PowerMac G4 Specs 07/17/2002

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
These were posted yesterday on the Spymac board. After reading it I think the poster is onto something. If this is not accurate then I don't know what else Apple can come up with. It pretty much mirrors some of the Xserve components (hard drives) but shows that Apple has a real nice performance boost to give us (333Mhz FONT SIDE bus!).

My gut feeling is that its real. I don't know why really but its just too realistic.





Hardware Specifications

Processor


Dual PowerPC G4 processors(1.2ghz,1.4ghz,1.6ghz)



Velocity Engine vector processing unit



Full 128-bit internal memory data paths



Powerful floating-point unit supporting single-cycle, double-precision calculations



Data stream prefetching operations supporting four simultaneous 32-bit data streams



512k on-chip L2 cache running at processor speed

2MB DDR SRAM L3 cache per processor

Â*

333MHz system frontside bus supporting over 2.7GB/s data throughput



Memory

512MB or 1024MB of 333MHz PC2700 DDR SDRAM with up to 5.4GB/s throughput(dual memory controllers 2.7 for each channel)



Four DIMM slots supporting up to 2GB of DDR SDRAM using the following:

Â? 128MB or 256MB DIMMs (64-bit-wide, 128Mb technology)



Â? 512MB DIMMs (64-bit-wide, 256Mb technology)

I/O connections

AGP Pro 110watt universal slot supports graphics cards running at 8x,4x,2x

Six full-length 64-bit, 66MHz PCI slots supports 32-bit or 64-bit 3.3V PCI cards running at 33MHz respectively





One 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) RJ-45 Ethernet connectors, on logic board

One 56k v.92 voice/fax modem RJ-11 teleco connector,on logic board

Ready for wireless networking: Built-in antennas and card slot for optional 54Mbps AirPort Card; IEEE 802.11g compliant



Four 800Mb/s FireWire2 ports (three on back panel;one on front panel; 15W total power) (4)



Four USB2.0 ports 12 Mbs-480 Mb/s each (three on back panel;one on front panel)

Graphics support

Nvidia Geforce4Ti 4200 AGP graphics card with 64MB of DDR SDRAM graphics ADC and DVi connector dual display support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes(standard across entire lineup)



Optional ATI RADEON R250 AGPÂ* graphics card with 128MB of DDR SDRAM and ADC,DVI, and S-video connectors; dual display support, support for digital and analog resolutions up to 2048 by 1536 pixels



Storage

Two external 3.5 bays with independent 133MB/s buses for up to 240GB of internal storage using hot-plug Apple Drive Modules, available in the following capacities:

Â? 60GB 7200-rpm Ultra ATA/133 with 8MB disk cache

Â? 120GB 7200-rpm Ultra ATA/133 with 8MB disk cache



One bay filled with 60GB 7200-rpm Apple Drive Module (standard configurations)



Support for reading SMART data from Apple Drive Modules for early failure notification

Two open internal 3.5 bays(for internal IDE harddrives)

Two external 5.25 bay one filled with tray-loading 40x20x40x CDR/RW drive with front-panel eject button

Optional Superdrive Dvd-R 4x,Dvd-rom 24x,CDR/RW 24x12x40x

Optional Ultra160 SCSI PCI card for connecting to external storage and backup devices.

Optional Ultra ATA 133 RAID card (supports RAID 0,1,01 )



Audio

Built-in speaker

Apple speaker minijack for connection to Apple Pro Speakers

Optional Apple Pro Speakers

Headphone/line out minijack

Support for external third-party FireWire and USB digital audio peripherals such as microphones, speakers, and MIDI devices



[ 06-27-2002: Message edited by: DevNull ]</p>
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 93
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    It's very optimistic ... <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
  • Reply 2 of 93
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    VERY VERY VERY optimistic. Unless the G4 has been redesigned almost from scratch.
  • Reply 3 of 93
    willoughbywilloughby Posts: 1,457member
    No way <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />



    I'm expecting single processor G4s up to 1.2ghz. That way I most likely won't be disappointed.
  • Reply 4 of 93
    devnulldevnull Posts: 31member
    Personally, I don't think its optimistic. Here's why:
    • We all know and expect the new PowerMacs to have a new logic board. The Xserve has a new one.

      We all know and expect the new PowerMacs to have a new case.

      Its obvious we will be getting DDRAM (witness Xserve)

      The new workstations need to be higher performance, so a higher bus speed is almost guaranteed over over the Xserve.

      Sharing of HD components with the Xserve makes sense.

      As far the CPU speed, 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6, sure why not. I think MOT has been keeping RELLY quiet in the face of Apple's retaliation against ATI for their slip up some time ago. Besides, when was the last time that MOT pre-announced faster chips before Apple used them? We need faster chips. I never expected us to reach 2Ghz (would have been nice though) anytime soon.

      6 PCI slots? Well maybe that person might be a bit off. I think 3 would be more like it. In my opinion this is the only fly in the ointment on this list.

      That red proto motherboard that showed up on eBay a month ago was sure sign of things to come. If you go back and look at it there are a lot of clues on it.

  • Reply 5 of 93
    pathogenpathogen Posts: 36member
    So, if this were correct, Apple would be announcing the following on the 17th:



    - New G4 case

    - Fully dual line up of 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 Apollos with more L3 per processor

    - DDR RAM and memory paths

    - ATA 133, with RAID

    - Firewire 2

    - Airport 2

    - USB 2

    - 4x Superdrive

    - 8x AGP

    - ATI Radeon R250

    - X Serve style hot swappable 3.5" bays

    - Return of extra 5.25" bay

    - and more PCI, USB, and Firewire slots



    Sounds stunning and too good to be true. Yet Apple has done a similar overhaul like that when it introduced the Yosemite in 1998 (Firewire, USB, Rage 128, 10/100, PC 100, etc). I give this one my hopes. And anywhere it falls short, well... there's always September and January.
  • Reply 6 of 93
    othelloothello Posts: 1,054member
    i have my fingers crossed...
  • Reply 7 of 93
    devnulldevnull Posts: 31member
    OK, I had to dig around but I found that red prototype motherboard from that eBay auction again.



    I'll point out the important stuff on the board that lends credence to the prediction. Keep in mind the picture is reversed so the real thing is actually flipped.



    In the top right are 2 IDE connectors which are what I'm sure are RAID. Bottom right is an IDE connector facing outward which is most likely slower ATA66 for a SuperDrive or slower devices.



    On the left are 4 full-length 64-bit PCI slots (white). To the right of them is the usual AGP slot (green retainer around it). Just to the right of the AGP slot are 4 DDRAM slots (2 or 4 Gigs of RAM?).



    Along the bottom edge of the board are the I/O ports. From left to right:

    2 USB, 2 Firewire, 1 FireWire 2 (Gigawire?), 1 Ethernet, 1 sound in or out, 1 sound in or out.



    Just above the I/O ports is the CPU connector and above the PCI slots is the airport connector. Since we originator never said anything about the CPU speeds we can only speculate here.



    Now, go and compare this to the current Quicksilver case and you'll see that its different in layout as far as the IDE conectors are concerned. This points to a totally new case layout. The current case has the IDE connectors by the airport slot and below the PCI slots to minimize the cable lengths due to the "door".



    Anyhow, since Apple had them pull this aution toute-suite and went out of their way to quash this picture it points to something they don't want us to see.







    [ 06-27-2002: Message edited by: DevNull ]



    [ 06-27-2002: Message edited by: DevNull ]</p>
  • Reply 7 of 93
    jerombajeromba Posts: 357member
    call me Naive 2.0 but i like this spec a lot !

    i'm buying them
  • Reply 9 of 93
    [quote]Originally posted by DevNull:

    <strong>Personally, I don't think its optimistic. Here's why:
    • We all know and expect the new PowerMacs to have a new logic board. The Xserve has a new one.

      We all know and expect the new PowerMacs to have a new case.

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Do we ALL really expect a new case? I personally believe that the G5 is coming in the next update after MWNY. Seems like it would be silly on apple's part to redesign the case and then do so again in less than a year. And we know apple. They stick with case designes on the powermac for what, 2-3 years? Its possible but i wouldnt be to positive if i were you that the new cases are CONFIRMED, DEF COMING, ABSOLUTELY GOING TO BE AT MWNY. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
  • Reply 10 of 93
    devnulldevnull Posts: 31member
    These days its almost impossible to get inside info from Apple, the leaks have been plugged pretty good.



    However, some stuff does surface. You need to be able to read between the lines and pay careful attention to products just announced (Xserve) to get an idea of their direction.



    In this case when you look at this board, look at the Xserve and look at these specs I think you get an overall picture that they might just be the real deal.



    Keep in mind, the machines are finished. They are most likely running a short prodcution run as we speak for the show (Apple never learns from this mistake. They need to start making them in volume now because invariably they announce a new product then it takes 4-5 weeks for production to ramp up and we end up having to wait...).

    I'm sure the specs are starting to go out to certain entities (distributors, Apple worldwide subsidiaries) in order for them to start the pricing schedules. Whenever we get this close to a MW show stuff starts to surface....
  • Reply 11 of 93
    bzbz Posts: 40member
    This would be the mix that would get me into a new Powermac. Considering that the Xserve does pretty damn well against a current PM G4 (see link below) I would think that this new Mobo would kick some serious A$$ (and we all know that it needs to to get the pro-sumers and pros buying PowerMacs again).



    <a href="http://www.xinet.com/benchmarks/benchmarks.2002/index.html"; target="_blank">http://www.xinet.com/benchmarks/benchmarks.2002/index.html</a>;



    BZ
  • Reply 12 of 93
    They will be dual processors across the board. the top end will be dool 1.2, followed by a dool 1.0, and im not sure what the low end will be, but i suspect dool 800.

    Super Drives across the board.

    maybe DDR.

    Thats all the changes we can hope/expect to see.



    Cheers
  • Reply 13 of 93
    willoughbywilloughby Posts: 1,457member
    Dual PowerPC G4 processors(1.2ghz,1.4ghz,1.6ghz)



    That aint gonna happen. No way will we see dual processors across the line at those speeds and at current prices.



    If this happens I'll eat my boxers.
  • Reply 14 of 93
    devnulldevnull Posts: 31member
    [quote]Originally posted by WishIwasBlack:

    <strong>



    Do we ALL really expect a new case? I personally believe that the G5 is coming in the next update after MWNY. Seems like it would be silly on apple's part to redesign the case and then do so again in less than a year. And we know apple. They stick with case designes on the powermac for what, 2-3 years? Its possible but i wouldnt be to positive if i were you that the new cases are CONFIRMED, DEF COMING, ABSOLUTELY GOING TO BE AT MWNY. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>





    All I have to say is this: Apple changed the original iBook (Hello Kitty) the the current design and we didn't expect it. They changed the new iMac design and we didn't expect the new look.

    So after over 3 years of using the same design for the PowerMac do you honestly think they will continue to use it and not improve? I don't think so. Besides, if they did people would accuse them of not innovating and improving (which is a huge misconception for PC folks who think the Mac still has a 9" mono screen).



    [ 06-27-2002: Message edited by: DevNull ]</p>
  • Reply 15 of 93
    macroninmacronin Posts: 1,174member
    And consider this...



    When Apple announced the B&W G3 (ughh-leee!), they started using the El Cap case...



    Which continued through several reiterations, bringing us to the current Dual1GHz/QuickSilver cases... Which are STILL El Cap cases...



    I think we will see new cases @ MWNY2002, and we will see the same cases @ MWSF2003 when the G5s are introduced...



    Cheers!



    <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> Maya for Mac OS X <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
  • Reply 16 of 93
    jobesjobes Posts: 106member
    [quote]Originally posted by DevNull:

    <strong>Personally, I don't think its optimistic. Here's why:
    • We all know and expect the new PowerMacs to have a new logic board. The Xserve has a new one.</strong>



      Of course it had a new logic board: it is a 1U rackmount server, so it has a different form factor and I/O needs to a desktop machine. There is no way you could use a current G4 mobo in a 1U rackmount. Conversely, unless the new towers are 30+" inches high, the Xserve logic board will not be used. Simialr components, different layout.



      <strong>We all know and expect the new PowerMacs to have a new case.</strong>



      The last time we got blindsided was when steve pulled out the original graphite g4 at seybold in 99 ... few expected that kind of restyling of the El Capitan case for the G4. There have been constant revisions to the port layouts on the back of the case etc, but at best its been evolutionary (with occassional spurts eg Quicksilver). I know there will be different colour styling as there will be a new, darker keyboard introduced, but i'm undecided if a brand new case will debut until a new processor next year. The economy is fscked after all, the tech sector is predicted to flatline till next year, and I'm sure its an attractive option to retool existing production lines and use a similar case design and save a few bucks



      <strong>Its obvious we will be getting DDRAM (witness Xserve)</strong>



      it's been obvious for 2 years, if you read the speculation. personally i cried last year when the QS machine debut'd with no DDR. But will it be crippled DDR as many believe the Xserve is running, due to the bottlenecks of bus and memory transfers?



      <strong>The new workstations need to be higher performance, so a higher bus speed is almost guaranteed over over the Xserve.</strong>



      Hopefully 166Mhz double-pumped to 333. I'd love to see this.



      <strong>Sharing of HD components with the Xserve makes sense.</strong>



      Sorry, don't follow you. Hard drive components? If they are ATA 100 HDs they will fit in either or both. Mebbe you mean other parts. Hopefully like the custom memory ASIC, dual fibre channel I/O etc. Most components will be resuable on various mobos anyway: there's normally a trickle-down effect on components used across the range.



      <strong>As far the CPU speed, 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6, sure why not. I think MOT has been keeping RELLY quiet in the face of Apple's retaliation against ATI for their slip up some time ago. Besides, when was the last time that MOT pre-announced faster chips before Apple used them? We need faster chips. I never expected us to reach 2Ghz (would have been nice though) anytime soon.</strong>



      <strong>6 PCI slots? Well maybe that person might be a bit off. I think 3 would be more like it. In my opinion this is the only fly in the ointment on this list.</strong>



      No way will we get 6 ... that's a hangover from the days of 8500s and similar, when to do any hi-end work you needed a sh!tload of PCI-based outboard kit. Now I can have a viable audio or video capture solution without even using a single PCI slot, dual head video cards now ship with macs, you can chain peripherals better than you could with SCSI, i see few reasons to have 6 pcis slots. unless you want a taller case than the current one, and that would knock apple's standing as a manufacturer of compact, sleek computer kit. 4 + AGP seems reasonable ... 5 + AGP if there is some real magic worked with the case layout.



      <strong>That red proto motherboard that showed up on eBay a month ago was sure sign of things to come. If you go back and look at it there are a lot of clues on it.</strong>



      What, like the suspect photoshopped cloned elements which many pointed out when this pic surfaced, and the suspect lighting sources? I'd love it to be true but it is just a little too fishy for me.


    [/QB]<hr></blockquote>



    Seen too many lacklustre revs over the last few years ... so i'm not expecting too much too soon.
  • Reply 17 of 93
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Boy...good thing you started a brand new thread to talk about this hot new information. It's not like you could've posted your quote in any of a half-dozen other threads.



  • Reply 18 of 93
    I am really hoping the original predication is true.



    [quote]Originally posted by Willoughby:

    <strong>If this happens I'll eat my boxers.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    HA! Now I REALLY, REALLY hope this is true!!
  • Reply 19 of 93
    [quote]Originally posted by DevNull:

    <strong>These were posted yesterday on the Spymac board. After reading it I think the poster is onto something. If this is not accurate then I don't know what else Apple can come up with. It pretty much mirrors some of the Xserve components (hard drives) but shows that Apple has a real nice performance boost to give us (333Mhz FONT SIDE bus!).

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    One of the least known performance enhancements on the modern Macintosh is the Font Side Bus which is dedicated to keep the FPU (Font Processing Unit) fed with Font Data. THis bus is often clogged by beginning designers who use 10+ fonts for a single page newsletter. Expanding this no doubt reflects Apple's commitment to consumers and fledgling designers. Forget Video Editing and 3D, we're going to take on the School Newsletter market!



  • Reply 20 of 93
    arwarw Posts: 16member
    Just as a note on the picture and discription of the red motherboard: Wouldn't the Firewire 2 (Gigawire) port you describing almost have to be a jack for a phone line for the modem? It would be nice to see Gigawire now, but I'm not expecting it or USB 2 until the G5.



    -ARW
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