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Apple Power Macintosh 6500/225 · Apple; shared 6500 family cabinet with optional Zip drive, absent from original 6500/225 Home Edition factory specification
Apple · Power Mac
Power Macintosh 6500/225
A 225 MHz PowerPC home tower with accelerated graphics, a built-in speaker and optional multimedia expansion.
- Type
- Tower
- Processor
- PowerPC 603e 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 6500)
- Memory
- 32 MB
- Storage
- 2 GB – 3 GB
- Screen
- –
- Weight
- –
Product links
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specPerformance
- Processor
- PowerPC 603e 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 6500)
- CPU cores
- 1
- Memory
- 32 MB
- Storage
- 2 GB to 3 GB
- CPU
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- None built in
Connections
- Ports
- Headphone jack
- Front ports
- 3.5 mm headphone output and volume buttons; infrared receiver for the remote supplied with the optional TV/FM Radio System.
- Back ports
- 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.
- Speakers
- 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
- 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
- Tower
- Width × depth × height
- 198 × 428 × 406 mm
- Operating system
- macOS
- 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
- 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.
- In the box
- 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.
Configurations
| Processor | Memory | Storage | Storage type |
|---|---|---|---|
| PowerPC 603e 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 6500) | 32 MB | 3 GB | Hard drive |
| PowerPC 603e 225 MHz (Power Macintosh 6500) | 32 MB | 2 GB | Hard drive |
Pros and cons
Pros
- 2D and 3D graphics acceleration
- Built-in speaker doubles as a subwoofer with external speakers
- Two PCI expansion slots
Cons
- RAM limited to 128 MB
- No USB ports
- Home Edition has a modem instead of Ethernet
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Processor | Memory | Storage | Screen | Weight | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower | PowerPC 604e 200 MHz (Power Macintosh 8600/200) | 32 MB | 2 GB | – | – | 1997 | |
| Tower | PowerPC 604e 250 MHz (Power Macintosh 8600/250) | 32 MB | 4 GB | – | – | 1997 | |
| Tower | PowerPC 604e 300 MHz (Power Macintosh 8600/300) | 32 MB | 4 GB | – | – | Aug 1997 |
Sources
- support.apple.com/en-us/112089
- 1000bit.it/ad/bro/apple/applepowermac6500.pdf
- macdat.net/files/pdf/apple/servicesource/powermac_6400-6500.pdf
- vintageapple.org/applefacts/pdf/Apple_Facts_9708_8.97_August_1997.pdf
- vintageapple.org/applefacts/pdf/Apple_Facts_9801_1.98_January_1998.pdf
- Original Apple 6500 family catalogue photograph with optional monitor, keyboard and mouse; tower shows the optional Zip drive, absent from the original 225 MHz Home Edition factory configuration: vintageapple.org/applefacts/pdf/Apple_Facts_9708_8.97_August_1997.pdf
- Original Apple January 1998 6500 series photograph from the front, with optional monitor, keyboard and mouse; shared tower has an optional Zip drive absent from the original 225 MHz Home Edition factory specification: vintageapple.org/applefacts/pdf/Apple_Facts_9801_1.98_January_1998.pdf