Overview of 17-inch PowerBook G4
This chapter outlines the features of the 17-inch PowerBook G4, with emphasis on the changes from the previous model.
In this section:
New Features
All Features
Appearance
Peripheral Devices
System Software
New Features
Below is a list of the features that are new to the 17-inch PowerBook G4. For a quick summary of the feature comparison of new and previous models, see Table 1-1. Each feature is described in a later chapter, as indicated.
Processor: The computer has a PowerPC G4 microprocessor running at a clock speed of 1.67 GHz. For more information, see “PowerPC G4 Microprocessor.”
Hard disk storage: The computer comes with a built-in 5400 rpm hard disk drive with a capacity of 100 GB. For more information, see “Hard Disk Drive.”
Graphics IC and memory: The ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics controller operates on the AGP-4x bus along with 128 MB of video RAM and dual link DVI functionality. For more information, see “Video Display Subsystem.”
SuperDrive : The computer has a built-in 8x SuperDrive. For more information, see “SuperDrive.”
Sudden Motion Sensor: Helps protect the hard drive from sudden drops or falls by parking the hard drive when sudden changes in position and accelerated movement are detected. For more information, see “Sudden Motion Sensor.”
Optical digital audio input and output: The computer has a combined audio line-in and optical digital audio input port, and a combined headphone output and optical digital audio output port. For more information, see “Sound System.”
Scrolling trackpad: The integrated trackpad includes tap/double-tap, drag, and scroll features. For more information, see “Trackpad.”
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR: Fully-integrated Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate) provides up to 3 Mbps throughput for short-range wireless connections between desktop and laptop computers and a host of other Bluetooth devices. For more information, see “Bluetooth Technology.”
Dual Link TMDS: The computer provides dual link DVI functionality. For more information, see “Video Display Subsystem.”
All Features
Here is a list of all features of the 17-inch PowerBook G4. Each feature is described in a later chapter, as indicated.
Processor: The computer has a PowerPC G4 microprocessor running at a clock speed of 1.67 GHz. For more information, see “PowerPC G4 Microprocessor.”
System bus: The speed of the system bus is 167 MHz.
L2 cache: The L2 cache has a capacity of 512 KB; see “Level 2 Cache.”
RAM: The computer has two standard PC2700 (333 MHz) DDR SO-DIMM expansion slots for SDRAM modules. The computer comes with 512 MB of SDRAM installed in one slot. Available as build to order options are 1 GB and 2 GB RAM. See “RAM Expansion Slots.”
ROM: The computer has 1 MB of boot ROM used by Open Firmware at startup. For information about the ROM, see “Boot ROM.” For information about Open Firmware, see “Open Firmware.”
Hard disk storage: The computer comes with a built-in 5400 rpm hard disk drive with a capacity of 100 GB. For more information, see “Hard Disk Drive.”
Display: The display is a 100 dpi,17 inch wide-screen TFT with a resolution of 1440x900. See “Flat-Panel Display.”
External monitor: The computer supports an external video monitor, using the DVI connector for a digital video display and an S-video connector for a PAL or NTSC video monitor. Included with the computer are a DVI-to-VGA adapter and an S-video-to-composite adapter; a DVI-to-ADC Apple Display Connector adapter is available separately. See “External Monitors.”
Graphics IC and memory: The ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics controller operates on the AGP-4x bus along with 128 MB of video RAM with dual link DVI functionality. For more information, see “Video Display Subsystem.”
Battery bay: The computer has a single battery bay. The battery uses lithium ion cells and provides 58 watt-hours at 10.8 V (nominal) for up to 4.5 hours.
Power adapter: The computer comes with a 65 W power adapter with safety ground. For more information, see “Power Controller.”
SuperDrive: The computer has a built-in 8x SuperDrive. For more information, see “SuperDrive.”
PC Card/CardBus slot: The computer has a PC Card/CardBus slot that accepts one Type I or Type II PC Card or a CardBus Card. For more information, see “PC Card/CardBus Slot.”
USB 2.0 ports: The computer has two USB 2.0 ports for an external keyboard, a mouse, and other USB devices, described in “USB 2.0 Ports.”
FireWire ports: The computer has one IEEE-1394a 400 Mbps serial FireWire 400 port and one IEEE-1394b 800 Mbps serial FireWire 800 port. For more information, see “FireWire Ports.”
Target disk mode: The 17-inch PowerBook G4 can act like a FireWire storage device connected to another computer. See “Target Disk Mode.”
Modem: The computer has a built-in modem with 56 Kbps data rate and V.34, V.90, and V.92 support. For more information, see “Internal Modem.”
Ethernet: The computer has a built in Ethernet port with an RJ-45 connector for 10Base-T, 100Base-T, and 1000Base-T operation. For more information, see “Ethernet Port.”
AirPort Extreme: The fully-integrated, 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme provides a wireless LAN connection. For more information, see “AirPort Extreme.”
Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR: Fully-integrated Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (enhanced data rate) provides up to 3 Mbps throughput for short-range wireless connections between desktop and laptop computers and a host of other peripheral devices. For more information, see “Bluetooth Technology.”
Dual Link TMDS: The computer provides dual link DVI functionality. For more information, see “Video Display Subsystem.”
Analog Sound: The computer has a built-in microphone, stereo speakers, a stereo headphone out, and an audio line in. See “Sound System.”
Optical digital audio input and output: The computer has a combined audio line-in and optical digital audio input port, and a combined headphone output and optical digital audio output port.For more information, see “Sound System.”
Sudden Motion Sensor: Helps protect the hard drive from sudden drops or falls by parking the hard drive when sudden changes in position and accelerated movement are detected. For more information, see “Sudden Motion Sensor.”
Illuminated keyboard: The computer has a backlit keyboard for optimal usability in all lighting conditions. The keyboard has an embedded numeric keypad and inverted-T arrow keys. Some of the function keys are used to control the display brightness and speaker volume. See “Keyboard.”
Ambient light sensor: The computer has an ambient light sensor which monitors light levels and activates the illuminated backlit keyboard and adjusts the display brightness.
Scrolling trackpad: The integrated trackpad includes tap/double-tap, drag, and scroll features. For more information, see “Trackpad.”
Weight: The computer weighs 6.9 pounds (3.1 kg) or less, depending on the configuration.
Size: The computer is 15.4 inches (39.2 cm ) wide, 10.2 inches (25.9 cm) deep, and 1.0 inches (2.6 cm) thick.
Appearance
Figure 1-1 is a front view of the 17-inch PowerBook G4. Figure 1-2 provides side views showing the I/O ports.
Peripheral Devices
Included with the computer are a 65 W Apple Portable Power Adapter, an S-video-to-composite cable, a DVI-to-VGA cable, and a modem cable. In addition to these devices, the following peripheral devices are available separately:
The PowerBook G4 Rechargeable Battery is available as an additional or replacement battery.
The 65 W Apple Portable Power Adapter, which comes with the computer, is also available separately. The adapter can fully recharge a completely depleted battery in three hours or less while the computer is shut down or in sleep mode.
The Apple DVI to ADC Adapter, which enables the 17-inch PowerBook G4 to support Apple’s ADC displays.
The Apple Keyboard, a full-featured, wired USB keyboard, is available separately.
The Apple Mouse, an optical, wired USB mouse, is available separately.
The Apple Wireless Mouse with built-in Bluetooth is available separately.
The Apple Wireless Keyboard with built-in Bluetooth is available separately.
The AirPort Extreme Base Station.
System Software
The 17-inch PowerBook G4 comes with Mac OS X version 10.3.7. For the latest information, see the references listed in “Mac OS X.”
Here are a few items of interest about the system software on the 17-inch PowerBook G4.
Open Firmware
System software on all current Macintosh models uses a design based on Open Firmware. With this approach, the ROM on the main logic board contains only the Open Firmware code needed to initialize the hardware and load an operating system. The rest of the system code is loaded into RAM from disk or from the network. For more information, see the references listed in “Open Firmware.”
Computer Identification
Rather than reading the box flag or the model string and then making assumptions about the computer’s features, applications that need to find out the features of the computer should use IORegistry calls to test for the features they require. IORegistry calls are part of the I/O Kit API. For more information, see the references listed at “I/O Kit.”
Asset management software that reports the kind of computer it is running on can obtain the value of the model property from the IOService plane of the IORegistry. For the 17-inch PowerBook G4, the value of the model property is PowerBook5,7.
Power Management
Apple’s power management techniques for the 17-inch PowerBook G4 are described in the following paragraphs.
Power Saving States
The power management protocols on the 17-inch PowerBook G4 support two power-saving states: idle and sleep.
Idle: The system is idling with the main processor in a low-power state. All clocks are running; the system can return to running code within a few nanoseconds. Cache coherency is maintained in this state. The CPU automatically transitions between run and idle independent of the operating frequency. The operating frequency is based on the processor power management setting. For additional information, see “Processor Power Management.”
Sleep: Most internal components are powered off and the state is saved; the DRAM state preserved for quick recovery. The processor is powered off with its state preserved in DRAM. All clocks in the system are suspended except for the 32.768 kHz timebase crystal on the PMU99 IC.
The computer automatically enters idle state after a few hundred milliseconds of inactivity. If the computer is attached to a network, it is able to respond to service requests and other events directed to the computer while it is in idle state.
While it is connected to an AC power supply, the computer can also respond to network activity when it is in sleep state. The user can enable this feature by selecting Wake-on-LAN in the Energy Saver preference pane.
When operating on the battery in sleep state, the computer consumes less than 1 watt of power, meeting the Energy Star power-saving standard. When operating on the power adapter in sleep state, the combined computer and adapter consume 3 to 4 watts of power.
Important: Peripherals such as PCMCIA cards and USB devices that do not conform to the computer’s power management protocols prevent the computer from switching to sleep state and so deny the user the benefits of this energy-saving state.
Processor Power Management
To lower power consumption and heat generation, the 17-inch PowerBook G4 incorporates an automatic power management technique called dynamic frequency switching (DFS). DFS is designed to run at high processor speed and voltage when the demand on the processor is high, and to run at low processor speed and voltage when the demand on the processor is low. When DFS is enabled, the processor dynamically adjusts its speed based on the current needs of the system. The processor speed will switch between 1670 MHz and 835 MHz. The memory bus speed is not shifted, as it was in previous models.
Switching between different processor speeds and voltages is achieved by a transition that should operate seamlessly to the user. For applications that are particulary demanding on the processor, it is recommended that the processor performance be set to highest.
The 17-inch PowerBook G4 allows the user to control DFS mode. The options for specifying either high, reduced, or automatic processor speeds are located at System Preferences>Energy Saver>Show Details>Options>Processor Performance; then select Highest, Automatic, or Reduced. DFS is enabled with the automatic setting.
If the 17-inch PowerBook G4 detects a system temperature that is high, due to high ambient temperatures or other factors, it will automatically force the system to reduced speed mode regardless of the selected setting.
The 17-inch PowerBook G4 meets all applicable safety standards, including UL 60950 and IEC 60950.
Graphics Power Management
For additional power savings and reduced heat generation, the 17-inch PowerBook G4 incorporates a new graphics power management technique. When enabled, the graphics processor runs at a reduced voltage and slower clock rate, similar to DFS on the central processor. However, unlike DFS, the setting is static and does not automatically change as the load on the graphics processor changes.
Graphics power management is enabled by selecting reduced mode located at System Preferences>Energy Saver>Show Details> Options>Processor Perfomance.
© 2003, 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Last updated: 2005-02-15)