TFT XGA active-matrix display; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)	PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 12-inch 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	–	NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 (64 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	12 MB	512 MB or 1.25 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	320 MB to 500 MB	60 GB to 100 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	Motorola 68LC040 running internally at 66 MHz with a 33 MHz bus; 8 KB L1 cache and no floating-point unit	1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	–	NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 with 64 MB DDR video memory and AGP 4×.
Memory type
Memory type	4 MB on the logic board, expandable to 36 MB; Apple's Japanese configurations supplied 12 MB	512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; one SO-DIMM slot, maximum 1.25 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	Internal SCSI hard drive and 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy drive; Apple lists 240–500 MB in English support and 320/500 MB Japanese configurations	5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive with Sudden Motion Sensor. Combo base60GB; SuperDrive base80GB; 100GB build-to-order on either. 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive; optical-drive differences retained in details.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 3 hours	Up to 5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	–	50 Wh
Weight
Weight	3.3 kg	2.1 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	57 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	292 × 245 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Two removable nickel-metal hydride intelligent batteries were supplied in Japan; Apple claimed three hours per battery. Published 3.3 kg weight includes both batteries.	50 Wh lithium-ion, up to five hours. Published reference weight 2.1 kg with battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 3.0 cm, width 27.7 cm, depth 21.9 cm.
Charger
Charger	–	45 W power adapter
Materials
Materials	–	Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports
Ports	–	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	2.0 + EDR
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	ADB, RS-422 serial/LocalTalk, HDI-30 SCSI, AAUI Ethernet, mini-15 video and stereo audio input/output; an optional PCMCIA module supported two Type II or one Type III card	Two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400, 10/100 Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, mini-DVI, audio input and headphone output. Mini-DVI-to-DVI and mini-DVI-to-VGA adapters included; television adapter separate.
External displays
External displays	Built-in video output supports mirroring or an extended desktop with an optional Apple video adapter cable	Dual display and mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536.
Keyboard
Keyboard	–	Full-size keyboard with embedded numeric keypad
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad in place of a trackball	Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Two built-in stereo speakers and a microphone	Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker
Microphones
Microphones	–	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	Apple's Japanese 12 MB/320 MB configuration included two batteries, power adapter and PowerBook Mobility Bundle software	Apple announced 31 January 2005 with availability planned later that week. Actual first on-sale month unestablished after a bounded search; year precision retained. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05; later units shipped Tiger.