Apple PowerBook G3 (Original, 1997) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

PowerBook G3 (Original, 1997) compared with PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)

	ApplePowerBook G3 (Original, 1997)	ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
Released
Released	November 1997	October 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.1″	15.2″
Resolution
Resolution	800 × 600	1440 × 960 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	12.1-inch active-matrix TFT colour LCD; the maker does not publish IPS/TN panel technology, brightness or refresh rate.	15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished.
Display features
Display features	800 × 600 native display with 16-bit colour on the built-in screen. The 1997 launch release says 18-bit colour, differing from the technical sheet.	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 250 MHz (original PowerBook G3)	PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	Chips and Technologies 65554 (2 MB VRAM)	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	32 MB	512 MB or 2 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	5 GB	80 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	250 MHz PowerPC G3; 50 MHz system bus, 512 KB backside L2 cache running at 100 MHz. Exact fitted silicon supplier and process are unpublished.	1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	Chips and Technologies 65554 PCI graphics controller with 2 MB video RAM; built-in display supports 16-bit colour, external display up to 24-bit colour.	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI standard
Memory type
Memory type	32 MB EDO DRAM built in, one expansion slot for 16, 32, 64 or 128 MB modules; maker maximum 160 MB. A separate 4 MB ROM is listed in the contemporary technical sheet.	512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.
Storage type
Storage type	5 GB internal 2.5-inch ATA hard drive. The expansion bay takes a 1.44 MB floppy module or 20× CD-ROM module, both in the original package; removable media are not counted as internal storage.	80 GB 5400 rpm Ultra ATA/100 standard with Sudden Motion Sensor. Build-to-order: 100 GB 5400 or 7200 rpm, or 120 GB 5400 rpm. 8× SuperDrive with 2.4× double-layer DVD+R support; optional Combo drive. Speed/optical alternatives retained here rather than duplicate capacity rows.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 4 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	47 Wh	–
Weight
Weight	3.4 kg	–
Thickness
Thickness	60.96 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	292.1 × 241.3 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	47 Wh removable lithium-ion main battery; maker claims 2–4 hours depending on use, with 4 hours as the maximum. A 60 mAh NiMH backup battery keeps clock and memory alive briefly for battery exchange. Maker reference weight is 3.4 kg with floppy module, 3.5 kg with CD-ROM and 3.2 kg without a module.	Up to 5.5 hours, dependent on configuration and use. Retained maker family sheet publishes 15-inch reference weight 5.6 pounds, footprint 13.7 × 9.5 inches and thickness 1.1 inches; no calculated metric main values. Its detailed 58 Wh battery section is explicitly 17-inch and is not borrowed.
Charger
Charger	45 W AC adapter, 100–240 V at 50/60 Hz input, 24 V 1.875 A output.	Power adapter included; wattage not established for this exact generation in the read family sheet.
Materials
Materials	–	Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports
Ports	Ethernet, headphone jack	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	One shared RJ-45 socket for 10BASE-T Ethernet and the internal 33.6 Kbps modem; ADB, HDI-15 external video, HDI-30 SCSI with disk mode, GeoPort/RS-422 serial, stereo audio output and input, and an infrared transceiver supporting IR Talk and IrDA. Two PC Card Type I/II slots or one Type III card; the lower slot supports Zoomed Video.	Two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 400 and 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, DVI, S-video and Type I/II PC Card slot. Combined analogue/optical digital input and output.
External displays
External displays	External VGA/SVGA/Apple displays through HDI-15, up to 1024 × 768 at 24-bit colour; display mirroring is supported. The technical sheet lists 640 × 480 and 800 × 600 as well.	Dual-link DVI supports 30-inch Cinema HD display; DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included.
Keyboard
Keyboard	Full-size built-in keyboard with 3 mm travel, 19 mm key pitch and an inverted-T arrow cluster.	Full-size illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor
Trackpad
Trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad.	Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support
Speakers
Speakers	Four speakers: two in the display and two beneath the keyboard; 16-bit stereo at 44.1, 22 or 11 kHz.	Stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in omnidirectional electret microphone.	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	Floppy and 20× CD-ROM expansion-bay modules, removable battery and AC adapter. Original Mac OS 8 installation. Apple announced US availability immediately in November 1997; European sales were planned for late November and Japan for December. The current maker sheet gives 2.4-inch thickness (60.96 mm); its older technical PDF lists 65.6 mm despite labelling that as 2.4 inches, so the current sheet controls the main dimension.	Apple UK confirms immediate availability on 19 October 2005. Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and iLife ’05 supplied. The retained sheet’s configuration table covers all sizes but its detailed specification section describes the 17-inch; only the 15-inch table and explicit build-to-order fields are used here.