Power Mac G4
‘Mirrored Drive Doors (MDD)’
History
Introduced: August 13, 2002
Discontinued: June 9, 2004
Original Retail Price: $1,299 (MDD ‘03 model)
Model #: M8570
Tech Specs
Processor: 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4
RAM: 1 GB (upgraded)
Hard Drive: 2 x 120 GB (RAID) + 128GB SSD (upgraded)
Optical Drive: Combo (DVD-ROM / CD-RW)
OS: 10.2.3
Condition & Notes
This unit is in excellent condition. It’s complete with the original packaging, foam bag, power cable, keyboard, mouse, modem cable, VGA-to-DVI adapter, software CDs, and documentation.
I completely disassembled both the tower and the keyboard for cleaning when I acquired the unit. I also performed a “retrobrite” treatment on the keyboard to restore its original white color. See the photos at the bottom of this page for more on this.
In 2024 I installed a 128 GB SSD alongside the existing dual 120GB HDDs. HDD to SSD conversion is a common technique used in vintage computer preservation, as the original hard drives are prone to failure due to age. This upgrade also makes the computer quieter, faster, and more reliable. In this case I chose to leave the existing HDDs in place since they are working and already configured in a RAID striping array. Scroll to the bottom of the page for more on this as well.
It is in fully working order and is currently running Mac OS X 10.2.3.
Model Identifier
This particular machine is the ‘Mirrored Drive Doors (MDD) 2003’ model, released in June 2003 alongside the first Power Mac G5s, since there were many users who still needed to boot Mac OS 9. It is notable for being the latest machine ever made by Apple that could do so. It also sold at a much lower price of $1,299, compared to $1,999 for a G5 at the time.
Packaging
The CD packet resides in a recessed slot under where the documentation sits.
The original Apple foam bag.
Main Tower
Accessories
Apple Pro Keyboard and Pro Mouse, power cable, modem cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter, software CDs, and documentation.
Setup guide, warranty info, software license agreement, AppleCare brochure, software coupons, Apple stickers, and CDs: Software Restore for OS 9 (4), Software Install & Restore for Mac OS X (1), and Apple Hardware Test (2).
With Displays
With 17” Studio Display
With 20” Cinema Display
With 23” Cinema HD Display
System Specs
Teardown & Cleaning Photos
A little dusty ...
The bare MDD chassis.
Power supply disassembly & cleaning.
Keyboard Teardown, Cleaning, & Retrobrite
This is what the keyboard looked like when I acquired it. All the keys, as well as the backing plate, had turned a nasty shade of yellow. This is most likely due to age and/or exposure to UV light.
Retrobrite in action. I used the submersion method on this one. I won’t get into the details of how this works, but there are many resources and videos online if you’re curious.
A process known as “retrobrite” can be used to reverse yellowing in plastics like this. It requires complete disassembly of the item so that the yellowed pieces can be treated in liquid.
Reassembly of the keyboard after retrobriting. These keyboards are quite complex and time-consuming to disassemble. This model has 109 keys in total.
The “After” photo! A successful retrobrite treatment - it is now the correct white color.
mSATA SSD Installation
This upgrade makes the computer quieter, faster, and more reliable. I chose to install a 128 GB mSATA SSD (different 64 GB model shown here) using a 2.5” mSATA-to-SATA adapter housing and a 40-pin IDE-to-SATA adapter.
This SSD was a plug-and-play solution with the original IDE and power cables. I chose to leave the existing HDDs in place and install the SSD in the front drive bay. With this configuration, the machine can be booted up from either option.