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Q
& A:
Power
Mac G4 Q & A:
Internal Expansion (2/2)
How much RAM can the Power
Macintosh G4 support? What type?
PCI-based Power Macintosh G4 models and AGP-based Power Macintosh G4 models shipped from December 2, 1999 to January 8, 2001 support up-to 2048 MB (2.0 GB) of RAM, 1536 MB (1.5 GB) of which can be used by the MacOS, by installing four 512 MB 8ns 168-pin, 64-bit-wide, unbuffered PC100 SDRAM (3.3v) DIMMs. These systems use the same PC100 RAM as the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue) series.
AGP-based Power Macintosh G4 models shipped from January 9, 2001 until August 13, 2002, including the "Quicksilver" models, have three slots instead of four, and as such can support up-to 1536 MB (1.5 GB), all of which can be used by the MacOS. These systems use 8ns 168-pin, 64-bit-wide PC133 SDRAM (3.3v) DIMMs that are not backwards-compatible with older systems.
Both series of "Mirrored Drive Doors" Power Macintosh G4 models, initially introduced on August 13, 2002 and discontinued on June 23, 2003, have four RAM slots, and can support 2048 MB (2.0 GB) of RAM by installing four 512 MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM (333 MHz) DIMMs. These DIMMs are not backwards-compatible with older systems.
Does the Power Macintosh G4 include a CD-RW drive? Can one be added?
AGP-based Power Macintosh G4 models shipped after January 9, 2001 all include an internal drive that are capable of reading and writing CD-based media.
Five models include CD-RW drives. The Power Macintosh G4/466, Power Macintosh G4/533, Power Macintosh G4/667, and Power Macintosh G4/733 QS include a CD-RW drive that writes CD-R media at 8X, writes CD-RW media at 4X, and reads CD-ROM media at 32X. The Power Macintosh G4/800 QS includes a CD-RW drive that writes CD-R media at 24X, writes CD-RW media at 10X, and reads CD-ROM media at 32X.
Three models include CD-RW/DVD "combo" drives that are capable of writing CD-based media, in addition to reading DVD. The Power Macintosh G4/867 DP MDD includes a drive that writes CD-R at 10X, writes CD-RW at 16X, reads CD at 24X, and reads DVD at 8X. The Power Macintosh G4/1.0 MDD and the second revision of the Power Macintosh G4/1.25 DP MDD include drives that write CD-R(W) at 32X/10X, read CD-ROM at 32X, and read DVD at 12X.
Eight models include CD-RW/DVD-R "SuperDrives" that are capable of reading and writing CD and DVD-based media. The Power Macintosh G4/733, Power Macintosh G4/867 QS, Power Macintosh G4/800 DP QS, Power Macintosh G4/933 QS, Power Macintosh G4/1.0 DP QS, Power Macintosh G4/1.0 DP MDD, and the first revision of the Power Macintosh G4/1.25 DP MDD includes a drive that can write DVD-R at 2X, read DVD at 6X, write CD-R at 8X, write CD-RW at 4X, and read CD at 24X. The Power Macintosh G4/1.42 DP MDD includes a drive that can write/read DVD at 4X/8X, write CD-R(W) at 16X/8X, and read CD at 32X.
Although an Apple-branded internal CD-RW drive generally can not be added to models that do not have one pre-installed, third-party solutions are available. Also, an external USB-based or FireWire-based drive can easily be added to any Power Macintosh G4 model.
Does the Power Macintosh G4 support DVD? Can it be added?
Yes. PCI-based and AGP-based Power Macintosh G4 models can be equipped to fully support DVD. All PCI-based models can be upgraded to DVD, if it was not pre-installed, and all AGP-based models shipped from December 2, 1999 to January 8, 2001 came with either a DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM drive pre-installed.
Among the AGP-based models announced on January 9, 2001 and discontinued on July 18, 2001 only the high-end Power Macintosh G4/733 can read DVD discs out of the box with a custom CD-RW/DVD-R SuperDrive. The other models in the series have been equipped with CD-RW drives, which can write CD-R media at 8X, write CD-RW media at 4X, and read CD-ROM media at 32X, but can not read DVD media.
Among the original "Quicksilver" series introduced on July 18, 2001 and discontinued on January 28, 2002, the Power Macintosh G4/867 QS and Power Macintosh G4/800 DP QS can both read DVD discs out of the box with the CD-RW/DVD-R SuperDrive, but the lower-end model, the Power Macintosh 733 QS cannot. Among the "Quicksilver" models introduced on January 28, 2002 and discontinued on August 13, 2002, both the Power Macintosh G4/933 QS and Power Macintosh G4/1.0 DP QS can read DVD discs with the pre-installed CD-RW/DVD-R SuperDrive, but the lower-end Power Macintosh G4/800 QS cannot.
All Power Macintosh G4 "MDD" models, initially introduced on August 13, 2002 and discontinued on June 23, 2003, all can read DVD, and the Power Macintosh G4/1.0 DP MDD, the first revision of the Power Macintosh G4/1.25 DP MDD, and the Power Macintosh G4/1.42 DP MDD can write DVD as well with a pre-installed CD-RW/DVD-R SuperDrive.
What is DVD-RAM? Is it compatible with standard DVD discs?
DVD-RAM is a rewritable DVD storage technology that can currently store between 2.6 GB (one-sided) and 5.2 GB (double-sided). DVD-RAM drives can read DVD-ROM and DVD-Video discs, but can only write to DVD-RAM discs.
Can the DVD-RAM drive be used to create DVD-Video discs?
You can use a DVD-RAM drive with movie editing software to create a DVD-Video disc layout with MPEG-2 video and AC-3 audio, which can be replayed in any DVD-RAM drive. However, most consumer-grade DVD-Video players cannot read DVD-RAM discs, so DVD-RAM discs cannot replace VHS-based VCRs for consumer-grade recording purposes.
What is the SuperDrive? What types of media can it read and write?
The SuperDrive, which shipped standard in the Power Macintosh G4/733, Power Macintosh G4/867 QS, Power Macintosh G4/800 DP QS, Power Macintosh G4/933 QS, Power Macintosh G4/1.0 DP QS, Power Macintosh G4/1.0 DP MDD, the first revision of the Power Macintosh G4/1.25 DP MDD, and the Power Macintosh G4/1.42 DP MDD is a hybrid CD-RW/DVD-R drive. Unlike DVD-RAM, the SuperDrive can create DVD-Video discs that can be used on any standard DVD player. As an added bonus, the SuperDrive does not use the regional encoding system, so DVD-Video discs created with the SuperDrive can be used worldwide.
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