iMac PowerPC 970 (G5) 2004

The Apple iMac G5/1.8 17-Inch, introduced with the iMac G5/1.6 17-Inch and iMac G5/1.8 20-Inch, boasts an innovative design where the entire computer is housed within the flat-panel display's enclosure, which is about two inches deep. These "non-iSight" iMac G5 models are held up by an adjustable aluminum stand and are VESA-compliant, facilitating mounting on walls or articulating arms.

This model came equipped with a 1.8 GHz PowerPC 970 (G5) processor featuring an optimized AltiVec "Velocity Engine" and a 512k on-chip L2 cache. It included 256 MB of 400 MHz PC3200 DDR SDRAM, an 80 GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive, a vertical slot-loading 4X DVD-R/CD-RW "SuperDrive", and NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics with 64 MB of DDR SDRAM (AGP 8X). Integrated stereo speakers are positioned beneath the 17" TFT Active Matrix LCD (1440x900), engineered to reflect sound off the desk surface. Connectivity options include Firewire "400" and USB 2.0, with optional cards for AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth.

The iMac G5 series utilizes three low-noise blowers to draw cool air through the speaker grill, with heat being expelled through a slit at the top of the rear casing.

As the higher-end 17-inch model, this machine offered superior performance and functionality with its 1.8 GHz G5 processor and SuperDrive. The performance difference compared to the entry-level model was particularly noticeable in tasks like DVD creation. Combining an innovative slim design with the power of the G5 processor, this model was an attractive choice for many users and contributed significantly to the success of the iMac G5 series. However, this generation of iMac is also known for frequent failures due to faulty capacitors, a factor that significantly lowers its overall evaluation.