Compare Models
Essentials | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (FireWire 800) |
Image | ||
Family | PowerMac G3/G4/G5 | PowerMac G3/G4/G5 |
Codename | P57 | ? |
Gestalt ID | 406 | 406 |
Minimum OS | 9.2.2 | 10.2.3 |
Maximum OS | 10.5.8 | 10.5.8 |
Introduced | August 2002 | January 2003 |
Terminated | Late 2004 | June 2003 |
Processor | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (FireWire 800) |
CPU | PowerPC 7455 "G4" | PowerPC 7455 "G4" |
CPU Speed | 2x867 MHz/2x1.0 GHz/2x1.25 GHz | 1.0/2x1.25/2x1.42 GHz |
FPU | integrated | integrated |
Bus Speed | 166 MHz | 166 MHz |
Register Width | 32-bit | 32-bit |
Data Bus Width | 64-bit | 64-bit |
Address Bus Width | 32-bit | 32-bit |
Level 1 Cache | 32 kB data, 32 kB instruction | 32 kB data, 32 kB instruction |
Level 2 Cache | 256 kB on-processor | 256 kB on-processor |
Level 3 Cache | 1 MB DDR SDRAM per-processor, 1:4 (2 MB for 2x 1.25 GHz) | 1 MB DDR SDRAM per-processor, 1:4 (2 MB for 2x 1.42 GHz) |
ROM | 1 MB ROM + 3 MB toolbox ROM loaded into RAM | 1 MB ROM + 3 MB toolbox ROM loaded into RAM |
RAM Type | PC2700 DDR | PC2700 DDR |
Minimum RAM Speed | 333 MHz | 333 MHz |
Onboard RAM | 0 MB | 0 MB |
RAM slots | 4 | 4 |
Maximum RAM | 2.0 GB | 2.0 GB |
Expansion Slots | 4 64-bit 33 MHz PCI, 1 4x AGP (filled) | 4 64-bit 33 MHz PCI, 1 4x AGP (filled) |
Video | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (FireWire 800) |
GPU | ATI Radeon 9000 Pro | ATI Radeon 9000 Pro |
VRAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
Max Resolution | all resolutions supported | all resolutions supported |
Video Out | VGA/DVI, ADC | VGA/DVI, ADC |
Storage | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (FireWire 800) |
Hard Drive | 60/80/120 GB | 60/80/120 GB |
ATA Bus | Ultra ATA-66, Ultra ATA-100 | Ultra ATA-100 |
Optical Drive | 24x/8x/4x/6x/2x/1x CD-RW/DVD-R | 32x/32x/10x/12x CD-RW/DVD-ROM |
Input/Output | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (FireWire 800) |
USB | 2 | 2 |
Firewire | 2 | 2 |
Audio Out | 2x stereo 16 bit mini, Pro Speaker | 2x stereo 16 bit mini, Pro Speaker |
Audio In | stereo 16 bit mini | stereo 16 bit mini |
Speaker | mono | mono |
Firewire800 | 1 | |
Networking | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (FireWire 800) |
Modem | 56 kbps | 56 kbps |
Ethernet | 10/100/1000Base-T | 10/100/1000Base-T |
Wi-Fi | optional 802.11b card | optional 802.11b/g card |
Bluetooth | internal support | |
Miscellaneous | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) | REMOVEPower Macintosh G4 (FireWire 800) |
Power | 338 Watts | 338 Watts |
Dimensions | 17" H x 8.9" W x 18.4" D | 17" H x 8.9" W x 18.4" D |
Weight | 42 lbs. | 42 lbs. |
Notes |
the dual-867 MHz model shipped with 32 MB NVIDIA GeForce4 GX graphics card, had a 133 MHz system bus, used 266 MHz PC2100 DDR SDRAM, and shipped with a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive. |
The 1.0 GHz model used 266 MHz PC2100 DDR SDRAM, had a 133 MHz bus, and used a 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics card. The dual 1.42 GHz model included a 32x/16x/8x/8x/4x CD-RW/DVD-R drive. |
Description |
Announced in August 2002, The PowerMac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors) included several motherboard enhancements borrowed from the previously released Xserve rackmount server. The bus speed on most models was raised to 166 MHz, and a PC2100/2700 Double Data Rate SDRAM memory bus was included. Dual processors were included across the entire line, as were enhanced graphics cards.
The G4 (MDD) was one of the loudest PowerMacs ever, and gained the nickname "G4 Windtunnel" for this reason (A fan and power supply replacement plan was subsequently offered by Apple). It shipped in three configurations: a dual 867 MHz model, with 256 MB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, and a 32 MB NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics card was $1699; dual 1 and 1.25 GHz models shipped with 256 and 512 MB of RAM, 80 and 120 GB hard drives, a DVD-R/CD-RW "SuperDrive" and an ATI Radeon 9000 Pro graphics card, for $2499 and $3299, respectively. All models were discontinued in January 2003. In July 2003, with the arrival of the PowerMac G5, the PowerMac G4 (MDD) was revived as the last OS 9 Bootable PowerMac ever. This configuration included a single 1.25 GHz processor, 256 MB of RAM, an 80 GB hard drive and a Combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, for $1299. Dual processor models were made available as BTO configurations. |
Introduced in January 2003, The PowerMac G4 (FireWire 800) was primarily a speed bump of the G4 MDD line, although it did include several architecture enhancements. The most exciting new features were the inclusion of a single FireWire 800 port, internal support for the BlueTooth wireless standard, and support for the AirPort Extreme wireless networking system. AirPort Extreme was the Apple moniker for the 802.11g standard, which supported speeds of up to 54 Mbps and was backward compatible with existing 802.11b/AirPort devices.
The PowerMac G4 (FW800) represented the fastest and least expensive line of PowerMacs Apple had ever introduced. The 1.0 GHz model, with 256 MB of RAM, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, a 60 GB hard drive and a 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce4 MX graphics card, sold for $1499. The dual 1.25 GHz model, with 256 MB of RAM, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, an 80 GB hard drive, and a 64 MB ATI Radeon 9000 Pro graphics card, sold for $1999. The high-end dual 1.42 GHz model, with 512 MB of RAM, a CD-RW/DVD-R drive, a 120 GB hard disk and a 64 MB ATI Radeon 9000 Pro graphics card, was a modest $2699, making it the cheapest high-end Power Mac ever. The PowerMac G4 (FireWire 800) was discontinued in June of 2003 and was replaced by the PowerMac G5. |
Picture Credit | Apple, Inc. | Apple, Inc. |