Apple Power Mac G5 (2003) vs Apple Power Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Power Mac G5 (2003) compared with Power Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible
ApplePower Mac G5 (2003)ApplePower Macintosh 6100/66 DOS Compatible
Overview
ReleasedAugust 20031995
Performance
ProcessorPowerPC 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 601 66 MHz (Power Macintosh 6100/66)
CPU cores1 or 21
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9600 Pro (64 MB)–
Memory256 MB, 512 MB, 4 GB or 8 GB (better)16 MB
Storage80 GB to 160 GB (better)500 MB
CPUSingle 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.Macintosh side uses a 66 MHz PowerPC 601 with integrated FPU and PMMU, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and a 64-bit data path at 33 MHz. The separate Intel 80486DX2-66 on the DOS Compatibility Card runs at 66 MHz with a 33 MHz bus and 8 KB internal cache; it runs PC applications independently, rather than adding a second PowerPC core. The main processor comparison describes the Macintosh processor only.
GPUStock 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.Macintosh HDI-45 video uses system DRAM. The DOS card has separate 512 KB video RAM and a VGA controller; Sound Blaster-compatible 16-bit stereo playback is mixed with Macintosh and CD audio. PC sound hardware provides output only, while Macintosh audio has input and output.
Memory typeSingle 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.8 MB on the Macintosh logic board and two 72-pin SIMM slots installed in pairs; maximum supported Macintosh RAM 72 MB. The DOS card can share selected Macintosh memory or use its own single 72-pin SIMM up to 32 MB; PC-local memory is not additional Macintosh RAM. AppleFacts also lists 8 MB system memory, but the shown 16 MB/500 MB factory configuration is explicitly ordered as M3972LL/A in Apple's TIL 16756.
Storage typeStock 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.M3972LL/A has a 500 MB internal hard drive, plus built-in 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy; optional double-speed CD-ROM reads Macintosh and DOS discs. Exact current support gives a broader 350–500 MB range; the initial January newsletter anticipated 16 MB/350 MB before final availability, so that prospective configuration is not added. DOS drive files reside on the Macintosh hard drive.
Expansion slotsAGP 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.The sole processor-direct expansion position is occupied by the DOS Compatibility Card and its adapter; AV and NuBus expansion cannot coexist in that position. The PC processor card has a local-memory SIMM socket and sound expansion card.
Display
ScreenNone built inNone built in
Connections
Ports3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jackEthernet
Ethernet1 Gb/s–
External displaysUp to 2Up to 2
Front portsUSB 2.0, FireWire 400 and headphone minijack.–
Back portsTwo 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, HDI-45 Macintosh display output, DB-25 external SCSI, two GeoPort serial ports, AAUI Ethernet, microphone input and speaker output. The DOS card's 26-pin connection uses a monitor adapter cable with display and PC joystick connectors. Macintosh serial and printer interfaces can emulate PC connections, with compatibility limits in the developer guide.
External displaysADC and DVI connectors with DVI-to-VGA adapter; two displays in extended desktop or mirrored modes. A second ADC display needs an optional adapter.One shared display or two separate simultaneous Macintosh and PC displays; only one environment receives keyboard and mouse input at a time. Macintosh video supports 512 × 384 and 640 × 480 at 16-bit colour, or 832 × 624 at 8-bit. DOS card supports VGA/SVGA displays; the developer note lists shared VGA 640 × 480 and SVGA 800 × 600 monitors. Depth and supported modes depend on environment and driver.
SpeakersBuilt-in speaker; external audio can use analogue or optical connections.–
Keyboard and mouseApple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable.Apple's DOS-card specification lists the compatibility card, MS-DOS 6.22 manual and disks, Windows 3.1, Macintosh PC Exchange User's Guide and monitor cable. Gallery monitor, keyboard and mouse illustrate the original maker setup and do not establish a universal factory bundle.
Design and power
TypeTowerCompact
Weight17.8 kg–
Width × depth × height206 × 475 × 511 mm414 × 396 × 86 mm
Operating systemmacOSmacOS
Size and weight detailPublished height 51.1 cm, width 20.6 cm, depth 47.5 cm; 17.8 kg reference weight varies with configuration.Original AppleFacts gives 86 × 414 × 396 mm (height × width × depth), used here. Exact support gives 3.4 × 16.3 × 15.6 inches and 14 lb; shared service manual gives 85 × 415 × 399 mm and 6.4 kg depending on installed devices. AppleFacts prints inconsistent 16.2 lb and 3.3 kg; headline weight omitted rather than resolving that conflict by guessing.
Power supply–Exact support lists 210 W maximum and automatically configured 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz. Shared-family Service Source separately gives 132 W maximum continuous AC input, 201 W peak input excluding monitor power, and 86 W continuous DC output; these ratings retain their different conditions.
MaterialsAluminium enclosure with separate thermal zones.–
In the boxOriginal 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.Original System 7.5 with PowerPC Enabler 1.1.1, MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows 3.1. Apple support records introduction on 3 January 1995; January Apple Directions only promises first-quarter shipments. April 1995 AppleFacts lists the current product and the contemporary June TidBITS review describes a purchased unit, establishing sale in 1995 without proving the first-sale month. Apple explicitly calls the earlier Quadra 610 DOS Compatible its predecessor.

More comparisons