Apple iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)

Apple · iMac

iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)

Released September 2003

A 17-inch PowerPC all-in-one with an adjustable display, USB 2.0 and dedicated GeForce FX graphics.

Model history · 3 models, 2002–2003
  1. 2002iMac G4 (17-inch, Flat Panel)Compare
  2. 2003iMac G4 (17-inch, Early 2003)Compare
  3. 2003iMac G4 (17-inch, USB 2.0)
Type
All-in-one
Processor
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)
Memory
256 MB – 1 GB
Storage
80 GB – 160 GB
Screen
17″
Weight
10.4 kg

Performance

Processor
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)
CPU cores
1
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Memory
256 MB, 512 MB or 1 GB
Storage
80 GB to 160 GB
CPU
1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 with 167 MHz system bus and 256 KB on-chip L2 cache. Single-core generic maker-clock record avoids inferring a silicon revision.
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB dedicated DDR video memory and AGP 4x support.
Memory type
256 MB PC2700 (333 MHz) DDR SDRAM standard; factory options 512 MB or 1 GB. One 184-pin DIMM and one user-accessible SO-DIMM slot. Configurations retain Apple's supported 1 GB maximum, not unofficial upgrade limits.
Storage type
80 GB 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/100 hard drive, configurable to 160 GB; 4x SuperDrive DVD-R/CD-RW. The published memory and storage factory options are retained for the 1.25 GHz processor.

Display

Screen size
17″
Resolution
1440 × 900
Brightness
200 nits
Display type
Widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD with millions of colours and typical 300:1 contrast. Panel technology and refresh rate are not published in the exact maker sheet.
Display features
Typical viewing angles: 120° horizontal and 90° vertical; articulated display arm adjusts height and angle.

Connections

Ports
3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet
0.1 Gb/s
Back ports
Three USB 2.0 ports on the computer, up to 480 Mbps, plus two USB 1.1 ports on the keyboard; two FireWire 400 ports with 8 W shared power, Mini-VGA, 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.92 modem, headphone jack, Apple speaker minijack and audio line-in. AirPort Extreme 802.11g card and internal Bluetooth are optional, rather than standard.
External displays
Mini-VGA provides video mirroring on a VGA display or S-video/composite television through optional adapters. Output resolutions: 640 × 480 at 60 Hz, 800 × 600 at 75 Hz or 1024 × 768 at 75 Hz.
Speakers
Built-in speaker and microphone, Apple Pro Speakers rated at 7 W each and internal 14 W amplifier; the earlier revision's 9 W speakers are not substituted.
Keyboard and mouse
Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, Apple Pro Speakers and modem cable.

Design and power

Type
All-in-one
Weight
10.4 kg
Operating system
macOS
Size and weight detail
Adjustable maker ranges: height 331–509 mm, width 423–449 mm and depth 270–423 mm; base diameter 270 mm. Reference weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
Power supply
90–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; maximum continuous power 160 W.
In the box
Launch Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar and iLife, with Apple's productivity software and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. The retained specification lists the later Mac OS X 10.3 Panther bundle. Maker launch confirms immediate availability on 8 September 2003.

Configurations

ProcessorMemoryStorageStorage typeGraphics
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)256 MB80 GBHard driveNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)256 MB160 GBHard driveNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)512 MB80 GBHard driveNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)512 MB160 GBHard driveNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)1 GB80 GBHard driveNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)
Motorola PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)1 GB160 GBHard driveNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB)

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Adjustable widescreen display
  • Dedicated graphics memory
  • USB 2.0 and FireWire connectivity

Cons

  • Single-core processor
  • Wireless networking requires an optional card
  • Video output mirrors the built-in display

Closest rivals

Model
TypeProcessorMemoryStorageScreenWeightReleased
All-in-oneMotorola PowerPC G4 0.8 GHz (eMac ATI Graphics) or PowerPC G4 1 GHz (eMac ATI Graphics)128 MB – 1 GB40 GB – 80 GB17″22.7 kgMay 2003
All-in-oneMotorola PowerPC G4 800 MHz (iMac Flat Panel)256 MB – 1 GB60 GB15″9.7 kgFeb 2003
All-in-oneMotorola PowerPC G4 1 GHz (iMac USB 2.0)256 MB – 1 GB80 GB – 160 GB15″9.7 kgSept 2003

Previous model: iMac G4 (17-inch, Early 2003). Newer model: iMac G5 (17-inch, 2004).

Sources

  1. support.apple.com/en-gb/112313
  2. apple.com/uk/newsroom/2003/09/08Apple-Announces-Faster-iMacs
  3. everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac_1.25_17_fp.html

Photo: Low-resolution 240 px maker family front image with blue desktop artwork.

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