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At the '99 WWDC (May 10th, 1999) Apple finally released the
much anticipated new generation PowerBook. Currently available
in either 333MHz or 400MHz varieties, Apple has made some
significant changes and, a pleasant surprise, has left a few
things unchanged. See "New,
Removed, Unchanged" sidebar below for a summary.
As is always the case before Apple releases a new machine,
the net was awash with speculation about improvements and
changes to the new PowerBook line. Most everyone agreed that
USB would
replace the serial port, which it did, but hopes of a 100MHz
system bus and FireWire ports were dashed. Apple has continued
its standardization on the crisp  14"
TFT display. Although hopes for an ATI 128 graphics system
didn't pan out, the SGRAM on the ATI RAGE LT Pro has been
bolstered from 4MB to 8MB. While older G3 PowerBooks were
limited to video mirroring, the new 'books can support dual
monitor use, a boon to those of us desperate for screen real
estate. Apple is also using an improved lithium ion battery
which they claim will run for 5 hours, up from 3.5 hours on
older G3 PowerBooks. Unlike the 333MHz model, the PowerBook
G3/400 features a full 1MB backside cache. Unfortunately the
cache on the 400MHz PowerBook operates at the same slow 2.5:1
ratio as the 333MHz model. This, of course, brings down the
processor score but
perhaps was a necessary measure to avoid excess heat. The
hard drive on the 400MHz PowerBook is a descent 6GB and can
be bumped up to a whopping 10GB for the truly demanding user.
Like its earlier incarnations, the new PowerBooks offer great
built in connectivity options. The built in 10/100Base-T Ethernet
connector offers transfer rates up to 100Mbps, handy for plugging
to that high speed office network. For the home user there
is an internal 56k modem with v.90 support. Lastly, there
is the infrared port offering 4Mbps wireless networking. The
two hot-swappable side bays allow you to plug in two batteries
for up to 10 hours use, up from 7 on previous G3 PowerBooks.
This estimate is based on the slightly improved battery and
better power management in OS 8.6. The same bays which host
the DVD drive can also take a Zip or floppy drive. The floppy
drive is not standard on this machine and Apple has stated
that they will not be offering one. You can expect third parties
to fill the gap. Most noteworthy of the changes, of course
is the new slim design, under two inches thick and 5.9lbs,
almost 2lbs less than previous G3 PowerBooks. Below we provide
you with benchmark information so you can see how the new
PowerBooks stack up against the old.
Reviews
SF
Chronicle
LowEndMac
EveryMac
| New |
Removed |
Unchanged |
Slim 1.7" Form Factor
Light Weight 5.9 Lbs.
2 USB
Ports
8MB VRAM
5 Hour Battery Life
Dual Monitor Support
10/100Base-T Ethernet |
Serial Port
ADB Port
1 PC Card Slot |
14" Screen
66MHz System Bus
64MB Base RAM
SCSI Port
Infrared Port
56k Modem
VGA Out
S-Video Out |
MacBench Scores
Below you will find MacBench 5.0 scores comparing the PowerBook
G3/400/1MB to several other PowerBook G3's We have formatted
these scores to be relative to the former high end PowerBook
G3/300 which we set at 100%. Original scores are from Apple's
web site. For more information on MacBench click
here.
[more benchmarks will be added shortly]
| MacBench 5.0 Absolute Processor
Scores |
| Machine |
Score |
| PowerBook G3/233/512k |
665 |
| PowerBook G3/266/1MB |
882 |
| PowerBook G3/300/1MB |
991 |
| PowerBook G3/333/512k |
1017 |
| PowerBook G3/400/1MB |
1234 |
| Model/MHz |
Processor |
Bus Speed
(MHz) |
RAM
(MAX) |
L2
Cache |
VRAM |
Expansion
Slots |
Hard
Drive |
CD-ROM
Drive |
Modem |
Monitor |
| G3/400 |
750 |
66 |
64
(384) |
1MB
Backside@160MHz |
8MB |
1 PC |
6.0 IDE |
2x DVD
|
56K Flex
10/100 BT Ethernet |
14.1" TFT |
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