Mac · The Beige Era · 1997
Power Macintosh G3 (Beige)
The last of the beige boxes, but a serious performer — the G3 with its fast backside cache trounced far pricier rivals and helped fund Apple’s recovery.
Power Macintosh G3 (Beige): key facts
When was the Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) released?
The Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) was released in November 1997. Apple discontinued it in January 1999.
How much did the Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) cost?
The Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) launched at $2,000 in 1997 — about $3,980 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Power Macintosh G3 (Beige)’s specs?
The Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) used a PowerPC G3 (750) running at 233 MHz, with 32 MB of memory and 3.9 GB of storage. It ran Mac OS 8.0.
Why does the Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) matter?
First Mac with the efficient G3 (PowerPC 750) and a backside cache.
Full specifications
| CPU | PowerPC G3 (750) · 233 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 32 MB (up to 768 MB) |
| Storage | 3.9 GB |
| Display | External |
| GPU | ATI 3D Rage |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, serial, PCI |
| Weight | 11 kg |
| Dimensions | Desktop or mini-tower |
| Operating system | Mac OS 8.0 |
| Released | November 1997 |
| Discontinued | January 1999 |
| Launch price | $2,000 |
How the Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 512× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 233 MHz, the clock is roughly 14× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
This held about 1,000 modern phone photos — a respectable library even today.
Launched at $2,000 in 1997 — about $3,980 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
Steve Jobs loved demoing it crushing Pentium IIs in Photoshop benchmarks.
Related Mac models
Open the Power Macintosh G3 (Beige) in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25