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My MDD doesn't have an EMC number on the back (where it probably should).

G

gargantu

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 2, 2016
18
0
So according to everymac, my PowerMac G4 is a Late 2003 MDD, Model ID: PowerMac3,6, Model Number M8570 and EMC 1914C.

I already knew what Mac it was when I bought it way back when, I wanted a PowerMac that could boot OS 9 and this one popped up on eBay and being that it matched the specs for the final PowerMac G4 Apple ever released I bought it and I've been happy with it (well, until recently but that's another story, feel free to look up my other topic about that if you can be arsed, I still need help).

So, model numbers and emc numbers never really stood out to me until recently. Basically I found via everymac that there was only one Mac with EMC 1914C. There are several 1914's but only the single CPU 1.25 "late 2003 MDD" had the C in the number. Well, according to everymac.

The EMC number on 1914C Macs, and 1914 Macs, and in fact I would presume all MDD Macs which share the M8570 model number I believe, is found on the back of the machine. There's some text below the PCI card port hole cover things, and above the USB/Firewire ports that says "PowerMac G4" and under that gives various power rating information.

"Designed by Apple in California.
Model Number: M8570 EMC: 1914
Input voltages blah blah blah
Certified blah blah blah"

And so on. The EMC of course varying between MDD models but the rest of the text is pretty much identical if it's an M8570. I could be wrong about this of course but every MDD I've seen on ebay recently where this part of the back was visible in the pictures seems to suggest at the very least the 1914 and 1914C MDD's have this.

Except mine doesn't.

Mine says:

"Designed by Apple in California.
Model Number: M8570
Input voltages blah blah blah
Certified blah blah blah"

It's completely missing that all important EMC number. I can't find any info on EMC numbers other than, not all Macs seemed to have them but most did, and it seems that the MDD's didn't have such versions. Just strikes me a little odd that, every MDD I've seen lately seemed to have the EMC number. I even found a fellow 1914C on ebay, because it said so on the back of the machine, in one of the pictures.

If I stick my macs serial number through one of the checkers that exist online it was apparently assembled in Cork, Ireland, in December of 2003. Which was about mid way through the 1914C's life.

Did early June 2003 MDD's not have an EMC number? Or did they stop putting the EMC on it? I know it doesn't really matter too much but I still wonder.
 
gargantu said:
So according to everymac, my PowerMac G4 is a Late 2003 MDD, Model ID: PowerMac3,6, Model Number M8570 and EMC 1914C.

I already knew what Mac it was when I bought it way back when, I wanted a PowerMac that could boot OS 9 and this one popped up on eBay and being that it matched the specs for the final PowerMac G4 Apple ever released I bought it and I've been happy with it (well, until recently but that's another story, feel free to look up my other topic about that if you can be arsed, I still need help).

So, model numbers and emc numbers never really stood out to me until recently. Basically I found via everymac that there was only one Mac with EMC 1914C. There are several 1914's but only the single CPU 1.25 "late 2003 MDD" had the C in the number. Well, according to everymac.

The EMC number on 1914C Macs, and 1914 Macs, and in fact I would presume all MDD Macs which share the M8570 model number I believe, is found on the back of the machine. There's some text below the PCI card port hole cover things, and above the USB/Firewire ports that says "PowerMac G4" and under that gives various power rating information.

"Designed by Apple in California.
Model Number: M8570 EMC: 1914
Input voltages blah blah blah
Certified blah blah blah"

And so on. The EMC of course varying between MDD models but the rest of the text is pretty much identical if it's an M8570. I could be wrong about this of course but every MDD I've seen on ebay recently where this part of the back was visible in the pictures seems to suggest at the very least the 1914 and 1914C MDD's have this.

Except mine doesn't.

Mine says:

"Designed by Apple in California.
Model Number: M8570
Input voltages blah blah blah
Certified blah blah blah"

It's completely missing that all important EMC number. I can't find any info on EMC numbers other than, not all Macs seemed to have them but most did, and it seems that the MDD's didn't have such versions. Just strikes me a little odd that, every MDD I've seen lately seemed to have the EMC number. I even found a fellow 1914C on ebay, because it said so on the back of the machine, in one of the pictures.

If I stick my macs serial number through one of the checkers that exist online it was apparently assembled in Cork, Ireland, in December of 2003. Which was about mid way through the 1914C's life.

Did early June 2003 MDD's not have an EMC number? Or did they stop putting the EMC on it? I know it doesn't really matter too much but I still wonder.
Click to expand...
Look up the serial number on any serial number decoder site and see if it gives you detailed imformation on your Mac. If noting comes up, check the label on the logic board for anything that says DVT
 
Yea, I did that with appleserialnumberinfo, and also powerbookmedic. Powerbookmedic gets the year wrong and says its a mid 2002 MDD but has everything else correct, the other site gets it all right. Says it's a june 2003 MDD, made in Cork, Irleand, in December. Says it was machine 188 to have been built that week too. Other than that though it gives the various specs for the machine but nothing out of the ordinary.

The logic board seems to only have one label on it from what I can tell, with a thin barcode and two serial numbers or something like that on it and then "CHINA MLB". There's no "DVT" written anywhere in the numbers though. I don't see anything else on the mobo other than jumper numbers and what no, there may be something on the underside but that would involve removing it from the case which I can't be bothered to do at the moment.

What would it mean if DVT was somewhere on it anyway?
 
If it said DVT it would mean that it's a prototype. My G5 Quad is also missing the EMC/Model no. sticker on the bottom, so I thought that this may be the case with yours
 
Is it possible that your logicboard was replaced sometime before you purchased the Mac, or was it a new purchase from Apple when you got it?
 
Different locations did not always have the same exact standard for marking. Not all sites for date/location are 100%. You just got one without a EMC. It will make no difference in its functionality. In the apple system profiler it should have its logic board serial. But at this age and depending who did what to what you may never know who swapped what parts and upgraded what on the machine ever.
 
I didn't get this from Apple, I bought it off a guy in 2009. No idea if he got it from Apple or not but it's more than possible the logicboard might have been replaced. I know there's no functional difference the fact its missing an EMC number, I just figured it was odd seeing as I've seen a few Macs (all seemingly assembled in Ireland like mine) that do have an EMC number.

I suppose it possible it was a prototype machine but had the logic board replaced with a retail version at some point. Is there anywhere else I can look for clues to if it's a DVT machine?
 
Fair enough. Really don't give a toss one way or the other about it being a prototype or not tbh, but the emc number missing still seems off somehow.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAwMFg3NTA=/z/DesAAOSwQNRXLKfC/$_57.JPG

Here's one that was on ebay a few days ago. You can't see the full serial number but it starts with CK and says it was assembled in Ireland so, both mine and that mac were put together in Cork, Ireland and being a 1914C that was is identical to my machine, except, it has an emc number and mine doesn't.

If it is as simple as it being they just didn't stamp mine for whatever reason maybe it's not an isolated case. Perhaps they hadn't started putting the emc numbers on these Macs by December (when mine was made). Shame I can't see the full serial no of that other Mac really to be able to tell when it was built.
 
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