Apple PowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD) vs Apple PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)

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 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD) compared with PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)

	ApplePowerBook G4 (17-inch, Double-Layer SD)	ApplePowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
Overview
Released
Released	October 2005	October 2001
Display
Screen size
Screen size	17″	15.2″
Resolution
Resolution	1680 × 1050 (better)	1152 × 768
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	No
Display type
Display type	17-inch TFT widescreen; panel technology, absolute brightness and refresh rate unpublished on maker sheet	15.2-inch TFT widescreen. Native 1152 × 768 resolution from exact-model EveryMac specification; panel technology, brightness and refresh unpublished.
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 1.67 GHz (PowerBook 17-inch Late 2005)	PowerPC G4 550 MHz (PowerBook Gigabit Ethernet) or PowerPC G4 667 MHz (PowerBook Gigabit Ethernet)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 (128 MB DDR)	ATI Mobility Radeon (16 MB DDR)
Memory
Memory	512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB (better)	128 MB, 256 MB or 1 GB
Storage
Storage	100 GB to 120 GB (better)	20 GB to 48 GB
CPU
CPU	1.67 GHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 512 KB on-chip L2 SRAM and 167 MHz system bus; exact silicon supplier/process omitted	550 or 667 MHz PowerPC G4, 256 KB on-chip L2. Maker launch release specifies 100 MHz system bus at 550 MHz and 133 MHz at 667 MHz; retained support table gives a generic 100 MHz figure, so the configuration-specific launch figures take precedence. Exact silicon supplier omitted.
GPU
GPU	ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with AGP 4× support, 128 MB DDR video memory and dual-link DVI	ATI Mobility Radeon, 16 MB DDR video memory and AGP 4 ×.
Memory type
Memory type	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	Two PC133 SO-DIMM slots, maximum 1 GB. Launch base memory 128 MB at 550 MHz and 256 MB at 667 MHz; limited launch promotion doubled these to 256 and 512 MB. Configurations retain base and maximum memory; temporary promotion described here.
Storage type
Storage type	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	20 GB at 550 MHz or 30 GB at 667 MHz; 48 GB build-to-order option. Launch slot-loading DVD-ROM or optional CD-RW. Combo DVD/CD-RW became standard on 17 December 2001, corroborated by fully read Bare Feats and EveryMac; later drive and memory changes are described without inventing a new model.
Battery and size
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 5.5 hours	Up to 5 hours
Battery capacity
Battery capacity	58 Wh (better)	50 Wh
Weight
Weight	3.1 kg	–
Thickness
Thickness	26 mm	–
Width × depth
Width × depth	392 × 259 mm	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	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	50 Wh lithium-ion, up to five hours maker claim. Maker publishes 5.3 lb and closed dimensions 1 × 13.4 × 9.5 inches. Metric main fields omitted rather than calculated; exact-model EveryMac provides metric figures but has inconsistent inch/cm thickness entries.
Charger
Charger	65 W power adapter with cable management system	–
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure	Titanium 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 802.11b; optional at 550 MHz, installed at 667 MHz
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	2.0 + EDR	–
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Port detail
Port detail	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	Two USB ports, one FireWire 400, Gigabit Ethernet, modem, infrared, Type I/II PC Card slot, VGA and S-video output, stereo output. No audio input jack.
External displays
External displays	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 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	Solid-state trackpad with tap, double-tap, drag and scrolling support	–
Speakers
Speakers	Two built-in stereo speakers	–
Microphones
Microphones	Internal omnidirectional microphone	Internal microphone
In the box
In the box	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	Mac OS X 10.1 and Mac OS 9.2.1. Maker states immediate availability on 16 October 2001.