Mac-PC Pricewatch

Mac - PC PriceWatch 2004

2004 retail prices of new computers in Australia (taxes included)
prices in Australian dollars

updated 12 December 2004

Previous Years
New	Second hand
Prices in 2003 Prices in 2002 Prices in 2001 Prices in 2000	April 2003 January 2003 June 2002 January 2002
Costing the FREE Apple software bundle - approximate prices
Prosumer: DVD Burning and music making		Garageband iPhoto iMovie iDVD Total = $ 0	FruityLoops 4 $249.00 Adobe Photo Album $72 Pinnacle Studio 8 $249 DVDMovieFactory2 $99 Total = $ 669
Consumer		iPhoto iMovie Total = $ 0	Adobe Photo Album $72 Pinnacle Studio 8 $249 Total = $ 321

More costings here: Mac vs. PC System Shootouts (US site)
simplified rule-of-thumb: 1.0 GHz G4 appx. = 1.2 GHz Athlon appx. = 1.6 GHz Pentium 4

December 2004	Desktop with Wide Aspect (16:10) LCD Monitor and DVD burner one year warranty return to base
	17" LCD widescreen		20" LCD widescreen
	Dell Australia online configuration 12 December 2004	AppleStore Australia online configuration 12 December 2004	Dell Australia online configuration 12 December 2004	AppleStore Australia online configuration 12 December 2004
	Dimension 4700 Pentium 4 520	17" iMac G5	Dimension 4700 Pentium 4 520	20" iMac G5
Processor	Intel P4 520 2.8 gHz 800mhz FSB	1.8GHz PowerPC G5 533mhz FSB	Intel P4 520 2.8 gHz 800mhz FSB	1.8GHz PowerPC G5 600mhz FSB
Memory	512MB 400mhz DDR2 SDRAM	256MB 400mhz DDR SDRAM	512MB DDR2 533Mhz SDRAM	256MB 400mhz DDR SDRAM
Hard disk drive	80 GB SATA 7200rpm	80GB S ATA	160GB SATA 7200rpm	160 GB S ATA
Graphics	Intgegrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 17" UltraSharp Flat Panel LCD Monitor (Analog and DVI)	Built-in 17" lcd (1280x854) colour TFT NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 64MB of DDR SDRAM video memory with AGP 8x support up to 1440 by 900 pixels	128Mb PCIe ATI Radeon X300SE 19" UltraSharp Flat Panel LCD Monitor (Analog and DVI) 1280 x 1024 max resolution	Built-in 20" lcd (1280x854) colour TFT NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 64MB of DDR SDRAM video memory with AGP 8x support up to 1680 by 1050 pixels
Optical drive	16x +/- DVD-RW with Dual layer	Slot-loading Superdrive (4x DVD +/-R/CD-RW)	16x +/- DVD-RW with Dual layer	Slot-loading Superdrive (DVD+/-R/CD-RW)
USB and FireWire	1 firewire ?? 6+xUSB 2.0 ports	2 USB2.0 ports 2 USB1 ports 2 Firewire400 port	1 firewire ?? 6+xUSB 2.0 ports	2 USB2.0 ports 2 USB1 ports 2 Firewire400 port
Ethernet and Wireless networking	Integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet	Built in 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)	Integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet	Built in 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
Modem	56K telephony modem	Internal 56K V.92 fax/modem (RJ-11 connector)	yes	Built in 56K V.90 fax/modem (RJ-11 connector)
System Software	Windows XP Pro	Mac OS X 10.3	Windows¨ XP Pro	Mac OS X 10.3
Bundled Software etc ie FREE	Works 7	Mac OS X, Classic environment, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand), AppleWorks, World Book 2004 Edition, Nanosaur 2, Marble Blast Gold, Apple Hardware Test	Works 7	Mac OS X, Classic environment, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and GarageBand), AppleWorks, World Book 2004 Edition, Nanosaur 2, Marble Blast Gold, Apple Hardware Test
notes	• delivery included	• delivery included Base Price $2,499 add 256Mb RAM for $75	• delivery included Could not configure with 20" monitor at Dell site 19" monitor is $774 and 20" monitor is $1321	• delivery included Base Price $3,199 add 256Mb RAM for $75
comparable price	$2,457 cost of antivirus software not included	$2,574 includes free software worth over $600	$3,120.70 cost of antivirus software not included	$3,274 includes free software worth over $600

top

June 2004	highend laptop 15" widescreen with DVD burner one year warranty return to base
June 2004	Harris Technology (Acer reseller) online configuration 30 June 2004	AppleStore Australia online configuration 30 June 2004	Dell Australia online configuration 30 June 2004	Domayne, Alexandria advertised in Sun-Herald 27 June 2004, p. 11
	Acer TravelMate 662LCi XPP - C	15" PowerBook	Dell Inspiron(TM) 8600 Intel(R) Pentium(R) M 755	15" PowerBook
Processor	Mobile Intel® Pentium® M 1.5 GHz * Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology	1.5GHz PowerPC G4	2.0 GHz, 2MB Cache, 400 MHz FSB Intel(R) 855PM Chipset	1.25Ghz PowerPC G4
Memory	256MB 333mhz DDR SDRAM	512MB 333mhz DDR SDRAM	512MB DDR-SDRAM (maximum 2GB)	512 Mb DDR333 SDRAM (max 2Gb)
Hard disk drive	60 GB	80GB Ultra ATA	80GB	80 GB ultra ATA
Graphics	15" TFT colour LCD with 1400 x 1050 resolution Dynamic Video Memory Technology up to 64 MB VRAM	Built-in 15" lcd (1280x854) colour TFT ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 64MB of DDR SDRAM video memory (15-inch models) Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports up to 1280 by 854 pixels on the built-in display and up to 2048 by 1536 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colours	15.4" colour TFT 64Mb DDR Nvidia GeForce go5200	Built-in 15" lcd (1280x854) colour TFT ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 64MB of DDR SDRAM video memory (15-inch models) Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports up to 1280 by 854 pixels on the built-in display and up to 2048 by 1536 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colours
Optical drive	DVD-RW/CD-RW	Slot-loading Superdrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)	CD-RW/DVD-+RW 8x	Slot-loading Superdrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
USB and FireWire	1 firewire 4xUSB 2.0 ports	2 USB2.0 ports 1 Firewire400 port 1 Firewire 800 port	IEEE1394 x 1 USB2.0 x2	2 USB2.0 ports 1 Firewire400 port 1 Firewire 800 port
Ethernet and Wireless networking	Integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet 54Mbps mini-PCI 802.11b card included no bluetooth	Built in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector) 54Mbps AirPort Extreme 802.11g card included Bluetooth included	100 Base-TX / 10 Base-T 54Mbps mini-PCI 802.11b/g card included Bluetooth included	Built in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector) 54Mbps AirPort Extreme 802.11g card included Bluetooth included
Modem	56K modem	Internal 56K V.92 fax/modem (RJ-11 connector)	yes	Built in 56K V.90 fax/modem (RJ-11 connector)
System Software	Windows XP Pro	Mac OS X 10.3	Microsoft¨ Windows¨ XP Pro	Mac OS X 10.3
Bundled Software etc ie FREE	nil	Mac OS X, Classic environment, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, iSync, iCal, DVD Player) Art Directors Toolkit, Zinio Reader, FileMaker Pro Trial, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner and Graphic Converter	Works 7 Movie Studio Basic with MGI Videowave 4 video editing Cyberlinks PowerDVD Software Sonic(TM) MyDVD(TM) and Sonic RecordNow! Software	Mac OS X, Classic environment, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, iSync, iCal, DVD Player) Art Directors Toolkit, Zinio Reader, FileMaker Pro Trial, OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner and Graphic Converter
notes	less memory than others slow wi-fi smaller hard drive Long life Lithium Ion battery up to 5 hours life Weight: From 2.55 Kg with included weight saver module installed	• composite and S-video out • Up to 4.5 hours of use with supplied lithium-ion battery (actual battery life may vary by usage) • Headphone stereo out (minijack) • Internal omnidirectional microphone • illuminated keyboard Size and weight (15-inch models) Height: 2.8 cm (1.1 inches) Width: 34.8 cm (13.7 inches) Depth: 24.1 cm (9.5 inches) Weight: 2.5 kg (5.6 pounds) with battery and optical drive installed • delivery included	microphone and headphone ports free leather bag No Parallel Port, No Serial Port, No Infra Red Port and No SPDIF Supports • delivery included	• composite and S-video out • Up to 4.5 hours of use with supplied lithium-ion battery (actual battery life may vary by usage) • Headphone stereo out (minijack) • Internal omnidirectional microphone Size and weight (15-inch models) Height: 2.8 cm (1.1 inches) Width: 34.8 cm (13.7 inches) Depth: 24.1 cm (9.5 inches) Weight: 2.5 kg (5.6 pounds) with battery and optical drive installed • delivery included
comparable price	$3,643 cost of antivirus software not included	$3,999 includes free software worth over $600	$3,688.30 includes free leather bag cost of antivirus software not included	$3,299 includes free software worth over $600

top

April 2004	desktop 17" combo CRT monitor with CD-RW DVD-R		midrange laptop 14" Combo with Firewire
April 2004	Dell Australia online configuration 20 April 2004	AppleStore Australia online configuration 20 April 2004	Toshiba online configuration 16 April 2004 pricelist/config	AppleStore Australia online configuration 20 April 2004
	Dell Dimension 2400 Celeron	eMac	Tecra M2	14" iBook
Processor	2400 Intel Celeron 2.5Ghz	1.25GHz PowerPC G4	Microprocessor: Mobile Intel¨ Pentium¨ 4 Processor 1.4GHz	1.2Ghz PowerPC G4
Memory	512MB 333mhz DDR SDRAM	512MB 333mhz DDR SDRAM	256MB DDR-SDRAM (maximum 1GB)	256 Mb DDR266 SDRAM (max 1.25Gb)
Hard disk drive	80 GB 8200 RPM	80GB Ultra ATA	40GB	60 GB ultra ATA
Graphics	17 inch Flat Screen CRT Monitor	17" CRT screen ATI Radeon 9200 32 Mb DDR video memory	14.1" colour TFT	Built-in 14" lcd (1024x768) colour TFT ATI RAdeon 9200
Optical drive	48x DVD/CD-RW	DVD-R/CD-RW	CD-RW/DVD	Slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
USB and FireWire	512MB 333mhz DDR SDRAM USB 2.0 ports ??	3 USB 2.0 ports 2 Firewire ports	IEEE1394 x 1 USB2.0 x2	2 USB2.0 ports 1 Firewire400 port
Ethernet and Wireless networking	Integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet	Built in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector); AirPort ready Support for optional 54Mbps AirPort Card (extra $ 199, not included in this quote)	100 Base-TX / 10 Base-T Integrated Wireless LAN antenna Bluetooth antenna	Built in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45 connector) 54Mbps AirPort Extreme 802.11g card included Bluetooth support
Modem	56K PCI Telephony modem	Internal 56K V.92 fax/modem (RJ-11 connector)	yes	Built in 56K V.90 fax/modem (RJ-11 connector)
System Software	Windows XP Home	Mac OS X 10.3	Microsoft¨ Windows¨ XP Pro	Mac OS X 10.3
Bundled Software etc ie FREE	Dell Optical USB Mouse, Works 7.0	Apple Pro Keyboard; Apple Pro optical Mouse; QuickTime, World Book 2004 Edition, GarageBand, iMovie 4, iTunes 4, iPhoto3, iDVD3, iCal, i Synch, AppleWorks6, Mac OS X Mail, Sound Studio, Deimos Rising, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Preview; Apple Hardware Test CD; complete setup, learning, and reference documentation.	not stated	Apple Pro Keyboard; Apple Pro optical Mouse; Mac OS X, Classic environment, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Sherlock, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, iSync, iCal, DVD Player, AppleWorks, Mac OS X Chess, World Book 2004 Edition, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, Deimos Rising, Sound Studio, Zinio Reader, Apple Hardware Test
notes	• no video or sound editing/authoring programs (add $300+)	• significant software bundle including video editing and DVD authoring software and two operating systems preloaded • delivery included	microphone and headphone ports recommended retail $2,695 ComputerWorld price $2,529	• composite and S-video out • Up to 6 hours of use with supplied lithium-ion battery (actual battery life may vary by usage) • Headphone stereo out (minijack) • Internal omnidirectional microphone compared to Toshiba... • significant software bundle • 50% larger hard disk • video or sound editing/authoring programs (add $300+)
comparable price	$1,481 plus add cost of software which is free with the iBook	$1,490 includes free software	$2,529 plus add cost of software and mini-PCI 802.11g card which is free with the iBook	$2,399 includes free software

top