Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-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 G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz) compared with PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)

	ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz)	ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
Overview
Released
Released	April 2004	October 2005
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.2″	17″
Resolution
Resolution	1280 × 854	1680 × 1050 (better)
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	15.2-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.	17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology, absolute brightness and refresh rate unpublished on maker sheet
Display features
Display features	–	Millions of colours at native resolution; maker UK launch claims up to 46% brighter than preceding 17-inch model
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC G4 1.33 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch 2004) or PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch 2004)	PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Late 2005)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	256 MB, 512 MB or 2 GB	512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB
Storage
Storage	60 GB to 80 GB	100 GB to 120 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	1.33 or 1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.	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	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB DDR; 128 MB build-to-order option restricted to 1.5 GHz configurations.	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with AGP 4× support, 128 MB DDR video memory and dual-link DVI
Memory type
Memory type	PC2700 DDR333: 256 MB standard on 1.33 GHz, 512 MB on 1.5 GHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB.	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	1.33 GHz base: 60 GB 4200 rpm, with 80 GB 5400 rpm build-to-order option. 1.5 GHz base: 80 GB 4200 rpm, with 80 GB 5400 rpm alternative. Combo drive or 4× DVD-R SuperDrive; drive-speed variants retained here rather than duplicate capacity rows.	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 4.5 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	50 Wh	58 Wh (better)
Weight
Weight	2.6 kg (better)	3.1 kg
Thickness
Thickness	–	26 mm
Width × depth
Width × depth	–	392 × 259 mm
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	50 Wh lithium-ion, up to 4.5 hours. Maker reference 2.6 kg includes battery and optical drive; varies by configuration/manufacturing. Published dimensions: height 2.8 cm, width 34.8 cm, depth 24.1 cm.	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	65 W power adapter	65 W power adapter with cable management system
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Aluminium enclosure
Connections
Ports
Ports	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b	AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	1.1	2.0 + EDR
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, Type I/II PC Card slot, DVI, S-video, audio input and headphone output.	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	Dual display/mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included; ADC adapter separate.	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 keyboard; ambient-sensor backlight standard on 1.5 GHz and optional on 1.33 GHz.	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	Tap, double-tap and drag support	Solid-state trackpad with tap, double-tap, drag and scrolling support
Speakers
Speakers	Stereo speakers with midrange-enhancing third speaker	Two built-in stereo speakers
Microphones
Microphones	Internal omnidirectional microphone	Internal omnidirectional microphone
In the box
In the box	Apple UK confirms immediate availability on 19 April 2004; Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’04 supplied.	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