Apple PowerBook G3 (Original, 1997) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)

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PowerBook G3 (Original, 1997) compared with PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)

	ApplePowerBook G3 (Original, 1997)	ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
Released
Released	November 1997	October 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.1″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	800 × 600	1680 × 1050 (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technology, brightness or refresh rate.	17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology, absolute brightness and refresh rate unpublished on maker sheet
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.	Millions of colours at native resolution; maker UK launch claims up to 46% brighter than preceding 17-inch model
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G3 250 MHz (original PowerBook G3)	PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-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, 1 GB or 2 GB (better)
Storage
Storage	5 GB	100 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 Exact fitted silicon supplier and process are unpublished.	1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 512 KB on-chip L2 SRAM and 167 MHz system bus; exact silicon supplier/process omitted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 AGP 4× support, 128 MB DDR video memory and dual-link DVI
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 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
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.	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)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 4 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	47 Wh	58 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	3.4 kg	3.1 kg (better)
Thickness
Thickness	60.96 mm	26 mm (better)
Width × depth
Width × depth	292.1 × 241.3 mm	392 × 259 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.	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
Charger	45 W AC adapter, 100–240 V at 50/60 Hz input, 24 V 1.875 A output.	65 W power adapter with cable management system
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 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
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.	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
Keyboard	Full-size built-in keyboard with 3 mm travel, 19 mm key pitch and an inverted-T arrow cluster.	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
Trackpad	Built-in solid-state trackpad.	Solid-state trackpad with tap, double-tap, drag and scrolling support
Speakers
Speakers	Four speakers: two in the display and two beneath the keyboard; 16-bit stereo at 44.1, 22 or 11 kHz.	Two built-in 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.	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