Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) vs Apple Power Macintosh 9600/233
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G5 (Late 2004) | ApplePower Macintosh 9600/233 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2004 | 1997 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G5 1800 MHz (Power Mac Late 2004) | PowerPC 604e 233 MHz (Power Macintosh 9600/233) |
| CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB) | IMS Twin Turbo-128 PCI graphics accelerator (4 MB VRAM; Japanese configuration) |
| Memory | 256 MB or 4 GB (better) | 32 MB |
| Storage | 80 GB (better) | 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. | One 233 MHz PowerPC 604e on a removable processor card with integrated floating-point unit, 64 KB level-one cache and 512 KB level-two cache soldered to logic board. Exact Japanese maker page gives 46.6 MHz system bus; English support table instead gives 50 MHz, and this conflict remains explicit. |
| 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. | Japanese maker product page names an Integrated Micro Solution Twin Turbo-128 accelerator with 4 MB fixed VRAM, 24-bit colour through 1280 × 1024 and 16-bit at 1600 × 1200. Original US brochure instead limits 24-bit colour to 1152 × 870. Both specify up to 1600 × 1200; regional colour-depth difference remains qualified, and no exact card board designation is inferred. |
| 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. | 32 MB standard, twelve 168-pin 64-bit 70 ns-or-faster DRAM DIMM sockets, up to 768 MB officially supported; matching modules in corresponding sockets permit interleaving. English support says 128 MB DIMMs may work but were not tested; these are not treated as an approved expansion configuration. 4 MB ROM |
| 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. | 4 GB internal Fast SCSI hard disk, manual-inject 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy and AppleCD 1800i 12× CD-ROM in shared Service Source. No standard Zip drive on original 233 configuration; later 300 and 350 MHz models differ. Internal Fast SCSI up to 10 MB/s and external SCSI up to 5 MB/s. |
| 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. | Six PCI 2.0 expansion slots, five free with the supplied graphics card. Additional internal storage bays and removable processor card; no NuBus slots. Side-panel release permits access to memory, PCI cards and processor |
| 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 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. | One ADB connector, two GeoPort/LocalTalk-compatible serial connectors, external SCSI, AAUI-15 and 10BASE-T Ethernet connectors, 16-bit stereo sound input and output. DB-15 monitor connector belongs to the supplied PCI card. Both Ethernet connectors share one interface; with both connected, the service manual says 10BASE-T takes priority |
| 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. | One external monitor via the supplied graphics card, up to 1600 × 1200 with compatible display and cables; developer note says the card does not support sync-on-green monitors |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker; optical and analogue connections for external audio. | Built-in speaker and 16-bit stereo audio input/output |
| Microphones | – | External Apple PlainTalk microphone supplied in the Japanese bundle; no built-in microphone |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, USB extension cable, DVI-to-VGA adapter, modem cable and AirPort antenna. | Original US M5883LL/A bundle includes AppleDesign keyboard, ADB Mouse II, PlainTalk microphone, System 7.5.5 or later, Internet software and documentation. Japanese bundle includes ADB Mouse II, PlainTalk microphone, power cable, KanjiTalk 7.5.5 CD-ROM, Internet Starter Kit and sample CDs, manuals and warranty; keyboard and monitor sold separately there. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Tower |
| Weight | 16.4 kg | 15.9 kg (better) |
| Width × depth × height | 206 × 475 × 511 mm | 246 × 440 × 439 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 Japanese 9600/233 maker page gives 439 mm high, 246 mm wide and 440 mm deep, 15.9 kg varying installed devices. US brochure rounds height to 440 mm; shared Service Source gives conflicting 224 mm width, so the exact model specification takes precedence. |
| Power supply | – | 100–240 V AC automatically configured, single phase, 50/60 Hz. Shared Service Source distinguishes 390 W maximum DC supply output from AC input consumption |
| Power use | – | 560 W maximum continuous AC input and 700 W peak input, excluding monitor; exact Japanese specification and shared service manual agree. English support’s 390 W matches the service manual’s DC output rating, so it is not treated as AC consumption |
| 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. | Apple lists 17 February 1997 as introduction. Exact February 1997 US maker brochure includes current ordering information and directs buyers to resellers; MacUser August 1997 explicitly reports the exact 233 MHz model shipping in quantity. Release year 1997 retained; actual first-sale month/day remains unconfirmed. Single processor, distinct from 200MP and Workgroup Server 9650/233. |
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