computer ever - G4

The fastest personal computer ever - G4

WHEN Apple intro duced the Power Mac* G 4, its next generation of desktop computers designed for pro fessional and “pro-sumer” cus tomers, it set a new standard for oth ers to follow.

The Power Mac G 4, powered by the revolutionary new PowerPC G 4 chip architected by Apple, Motorola and'lßM, is the first personal computer in history to deliver supercomputer-level perfor mance of over one billion floating-point operations per second.

The company claims that the the Power Mac G4s

run professional applica

tions like Adobe’s Photo shop up to twice as fast as 600 MHz Pentium 111-based PCs.

The G 4 chip incorpo

rates a new execution unit named the Velocity Engine* the heart of a supercomputer miniatur ized onto a sliver of silicon.

In a set of Intel’s own tests published on their web site, the 500 MHz G 4 chip was 2.94 times as fast as the 600 MHz Pentium 111 processor. Apple says the

G 4 processor, with its Velocity Engine, is an average of 2.94 times faster than the fastest Pentium 111 (600 MHz) in selected tests published by Intel to demonstrate Pentium’s speed.

“The Power Mac G 4 is not only the fastest Mac ever, it’s the fastest personal computer ever,” said Apple’s interim CEO Steve Jobs. “The revolutionary G 4 processor with its remarkable Velocity Engine is the first ‘supercomputer on a

chip,' delivering over one gigaflop of

sustained performance.” The new Power Mac G 4 line is offered in three standard models, based on 400 MHz, 450 MHz and 500Mhz processors, and in build-to-order customer-selected configurations from Apple’s online store.

The top two standard models feature support for up to 1.5 GB of fast indus try-standard PC 100 SDRAM, a new IOOMhz system bus that delivers up to 800 MBps of data throughput, Rage 128 AGP/2X high performance graphics, an Ultra ATA/66 drive interface, and

Apple’s breakthrough

AirPort* wireless net

working optional).

All models feature IMB level 2 backside cache, dual Universal Serial Bus (USB) and 400-Mbps FireWire® ports, internal drives from 10 GB to 27 GB (configurable to more than 100 GB via build-to order) and removable storage including ZIP,

Cd-Rom, Dvd-Rom

with video playback, and

Dvd-Ram.

The Power Mac G 4 comes in a stunning translucent clear, silver and graphite minitower

that has a side door that swings open to provide the industry’s easiest access to internal components.

The Power Mac G 4 line starts at an aggressive retail price of CDN $2,399.

The Power Mac G 4 400 MHz, priced at CDN. $2,399, and the Power Mac G 4 450 MHz, priced at CDN $3,799, was scheduled to ship last month.

The Power Mac G 4 500 MHz, priced at CDN $5,299, is scheduled to ship this month. ■