Apple Macintosh PowerBook 540c vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)

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 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)

	AppleMacintosh PowerBook 540c	ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
Overview
Released
Released	May 1994	February 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	9.5″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	640 × 480	1440 × 900 (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LCD; 256 colours at 640 × 480 or 32,768 colours at 640 × 400	17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Performance
Processor
Processor	Motorola 68LC040 66 MHz (PowerBook 540c)	PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Early 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	–	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	12 MB	512 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	320 MB to 500 MB	80 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	1.67 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	–	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI
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; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 2 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	100 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard with Sudden Motion Sensor. Retained maker build-to-order list offers 80 GB or 100 GB on 15/17-inch models; 80 GB alternative represented without changing the 100 GB stock specification. 8× DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 3 hours	Up to 4.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	–	58 Wh
Weight
Weight	3.3 kg	3.1 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.	58 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 3.1 kg includes battery and optical drive and varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 2.6 cm, width 39.2 cm, depth 25.9 cm.
Charger
Charger	–	65 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 and 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, DVI, S-video and PC Card/CardBus slot. Combined optical-digital/analogue input and output minijacks.
External displays
External displays	Built-in video output supports mirroring or an extended desktop with an optional Apple video adapter cable	DVI dual-link: external display up to 2560 × 1600, including 30-inch Cinema HD display; VGA, S-video and composite supported with listed adapters.
Keyboard
Keyboard	–	Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor; Apple states backlighting up to ten times brighter than previous generation.
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	Two stereo speakers
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. Ken Mingis’s 10 February Computerworld report says his unit shipped the previous week and arrived Monday; February precision retained without a verified first shipping day. Launch Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’05.