MacComparisonZone: 17 Inch G4/1.5 GHz PowerBook vs Dual G5/1.8 GHz Power Mac vs Dual G5/2.0 GHz Power Mac - What Are The Performance, Feature And Price Differences
Specially prepared for Tom ... Request your own Custom Comparison
Updated: 8/8/04
Question: "I am trying to decide how much performance I would give up by going to the
17" Pbook versus the new G5. I want to run Final Cut Express or Pro, as well
as digi-audio applications. Do you have a comparison between these laptops
and towers? ..... Thanks, Tom"
Answer: Any current Power Mac you buy will run rings around the current top of the line PowerBook for the type of work you plan to do. For you processing prowess is the most important factor in getting work done. Pay special attention below to the performance scores that are processor orientated. Including iMovie, QuickTime, iDVD and Processor Multitasking. For crunching through data a dual processor machine will give you the most flexibility ... however it is hard to take on the road!
Introduction
This Buyer's Guide compares the G4/1.5 GHz 17 Inch PowerBookk to the PowerMac Dual G5/1.8 GHz, and to the PowerMac Dual G5/2.0 GHz. All three machines have the SuperDrive optical drive.
The current 1.5 GHz 17 Inch PowerBook was announced April, 2004. It is the high-end model of a family of four, which includes a 1.33GHz & 1.5GHz 15 Inch machines, and a 12 inch PowerBook running at 1.33GHz
The PowerMac Dual G5/1.8 GHz was announced 3 months later in June, 2004. It is the low -end model of a family of three, which includes a dual processor G5/2.5 GHz machine at the high -end, and a dual G5/2.0 GHz Tower in the middle.
The PowerMac Dual G5/2.0 GHz was announced 3 months later in June, 2004. It is the middle model of a family of three, which includes a dual processor G5/2.5 GHz machine at the high -end, and a dual G5/1.8 GHz Tower at the low-end.
Note: This Table Has Been Updated With More Accurate Numbers: 8/8/04
Machine
17 Inch
PowerBook
Power Mac
Dual G5/1.8 GHz
Power Mac
Dual G5/2.0 GHz
Power Mac
Dual G5/2.5 GHz
Processor
Average
100%
146%
174%
248% (Est)
Processor
(Dual) Average
100%
229%
Not Available
Not Available
Graphics
Average
100%
170%
Not Available
Not Available
Hard Drive
Average
100%
170%
Not Available
Not Available
For more detailed performance results ... see below
Major Technological Differences:
Processor Speed
Cache Speed
Price Difference: $500
Bus Speed
Graphics Card/Slot Expansion Slots/Hard Drive Bays
Hard Drive Size/Speed
Optical Drive Speed
Built-in Wireless Options
USB Port Number
Firewire Port Number
Audio in & out Options
External Video Support
Video Resolution
Below you will find specifications and features, performance, and price comparisons. We also provide further links where you can do additional research, should you so wish.
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Specifications & Features
Model/Mhz
17 Inch PowerBook G4/1.5GHz
(#M9462LL/A )
17 Inch Screen
L2 Cache: 512K @ 1.5GHz
L3 Cache: None
Date Announced: April, 2004
Power Mac Dual G5/1.8 GHz (#M9454LL/A )
Dual Processor
L2 Cache: 512K @ 1.8GHz (x2)
L3 Cache: None
Date Announced: June, 2004
Power Mac Dual G5/2.0 GHz
(#M9455LL/A )
Dual Processor
L2 Cache: 512K @ 2.0GHz (x2)
L3 Cache: None
Date Announced: June, 2004
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR SDRAM
AGP Pro 8X slot
ATI RADEON 9600 Pro
64MB DDR SDRAM
AGP Pro 8X slot
Expansion
Slots
One PC Card/CardBus slot supporting one Type I or Type II card
AirPort Extreme (54 Mbps) slot
Two hard drive bays (one filled)
One optical drive bay (filled)
Three 33MHz, 64-bit PCI slots
One AGP Pro 8X (filled)
AirPort Extreme Slot
Two hard drive bays (one filled)
One optical drive bay filled)
One 133MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slot
Two 100MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slot
One AGP Pro 8X (filled)
AirPort Extreme Slot
Hard Drive
80 GB Ultra ATA/100
4200rpm
80GB Serial ATA
7200 rpm
160GB Serial ATA
7200 rpm
Optical Drive
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
CD read - 24x
DVD read - 8x
DVD write 4x
CD-R write - 16x
CD-RW write - 8x
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Writes DVD-R at 8x
Reads DVDs at 10x
Writes CD-R at 24x
Writes CD-RW at 10x
Reads CDs at 32x
SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Writes DVD-R at 8x
Reads DVDs at 10x
Writes CD-R at 24x
Writes CD-RW at 10x
Reads CDs at 32x
3 USB 2.0 Ports (480 Mbps)
2 FireWire Port (400 Mbps)
1 FireWire 800 Port
Optical digital audio in and out Toslink connectors
Analog Stereo audio in and out minijacks
Optional Bluetooth 1.1 module and antenna
Video
17" TFT
1440 x 900
2048 x 1536 support on external display
ADC output using optional Apple DVI to ADC Adapter
DVI output port
VGA output using included DVI to VGA adapter
S-video output port
Composite video output using included S-video to composite adapter
Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports up to 1280 by 854 pixels on the built-in display and up to 2048 by 1536 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
Support for digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels
ADC and DVI connectors
DVI to VGA adapter included
Dual display support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes
Support for digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels
ADC and DVI connectors
DVI to VGA adapter included
Dual display support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes
Specification Notes
6.9 pounds
Battery Life: 58 -watt 4.5 Hours
Illuminated fiber-optic, backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor
The 'Percentage' scores for the Towers are related to the PowerBook's performance
As you can see the tower machines run rings around the PowerBook in terms of performance.
The performance numbers for Power Mac Dual G5/1.8 GHz are for the current machine. The Power Mac Dual G5/2.0 GHz numbers are for the previous version of the machine. The current Dual 2.0 GHz machine has a different graphics card and a faster SuperDrive, and the so performance numbers above, where these aspects of the machine are tested, may differ for the currently shipping machine. We are working on performance testing the 2.0 & 2.5 GHz Towers and should have those numbers in a couple of weeks ... if you want to make another comparison request at that time.
Graphics performance on the G5 machines is also much better, helped by a much more advanced graphics card, and the machine's greater processing capability.
Drive performance is also better, in some cases significantly better, on the Tower machines
Graphics (Card) Test is based on CineBench 2003. In this type of image rendering, the graphics card takes the lead
Graphics (Processor) Test is based on CineBench 2003. In this type of image rendering, the processor takes the lead
Graphics Gaming (Card) Test is based on the game 4x4 EVO2 .. a racing game. All settings are at highest quality. This game is more graphics card dependent
Graphics Gaming (Processor) Test is based on the game Giants.. All settings are at highest quality. This game is more processor dependent ... will also make used of dual processors if present
The 'General Interface' test is based on Let1kWindowsBloom, which is freely available.
The Photoshop (Workflow) score is based on the BareFeats Photoshop Action Script, which you can download and run on your own machine, if you have Photoshop. If you don't have Photoshop, you can download a trial version that will work for this test (249 MB).
Have questions about the performance numbers of the machines above?
For more detailed performance results see this page
Note: No benchmarking is perfect. At best benchmark scores provide a general guide to the comparative performance between machines when running the same tasks. As time passes comparisons between older machines and newer ones become more difficult. We have tried to err on the side of caution, and conservatism, so that if you are surprised ... it is pleasantly so.However the best benchmark it the one you run ... how fast does the computer handle your applications and tasks, letting you get your work done efficiently.
So we urge you, in making your assessments, not to throw benchmarks out the window, but that you treat them as good indication of performance, not a precise one .... have fun!
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For Latest up-to-date prices check the online Buyer's Guides
Base Machine (1-3 days) HP Photosmart 7660 inkjet photo printer, $50 after rebate ($129 up front) HP DeskJet 5150 inkjet printer, free after rebate ($89 up front) HP PSC 2410 Multifunction Printer ($299 up front) PSC 2175 all-in-one, $100 after rebate ($179 up front) HP DeskJet 5850 Wireless Inkjet Printer ($149 up front) DeskJet 5650 inkjet printer, $30 after rebate ($129 up front)
Base machine (3-5 day delay) HP Photosmart 7660 inkjet photo printer, $50 after rebate ($129 up front) HP DeskJet 5150 inkjet printer, free after rebate ($89 up front) HP PSC 2410 Multifunction Printer ($299 up front) HP PSC 2175 all-in-one, $100 after rebate ($179 up front) HP DeskJet 5850 Wireless Inkjet Printer ($149 up front) DeskJet 5650 inkjet printer, $30 after rebate ($129 up front)
Base machine (3-5 day delay) HP Photosmart 7660 inkjet photo printer, $50 after rebate ($129 up front) HP DeskJet 5150 inkjet printer, free after rebate ($89 up front) HP PSC 2410 Multifunction Printer ($299 up front) HP PSC 2175 all-in-one, $100 after rebate ($179 up front) HP DeskJet 5850 Wireless Inkjet Printer ($149 up front) DeskJet 5650 inkjet printer, $30 after rebate ($129 up front)
Base machine (4-6 weeks) HP Photosmart 7660 inkjet photo printer, $50 after rebate ($129 up front) HP DeskJet 5150 inkjet printer, free after rebate ($89 up front) HP PSC 2410 Multifunction Printer ($299 up front) PSC 2175 all-in-one, $100 after rebate ($179 up front) HP DeskJet 5850 Wireless Inkjet Printer ($149 up front) DeskJet 5650 inkjet printer, $30 after rebate ($129 up front)
PowerMax does not provide availability information online...
Shipping charges are to California - your mileage may vary. Also prices quoted are for the bare machine and do not reflect RAM installation charges (usually $40), nor the in-store prices of add-on products for which there is a rebate. Shipping charges (if any) for bundled products , also are not reflected in the prices above.
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MacComparisonZone: 17 Inch G4/1.5 GHz PowerBook vs Dual G5/1.8 GHz Power Mac vs Dual G5/2.0 GHz Power Mac - What Are The Performance, Feature And Price Differences 
This Buyer's Guide compares the G4/1.5 GHz 17 Inch PowerBookk to the PowerMac Dual G5/1.8 GHz, and to the PowerMac Dual G5/2.0 GHz. All three machines have the SuperDrive optical drive.
- Available
- Unknown/Delay
- Unavailable
Base Machine (1-3 days)
HP Photosmart 7660 inkjet photo printer, $50 after rebate ($129 up front)
Base Machine
