Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 6100/66AV
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G5 (Early 2005) | ApplePower Macintosh 6100/66AV | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | April 2005 | 1995 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | 2 × PowerPC G5 2000 MHz (Power Mac Early 2005), 2 × PowerPC G5 2300 MHz (Power Mac Early 2005) or 2 × PowerPC G5 2700 MHz (Power Mac Early 2005) | PowerPC 601 66 MHz (Power Macintosh 6100/66AV) |
| CPU cores | 2 | 1 |
| Graphics | ATI Radeon 9600 (128 MB) or ATI Radeon 9650 (256 MB) | – |
| Memory | 512 MB, 4 GB or 8 GB (better) | 8 MB or 16 MB |
| Storage | 160 GB to 250 GB (better) | 350 MB |
| CPU | Two physical PowerPC G5 processors at 2, 2.3 or 2.7 GHz, each with 512 KB L2 cache and no L3 cache. Front-side bus per processor is 1, 1.15 or 1.35 GHz. The dual 2.7 GHz model uses liquid cooling. | 66 MHz PowerPC 601 with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, standard 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit data path at 33 MHz; 4 MB ROM |
| GPU | Dual 2 and 2.3 GHz: ATI Radeon 9600 with 128 MB DDR and two single-link DVI outputs. Dual 2.7 GHz: ATI Radeon 9650 with 256 MB GDDR3, one single-link and one dual-link DVI output. Optional NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL with 256 MB has two dual-link DVI outputs and occupies the adjacent PCI slot. | AV video card with fixed 2 MB VRAM, plus separate HDI-45 video using system DRAM |
| Memory type | Stock 512 MB PC3200 DDR400, installed in matched pairs. Dual 2 GHz has four DIMM slots and a 4 GB maximum. Dual 2.3 and 2.7 GHz have eight slots and an 8 GB maximum. Configuration rows keep the stock drives and graphics at base and maximum memory. | 8 MB soldered to the logic board and two 72-pin noncomposite 80 ns SIMM sockets accepting a matched pair; maximum 72 MB total. English support lists an 8 MB minimum; Japanese 6100/66 bundle includes 16 MB, with the AV card sold separately. |
| Storage type | Stock 160 GB on dual 2 GHz and 250 GB on dual 2.3/2.7 GHz, all 7200 rpm Serial ATA. Two internal drive bays; optional 250 or 400 GB drives, including two 400 GB drives. One optical bay with 16x SuperDrive supporting DVD±R and up to 4x dual-layer DVD+R recording. | English support lists a 350 MB internal SCSI hard drive. Original Apple TIL describes 8 MB/350 MB 6100/66 bundles and states that the AV card upgrades them to the 66AV; Japan offers 16 MB/350 MB with 2× AppleCD 300i Plus and separately sold AV card. Those AV-installed configurations are shown, without implying that the Japanese AV card was bundled. Service Source lists CD-ROM standard in some 66AV configurations and optional in others; 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy is built in. |
| Expansion slots | AGP 8x Pro graphics slot. Dual 2 GHz has three 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots. Dual 2.3 and 2.7 GHz have PCI-X: two 100 MHz slots and one 133 MHz slot. | One processor-direct expansion position occupied by the AV card. A NuBus adapter cannot be used while retaining the AV card. |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | Ethernet |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | – |
| External displays | Up to 2 | 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, optical S/PDIF input/output and analogue audio line-in/out. Three chassis USB ports in total, plus keyboard USB 1.1 ports. AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and a V.92 modem are optional. | ADB, AAUI-15 Ethernet, HDI-45 and DB-15 video, external DB-25 SCSI, two LocalTalk/GeoPort serial ports, 16-bit stereo audio input and output, and S-video input and output with composite adapters |
| External displays | Two displays in extended desktop or mirrored modes. Radeon 9600 supports two displays up to 1920 × 1200; Radeon 9650 supports one 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display via dual-link DVI. Optional 6800 Ultra DDL supports two 30-inch displays. DVI-to-VGA adapter included. | Two simultaneous displays using DRAM and AV-card outputs. AV VRAM supports 24-bit colour at 640 × 480 and 832 × 624, or 16-bit colour at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870. Only one monitor or television can be attached to the AV card at a time. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; analogue and optical audio connections. | – |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable and DVI-to-VGA adapter. | Original Apple TIL lists power cord, keyboard cable, mouse and microphone; Japanese standard 6100/66 bundle includes mouse and display adapter with keyboard sold separately. AV-card and regional bundle accessories remain distinct. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Compact |
| Weight | 20.2 kg | 6.4 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | – | 415 × 399 × 85 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | The exact maker sheet labels height as 47.5 cm, width 20.6 cm and depth 51.1 cm. Earlier G5 sheets label height/depth in the opposite order; main dimensions are omitted because those published axes conflict. Maker reference weight is 20.2 kg and varies with configuration. | Shared Service Source gives 85 × 415 × 399 mm and 6.4 kg, varying with installed devices. Japanese 6100/66 page gives 396 mm depth; April 1995 AppleFacts gives 86 × 411 × 396 mm and 6.3 kg. Different maker measurements remain qualified; shared service values retained for this AV record. |
| Power supply | 450 W on dual 2/2.3 GHz; 600 W on dual 2.7 GHz, as stated by the maker. | Automatically configured 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz. Exact English support lists 210 W maximum. Shared Service Source separately gives 132 W maximum continuous and 201 W peak AC input, excluding monitor power, with 86 W continuous DC output; conditions remain qualified. |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure. | – |
| In the box | Mac OS X Tiger and iLife ’05. Apple’s 27 April 2005 launch says these models are available “this week”; first sale is kept at April precision rather than treating the announcement as a confirmed delivery day. The older single 1.8 GHz model retained in the launch range is represented separately as Late 2004. | Exact support lists original System 7.5 with PowerPC Enabler 1.1.1 and introduction on 3 January 1995. April 1995 AppleFacts lists the current 6100/66 with an Apple AV configuration, and Apple's TIL describes the AV-card upgrade. Release year 1995 retained; first-sale month unresolved. Japanese standard bundles include KanjiTalk 7.5 CD-ROM, manuals and warranty. |
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