Inside Detail Comparison of the Power Macintosh G4s
Thanks to information passed on from reliable Apple sources, we're able to paint a clearer picture of the Sawtooth logicboard and how it compares to both the Yikes! and Yosemite boards. Below is a labeled version of the Sawtooth logicboard obtained from sources earlier this week. Directly following the image is a detailed table comparison of the Yikes! and Sawtooth boards.
Click here for a full sized image.
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 | Power Mac G4 (PCI Graphics) | Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) |
Processor | G4 w/ jumper (400) | G4 w/o jumper (450, 500) |
Logic Board | Similar to Blue & White, but no ADB connector Diagnostic LEDs on board | New, Core99 chipset No diagnostic LEDs on board |
Bus | 100 MHz, 60x bus | 100 MHz, Max bus |
Memory | PC 100 SDRAM, up to 1 GB | PC 100 SDRAM, up to 2 GB (HW) |
Video | Rage 128 PCI | Rage 128 AGP |
AirPort | Not compatible | Optional |
USB | Same as Blue & White | Dual independent (2 controllers) |
FireWire | Similar to Blue & White | Built into logic board |
Ethernet | Same as Blue & White | New (DEC 21143 Enet controller) |
Modem | Same as Blue & White | New (requires modem filter) |
PCI Slots | Same as Blue & White | One AGP slot and three PCI slots |
Hard Drives | Ultra ATA/33 | Ultra ATA/66 CTO option: Ultra2 LVD SCSI |
CD/DVD Drives | 32x CD (new short carrier) Audio cable | DVD configs only (new short carrier) No audio cable |
DVD Video | Hardware decoder | Software decoder |
Power Mgmt | Same as Blue & White | New (lower power sleep) |
Chassis | New, p/n 922-3983 | New, p/n 922-4045 |
Power Supply | New, p/n 661-2256 | New, p/n 661-2256 |
Frnt Panel Brd | Similar to Blue & White | New (no power/FireWire connectors) |
I/O Panel | Sound ports horizontal | Sound ports vertical |
Upon review of the information above, a few things become apparent. As soon as the Yikes! configuration is phased out, Apple's Power Macintosh offerings will all contain a standard DVD-ROM drive, as the Sawtooth logicboard supports only DVD. Additionally, it should be noted that Sawtooth units now feature a software-based MPEG2 (DVD Video) Decoder. 2GB of SDRAM is also supported by the hardware with the Sawtooth boards, though the systems will only recognize the advertised 1.5GBs. Additional information will be published when it becomes available.