Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

PowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz) compared with PowerBook G4 (Original 2001)
ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, 1.5GHz)ApplePowerBook G4 (Original 2001)
Overview
Released2004January 2001
Display
Screen size17″15.2″
Resolution1440 × 900 (better)1152 × 768
TouchscreenNoNo
Display type17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology and refresh unpublished.15.2-inch TFT widescreen active-matrix display. Exact panel technology, brightness and built-in refresh unpublished.
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC G4 1.5 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch 2004)PowerPC G4 400 MHz (PowerBook Original 2001) or PowerPC G4 500 MHz (PowerBook Original 2001)
CPU cores11
GraphicsATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (64 MB DDR) or ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)ATI Rage Mobility 128 (8 MB SDRAM)
Memory512 MB or 2 GB (better)128 MB, 256 MB or 1 GB
Storage80 GB (better)10 GB to 30 GB
CPU1.5 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 KB on-chip L2 and 167 MHz bus. Exact silicon supplier omitted.400 or 500 MHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine; 1 MB backside L2 cache on 200 or 250 MHz dedicated 64-bit cache bus, 100 MHz system bus, 64 KB L1 (32 KB data/32 KB instruction). Exact supplier/SKU omitted.
GPUATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 64 MB DDR; 128 MB video-memory build-to-order option.ATI Rage Mobility 128 with 8 MB SDRAM and AGP 2 ×.
Memory type512 MB PC2700 DDR333 standard; two SO-DIMM slots, maximum 2 GB.128 MB stock at 400 MHz or 256 MB at 500 MHz; two PC100 SO-DIMM slots support up to 1 GB.
Storage type80 GB 4200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive; 80 GB 5400 rpm build-to-order alternative. 4× DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive.400 MHz stock 10 GB, 500 MHz stock 20 GB Ultra ATA/66. Maker-listed 30 GB build-to-order option retained for both with published RAM maxima; no intermediate capacities invented. Slot-loading DVD-ROM reads DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM and CD-ROM.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 4.5 hoursUp to 5 hours
Battery capacity58 Wh (better)50 Wh
Weight3.1 kg2.4 kg (better)
Thickness–26 mm
Width × depth–341 × 241 mm
Battery life detail58 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.50 Wh lithium-ion; up to five hours maker claim. Published 2.4 kg includes battery and varies by configuration/manufacturing process. Metric dimensions 34.1 × 24.1 × 2.6 cm are from the exact Apple technical sheet preserved by SavageTaylor, not calculated from inches.
Charger65 W power adapter–
MaterialsAluminium enclosureTitanium enclosure
Connections
Ports2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Wi-FiAirPort Extreme 802.11g/bOptional AirPort 802.11b
Bluetooth1.1–
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Port detailTwo 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 12 Mbps USB ports, one 400 Mbps FireWire port, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, 4 Mbps IrDA, one Type I/II PC Card/CardBus slot with ZoomVideo support, VGA, S-video and stereo output; no microphone input jack.
External displaysDual display/mirroring; external resolution up to 2048 × 1536. DVI-to-VGA and S-video-to-composite adapters included; ADC adapter separate.VGA 24-bit video output and S-video, with S-video-to-composite adapter. 8 MB video memory supports millions of colours on external monitors up to 21 inches (preserved exact maker sheet).
KeyboardFull-size illuminated fibre-optic keyboard with ambient light sensor77 US or 78 ISO keys; 12 function keys, four arrows and embedded numeric keypad.
TrackpadTap, double-tap and drag supportTap, double-tap and drag support
SpeakersTwo stereo speakersTwo built-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesInternal omnidirectional microphoneInternal omnidirectional microphone
In the boxApple announced 19 April 2004 and expected the 17-inch model in early May. Actual first on-sale month unestablished after a bounded search; year precision retained. Mac OS X 10.3 Panther and iLife ’04 supplied.Power adapter, DVD software, iMovie 2 and iTunes. Maker promised January availability; LowEndMac reported actual retail collection on 31 January 2001. First sale day unestablished, so month retained.

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