question about G5?

[twoodcc]

i'm sure this has been asked somewhere, but here it goes:

what does G5 (or G4, G3, etc) mean?

sorry, i just switched to apple this year (have a mini and powerbook now) and i've been wondering that since i got into apple.

 

[katie ta achoo]

Just the generation of processor.

about the G5
about the G4
G3 (oo, I'm thorough)

aaaannnddd
PPC in general

/made in 1991?
//I was 3 when it was developed
///anyone feel old yet?

 

[Frisco]

"G" is generation. Apple's branding.

 

[coconn06]

They are marketing terms for the different processors that Apple puts in their computers. The "G" stands for "Generation" technically. So G3 is generation 3, etc. However these names are somewhat vague and are for marketing purposes only (they don't actually refer to the specific chip. The original G5 chip was actually the IBM PPC 970, which Apple code-named G5). Usually Apple doesn't change the "generation" unless there is a big advancement in the processor itself, like from G3->G4, and G4->G5.

 

[twoodcc]

thanks for the links and reply. so G5 = Generation 5?

 

[wwooden]

Pentium does the same thing, P3 P4.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

thanks for the links and reply. so G5 = Generation 5?

Yep. As others have said, the term is rather loosely applied. The first two generations of PowerPC CPUs (which include the PowerPC 601/603/604 and the 603e/604e) were not referred to as G1 and G2, though the terms are occasionally used retrospectively by Mac users.

The G5 is the fifth distinct iteration of the PowerPC CPU as used in Macs. Outside the Apple world it would be referred to by its "proper" name, the PowerPC 970.