Apple Power Mac G5 (June 2004) vs Apple Power Macintosh 6500/300

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Power Mac G5 (June 2004) compared with Power Macintosh 6500/300

	ApplePower Mac G5 (June 2004)	ApplePower Macintosh 6500/300
Overview
Released
Released	June 2004	1997
Performance
Processor
Processor	2 × PowerPC G5 1800 MHz (Power Mac June 2004), 2 × PowerPC G5 2000 MHz (Power Mac June 2004) or 2 × PowerPC G5 2500 MHz (Power Mac June 2004)	PowerPC 603e 300 MHz (Power Macintosh 6500)
CPU cores
CPU cores	2	1
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) or ATI Radeon 9600 XT (128 MB)	–
Memory
Memory	256 MB, 512 MB, 4 GB or 8 GB (better)	64 MB
Storage
Storage	80 GB to 160 GB (better)	4 GB to 6 GB
CPU
CPU	Two physical PowerPC G5 processors at 1.8, 2 or 2.5 GHz, each with 512 KB L2 cache. Per-processor front-side bus is 900 MHz, 1 GHz or 1.25 GHz respectively. Only the dual 2.5 GHz uses the maker’s liquid-cooling system.	300 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 512 KB L2 cache and a 64-bit 50 MHz bus. The shared service specifications use the name 603ev; the exact support page and original brochure use 603e.
GPU
GPU	Dual 1.8 and 2 GHz: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB DDR. Dual 2.5 GHz: ATI Radeon 9600 XT with 128 MB DDR. Optional ATI Radeon 9800 XT with 256 MB occupies the adjacent PCI slot as well as AGP.	ATI 3D RAGE II with 2 MB built-in SGRAM, supporting QuickDraw 2D/3D and QuickTime/MPEG-1 acceleration; Apple's exact support table gives 24-bit colour through 832 × 624, 16-bit through 1152 × 870 and 8-bit at 1280 × 1024. The brochure's 24-bit headline ends at 800 × 600.
Memory type
Memory type	DDR400 PC3200 in matched pairs. Dual 1.8 GHz starts with 256 MB and has four DIMM slots with a 4 GB maximum. Dual 2 and 2.5 GHz start with 512 MB and have eight slots with an 8 GB maximum. Base and maximum memory rows retain each model’s stock storage and graphics.	64 MB supplied in two 168-pin DIMM sockets, no soldered system RAM; up to 128 MB using 5 V buffered EDO DIMMs. The original brochure and service source specify 60 ns or faster EDO memory, while the exact support database lists 70 ns.
Storage type
Storage type	Stock 80 GB on dual 1.8 GHz and 160 GB on dual 2/2.5 GHz; 7200 rpm Serial ATA. Two bays with 150 MB/s interfaces; optional 80, 160 or 250 GB drives, up to two 250 GB drives. One optical bay with 8x DVD-R SuperDrive; Combo drive is optional.	Original US Home Edition M6079LL/A and Canadian launch configuration have a 4 GB IDE drive, 12× tray-loading CD-ROM, 1.44 MB floppy and 100 MB Iomega Zip drive. Later Americas configurations documented by Apple have 6 GB, 24× CD-ROM, Zip and a 56.6 Kbit/s Apple/GV modem with Mac OS 8.0; Latin America uses a 33.6 Kbit/s modem. European 6 GB/24× configurations include video input, TV/FM tuner and Avid Cinema. These are regional configurations of the same 300 MHz model.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	AGP 8x Pro graphics slot. Dual 1.8 GHz has three 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots. Dual 2 and 2.5 GHz have PCI-X: two 100 MHz and one 133 MHz slots.	Two PCI 2.0 slots for approximately 7-inch cards with Mac drivers, plus Communications Slot II, video-input slot and TV/FM tuner position. The original Home Edition's modem occupies the communications slot; its Zip drive occupies the pre-cabled 5.25-inch internal SCSI bay. Apple specifies five external SCSI devices with Zip fitted.
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	None built in
Connections
Ports
Ports	3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack	Headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	1 Gb/s	–
External displays
External displays	Up to 2	–
Front ports
Front ports	USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and headphone minijack.	3.5 mm headphone output and volume buttons; infrared receiver for an optional remote supplied with the TV/FM tuner.
Back ports
Back ports	Two USB 2.0, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, Gigabit Ethernet, V.92 modem, optical Toslink input/output and analogue audio line-in/out. Three chassis USB ports in total, plus keyboard USB 1.1 ports. Optional 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 1.1.	DB-15 monitor output, ADB, DB-25 external SCSI, two GeoPort-compatible serial connectors, PlainTalk-compatible sound input and line-level speaker output. Installing the internal modem leaves one serial port available. The original US Home Edition has a 33.6 Kbit/s data/voice modem with 14.4 Kbit/s fax; the communications slot can instead take Ethernet. Apple's exact support database lists 10BASE-T, while the maker brochure and Canadian Home configuration supply a modem, so Ethernet is not treated as standard for that configuration.
External displays
External displays	ADC and DVI with included DVI-to-VGA adapter; two displays in extended or mirrored modes. A second ADC display requires a separate adapter.	–
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker; analogue and optical connections for external audio.	Built-in full-range monophonic speaker acts as a subwoofer when external speakers are connected; balance adjustment operates only with external speakers. 16-bit stereo input/output and SRS 3D surround processing.
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter, modem cable and AirPort antenna.	Original US Home Edition includes keyboard, mouse, cables and bundled home software. Monitor, Apple Video System, Avid Cinema and TV/FM tuner are separate options; later European configurations include the multimedia additions described in storage details.
Design and power
Type
Type	Tower	Tower
Weight
Weight	20.2 kg	–
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	206 × 475 × 511 mm	198 × 428 × 406 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	Maker height 51.1 cm, width 20.6 cm, depth 47.5 cm; reference weight 20.2 kg varies with configuration.	Maker brochure gives 40.6 × 19.8 × 42.8 cm (height × width × depth) and 20.2 kg, varying with installed devices. The shared service manual gives 20.18 kg without the CD-ROM; standard complete-unit weight remains unresolved and the headline mass is omitted. Gallery monitor is optional.
Power supply
Power supply	–	Exact support database and original brochure give 220 W maximum continuous, 100–125 or 200–240 V AC at 47–63 Hz. The shared Service Source instead gives 140 W for the 6500 and 90–130 or 180–264 V; the conflicting ratings are retained, and neither is treated as measured operating consumption.
Materials
Materials	Aluminium enclosure with separate cooling zones.	–
In the box
In the box	Mac OS X Panther and iLife. The 1.8 and 2 GHz models were available on 9 June 2004. Apple initially stated July availability for the 2.5 GHz model, later than the generation’s first sale.	Exact support page lists original software 7.6.1; later regional configurations use Mac OS 8.0. Apple lists 4 April 1997 as introduction, while its Canadian announcement promises limited supply later that spring. The maker's 1997 ordering brochure and contemporary shipping-system list establish retail sale in 1997, but the actual first-sale month remains unresolved.