• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Technipages

Smart phone, gadget and computer tutorials

  • Topics
    • Android
    • Gaming
    • Hardware
    • Internet
    • iOS
    • MacOS
    • Office
    • Software
    • Windows
    • Definitions
  • Product Reviews
  • Downloads
  • About

G4

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Mel Hawthorne

G4 is the name for a fourth-generation Motorola-developed processor part of the 74xx series. The RISC-based PowerPC processors were part of Apple computers Mac product line, despite being developed by Motorola. The chip in question featured a popular vector processing technology that Apple dubbed Velocity engine, and that uses an approach called SIMD  or Single Instruction, Multiple Data.

 

Technipages Explains G4

SIMD allowed the processor to perform the same action on up to 16 pieces of data at once, instead of having to repeat that operation 16 individual times. This effectively increased the processor’s speed, as it cut out repeat processes, but it could only help where the exact same action was required – even just slightly different ones still had to be executed in order rather than simultaneously. SIMD also required existing software to be rewritten in order to take advantage of the Velocity engine.

These processors were among the first in this category that were able to cross the 1GHz clock speed mark – a milestone, albeit even slow modern processors are several times faster than that now. The G4 series was 32bit-based and was quickly phased back out when Apple switched to the 64-bit based G5 models that followed the G4. The very first processor labelled as part of the G4 family came out in 1999, and was codenamed Max – the  PowerPC 7400. Other models followed suit, and half a dozen or so machines later, by the year 2005, the last model featuring the G4 processor was released – the PowerPC 7448 nicknamed Apollo 8.

Common Uses of G4

  • G4 is a designation used by Apple to describe the generation of PowerPC CPUs used in its G4 generation of computers.
  • The G4 CPUs were designed by Motorola in 1999, the first to carry the designation was the PowerPC 7400 CPU.
  • The G4 class of CPUs was designed in close cooperation with Apple and IBM.

Common Misuses of G4

  • The brand-name G4 refers to a specific CPU and not a range.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • WhatsApp Self-Destructing Messages: What You Need to Know
  • Spotify: How to Merge Playlists
  • Google Duo on Android: How To Add Automatic Captions To Video and Audio Messages
  • Slack: How To Disable Notifications for Threads You’re Following
  • Slack: How To Configure Your Status
  • Google Duo: How To Prevent Other People From Seeing Your Video Before They Pick up Your Call
  • Slack: How To Configure Notification Keywords
  • How to Tell If Your Phone Is Dual-SIM

Who’s Behind Technipages?

Baby and Daddy My name is Mitch Bartlett. I've been working in technology for over 20 years in a wide range of tech jobs from Tech Support to Software Testing. I started this site as a technical guide for myself and it has grown into what I hope is a useful reference for all.

Follow me on Twitter, or visit my personal blog.

You May Also Like

© Copyright 2021 Technipages · All Rights Reserved · Privacy