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Q
& A:
PB
G3 Q & A:
Technical & Performance
How many PowerBook G3 series are
there?
There are five distinct revisions of the PowerBook G3 series. Because all models in the different PowerBook G3 series are simply labeled the "PowerBook G3", it can be confusing to separate the different machines.
The first PowerBook G3 shipped in a PowerBook 3400 case, and is usually called the "original", "1st generation", or "3500" PowerBook G3. In documents, Apple often refers to the original PowerBook G3 as simply the "PowerBook G3", choosing to call later revisions by different names.
The second and third revisions of the PowerBook G3 series shipped in a new case design, and are usually called the "Wallstreet" or "PDQ" (Pretty Damn Quick) PowerBook G3 series, referring to the codenames for the second and third revisions, respectively. Apple generally refers to these models as the "PowerBook G3 Series" to distinguish them from the original PowerBook G3.
The second revision included the PowerBook G3/233, G3/250, and G3/292, and the third revision included the G3/233 (a different version), G3/266, and G3/300.
The fourth revision of the PowerBook G3 shipped in a sleek case that greatly resembles the Wallstreet case, but is thinner and weighs less. This revision is usually called the "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series, referring to the bronze keyboard, or the "Lombard" PowerBook G3 series, referring to the codename for the computer. Apple generally refers to these models as the "New PowerBook G3 Series" in marketing documents and the "PowerBook G3 Series 1999" or "PowerBook G3 (Bronze Keyboard) Series" in technical documents.
The fourth revision included the PowerBook G3/333 and G3/400.
The fifth, and final, revision of the PowerBook G3 shipped in the same sleek case as the as "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series, but is labeled simply "PowerBook" rather than "PowerBook G3" under the display. This revision is usually called the PowerBook G3 "FW" series, referring to the addition of FireWire ports, or the "Pismo" PowerBook G3 series, referring to the computer's codename. Apple commonly refers to the fifth revision as the "New PowerBook", the "PowerBook G3 Series 2000", or the "PowerBook G3 (FireWire)".
The fifth revision included the PowerBook G3/400 "FW" and G3/500 "FW".
What are the primary differences between the different PowerBook G3 series?
In spite of identical names, the different series of PowerBook G3 models are significantly different from one another.
The most obvious difference is case type. The original PowerBook G3 (see picture) is housed in a "boxy but good" PowerBook 3400 case. The "Wallstreet" and "PDQ" PowerBook G3 series (see picture) come in a sleek case unique to the series with a large single-colored Apple logo on the back of the case and a small multicolored Apple logo under the screen on the inside. The "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series (see picture) comes in a thinner and more sleek version of the "Wallstreet" case with a bronze-colored keyboard and a white Apple logo on the front and back of the case. Finally, the PowerBook G3 "FW" series (see picture) uses the same case as the "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series, but simply has "PowerBook" printed on the front under the display, rather than "PowerBook G3".
There are significant technical differences as well. The original PowerBook G3 has a 250 MHz processor on a 50 MHz system bus with onboard ADB, serial, and SCSI, along with a standard 1.44 MB floppy disk. The "Wallstreet" and "PDQ" series has processors ranging from 233 MHz to 300 MHz on a 66 MHz system bus, also with onboard ADB, serial, and SCSI, along with a standard 1.44 MB floppy disk (later configurations began to phase out the floppy disk). The "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series has processors ranging from 333 MHz to 400 MHz on a 66 MHz system bus, and onboard USB and SCSI, but no ADB or serial support, or a 1.44 MB floppy. Finally, the PowerBook G3 "FW" series uses a faster logic board design with processors ranging from 400 MHz to 500 MHz on a 100 MHz system bus, and includes onboard USB, FireWire, and AirPort, but lacks SCSI support.
How fast are the PowerBook G3 series compared to each other?
According to Apple-published benchmarks, the original PowerBook G3, which has a 250 MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) processor scored 750 on the MacBench 4.0 processor performance test. The following "Wallstreet" PowerBook G3 series, which includes the PowerBook G3/233, G3/250, and G3/292 racked up scores of 445, 881, and 1031, respectively; while the "PDQ" PowerBook G3, which includes a different revision of the PowerBook G3/233, along with the G3/266 and G3/300, scored 764, 941, and 1052, respectively, showing fairly significant performance gains over the previous models.
The "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series, which includes the PowerBook G3/333 and G3/400, scored 1017 and 1234 on MacBench 5.0 processor performance tests. Official Apple-published benchmarks were not released for the PowerBook G3 "FW", although a similar speed margin over the previous models would be expected.
Although MacBench 4.0 and 5.0 scores are not directly comparable, each revision shows an increase over the previous one, as the faster clock speeds would attest.
How fast are the PowerBook G3 series compared to Windows laptops?
According to Apple published benchmarks, the "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series performs around twice as well as similarly equipped Pentium II-based laptops. On BYTEmark integer index processor tests, the PowerBook G3/333 scores 11.1 and the PowerBook G3/400 scores 13.3, while a 366 MHz Pentium II-based PC laptop scores only 5.0 on the same test. Official Apple-published benchmarks were not released for the PowerBook G3 "FW", although a similar speed margin over comparable Windows-based models would be expected.
Does the PowerBook G3 "Bronze" and "FW" series have a ROM?
Just like the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue), the iMac, and presumably future Apple systems, the PowerBook G3 "Bronze" and "FW" series does not have the traditional 4 MB ROM that the original PowerBook G3 and "Wallstreet" PowerBook G3 series has, but it does have a Boot ROM that is around 1 MB. Codenamed "NewWorld", Apple describes the new method as not having a "single, large ROM that contains the many components of the Mac OS software, along with the 68K emulator, hardware initialization, and the nanokernel." and instead it has "a small ROM [that] provides hardware initialization functions and provides a mechanism to load the Mac OS ROM image into RAM."
For extensive details on the NewWorld architecture, please refer to the Apple Developers Note for the PowerBook G3 "Bronze" series (p. 76-89).
Does the PowerBook G3 series support monitor mirroring? Dual-displays?
All models in the PowerBook G3 series are equipped with a monitor port for an external VGA, SVGA, or XGA monitor or projector. The computers also have an S-video port to output to an NTSC or PAL television or VCR.
This allows "monitor mirroring" where the content from the internal display is "mirrored" on the external display. The "Bronze" PowerBook G3 and PowerBook G3 "FW" series also supports "dual display" which allows an external monitor to act as a second monitor, doubling the viewable area.
Dual-display capability can be added to a "Wallstreet" or "PDQ" PowerBook G3 with the IXMicro ix3D RoadRocket.
Can the PowerBook G3 series operate properly with the lid closed?
The original PowerBook G3 and "Wallstreet" PowerBook G3 series cannot operate with the lid closed, as too much heat is generated to allow for proper ventilation.
According to Tech Info Document #58334, the "Bronze" PowerBook G3 series and later models, generate far less heat than earlier models, and can operate properly with the lid closed. This can be particularly useful if you wish to set up a "workstation" for your PowerBook G3 with an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
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