Apple Power Mac G5 (2003) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8200/120
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G5 (2003) | ApplePower Macintosh 8200/120 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 601 120 MHz (Power Macintosh 7200/120) |
| 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) | 1.2 GB |
| 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. | 120 MHz PowerPC 601 soldered to the logic board, integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB level-one cache, 40 MHz 64-bit processor bus and standard 256 KB level-two cache. Apple's brochure describes a logic-board upgrade plus separately purchased processor card for an 8500 conversion, not a standard removable 8200 processor card |
| 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. | Built-in accelerated video with 1 MB soldered VRAM, expandable to 4 MB using three VRAM sockets. Exact support table gives 16-bit colour through 832 × 624 and 8-bit at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870 with standard VRAM; 1280 × 1024 requires at least 2 MB. 4 MB allows 24-bit at 1024 × 768 and 16-bit at 1152 × 870 and 1280 × 1024 |
| 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. | UK brochure specifies 16 MB for 8200/120, matching its exact support page. Shared Service Source describes 8 or 16 MB across both models without pairing them; the 8 MB 8200/100 configuration is not transferred. Four 168-pin 64-bit 5 V 70 ns-or-faster DIMM sockets, 256 MB supported maximum; no memory interleaving. Apple says 128 MB DIMMs can be used but were not tested. 4 MB ROM |
| 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. | 1.2 GB internal SCSI hard disk, manual-inject 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy and AppleCD 600i 4× CD-ROM in the original UK ordering configuration. Exact support also lists 8× CD-ROM without identifying its full configuration; no additional RAM/storage pairing is invented. UK brochure gives internal/external SCSI up to 5 MB/s and an additional 3.5-inch disk or other SCSI-device bay |
| 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. | Three PCI 2.0 slots; no standard analogue AV module. Optional PC Compatibility Cards are separately purchased PCI hardware, not a second processor in the base configuration |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | Ethernet, headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s (better) | 0.01 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 2 | – |
| Front ports | USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and headphone minijack. | – |
| 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. | DB-15 display output, one ADB connector, external DB-25 SCSI, two GeoPort/LocalTalk-compatible serial connectors, AAUI and 10BASE-T Ethernet, mini-jacks for 16-bit stereo sound input and output up to 44.1 kHz. The two Ethernet connectors share one interface; 10BASE-T takes priority if both are connected |
| 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. | One external display through built-in video; up to 1280 × 1024 requires additional VRAM and a compatible monitor. Brochure colour-depth headline describes expanded VRAM, not standard 1 MB |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; external audio can use analogue or optical connections. | Built-in speaker; stereo sound output for external speakers |
| Microphones | – | Supports an external Apple PlainTalk microphone |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter and modem cable. | Apple ADB Mouse II, system software 7.5.3 or later, Internet-access software, setup and reference documentation and limited warranty listed in the UK brochure; keyboard and monitor purchased separately |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 17.8 kg | 11.3 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 206 × 475 × 511 mm | 196 × 400 × 356 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. | UK brochure and Service Source give 356 mm high, 196 mm wide and 400 mm deep, 11.3 kg; weight varies with installed devices |
| Power supply | – | 100–240 V AC, automatically configured, single phase, 50–60 Hz. UK brochure specifies 225 W maximum excluding display; shared Service Source distinguishes 225 W DC output from 340 W continuous/520 W peak AC input, while exact support gives 150 W without that distinction. This conflict remains explicit and no consumption headline is selected |
| 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. | Apple lists 22 April 1996 as introduction. Original April 1996 UK brochure includes exact ordering information and specifications, supporting sale year 1996; the actual first-sale month/day remains unconfirmed. Service Source labels this family Europe-only and exact support states it was not sold in the US |
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