The first iMac to reach 1 GHz, the 17″ G4 iMac has a wide aspect ratio “cinema” type screen and displays 1440 by 900 pixels – just perfect for DVDs. Other improvements over the old 800 MHz model include a slot for an 802.11g AirPort Extreme card, space for internal Bluetooth, 64 MB of video memory, a 133 MHz system bus, 4x DVD burning speed, and a 7200 rpm UltraATA/100 hard drive.

Some Leopard users have reported problems with G4 iMacs that have GeForce 2 or GeForce 4 graphics. When the system wakes from sleep, the screen will be completely white, making the computer unusable. This is fixed by Leopard Graphics Update 1.0, which requires OS X 10.5.2 or later.

• Got an iMac? Join our iMac Group or iMacs & eMacs Forum.
• Our Mac OS 9 Group is for anyone using Mac OS 9, either natively or in Classic Mode.
• Our Jaguar Group is for those using Mac OS X 10.2.
• Panther List is for those using Mac OS X 10.3.
• Tiger List is for those using Mac OS X 10.4.
• Our Leopard Group is for those using Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6.

Details

• introduced 2003.02.04 at US$1,799; replaced by 1.25 GHz model 2003.09.08
• Requires Mac OS X 10.2 through 10.5 Leopard
• CPU: 1 GHz G4
• Bus: 133 MHz
• Performance:
  • Geekbench 2 (Leopard): 510
  • Geekbench 2 (Tiger): 509
• RAM: 256 MB, expandable to 2 GB using one user accessible PC2100 SODIMM (up to 1 GB) and one 184-pin DIMM (also up to 1 GB) – only officially supported to 512 MB modules by Apple.
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 4 MX with AGP 2x support
• VRAM: 64 MB
• Display: 17″ 1440 x 900 flat panel display
• Video out: Mini VGA port for video mirroring, requires VGA adapter
• L2 cache: 256 KB on-chip cache running at full CPU speed
• Hard drive: 80 GB 7200 rpm UltraATA/100 drive
• SuperDrive: 4x DVD write, 8x DVD read, 16x CD-R write, 8x CD-RW write, 32x CD read
• USB: 3 USB 1.1 ports
• FireWire 400: 2 ports
• Modem: built-in 56 kbps modem supports v.92 standard
• Ethernet: 10/100Base-T
• WiFi: optional 802.11g AirPort Extreme
• Bluetooth: optional
• Microphone: internal
• Power supply: 130W
• PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
• Height: 13.03-20.0 in/33.1-50.9 cm
• Width: 16.7 in/42.3 cm
• Depth: 10.6-16.7 in/27.0-42.3 cm
• Weight: 22.8 lb/10.4 kg
• Part no.: M8812
• Model identifier: PowerMac6,1

Upgrades

• 8x SuperDrive DVD±RW upgrade, MCE Technologies, $149. 8x4x12x DVD, 24x24x40x CD. 2 MB buffer. Must be installed by MCE or an MCE authorized upgrade center.

Online Resources

• Best iMac G4 deals.
• Best Classic Mac OS Deals. Best online prices for System 6, 7.1, 7.5.x, Mac OS 7.6, 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, 9.0, 9.2.2, and other versions.
• Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3.
• Best Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.4.
• Best Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.5.
• What’s the Best Version of OS X for My Mac?, Ian R Campbell, The Sensible Mac, 2008.02.28. Which version of Mac OS X is best for your hardware depends on several factors.
• The iMac Legacy: After the G3, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.08.15. The G3 iMac influenced the whole industry, but Apple continued to move forward with innovative designs using G4, G5, and Intel processors.
• iMac (Flat Panel) and iMac (17-inch Flat Panel): Installing or Replacing Memory, Apple. How to access and upgrade RAM in the iMac’s “user accessible” memory socket.
• iMac G4 – Exchanging Optical Drive, Hard Disk, and RAM, Accelerate Your Mac, 2002.07.13 (updated). Looks like this covers every version of G4 iMac.
• Know Your Mac’s Upgrade Options, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 2008.08.26. Any Mac can be upgraded, but it’s a question of what can be upgraded – RAM, hard drive, video, CPU – and how far it can be upgraded.
• The Future of Up-to-Date Browsers for PowerPC Macs, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.08.31. With Intel-only “Snow Leopard” shipping, software support for PPC Macs will continue its decline. Also, a look at SeaMonkey 2 and Camino 1.6.9.
• Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Low End Mac’s Online Tech Journal, 2009.06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac’s CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
• Tips for Installing or Reinstalling Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Adam Rosen, Adam’s Apple, 2009.06.10. Mac OS X 10.4 uses less memory than Leopard, supports Classic Mode on PowerPC Macs, and, unlike Leopard, is supported on G3 Macs.
• Odd MacBook sleep behavior, Pismo resurrection and upgrades, end nigh for Classic Eudora? and more, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.05.27. Also the end of the road for Lombard and G4 iMac CPU upgrades.
• Choosing My Next Low-end Desktop Mac, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2009.05.19. The recently deceased iBook G4 was going to take up desktop duty. Now the options are a G4 iMac, 17″ PowerBook, Power Mac G4, and Power Mac G5.
• Is Leopard Slower than Tiger on G4 Macs?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2009.04.17. Truth be told, when you have 1 GB of RAM, Leopard benchmarks an insigificant 4% slower than Tiger.
• Is It Worth Maxing the RAM in Old G3 and G4 Macs?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2009.04.15. Increasing memory can make your old Mac faster and make you more productive, but it probably won’t improve resale value by the amount you spend.
• Do G4 Macs Have What It Takes to Remain Useful in a Multicore World?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2009.01.15. With dual-core Intel CPUs running beyond 2 GHz, is any G4 Mac a practical choice?
• The ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’ Guide to Installing Mac OS X Updates, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.16. Most users encounter no problems using Software Update, but some preflight work and using the Combo updater means far less chance of trouble.
• Leopard on an 867 MHz G4 trounces Vista on a 2 GHz Core Duo notebook, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.12.16. Apple makes sure that each version of OS X runs well on the minimum supported hardware, while PCs well above minimum spec struggle under Microsoft’s latest version of Windows.
• Why You Should Partition Your Mac’s Hard Drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.12.11. “At the very least, it makes sense to have a second partition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you have problems with your work partition, you can boot from the ’emergency’ partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics.”
• Leopard runs very nicely on PowerPC Macs, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.11.19. Some claim that Mac OS X 10.5 is so optimized for Intel Macs that it runs poorly on PowerPC hardware. That’s simply not the case.
• Every working computer is useful to someone, Allison Payne, The Budget Mac, 2008.11.19. Whether it’s a PowerBook 1400, G3 iMac, or Power Mac G4, it could be all the computer someone needs.
• The future of PowerPC Macs and software as ‘Snow Leopard’ approaches, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.11.13. Apple phased out Classic Mode and G3 support with ‘Leopard’ last year, and next year’s OS X 10.6 won’t support any PowerPC Macs. Will other developers abandon PowerPC as well?
• How to clone Mac OS X to a new hard drive, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.10.07. Whether you want to put a bigger, faster drive in your Mac or clone OS X for use in another Mac, here’s the simple process.
• 9 browsers for G3 and older G4 Macs compared, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.09.26. The latest versions of Opera, Safari, Shiira, iCab, Radon, Firefox, Demeter, Sunrise, and Camino that run on Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger”.
• Tiger vs. Leopard: Which is best for you?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.09.22. Two great versions of Mac OS X, but unless your Mac is well above the minimum spec for Leopard and has lots of RAM, stick with Tiger.
• Does running OS X system maintenance routines really do any good?, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.08.26. Mac OS X is designed to run certain maintenance routines daily, weekly, and monthly – but can’t if your Mac is off or asleep.
• PCs not like Macs, Claris Home Page fan, iMac G4 upgrade tips, iBook prices, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.08.18. Also using PC3200 RAM in a Mirrored Drive Doors G4, cloning the classic Mac OS to a new hard drive, and thoughts on a Windows App Store.
• The Compressed Air Keyboard Repair, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.07.24. If your keyboard isn’t working as well as it once did, blasting under the keys with compressed air may be the cure.
• How to upgrade your eMac without cracking the case, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 2008.07.14. Some people like to replace the components inside their computers, but with FireWire and USB 2.0, Apple has made it easy to upgrade using external drives.
• Turn your old Mac into a web server with Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 2008.07.09. Step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP on an older Mac.
• SheepShaver brings Classic Mac OS to Intel Macs and Leopard, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2008.05.20. Mac OS X 10.5 doesn’t support Classic Mode. Neither does Leopard. But SheepShaver lets you emulate a PowerPC Mac and run the Classic Mac OS.
• 10 cult Macs adored by collectors, Tamara Keel, Digital Fossils, 2008.05.13. Macs are not only noted for their longevity, but also by the passion which collectors have for some of the most interesting models ever made.
• Safari 3.1 will be ‘crazy fast’, OS X 10.5.2 update, 20x SuperDrive from $35, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.02.15. Also Security Update for Tiger, Graphics Update for Leopard, Mac mini “as powerful as a larger desktop”, TechTool Deluxe update, and more.
• Restore stability to a troubled Mac with a clean system install, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 2008.01.15. If your Mac is misbehaving, the best fix just might be a fresh reinstallation of Mac OS X – don’t forget to backup first.
• Leopard problems with GeForce graphics, on eMacs and Power Macs, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.11.14. More success running Mac OS X 10.5 on iMacs, eMacs, Power Macs, and PowerBooks. Also failures with a Cube and a Blue and White G3 with a G4 upgrade.
• eMac virtual screen solution, PowerBook 3400 problem, IBM Model M and the Mac, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.10.26. Also G4 iMacs inspire lust, TrueType fonts and vintage Macs, deinterlacing DVDs, and Allegro USB sleep issues.
• Leopard DVD Player requires 1.6 GHz CPU, dual processor questions, and dual boot Macs, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.10.24. DVD Player currently runs on any G3 that supports Tiger, but the new version needs 1.6 GHz of power and other bloat in Leopard.
• G4 iMac ‘not half anything’, LEM design comments, and more on Macs not supported by Leopard, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.10.22. The dual 800 MHz Power Mac may be supported, Apple is (or isn’t) right to draw the line at 867 MHz, and an LC III that won’t work with a PC display.
• The future of G4 iMacs in the Age of Leopard, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2007.10.18. Some G4 iMacs are officially supported under Mac OS X 10.5, but some aren’t. Could Leopard run well on 700-800 MHz G4 iMacs?
• Software to darken iMac display, columnist returns iPhone, Logitech introduces air mouse, and more, Mac News Review, 2007.07.20. Also a USB turntable for turning your record albums into MP3s, a retractable flash drive, iPhone: The Missing Manual, Parallels Desktop 3 a major update, and more.
• 11 No Cost Tips for Optimizing Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Performance, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User, 2007.03.12. If your Mac is getting sluggish, here are 11 tips that can help restore its original performance.
• End of G4 models points to unprecedented value for used G4 Macs, Leaman Crews, Plays Well with Others, 2006.06.02. The PowerPC G4 may no longer have a place in Apple’s product line, but that’s a far cry from saying G4-based Macs are obsolete. If anything, their value is going to increase.
• Making the move from Jaguar (OS X 10.2) to Panther (10.3), Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2006.04.11. One advantage of Apple’s “no upgrades” policy for OS X – someone can give you their old copy after upgrading without worrying about violating their license.
• The iMac channel
• The iMac List, an email list iMac users
• The iMac NewsPage
• Apple Specs for iMac (17-inch 1GHz)

Cautions

• We have previously warned against mixing PC2100 and PC2700 RAM, but a reader has informed us that they work just fine together in his 17″ iMac.