Apple Power Mac G5 (2003) vs Apple Power Macintosh 5260/100
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G5 (2003) | ApplePower Macintosh 5260/100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | August 2003 | 1996 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G5 1600 MHz (Power Mac 2003), PowerPC G5 1800 MHz (Power Mac 2003), 2 × PowerPC G5 2000 MHz (Power Mac 2003) or 2 × PowerPC G5 1800 MHz (Power Mac 2003) | PowerPC 603e 100 MHz (Power Macintosh 5260/100) |
| CPU cores | 1 or 2 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9600 Pro (64 MB) | – |
| Memory | 256 MB, 512 MB, 4 GB or 8 GB (better) | 16 MB |
| Storage | 80 GB to 160 GB (better) | 800 MB |
| CPU | Single 1.6 or 1.8 GHz, or dual 2 GHz PowerPC G5 processors; Apple identifies IBM fabrication. Each physical processor has 512 KB L2 cache. Front-side bus per processor is 800 MHz, 900 MHz or 1 GHz respectively. A dual 1.8 GHz configuration was added on 18 November 2003, available immediately; it remains part of this generation. | 100 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit. Exact Apple support lists 32 KB L1 cache and a 64-bit processor data path at 40 MHz; Original exact Apple TIL 19602 and May 1996 Apple Facts instead say 16 KB L1, an unresolved maker conflict. Apple's separate comparison table gives the narrower memory bus as 32-bit at 37.5 MHz, not the same path. Optional 256 KB L2 High Performance Module M4849LL/A is a 160-pin SIMM, not interchangeable with the later 5400/6400 DIMM. Original ordering description and cache note establish it as optional despite the support/service tables listing 256 KB without that qualification. |
| GPU | Stock 1.6 and 1.8 GHz: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB DDR. Stock dual 2 GHz: ATI Radeon 9600 Pro with 64 MB DDR. November dual 1.8 GHz: GeForce FX 5200 Ultra 64 MB. Optional ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB. | 1 MB built-in DRAM framebuffer; exact support and shared service video-mode list support 640 × 480 with 16-bit colour. Other higher-resolution timing pages in the shared service do not establish those as supported modes for the built-in 14-inch display. |
| Memory type | Single 1.6 GHz: 256 MB DDR333, four DIMM slots, maximum 4 GB. Single 1.8 GHz and dual 2 GHz: 512 MB DDR400, eight slots, maximum 8 GB. November dual 1.8 GHz also has 512 MB DDR400 and an 8 GB maximum. DIMMs are installed in matched pairs. Each configuration retains its stock drive and graphics at base and maximum memory. | 16 MB standard in one 72-pin SIMM, with a second socket for expansion to 64 MB. No memory soldered on board; SIMMs can be installed individually. Exact original TIL 19602 specifies 70 ns, while exact current support and shared service specify 80 ns or faster. The timing difference remains qualified. Shared comparison lists an 8 MB minimum, without an exact factory bundle. |
| Storage type | Stock 80 GB on the single 1.6 GHz; 160 GB on the single 1.8 GHz, dual 2 GHz and November dual 1.8 GHz. 7200 rpm Serial ATA drives; two internal bays with 150 MB/s interfaces. One optical bay with 4x DVD-R SuperDrive; optional Combo drive and 80, 160 or 250 GB drives. | 800 MB IDE hard drive, 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy and quadruple-speed AppleCD 600i in original M4982LL/A ordering information. May 1996 Apple Facts says CD-ROM is present in most configurations; no undocumented drive-free factory combination is added. Shared service lists larger family drives without coupling them to an exact 5260/100 bundle. |
| Expansion slots | AGP 8x Pro graphics slot. Single 1.6 GHz has three 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots; faster original models and the November dual 1.8 GHz have PCI-X slots, two at 100 MHz and one at 133 MHz. | LC-compatible PDS, 68040-bus communications slot for optional modem or Ethernet, optional video-input card and TV tuner bay. PDS is not a direct connection to the PowerPC processor; processor-dependent cache/FPU cards are not compatible. Optional MPEG Media System requires the video-input card. Video capture accepts NTSC, PAL and SECAM; tuner standard varies by region. |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | 12.3″ |
| Resolution | – | 640 × 480 |
| Panel | – | CRT |
| Refresh rate | – | 66.67 Hz |
| Display type | – | Built-in 14-inch nominal shadow-mask colour CRT with 12.3-inch viewable diagonal in the exact original ordering description and technical sheet. Shared Service Source instead says 12.8-inch viewable; exact model wording is retained. Dot pitch 0.28 mm; tilt-and-swivel base. A CRT has selectable raster modes rather than a fixed LCD pixel grid. |
| Display features | – | 640 × 480 at 16-bit colour and 66.67 Hz in the exact original TIL 19602 technical sheet. Shared service agrees on 66.7 Hz; a separate service timing table headed 60 Hz instead gives 15 ms, so no second 60 Hz mode is inferred. |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | Headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | – |
| External displays | Up to 2 | – |
| Front ports | USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and headphone minijack. | Headphone output, push-button volume and display brightness controls, infrared remote receiver. |
| Back ports | Two USB 2.0, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, Gigabit Ethernet, V.92 modem, optical Toslink audio input/output and analogue line-in/out. Optional 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 1.1 with external antennas. Three chassis USB ports in total; keyboard ports are separate. | ADB, external DB-25 SCSI, two RS-232/422 modem/printer serial ports with LocalTalk, PlainTalk-compatible sound input and stereo sound output. Ethernet requires an optional communications-slot card; no GeoPort inferred from a similar-looking serial connector. Exact original TIL gives six external SCSI devices in its ports section but five in expansion; maker catalogue says five and shared service seven. Limits remain source-qualified. |
| External displays | ADC and DVI connectors with DVI-to-VGA adapter; two displays in extended desktop or mirrored modes. A second ADC display needs an optional adapter. | Optional Apple External Video Connector provides DB-15 mirroring, with a compatible display. Optional Apple Presentation System converts the mirrored output for television/projector or VCR use; it is not an independent extended desktop. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; external audio can use analogue or optical connections. | Two built-in speakers and 16-bit stereo output. Shared service specifies 22 kHz playback and 11/22 kHz recording, with ordinary audio-CD playback. Stereo input connectors are combined to mono for recording/play-through; do not treat the connector as stereo capture. |
| Microphones | – | Built-in microphone for mono recording; rear microphone/line input supports PlainTalk-compatible microphones. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. | Original M4982LL/A ordering description includes matching keyboard, mouse and necessary cables. External speakers, optional cache, Ethernet, video input/output, TV tuner and MPEG expansion are separate. Maker photograph shows the exact 5260/100 with keyboard and mouse. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | All-in-one |
| Weight | 17.8 kg (better) | 20.5 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 206 × 475 × 511 mm | 383 × 406 × 445 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | Published height 51.1 cm, width 20.6 cm, depth 47.5 cm; 17.8 kg reference weight varies with configuration. | Exact original TIL 19602 technical sheet gives 44.5 × 38.3 × 40.6 cm (height × width × depth), 20.5 kg/45 lb; exact current support agrees on 16-inch depth and 45 lb. May 1996 Apple Facts instead gives 41.4 cm depth, 20.2 kg/44.9 lb, varying with installed devices. Shared service swaps width/depth and has inconsistent weight units. Exact original technical-sheet dimensions and complete-unit kg figure are used; disagreement remains explicit. |
| Power supply | – | Exact current support lists 125 W maximum , 110–240 V AC at 50–60 Hz. Exact original TIL 19602 instead gives 240 W maximum at 110–240 V AC 50–60 Hz; shared service gives 100–240 V 47–63 Hz, 240 W maximum and a separate 220 W all-line/load maximum. Conflicting ratings remain qualified; no universal headline operating consumption is assigned. |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure with separate thermal zones. | – |
| In the box | Original models shipped with Mac OS X Jaguar; the November dual 1.8 GHz announcement includes Panther. Apple’s 18 August 2003 shipping release confirms immediate availability of the single-processor models; the original dual 2 GHz was due later that month. | System 7.5.3 and 4 MB ROM in exact Apple support; original ordering description calls it System 7.5. Apple records introduction on 15 April 1996; current May 1996 maker education catalogue establishes sale in 1996, not a first-sale month. Release remains year precision. North American education 5260/100 is separate from later 5260/120 and international Performa bundles. |
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