Apple Power Macintosh 8100/100AV vs Apple Power Macintosh 8500/120

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Only show differences

Better figure, where one is clearly better

Share comparison

Power Macintosh 8100/100AV compared with Power Macintosh 8500/120

	ApplePower Macintosh 8100/100AV	ApplePower Macintosh 8500/120
Overview
Released
Released	1995	1995
Performance
Processor
Processor	PowerPC 601 100 MHz (Power Macintosh 8100/100AV)	PowerPC 604 120 MHz (Power Macintosh 8500/120)
CPU cores
CPU cores	1	1
Memory
Memory	16 MB	16 MB
Storage
Storage	1 GB	1 GB to 2 GB (better)
CPU
CPU	100 MHz PowerPC 601 with 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 33.3 MHz system bus	120 MHz PowerPC 604 with integrated floating-point unit, 32 KB L1 cache, 256 KB L2 cache and 64-bit data path at 40 MHz
GPU
GPU	Built-in DRAM video and an AV video card with 2 MB VRAM; supports 24-bit colour at 640 × 480 through the VRAM output	Built-in video with 2 MB VRAM supports 24-bit colour through 832 × 624; 4 MB VRAM raises 1152 × 870 to 24-bit colour and is required for video mirroring
Memory type
Memory type	16 MB in Apple's Japanese product bundle, including 8 MB on the logic board; eight 72-pin SIMM slots allow up to 264 MB	Eight 168-pin DIMM slots; Apple supports 16–512 MB total with 70 ns memory
Storage type
Storage type	1 GB internal SCSI hard drive, 1.44 MB floppy drive and built-in 2× AppleCD 300i Plus CD-ROM in Apple's Japanese product bundle	Internal 1.44 MB floppy drive, 1 or 2 GB SCSI hard drive and 4× CD-ROM drive; Apple's Japanese configuration sheet lists the 2 GB version
Expansion slots
Expansion slots	Three NuBus slots; the processor-direct slot is occupied by the AV card	Three PCI slots; optional PC Compatibility Card
Display
Screen
Screen	None built in	None built in
Connections
Ports
Ports	Ethernet	Ethernet
Back ports
Back ports	Apple Desktop Bus, external DB-25 SCSI, two serial ports, AAUI Ethernet, HDI-45 and DB-15 monitor ports, stereo audio input and output, S-video input and output with RCA adapter	Apple Desktop Bus, DB-15 video, DB-25 SCSI, two GeoPort serial connections, AAUI and 10BASE-T Ethernet, S-video and RCA video input and output, RCA audio input and output, microphone input and speaker output
External displays
External displays	Built-in DRAM video and the AV card provide connections for two monitors; resolution and colour depth vary with the video output	Built-in video supports up to 1280 × 1024 pixels; available colour depth depends on VRAM
Design and power
Type
Type	Tower	Tower
Weight
Weight	11.3 kg (better)	11.34 kg
Width × depth × height
Width × depth × height	196 × 396 × 360 mm	196 × 400 × 356 mm
Operating system
Operating system	macOS	macOS
Size and weight detail
Size and weight detail	–	Apple's 14 × 7.7 × 15.75 inch and 25 lb reference dimensions; metric fields are rounded conversions
Power supply
Power supply	Automatically configured 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; Apple Service Source distinguishes 298 W maximum continuous and 453 W peak AC input, excluding the monitor, from 200 W continuous DC output. The exact-model English support sheet labels 200 W as maximum watts.	Maximum 225 W; 100–125 or 200–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz; 3.6 V lithium clock battery
In the box
In the box	Apple's Japanese bundle included an Apple Desktop Bus Mouse II, power cable, KanjiTalk 7.5 CD-ROM and documentation. Apple lists 3 January 1995 as introduction, but a distinct first-sale date was not established.	Original System Software 7.5.2. Apple lists 8 August 1995 as introduction; a separate first-sale month was not established.