Apple Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) vs Apple Power Macintosh 6500/225

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Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) compared with Power Macintosh 6500/225

	ApplePower Mac G5 (Late 2005)	ApplePower Macintosh 6500/225
Overview
Released
Released	October 2005	1997
Performance
Processor
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 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 6500)
CPU cores
CPU cores	2 or 4	1
Graphics
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE (128 MB) or NVIDIA GeForce 6600 (256 MB)	–
Memory
Memory	512 MB or 16 GB (better)	32 MB
Storage
Storage	160 GB to 250 GB (better)	2 GB to 3 GB
CPU
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.	225 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit 50 MHz bus. Shared service specifications use the name 603ev; exact support and original brochure use 603e.
GPU
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.	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	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.	32 MB RAM, no soldered system memory; two 168-pin DIMM sockets permit up to 128 MB using 5 V buffered EDO DIMMs. Original brochure and service specify 60 ns or faster memory, while exact support database lists 70 ns; these published conditions are retained.
Storage type
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.	April 1997 US Home Edition M5611LL/A has 32 MB, a 3 GB IDE hard drive, 12× tray-loading CD-ROM, 1.44 MB SuperDrive floppy and no factory Zip drive in its exact ordering table. Exact support lists 2 or 3 GB and original 12× optical; shared service specifies a 2 GB 225 MHz configuration. Generic later family optical and storage choices are not assigned to this clock without exact configuration evidence. Shared family photographs show an optional Zip-equipped cabinet, unlike the original Home Edition blank bay.
Expansion slots
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.	Two PCI 2.0 slots for approximately 7-inch cards with Macintosh drivers; Communications Slot II used by modem or Ethernet, video-input slot and TV/FM tuner position. Home Edition has a pre-cabled 5.25-inch SCSI bay for another internal SCSI device, used by Zip on some family configurations. Apple specifies six external SCSI devices, five when optional Zip is installed.
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	None built in
Connections
Ports
Ports	4 × USB-A, 2 × 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 the remote supplied with the optional TV/FM Radio System.
Back ports
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.	ADB, DB-15 monitor output, external DB-25 SCSI, two GeoPort-compatible serial connectors, PlainTalk-compatible sound input and stereo line-level output. Original Home Edition has a 33.6 Kbit/s data/voice modem and 14.4 Kbit/s fax in Communications Slot II; it uses one serial port. Exact support lists 10BASE-T but notes some models have a modem in that slot, and later maker catalogue explicitly says Ethernet or modem varies by configuration. Ethernet is not assigned universally. Optional Apple Video System provides NTSC/PAL/SECAM input; Avid Cinema supplies video editing and NTSC/PAL output when installed.
External displays
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.	–
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in speaker and optical/analogue external audio connections.	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, Mighty Mouse, USB keyboard extension and DVI-to-VGA adapter.	US Home Edition M5611LL/A includes keyboard, mouse, cables, 33.6 Kbit/s modem and home software bundle. Monitor, Apple Video System, TV/FM Radio System and Avid Cinema are optional. Original 225 MHz ordering configuration has no Zip; photographs are explicitly shared 6500 family views showing the optional Zip-equipped cabinet and optional display, not proof of factory Home Edition equipment.
Design and power
Type
Type	Tower	Tower
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	–	198 × 428 × 406 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	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.	–
In the box
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.	Exact support lists original System 7.5.5 and Enabler 411, with introduction on 17 February 1997. April 1997 current Home Edition ordering brochure establishes sale in 1997; exact first-sale month remains unresolved. Later shared family software varies, and is not treated as the original 225 MHz bundle.