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Apple PowerBook G4 (12-inch, SuperDrive) review

In this review

Likewise, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 delivered only average battery life. The system played our test DVD for 3.1 hours -- about average for laptops in general, though a little short for the typical thin-and-light. Still, the 12-inch PowerBook G4 beat its 15-inch and 17-inch counterparts, which lasted a respective 2.9 and 2.7 hours.

iTunes MP3 conversion
(Shorter bars indicate faster performance)
In seconds
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 17-inch) (Tested 11/05)
29
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 15-inch) (Tested 8/05)
30
PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
34
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
36
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 14.1-inch) (Tested 8/05)
37

Photoshop CS
(Shorter bars indicate faster performance)
In minutes
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 17-inch) (Tested 11/05)
9.7
PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
10.3
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 15-inch) (Tested 8/05)
11.35
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
12.9
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 14.1-inch) (Tested 8/05)
28.31

Unreal Tournament 2004
(Longer bars indicate faster performance)
In frames per second
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 17-inch) (Tested 11/05)
19.47
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 15-inch) (Tested 8/05)
18.8
PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
17.54
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
16.06
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 14.1-inch) (Tested 8/05)
12.78

DVD movie battery-drain test
(Longer bars indicate longer battery life)
In hours
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
4.4
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 14.1-inch) (Tested 8/05)
3.9
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 17-inch) (Tested 11/05)
3.6
PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz, 12-inch) (Tested 8/05)
3.1
PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 15-inch) (Tested 8/05)
2.7

 

System configurations:
iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 12-inch)
OS X 10.4.2; PowerPC G4 1.33GHz; 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 32MB; Fujitsu MHV2040AT 40GB 4,200rpm

iBook G4 (1.33GHz, 14-inch)
OS X 10.3.8; PowerPC G4 1.33GHz; 256MB PC2100 266MHz DDR SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 32MB; Fujitsu MHT2060AT 60GB 4,200rpm

PowerBook G4 (1.5GHz, 12-inch)
OS X 10.4.2; PowerPC G4 1.5GHz; 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM; Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 64MB; Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 80GB 5,400rpm

PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 15-inch)
OS X 10.4.1; PowerPC G4 1.67GHz; 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 64MB; Fujitsu MHT2080AH 80GB 5,400rpm

PowerBook G4 (1.67GHz, 17-inch)
OS X 10.4.2; PowerPC G4 1.67GHz; 512MB PC4200 333MHz DDR2 SDRAM; ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB; Seagate Momentus 5400.2 120GB 5,400rpm

Edited by Justin Jaffe
Additional editing by Nick Hide

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