Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 6300/120
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| ApplePower Mac G5 (Late 2005) | ApplePower Macintosh 6300/120 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2005 | June 1996 |
| Performance | ||
| Processor | PowerPC G5 dual-core 2000 MHz (Power Mac Late 2005), PowerPC G5 dual-core 2300 MHz (Power Mac Late 2005) or 2 × PowerPC G5 dual-core 2500 MHz (Power Mac Late 2005) | PowerPC 603e 120 MHz (Power Macintosh 6300/120) |
| CPU cores | 2 or 4 | 1 |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE (128 MB) or NVIDIA GeForce 6600 (256 MB) | – |
| Memory | 512 MB or 16 GB (better) | 16 MB |
| Storage | 160 GB to 250 GB (better) | 1.2 GB |
| CPU | Dual models have one physical dual-core PowerPC G5 at 2 or 2.3 GHz. Quad has two physical dual-core processors at 2.5 GHz, four cores in total. Each core has 1 MB L2 cache. Front-side bus per physical processor is 1, 1.15 or 1.25 GHz respectively. Macworld’s exact Quad review describes its liquid cooling. | 120 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache and standard 256 KB L2 cache. Exact English support lists a 64-bit processor data path at 40 MHz; this is not a claim that every memory or I/O bus is 64-bit. |
| GPU | Stock dual-core 2 GHz: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE with 128 MB GDDR SDRAM. Dual-core 2.3 GHz and Quad: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 with 256 MB GDDR SDRAM. Optional NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256 MB and Quadro FX 4500 512 MB; the Quadro occupies the graphics slot and adjacent x4 slot. | 1 MB built-in DRAM framebuffer, independent of system RAM. DB-15 monitor output supports 640 × 480 with 16-bit colour or 800 × 600 and 832 × 624 with 8-bit colour. Exact English support states video input is not supported at 832 × 624. |
| Memory type | Stock 512 MB PC2-4200 DDR2 at 533 MHz, installed in matched pairs. Up to 16 GB supported; ECC configurations available from 1 GB. Rows retain the stock drive and graphics at base and maximum supported memory. | 16 MB standard, expandable to 64 MB using two 72-pin noncomposite SIMM slots with 80 ns or faster DRAM. No RAM soldered on the board in exact English support; SIMMs can be installed individually. Original Japanese accessory list also advertises an 8 MB 70 ns memory kit. |
| Storage type | Stock 160 GB on dual-core 2 GHz and 250 GB on dual-core 2.3 GHz and Quad. 7200 rpm Serial ATA drives; two internal bays. Optional one or two 500 GB drives. One optical bay with 16x SuperDrive supporting dual-layer DVD+R recording. | 1.2 GB internal IDE hard drive, Apple SuperDrive 1.44 MB floppy and 4× AppleCD 600i CD-ROM drive in the exact Japanese factory configuration. |
| Expansion slots | PCI Express: occupied x16 graphics slot, two open x4 slots and one open x8 slot. Older PCI and PCI-X expansion cards cannot be reused in these slots. | LC-compatible 68030 processor-direct expansion slot, communications slot for optional Ethernet or modem, optional video-input card and TV tuner connector. No PCI. Optional Apple TV/FM Radio System requires the Apple Video System; NTSC, PAL and SECAM capture are available with the relevant expansion card. |
| Display | ||
| Screen | None built in | None built in |
| Connections | ||
| Ports | 4 × USB-A, 2 × Ethernet, headphone jack | 2 × headphone jack |
| Ethernet | 1 Gb/s | – |
| External displays | Up to 2 | – |
| Front ports | USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and headphone minijack. | Front headphone output and push-button volume controls; infrared receiver for compatible optional remote control. |
| Back ports | Three USB 2.0, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, optical Toslink input/output and analogue audio line-in/out. Four chassis USB 2.0 ports in total, plus two keyboard USB 1.1 ports. AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR are optional, with integrated antennas; built-in support does not mean modules are included. | DB-15 display output, one ADB port, two RS-232/422 serial ports for printer/modem and AppleTalk, DB-25 SCSI, microphone/line input and stereo sound output. Ethernet requires an optional communications card; these serial ports are not GeoPort. |
| External displays | Stock GeForce 6600 LE/6600 and optional 7800 GT have one single-link and one dual-link DVI port, supporting one 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display alongside a second display. Optional Quadro FX 4500 has two dual-link DVI outputs for two 30-inch displays and a stereo 3D connector. DVI-to-VGA adapter included. | No built-in display. Original Japanese page supports Apple monitors from 13 to 20 inches and compatible VGA/SVGA monitors using the appropriate video cable. Contemporary special bundle includes an Apple Multiple Scan 1705 17-inch monitor; the base computer does not include it. |
| Speakers | Built-in speaker and optical/analogue external audio connections. | Built-in speaker; muted when a sound-output port is used. 16-bit monophonic audio input and 16-bit stereo output. Front and rear headphone/output jacks cannot be used simultaneously, according to the exact Japanese specifications. |
| Microphones | – | Supports an external microphone or line input; Apple PlainTalk microphone is a separate accessory. |
| Keyboard and mouse | Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse, USB keyboard extension and DVI-to-VGA adapter. | Japanese configuration includes Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II, power cable, manuals, warranty information and KanjiTalk 7.5.1, Apple Internet Starter Kit and ClarisWorks 2.0J CDs. Keyboard is sold separately. The contemporary photo also shows an external monitor and keyboard; these are not built into the desktop. |
| Design and power | ||
| Type | Tower | Compact |
| Weight | – | 8.6 kg |
| Width × depth × height | – | 320 × 419.5 × 109.5 mm |
| Operating system | macOS | macOS |
| Size and weight detail | – | Exact Japanese maker page gives 109.5 × 320 × 419.5 mm (height × width × depth), 8.6 kg for the computer. English support gives 4.3 × 12.6 × 16.5 inches and 19 lb, rounded equivalents. External monitor, keyboard and mouse are excluded. |
| Power supply | – | Exact Japanese maker page specifies 82 W maximum excluding the monitor, 100–240 V AC at 50–60 Hz. Exact English support and archived Apple Spec Database instead give 55 W maximum, 110–240 V at 50–60 Hz. Clock battery is described as lithium in the Japanese page and 4.5 V alkaline in the English table. Conflicts remain explicit; no universal operating-consumption headline or inferred battery type. |
| Materials | Aluminium enclosure. | – |
| In the box | Mac OS X Tiger and iLife ’05. Apple confirmed the dual-core 2 and 2.3 GHz models available on 19 October 2005, with Quad expected in early November. Macs Only reports its Quad shipped on 10 November and arrived on 11 November; these later Quad dates do not change the generation’s first sale. The exact specification sheet does not publish weight or dimensions. | KanjiTalk/System 7.5.1 and 4 MB ROM. Apple records introduction on 27 June 1996; PC Watch’s contemporary 2 July retailer survey explicitly reports sale from 27 June, corroborating that date. English maker table states this system was not sold in the US. The 120 MHz Power Macintosh is distinct from the existing 100 MHz Macintosh Performa 6300CD; no unverified official predecessor link is assigned. |
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