PowerPC G4The 1.25GHz PowerPC G4 performs everything faster — so you can, too.
Tech Specs:G4 Processor:SuperDrive:Graphics:Wireless:Software

iMac family Whether you use the iMac for productivity applications, games, sending email, editing movies or surfing the Internet, this is a wicked fast machine. That’s because the chip inside the iMac is the PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine.

The PowerPC G4 chip delivers unparalleled processing power whether you’re importing your favorite music CDs to MP3 format, adding cool transitions to your movies, burning your own DVD discs, or simply duking it out with your friends using the latest version of Quake. Each of these actions makes use of the Velocity Engine to gain a tremendous performance boost. And with 333MHz DDR (Double Data Rate) memory keeping the PowerPC G4 processor constantly fed with data streams, your iMac kicks into overdrive with tremendous speed.

OS X - Jaguar PowerPC G4 and Mac OS X Jaguar
You’ll love the way the PowerPC G4 processor works with Mac OS X to give you a one-two performance punch. Mac OS X features preemptive multitasking that allocates processor cycles on an as-needed basis, and protected memory that keeps you up and running even if an application happens to crash. And now with Mac OS X Jaguar, Quartz Extreme takes full advantage of the NVIDIA graphics chip in your iMac to make everything onscreen move faster, freeing up processor cycles for the PowerPC G4 chip to crunch MP3 files and burn DVDs. What’s more, the 15-inch iMac now has the added advantage the 17-inch model enjoyed: a new superfast system architecture with DDR SDRAM which constantly feeds data to the powerful G4 processor to make more efficient use of each clock cycle. In fact, the new 17-inch iMac can even encode DVD video faster than real time.

iLife iLife applications just got a lot faster
You’ll appreciate the iMac’s phenomenal speed, especially when using your iLife digital lifestyle applications. See how fast you can do fun, creative things with your pictures, music and movies in ways that PC users can only dream about. And you can do it affordably, too. In fact, if you’re using iDVD to burn a DVD disc on your SuperDrive-equipped iMac, you’re doing something that required thousands of dollars worth of specialized hardware not long ago. The iMac with its PowerPC G4 processor and the SuperDrive lets you perform that same task for a fraction of what it used to cost.

The PowerPC G4 Velocity Engine processes information in 128-bit chunks, compared to the 32 — or 64-bit chunks in traditional chips. The Velocity Engine
Behind the PowerPC G4’s unparalleled performance is its aptly named Velocity Engine. The Velocity Engine processes data in huge 128-bit chunks, instead of the smaller 32-bit or 64-bit chunks used in traditional processors. The PowerPC G4 processor works with the PowerPC architecture to accelerate the data-intensive processing required by next-generation video, voice and graphics applications. These processing advantages give the PowerPC G4 a significant edge when it comes to digital video, music, graphics and 3D games. And you’ll notice the difference it makes on your iMac.

Multitask Processing several different tasks simultaneously
Mac OS X can process several different tasks simultaneously, a coveted capability known as preemptive multitasking. Preemptive multitasking works by setting process priorities according to the relative importance of each task. So if you suddenly decide to check your email or surf the web while you’re in the middle of compressing an MP3 music file, for instance, Mac OS X preempts the audio compression task and re-allocates the necessary processor power to comply with your most recent request. In other words, your iMac performs the actions you want it to perform when you want it to perform them.


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iMac
September

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1.25GHz iMac
2003