Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8100/80
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G5 (Early 2005) | ApplePower Macintosh 8100/80 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | April 2005 | 1994 |
| 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 80 MHz (Power Macintosh 8100/80) |
| 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) | 250 MB to 1 GB |
| 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. | 80 MHz PowerPC 601 with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit data path at 40 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. | Power Macintosh video card with 2 MB VRAM, expandable to 4 MB using four 512 KB SIMMs; separate HDI-45 video shares system DRAM. The non-AV model has no S-video input or output. |
| 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 eight 72-pin noncomposite SIMM sockets, using matched pairs rated 80 ns or faster; maximum 264 MB total |
| 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. | Internal SCSI hard drive and 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy; 2× AppleCD 300i Plus CD-ROM is configuration-dependent. Apple's US brochure lists 8 MB/250 MB with or without CD-ROM, 16 MB/500 MB with or without CD-ROM, and 16 MB/1 GB with CD-ROM; an additional 16 MB/500 MB bundle includes SoftWindows. |
| 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. | Three NuBus slots for long or short cards; processor-direct slot occupied by the video card. Internal space accommodates a half-height 5.25-inch device, one full-height 3.5-inch hard drive and one removable 3.5-inch device. |
| 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, and 16-bit stereo audio input and output; the brochure includes an HDI-45 display adapter with the non-AV model |
| 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. | Maker brochure supports two simultaneous displays. The VRAM output supports 24-bit colour at 640 × 480 and 832 × 624; 2 MB VRAM gives 16-bit colour at 1024 × 768 and 1152 × 870, while 4 MB gives 24-bit colour at those resolutions. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; analogue and optical audio connections. | – |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable and DVI-to-VGA adapter. | Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II and display adapter included in the US non-AV bundles; keyboard and monitor separate |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 20.2 kg | 11.5 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | – | 196 × 396 × 360 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. | Original Apple Service Source lists 360 × 196 × 396 mm and 11.5 kg, varying by installed devices. The US brochure's 30.6 cm height conflicts with its own 14.25-inch figure; the UK brochure and Service Source give 36 cm. Apple's support sheet lists 14 × 7.7 × 15.75 inches and 25.3 lb; metric headline dimensions use the original service document. |
| 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; Service Source distinguishes 298 W maximum continuous and 453 W peak AC input, excluding the monitor, from 200 W continuous DC output. Brochures and support list 200 W maximum without that distinction. |
| 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. | Original System Software 7.1.2 with PowerPC Enabler 1.0, setup and reference documentation and limited warranty. Apple records introduction on 14 March 1994; April 1994 Apple Directions states the exact model is available in large quantities worldwide, establishing sale in 1994 without resolving the first-sale month. |
More comparisons
- Apple Mac Studio (M4 Max or M3 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Mac Pro (M2 Ultra) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Mac Pro (Early 2008) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Mac Pro (2006) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 8100/80
- Apple iMac G5 (20-inch, Ambient Light Sensor) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2003) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (FW800) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Mirrored Drive Doors 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2001) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)
- Apple Power Mac G4 (Digital Audio) vs Apple Power Mac G5 (Early 2005)

