Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD) | ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2005 | February 2005 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 15.2″ | 17″ |
| Resolution | 1440 × 960 (better) | 1440 × 900 |
| Touchscreen | No | No |
| Display type | 15.2-inch TFT widescreen, 1440 × 960; panel technology and refresh unpublished. | 17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished. |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 15-inch Late 2005) | PowerPC G4 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Early 2005) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR) | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR) |
| Memory | 512 MB or 2 GB | 512 MB or 2 GB |
| Storage | 80 GB to 120 GB (better) | 80 GB to 100 GB |
| CPU | 1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz system bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted. | 1.67 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted. |
| GPU | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI standard | ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB DDR and dual-link DVI |
| Memory type | 512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 running at 333 MHz; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 2 GB. | 512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 2 GB. |
| Storage type | 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. | 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) | Up to 5.5 hours | Up to 4.5 hours |
| Battery capacity | – | 58 Wh |
| Weight | – | 3.1 kg |
| Battery life detail | 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. | 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 | Power adapter included; wattage not established for this exact generation in the read family sheet. | 65 W power adapter |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure | Aluminium enclosure |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Wi-Fi | AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b | AirPort Extreme 802.11g/b |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 + EDR | 2.0 + EDR |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Port detail | 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. | 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 | Dual-link DVI supports 30-inch Cinema HD display; DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included. | 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 | Full-size illuminated keyboard with ambient light sensor | Full-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor; Apple states backlighting up to ten times brighter than previous generation. |
| Trackpad | Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support | Two-finger scrolling/panning, tap, double-tap and drag support |
| Speakers | Stereo speakers | Two stereo speakers |
| Microphones | Internal omnidirectional microphone | Internal omnidirectional microphone |
| In the box | 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. | 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. |
More comparisons
- Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
- Apple MacBook Air 13″ (M5) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2008) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
- Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Late 2006) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
- Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2006) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz)
- Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2006) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.67/1.5GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.67GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, 1.5/1.33GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.5GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, 1.33GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)
- Apple PowerBook G4 (15-inch, Double-Layer SD) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.33GHz)

