Apple Power Macintosh 5500/225 vs Apple Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh

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Power Macintosh 5500/225 compared with Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh

	ApplePower Macintosh 5500/225	AppleTwentieth Anniversary Macintosh
Overview
Released
Released	1997	–
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC 603e 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 5500)	PowerPC 603e 250 MHz (Power Macintosh 6500/250)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Graphics
Graphics	–	ATI 3D RAGE II (2 MB SGRAM)
Memory
Memory	16 MB or 32 MB	32 MB
Storage
Storage	2 GB to 4 GB (better)	2 GB
CPU
CPU	225 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit 50 MHz system bus.	250 MHz PowerPC 603e with integrated floating-point unit, 50 MHz system bus, 32 KB L1 cache split into 16 KB data/instruction caches, and a 256 KB L2 High Performance Cache Module operating at 50 MHz. No processor supplier is assigned without exact maker evidence.
GPU
GPU	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.	ATI 3D RAGE II with 2 MB SGRAM, with QuickDraw 2D/3D and video acceleration. The maker specifies thousands of colours at 800 × 600; application-window restrictions apply to accelerated 3D at that mode.
Memory type
Memory type	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.	32 MB EDO RAM supplied as one 32 MB DIMM or two 16 MB DIMMs; two 168-pin slots support up to 128 MB. Exact Apple TIL specifies 5 V EDO or fast-paged DIMMs, 60 ns or faster, with 2K refresh; 3.3 V or 4K-refresh DIMMs are incompatible. 4 MB ROM.
Storage type
Storage type	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.	2 GB ATA/IDE hard disk, vertically mounted 4× CD-ROM and manual-insert 1.44 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy. Optical-drive output and the TV/FM tuner are controlled by the supplied infrared remote.
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	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.	One PCI 2.0 slot for a 6.88-inch card drawing up to 15 W, plus a Comm Slot II for a modem or Ethernet card. A separate video-input slot and TV/FM tuner card are fitted. Macintosh-specific PCI drivers are required; NuBus cards are incompatible.
Display
Screen size
Screen size	12.8″	12.1″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768 (better)	800 × 600
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	–	60 Hz
Panel
Panel	CRT	–
Display type
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.	12.1-inch backlit active-matrix colour LCD, 800 × 600 at 60 Hz; 6 bits per red/green/blue channel. Maker does not name the LCD subtype, so IPS or TN is not guessed.
Connections
Ports
Ports	Headphone jack, Ethernet	2 × headphone jack
Ethernet
Ethernet	0.01 Gb/s	–
Front ports
Front ports	Headphone output, sound-volume and display controls; infrared receiver for the optional TV/FM remote.	–
Back ports
Back ports	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.	One ADB, external DB-25 SCSI for up to six devices, two GeoPort-compatible serial ports, rear stereo output, two separate stereo audio inputs, S-video input with a supplied composite-video adapter, TV aerial/cable connector and FM aerial connector. One front headphone output plus one rear headphone-compatible line output are counted. No built-in USB, FireWire or Ethernet.
External displays
External displays	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.	No external monitor output specified
Speakers
Speakers	Built-in stereo speakers, 16-bit stereo sound input/output and SRS 3D surround processing, with rear stereo speaker output.	Custom Bose Acoustimass system with integrated stereo speakers and a separate floor-standing bass unit. The power-supply ratings are not acoustic output ratings.
Microphones
Microphones	Built-in microphone; PlainTalk-compatible external sound input.	Built-in omnidirectional electret microphone
Keyboard and mouse
Keyboard and mouse	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.	Custom keyboard with Italian leather palm rests, removable/repositionable ADB trackpad, infrared remote, Bose bass unit and composite-to-S-video adapter. January1998 Apple catalogue lists a 33.6 Kbps GeoPort modem/Internet Connection Kit; older power-test conditions separately describe a 28.8 Kbps modem.
Design and power
Type
Type	All-in-one	All-in-one
Weight
Weight	21 kg	6.8 kg (better)
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	383 × 406 × 445 mm	419 × 254 × 438 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	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.	Headline size and 6.8 kg weight describe the main unit only. Separate bass unit weighs 4.8 kg and measures 270 × 211 × 298 mm (height × width × depth); keyboard is 0.84 kg and 25 × 292 × 207 mm. Main-unit metric dimensions follow the original maker table rather than converting its rounded inch values.
Power supply
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.	Bass-unit voltage selector covers 90–130 or 180–264 V AC, 47–63 Hz, single phase; manually configured and factory preset
Power use
Power use	–	Maximum continuous AC input 140 W; maximum continuous DC output 70 W. Typical AC input 47 W is qualified to the maker test with 250 MHz 603e, 2 GB disk, 28.8 Kbps modem, L2 module and CD-ROM; sleep is below 30 W without PCI cards.
Noise
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.	–
In the box
In the box	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.	Mac OS 7.6.1 with System Enabler 704 originally. Apple support labels introduction as 1 June 1997; widely copied March dates describe announcements, and the accessible May order notice does not establish actual first delivery. Released is omitted pending exact first-sale evidence. Earlier preview articles describe a proposed 604e machine and are not used for this production 603e model. The primary picture is a grayscale original Apple catalogue image, retained without colour reconstruction; higher-quality original colour press imagery remains unavailable.