What are the differences between the Mac mini G4 models?

Please note that all Mac mini G4 models have been discontinued.

The internal components of all Mac mini G4 systems are cleverly enclosed in a tiny and elegant 2.9 pound, 6.5 inch square, two inch tall cuboid case.

All Mac mini G4 systems have a PowerPC 7447a (G4) processor with the AltiVec "Velocity Engine" vector processing unit and 512k on-chip level 2 cache, a 167 MHz system bus, 333 MHz PC2700 DDR SDRAM, and a 2.5" Ultra ATA/100 hard drive.

Connectivity of each system includes two USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire "400" port, a 10/100Base-T Ethernet port, an RJ-11 modem port (if installed), a DVI-I port (compatible with VGA using the included DVI-to-VGA adapter), and an analog audio out jack for external speakers or headphones.

There are a handful of configuration differences between the original Mac mini G4 -- the Mac mini G4/1.25 and Mac mini G4/1.42 -- introduced January 11, 2005, summarized below:

Mac mini	Mac mini G4/1.25	Mac mini G4/1.42
Processor:	1.25 GHz	1.42 GHz
Std. RAM:	256 MB	256 MB
Video Card:	ATI Radeon 9200	ATI Radeon 9200
Video RAM:	32 MB	32 MB
Hard Drive:	40 GB (4200 RPM)	80 GB (4200 RPM)
Optical Drive:	8X "Combo"	8X "Combo"
AirPort (802.11g):	Optional	Optional
Bluetooth 1.1:	Optional	Optional
Model No:	M9686LL/A	M9687LL/A
Orig. Price:	US$499	US$599

On July 26, 2005, Apple increased the amount of stock memory in the Mac mini G4/1.25 to 512 MB, improved the configuration of the Mac mini G4/1.42 to include 512 MB of RAM, AirPort Extreme, and Bluetooth, and introduced a "higher-end" configuration of the Mac mini G4/1.42 with a standard DVD±RW/CD-RW "SuperDrive":

Mac mini	Mac mini G4/1.25	Mac mini G4/1.42
Processor:	1.25 GHz	1.42 GHz
Std. RAM:	512 MB	512 MB
Video Card:	ATI Radeon 9200	ATI Radeon 9200
Video RAM:	32 MB	32 MB
Hard Drive:	40 GB (4200 RPM)	80 GB (4200 RPM)
Optical Drive:	8X "Combo"	8X "Combo"†
AirPort (802.11g):	Optional	Standard
Bluetooth 1.1:	Optional	Standard
Model No:	M9686LL/B	M9687LL/B†
Orig. Price:	US$499	US$599†

†Mac mini G4/1.42 configured with a DVD±RW/CD-RW "SuperDrive" cost US$699 and was assigned model number M9971LL/B.

Although it never was announced officially, on September 27, 2005, Apple quitely replaced the Mac mini G4/1.42 with the Mac mini G4/1.5, which featured a faster processor, superior video, a faster hard drive, an improved optical drive option, and standard Bluetooth 2.0+EDR:

Mac mini	Mac mini G4/1.25	Mac mini G4/1.5
Processor:	1.25 GHz	1.5 GHz
Std. RAM:	512 MB	512 MB
Video Card:	ATI Radeon 9200	ATI Radeon 9200
Video RAM:	32 MB	64 MB
Hard Drive:	40 GB (4200 RPM)	80 GB (5400 RPM)
Optical Drive:	8X "Combo"	8X "Combo"†
AirPort (802.11g):	Optional	Standard
Bluetooth 2.0:	Optional	Standard††
Model No:	M9686LL/B	M9687LL/B*
Orig. Price:	US$499	US$599†

† This model also was available with a dual-layer read 8X DVD±RW/CD-RW "SuperDrive" for US$699.
†† Bluetooth 2.0+EDR was standard, but an internal modem was not. An internal modem could be added at the time of purchase for US$29.
* Apple did not assign a new model number for this configuration.

Site sponsor PowerMax has all configurations of the Mac mini G4 for sale free of sales tax.