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Apple Mac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleMac Studio (M5 Max or M5 Ultra)ApplePower Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002)
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026January 2002
Performance
ProcessorApple M5 Max or Apple M5 UltraPowerPC G4 800 MHz (Power Mac QuickSilver 2002), PowerPC G4 933 MHz (Power Mac QuickSilver 2002) or 2 × PowerPC G4 1000 MHz (Power Mac QuickSilver 2002)
CPU cores18, 30 or 361 or 2
Graphics32-core GPU, 40-core GPU, 64-core GPU or 80-core GPUATI Radeon 7500 (32 MB) or NVIDIA GeForce4 MX (64 MB)
Memory36 GB, 48 GB, 64 GB, 96 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB256 MB, 512 MB or 1.5 GB
Storage512 GB to 16 TB40 GB to 80 GB
CPUM5 Max: 18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores; M5 Ultra: 30-core CPU with 10 super cores and 20 performance cores, or 36-core CPU with 12 super cores and 24 performance coresSingle 800/933 MHz or dual 1 GHz PowerPC G4. Each processor has 256 KB on-chip L2 cache; 800 MHz has no L3, while 933 MHz and dual 1 GHz have 2 MB DDR L3 per processor. 133 MHz system bus. Supplier omitted from generic per-processor records.
GPUNeural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing800 MHz: ATI Radeon 7500 32 MB DDR; 933 MHz and dual 1 GHz: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 64 MB DDR. Retained maker options include GeForce4 Ti 128 MB with ADC/DVI; that later option is not launch stock or an unproven configuration cross-product.
AI engine16-core Neural Engine (M5 Max); 32-core Neural Engine (M5 Ultra)–
Memory typeApple’s current specification table lists 256GB and 512GB with the 36-core CPU / 80-core GPU M5 Ultra; its configure-to-order section only explicitly restricts 512GB. Current UK store configurator lists memory options up to 256GB, so the maker-confirmed 512GB option is not claimed as currently selectable there.256 MB PC133 SDRAM on single-processor models, 512 MB on dual 1 GHz. Three DIMM slots support up to 1.5 GB; configurations retain stock processor/storage/graphics ties at base and maximum memory.
Memory bandwidthM5 Max: 460GB/s with the 32-core GPU, 614GB/s with the 40-core GPU; M5 Ultra: 1.2TB/s–
Storage typeSSD800 MHz: 40 GB; 933 MHz: 60 GB; dual 1 GHz: 80 GB, all 7200 rpm Ultra ATA/66. Entry model has CD-RW (24x/10x/32x in current maker sheet), higher models SuperDrive (DVD-R 2x, CD-R 8x). Optional Combo drive, Zip 250 and 36/72 GB SCSI choices remain detailed rather than unproven CPU combinations. Three hard-drive bays, supporting two ATA or three SCSI drives.
Expansion slots–Four open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots plus dedicated AGP 4x graphics slot.
Media engineHardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; AV1 decode; M5 Max: video decode engine, two video encode engines and two ProRes encode and decode engines; M5 Ultra: two video decode engines, four video encode engines and four ProRes encode and decode engines–
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports4 × Thunderbolt 5, 2 × USB-C, 2 × USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, SD card slot, headphone jack2 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack
Ethernet10 Gb/s1 Gb/s
External displaysUp to 5Up to 2
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7–
Bluetooth6–
Front portsM5 Max: 2 × USB-C (up to 10Gb/s); M5 Ultra: 2 × Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120Gb/s); SDXC card slot (UHS-II)–
Back ports4 × Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) with Thunderbolt 5 and USB 4 (up to 120Gb/s), USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s) and DisplayPort 2.1; 2 × USB-A (USB 3, up to 5Gb/s); HDMI 2.1 with multichannel audio output; 10Gb Ethernet (RJ-45); 3.5 mm headphone jack with advanced support for high-impedance headphonesTwo USB chassis ports at 12 Mbps; the maker’s four-port total includes two on the keyboard. Two FireWire 400, Gigabit Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, headphone/line-out minijack and Apple Pro Speakers minijack. Optional 11 Mbps AirPort 802.11b card, no built-in wireless or analog audio-input jack.
External displaysM5 Max: up to five (four at up to 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz, plus a fifth at up to 5K 60Hz over HDMI), or three (two at up to 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz or 4K 240Hz, plus a third at up to 5K 60Hz over HDMI); M5 Ultra: up to eight at up to 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz, or four at up to 8K 60Hz, 5K 120Hz or 4K 240Hz; up to four over a single Thunderbolt port; VRR and HDR supportedExtended desktop or mirroring on two displays. Standard Radeon 7500/GeForce4 MX cards provide ADC and VGA; optional GeForce4 Ti provides ADC and DVI. A second ADC display requires a separately sold adapter. Supported resolutions depend on the card.
SpeakersBuilt-in speakerBuilt-in speaker; optional Apple Pro Speakers.
Keyboard and mouse–Apple Pro Keyboard, optical Apple Pro Mouse and modem cable.
MicrophonesNone built in; Apple says an external microphone or headset is needed for calls–
Design and power
TypeCompactTower
Weight2.7 kg13.6 kg
Width × depth × height197 × 197 × 95 mm226 × 467 × 432 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detail–Maker reference weight 13.6 kg varies with configuration and manufacturing process; height 43.2, width 22.6, depth 46.7 cm.
Power supplyBuilt-in; 100–240V AC; 480W maximum continuous powerMaximum continuous power 360 W.
Power useM5 Max with 32-core GPU, 36GB and 512GB: 7W idle, 200W maximum; M5 Ultra with 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, 512GB memory and 16TB: 9W idle, 385W maximum (Apple wall-power test)–
NoiseDeclared to ECMA-109 as 1.5 B sound power and 7 dB sound pressure at the operator position, at idle and wireless web (M5 Ultra, 30-core CPU, 64-core GPU)–
Materials100% recycled aluminium enclosure; 35% recycled content overall–
ColoursSilver–
In the boxMac Studio, power leadMac OS X 10.1 as default startup system, with Mac OS 9.2; iTunes 2, iMovie 2 and iDVD 2 for SuperDrive. Apple confirms all three stock configurations immediately available on 28 January 2002.

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