Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) vs Apple Power Macintosh 5500/225
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G5 (Late 2004) | ApplePower Macintosh 5500/225 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2004 | 1997 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G5 1800 MHz (Power Mac Late 2004) | PowerPC 603e 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 5500) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) | – |
| Memory | 256 MB or 4 GB (better) | 16 MB or 32 MB |
| Storage | 80 GB (better) | 2 GB to 4 GB |
| CPU | One 1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 with 512 KB L2 cache and a 600 MHz front-side bus. This is the new single-processor model; the dual-processor models also listed on the retained sheet are June 2004 carryovers. | 225 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit 50 MHz system bus. |
| GPU | Stock NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB DDR in AGP 8x Pro. Optional ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128 MB, Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT DDL 256 MB or 6800 Ultra DDL 256 MB. The 9800 XT and 6800 cards also occupy the adjacent PCI slot. | 2 MB built-in SGRAM with hardware 2D and 3D acceleration, including QuickDraw 3D, video capture and QuickTime/MPEG-1 playback. Exact education brochure specifies 24-bit colour through 832 × 624 and 16-bit colour through 1024 × 768. Exact support and shared service tables also list 1152 × 870 at 16-bit and 1280 × 1024 at 8-bit; the brochure does not establish these as built-in CRT modes, so its documented 1024 × 768 display mode is retained as the headline. Display resolution can be changed in software; the CRT has no fixed pixel matrix. |
| Memory type | Stock 256 MB PC3200 DDR400 in matched pairs; four DIMM slots support up to 4 GB. Configuration rows keep the stock graphics and drive at base and maximum supported memory. | US education ordering model M5761LL/A has 32 MB RAM; the shared service manual also documents 16 MB configurations sold worldwide. No system RAM is soldered on the logic board. Two 168-pin DIMM slots support up to 128 MB with 5 V, 60 ns or faster EDO DIMMs; the brochure specifies noncomposite modules with 1K or 2K refresh. The service manual supports both fast-page and EDO DIMMs, noting that mixing them can use fast-page timings. |
| Storage type | Stock 80 GB 7200 rpm Serial ATA drive. Two 3.5-inch bays, each with a 150 MB/s interface. Optional 160 or 250 GB drives, including two 250 GB drives. One optical bay with 8x DVD-R SuperDrive; Combo drive is optional. | Exact US education brochure specifies a 2 GB IDE hard drive, 12× CD-ROM and 1.44 MB SuperDrive floppy. Exact support and shared service document 24× optical configurations too. Later US education configurations have 32 MB/24× and Mac OS 8.0; Europe has 32 MB/2 GB/24× with a 33.6 Kbit/s modem, while Japan has 32 MB/4 GB/24× with the same modem and Mac OS 8.0. |
| Expansion slots | Three open full-length 64-bit 33 MHz PCI slots and occupied AGP 8x Pro graphics slot; no PCI-X on this single-processor model. | One PCI 2.0 expansion slot for a 7-inch card with a Macintosh driver, Communications Slot II used by the Ethernet card or regional modem, video-input slot and TV/FM tuner bay. The education brochure lists optional Apple TV/FM Radio System and Avid Cinema Video Editing System. The shared service provides a digital-video connector for compatible expansion hardware; it is not compatible with the earlier Quadra 660AV/840AV connector. |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | 12.8″ |
| Resolution | – | 1024 × 768 |
| Panel | – | CRT |
| Display type | – | Built-in multiple-scan flat-square colour CRT, 15-inch nominal with 12.8-inch diagonal viewable image and 0.28 mm dot pitch. A refresh rate specifically established for the highest brochure-documented built-in mode remains unpublished and is omitted. |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 3 × USB-A, Ethernet, headphone jack | Headphone jack, Ethernet |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s (better) | 0.01 Gb/s |
| External displays | Up to 2 | – |
| Front ports | USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and headphone minijack. | Headphone output, sound-volume and display controls; infrared receiver for the optional TV/FM remote. |
| 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 two keyboard USB 1.1 ports. AirPort Extreme 54 Mbps and Bluetooth 1.1 are optional. | US education brochure and exact support specify 10BASE-T Ethernet, ADB, external DB-25 SCSI, two RS-232/RS-422/LocalTalk/GeoPort-compatible serial ports, PlainTalk-compatible sound input and stereo output. The Ethernet card occupies Communications Slot II; later European and Japanese configurations instead supply a 33.6 Kbit/s modem. Brochure supports six external SCSI devices. Video-input card is included in the education brochure and accepts composite and S-Video; TV/FM tuner and Avid Cinema are optional. |
| External displays | Stock ADC and DVI with included DVI-to-VGA adapter, supporting two displays. Optional 6800 GT/Ultra DDL cards have two dual-link DVI connectors and support two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays; a second ADC display on the stock card needs an adapter. | US education brochure includes NTSC TV-output capability for a compatible television, VCR or camcorder. Computer-monitor output requires the appropriate external video connector; the shared service documents video mirroring rather than an independent extended desktop. Regional video bundles vary. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; optical and analogue connections for external audio. | Built-in stereo speakers, 16-bit stereo sound input/output and SRS 3D surround processing, with rear stereo speaker output. |
| Microphones | – | Built-in microphone; PlainTalk-compatible external sound input. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter, modem cable and AirPort antenna. | Exact M5761LL/A education brochure includes AppleDesign Keyboard, ADB Mouse II, 32 MB RAM, 2 GB drive, 12× CD-ROM, internet-access software and setup/reference documentation. Video-input and NTSC TV-output hardware are included in this education presentation; TV/FM tuner and Avid Cinema are optional. Exact photographs show the beige 225 MHz model with keyboard/mouse; later international bundles differ. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | All-in-one |
| Weight | 16.4 kg (better) | 21 kg |
| Width × depth × height | 206 × 475 × 511 mm | 383 × 406 × 445 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | Maker height 51.1 cm, width 20.6 cm, depth 47.5 cm. Published reference weight for the single 1.8 GHz model is 16.4 kg, distinct from the carryover dual-processor models; weight varies with configuration. | Exact education brochure gives 44.5 × 38.3 × 40.6 cm (height × width × depth), 21 kg / 47 lb; support database agrees with these inch dimensions and 47 lb. AppleFacts August 1997 second page instead prints tower-like 40.6 × 19.8 × 42.9 cm and 20 kg, inconsistent with its all-in-one identity. The shared service swaps width/depth and prints inconsistent pound weights. Brochure complete-unit measurements are retained, with weight varying by installed devices. |
| Power supply | – | Exact support specifies 220 W maximum, 110–240 V AC at 50–60 Hz. The original education brochure separately lists 150 W maximum excluding the display, 110/220 V and 47–63 Hz. Shared service lists 125 W and 220 W maximum for all line/load conditions; these differently qualified ratings are not treated as measured operating consumption. |
| Noise | – | Variable-speed fan automatically runs at the lowest speed needed to minimise noise; the processor also has a small cooling fan. No acoustic measurement is published in these sources. |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure. | – |
| In the box | The October 2004 release includes Mac OS X Panther and iLife ’04. Apple’s retained specification sheet later lists iLife ’05; that later software listing does not change the hardware’s October 2004 first sale. | Exact support lists original System 7.5.5 and Enabler 411; education brochure lists Mac OS 7.6 or later and describes Mac OS 7.6.1 software, while later service configurations use Mac OS 8.0. Apple records introduction on 17 February 1997, but the August 1997 current ordering brochure and catalogue establish sale only at year precision in this record. Actual first-sale month remains unresolved. Energy Saver schedules sleep, starting up and shutdown. |
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