Power Mac G5
Encyclopedia
The Power Mac G5 is Apple's marketing name for models of the Power Macintosh
that contains the IBM PowerPC G5
CPU
. The professional-grade computer was the most powerful in Apple's lineup when it was introduced, widely hailed as the first 64-bit PC, and was touted by Apple as the fastest personal computer ever built. It was officially launched as part of Steve Jobs
' keynote presentation
in June 2003 at the Worldwide Developers Conference
, and saw three revisions to the line before being retired in August 2006 to make way for its Intel replacement, the Mac Pro
. The Power Mac G5 has an anodized aluminium chassis.
s (MB) of RAM, an 80 GB hard drive, and could hold a maximum of 4 GB of RAM, and an nVidia GeForce 5200 graphics card with 64 MB VRAM with one ADC output and one DVI output. The 1.8 and dual-processor and 2.0 GHz models shipped with 512 MB of RAM, and could employ a maximum of 8 gigabyte
s (GB) of RAM. The dual-processor model came with an ATI Radeon 9600
graphics card with a Radeon 9800 as an option. The physical case of the Power Mac G5 was very different and unusual compared to any other computer at that time. Many potential buyers, though, were surprised to find that the attractive case, while somewhat larger than the G4 tower it replaced, had room inside for only one optical, and two hard drives.
Steve Jobs stated during his keynote presentation that the Power Mac G5 would reach 3 GHz "within 12 months." This would never come to pass; after three years, the G5 only reached 2.7 GHz (or dual-core at 2.5 GHz) before being replaced by the Intel Xeon
-based Mac Pro
, which included processors with speeds of up to 3 GHz, and after three years is presently at 3.33 GHz.
During the presentation Apple also showed Virginia Tech's Mac OS X
computer cluster supercomputer
(a.k.a. supercluster) known as System X
, consisting of 1100 Power Mac G5s operating as processing nodes. The supercomputer managed to become one of the top 5 supercomputers that year. The computer was soon dismantled and replaced with a new cluster made of an equal number of Xserve G5 rack-mounted servers, which also use the G5 chip running at 2.3 GHz.
The PowerPC G5 (called the PowerPC 970 by its manufacturer, IBM
) is based upon IBM's dual-core POWER4
microprocessor. At the introduction of the Power Mac G5, Apple announced a partnership with IBM in which IBM would continue to produce PowerPC variants of their POWER processors. According to IBM's Dr. John E. Kelly, "The goal of this partnership is for Apple and IBM to come together so that Apple customers get the best of both worlds, the tremendous creativity from Apple Computers and the tremendous technology from the IBM corporation. IBM invested over $3 billion US dollars in a new lab to produce these large, 300 mm wafers." (This lab is a completely automated facility located in East Fishkill, New York
, and figures heavily in IBM's microelectronics strategy above and beyond the partnership with Apple). The original PowerPC 970 has 50 million transistors and is manufactured using IBM CMOS 9S at 130 nm fabrication process. CMOS 9S is the combination of SOI
, Low-k dielectric insulation, and Copper interconnect technology, which were invented at IBM research in the mid-1990s. Subsequent revisions of the "G5" processor have included IBM's PowerPC 970FX (same basic design on a 90 nm process), and the PowerPC 970MP (essentially two 970FX cores on one die). Apple refers to the dual-core PowerPC 970MP processors as either the "G5 Dual" (for single-socket, dual-core configurations), or Power Mac G5 Quad (for dual-socket, four-core configurations).
The Power Mac G5 line in 2006 consisted of three, dual-core PowerPC G5 configurations, operating at 2.0, 2.3, and a dual-processor 2.5 GHz
configuration (the dual contains four cores in total, two per processor). A 2.7 GHz single-core model was also released. It contains PCI-X
slots, where the newer models use PCI Express
. The dual-core G5 configuration can communicate through its FSB
at half its internal clock speed. Each processor in the Power Mac G5 has two unidirectional 32-bit
pathways: one leading to the processor and the other from the processor. These result in a total bandwidth of up to 20 GB/s. The processor at the heart of the Power Mac G5 has a "superscalar
, superpipelined" execution core that can handle up to 216 in-flight instructions, and uses a 128-bit
, 162-instruction SIMD
unit (AltiVec
).
In addition, due to the 64-bit
processor (and 42-bit MMU
) the Power Mac G5 has a RAM capacity greater than the 4 GB addressable memory limit of traditional 32-bit processors. Currently, the Power Mac G5 can hold 16 GB of RAM using eight memory slots with 2 GB per stick. All modern 32-bit x86 processors since the Pentium Pro
have the Physical Address Extension
(PAE) feature, which permits them to use a 36-bit physical memory address to address a maximum of 236 bytes (64 gigabytes) of physical memory, while the PowerPC 970 processor is capable of addressing 242 bytes (4 terabyte
s) of physical memory and 264 bytes (16 exabyte
s) of virtual memory
. The memory in this final revision of the Power Mac G5 is Dual-Channel DDR2 PC4200
, with support for ECC memory.
The second noise problem came from the 'chirping' sound, which can be triggered by fluctuations in power draw. For example, showing and hiding the Dock makes a brief chirp. Many had blamed the power supply used in the G5 as the cause, but this theory has never been confirmed. A very effective work-around is to disable the CPUs' "nap" feature using Apple's CHUD Tools, but this was not recommended by Apple. This noise problem was not fixed until the dual core generation of G5s was produced, however it did not affect the "Late2004" model (at least there have never been any reports). The power draw fluctuation was later attributed to the lack of power management features in the single-core processors. Apple eventually posted the chirping bug information on its support site.
Although the noise problems did not prevent the affected computers from working, they were problematic for audio professional and enthusiasts alike, especially for the liquid-cooled models, which had been expressly designed as mechanically quiet for discerning listeners.
of General Motors
. This was a bold step for Apple, and should have allowed the use of very fast processors, giving Apple an advantage in both the horsepower and reliability race, but the LCS turned out to be subject to coolant leakage. If not caught in time, the leakage can destroy the processors, logic board, and even corrode the aluminum casing itself. While leakage was sometimes detectable by drops of green coolant in or beneath the machine, in many machines the seepage is so slight that it was almost impossible to detect without dismantling the entire computer.
Apple responded with what many owners felt was a halfhearted job of standing behind the leaking G5s, extending the warranty somewhat but not providing any long term protection, making liquid-cooled G5s a dubious buy today. Anyone who finds their G5 leaking today can expect to pay approximately $1000 to have it repaired by Apple. G5 owners also complain that it is impossible to get any service information about the machines out of Apple, such as whether the coolant needs regular replacement or topping up, and if so, what to use. However DIYers claim that the problem with the Delphi LCS is with the O-Rings sealing the heat exchanger and that, if the leakage is discovered before it has damaged the electronic components, the system can be resealed with only several hours' work and $20 in parts.
Later models were equipped with a Panasonic
LCS which was a much more reliable system.
The LCS system fits into the case where the heat sinks would normally go, so there is no easy way to distinguish the liquid-cooled versions from the air-cooled, although most but not all of the LCS versions have a sticker inside warning about the possibility of leakage.
announced the preliminary pre-production plan of PWRficient
processor, there had been persistent rumors that Apple would prepare for its use in its professional line of personal computers.
In 2006, The Register
reported that P.A. Semi
had formed a tight relationship with Apple, which would result in P.A. Semi promptly delivering processor chips for Apple's personal computer notebook line and possibly desktops. Even in 2006, Apple did not have a laptop version of G5 processor. The processor that would run the personal computers was P.A. Semi's preliminarily proposed processor, PWRficient
1682M (PA6T-1682M). The version that would be sampled for pre-production at third quarter of 2006 was a 2 GHz, dual-core CPU with two DDR2 memory controllers, 2 MB of L2 cache, and support for 8 PCI Express lanes. The sampled chip also has lower heat intensity than Intel's Core Duo, which gives off 9–31 W under normal load.
According to The Register article, P.A. Semi executives believed they were all but assured winning Apple's contract, and CEO Dan Dobberpuhl thought Apple's hints of moving to Intel were just a persuading tactic. At the time, the companies were working for PWRficient software.
Despite the advantages of more compatible architecture, Apple moved to the Intel architecture officially for 'performance-per-watt' reasons. However, P.A. Semi would not be able to ship its low-power multicore product in volume until 2007, which, combined with P.A. Semi's status as a start-up company, seems to have been the final blow to the development of Power Mac computers. However, it was also speculated that Apple switched to Intel processor because Apple could no longer abide the constant delays in performance ramp up, desired native Windows
compatibility, or it was Apple's strategy to shift its business focus away from desktop computing to iPod
(and subsequently iOS (Apple)) development.
community have devised ways to recycle these old work horses. By doing simple modifications to the G5's case, these case modders are able to fit standard ATX
PC computer motherboards into the all aluminum chassis. Also, some members of the "Hackintosh" community install OS X on one of these "Fake Macs". http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=263175
Power Macintosh
Power Macintosh, later Power Mac, was a line of Apple Macintosh workstation-class personal computers based on various models of PowerPC microprocessors that were developed, marketed, and supported by Apple Inc. from March 1994 until August 2006. The first models were the Power Macintosh 6100,...
that contains the IBM PowerPC G5
PowerPC 970
The PowerPC 970, PowerPC 970FX, PowerPC 970GX, and PowerPC 970MP, are 64-bit Power Architecture processors from IBM introduced in 2002. When used in Apple Inc. machines, they were dubbed the PowerPC G5....
CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
. The professional-grade computer was the most powerful in Apple's lineup when it was introduced, widely hailed as the first 64-bit PC, and was touted by Apple as the fastest personal computer ever built. It was officially launched as part of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
' keynote presentation
Stevenote
"Stevenote" is a colloquial term for the keynote speeches given by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs at events such as the Worldwide Developers Conference and previously the Macworld and Apple Expos. Jobs' vibrant speaking style and manner of exciting the crowd was often referred to as inducing a...
in June 2003 at the Worldwide Developers Conference
Worldwide Developers Conference
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, commonly abbreviated WWDC, is a conference held annually in California by Apple Inc. The conference is primarily used by Apple to showcase its new software and technologies for developers, as well as offering hands-on labs and feedback sessions...
, and saw three revisions to the line before being retired in August 2006 to make way for its Intel replacement, the Mac Pro
Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is a workstation computer manufactured by Apple Inc. The machines are based on Xeon microprocessors, but are similar to the Power Mac G5 they replaced in terms of outward appearance and expansion capabilities...
. The Power Mac G5 has an anodized aluminium chassis.
Introduction
The Power Mac G5 was introduced with three models, sharing the same physical case, but differing in features and performance. The 1.6 GHz model shipped with 256 megabyteMegabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
s (MB) of RAM, an 80 GB hard drive, and could hold a maximum of 4 GB of RAM, and an nVidia GeForce 5200 graphics card with 64 MB VRAM with one ADC output and one DVI output. The 1.8 and dual-processor and 2.0 GHz models shipped with 512 MB of RAM, and could employ a maximum of 8 gigabyte
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
s (GB) of RAM. The dual-processor model came with an ATI Radeon 9600
Radeon R300
The Radeon R300 is the third generation of Radeon graphics chips from ATI Technologies. The line features 3D acceleration based upon Direct3D 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0, a major improvement in features and performance compared to the preceding Radeon R200 design. R300 was the first fully Direct3D...
graphics card with a Radeon 9800 as an option. The physical case of the Power Mac G5 was very different and unusual compared to any other computer at that time. Many potential buyers, though, were surprised to find that the attractive case, while somewhat larger than the G4 tower it replaced, had room inside for only one optical, and two hard drives.
Steve Jobs stated during his keynote presentation that the Power Mac G5 would reach 3 GHz "within 12 months." This would never come to pass; after three years, the G5 only reached 2.7 GHz (or dual-core at 2.5 GHz) before being replaced by the Intel Xeon
Xeon
The Xeon is a brand of multiprocessing- or multi-socket-capable x86 microprocessors from Intel Corporation targeted at the non-consumer server, workstation and embedded system markets.-Overview:...
-based Mac Pro
Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is a workstation computer manufactured by Apple Inc. The machines are based on Xeon microprocessors, but are similar to the Power Mac G5 they replaced in terms of outward appearance and expansion capabilities...
, which included processors with speeds of up to 3 GHz, and after three years is presently at 3.33 GHz.
During the presentation Apple also showed Virginia Tech's Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
computer cluster supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
(a.k.a. supercluster) known as System X
System X (computing)
System X is a supercomputer assembled by Virginia Tech's Advanced Research Computing facility in the summer of 2003 that was originally composed of 1,100 Apple Power Mac G5 computers. System X ran at 12.25 Teraflops, , and was ranked #3 on November 16, 2003 and #280 in the July 2008 edition of...
, consisting of 1100 Power Mac G5s operating as processing nodes. The supercomputer managed to become one of the top 5 supercomputers that year. The computer was soon dismantled and replaced with a new cluster made of an equal number of Xserve G5 rack-mounted servers, which also use the G5 chip running at 2.3 GHz.
PowerPC G5 and the IBM partnership
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
) is based upon IBM's dual-core POWER4
POWER4
The POWER4 is a microprocessor developed by International Business Machines that implemented the 64-bit PowerPC and PowerPC AS instruction set architectures. Released in 2001, the POWER4 succeeded the POWER3 and RS64 microprocessors, and was used in RS/6000 and AS/400 computers, ending a separate...
microprocessor. At the introduction of the Power Mac G5, Apple announced a partnership with IBM in which IBM would continue to produce PowerPC variants of their POWER processors. According to IBM's Dr. John E. Kelly, "The goal of this partnership is for Apple and IBM to come together so that Apple customers get the best of both worlds, the tremendous creativity from Apple Computers and the tremendous technology from the IBM corporation. IBM invested over $3 billion US dollars in a new lab to produce these large, 300 mm wafers." (This lab is a completely automated facility located in East Fishkill, New York
East Fishkill, New York
East Fishkill is a town on the southern border of Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 25,589 at the 2000 census. The town name is derived from its formation from Fishkill, NY....
, and figures heavily in IBM's microelectronics strategy above and beyond the partnership with Apple). The original PowerPC 970 has 50 million transistors and is manufactured using IBM CMOS 9S at 130 nm fabrication process. CMOS 9S is the combination of SOI
Silicon on insulator
Silicon on insulator technology refers to the use of a layered silicon-insulator-silicon substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor manufacturing, especially microelectronics, to reduce parasitic device capacitance and thereby improving performance...
, Low-k dielectric insulation, and Copper interconnect technology, which were invented at IBM research in the mid-1990s. Subsequent revisions of the "G5" processor have included IBM's PowerPC 970FX (same basic design on a 90 nm process), and the PowerPC 970MP (essentially two 970FX cores on one die). Apple refers to the dual-core PowerPC 970MP processors as either the "G5 Dual" (for single-socket, dual-core configurations), or Power Mac G5 Quad (for dual-socket, four-core configurations).
The Power Mac G5 line in 2006 consisted of three, dual-core PowerPC G5 configurations, operating at 2.0, 2.3, and a dual-processor 2.5 GHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
configuration (the dual contains four cores in total, two per processor). A 2.7 GHz single-core model was also released. It contains PCI-X
PCI-X
PCI-X, short for PCI-eXtended, is a computer bus and expansion card standard that enhances the 32-bit PCI Local Bus for higher bandwidth demanded by servers. It is a double-wide version of PCI, running at up to four times the clock speed, but is otherwise similar in electrical implementation and...
slots, where the newer models use PCI Express
PCI Express
PCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
. The dual-core G5 configuration can communicate through its FSB
Front side bus
A front-side bus is a computer communication interface often used in computers during the 1990s and 2000s.It typically carries data between the central processing unit and a memory controller hub, known as the northbridge....
at half its internal clock speed. Each processor in the Power Mac G5 has two unidirectional 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
pathways: one leading to the processor and the other from the processor. These result in a total bandwidth of up to 20 GB/s. The processor at the heart of the Power Mac G5 has a "superscalar
Superscalar
A superscalar CPU architecture implements a form of parallelism called instruction level parallelism within a single processor. It therefore allows faster CPU throughput than would otherwise be possible at a given clock rate...
, superpipelined" execution core that can handle up to 216 in-flight instructions, and uses a 128-bit
128-bit
There are currently no mainstream general-purpose processors built to operate on 128-bit integers or addresses, though a number of processors do operate on 128-bit data. The IBM System/370 could be considered the first rudimentary 128-bit computer as it used 128-bit floating point registers...
, 162-instruction SIMD
SIMD
Single instruction, multiple data , is a class of parallel computers in Flynn's taxonomy. It describes computers with multiple processing elements that perform the same operation on multiple data simultaneously...
unit (AltiVec
AltiVec
AltiVec is a floating point and integer SIMD instruction set designed and owned by Apple, IBM and Freescale Semiconductor, formerly the Semiconductor Products Sector of Motorola, , and implemented on versions of the PowerPC including Motorola's G4, IBM's G5 and POWER6 processors, and P.A. Semi's...
).
In addition, due to the 64-bit
64-bit
64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
processor (and 42-bit MMU
Memory management unit
A memory management unit , sometimes called paged memory management unit , is a computer hardware component responsible for handling accesses to memory requested by the CPU...
) the Power Mac G5 has a RAM capacity greater than the 4 GB addressable memory limit of traditional 32-bit processors. Currently, the Power Mac G5 can hold 16 GB of RAM using eight memory slots with 2 GB per stick. All modern 32-bit x86 processors since the Pentium Pro
Pentium Pro
The Pentium Pro is a sixth-generation x86 microprocessor developed and manufactured by Intel introduced in November 1, 1995 . It introduced the P6 microarchitecture and was originally intended to replace the original Pentium in a full range of applications...
have the Physical Address Extension
Physical Address Extension
In computing, Physical Address Extension is a feature to allow x86 processors to access a physical address space larger than 4 gigabytes....
(PAE) feature, which permits them to use a 36-bit physical memory address to address a maximum of 236 bytes (64 gigabytes) of physical memory, while the PowerPC 970 processor is capable of addressing 242 bytes (4 terabyte
Terabyte
The terabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The prefix tera means 1012 in the International System of Units , and therefore 1 terabyte is , or 1 trillion bytes, or 1000 gigabytes. 1 terabyte in binary prefixes is 0.9095 tebibytes, or 931.32 gibibytes...
s) of physical memory and 264 bytes (16 exabyte
Exabyte
The exabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to one quintillion bytes . The unit symbol for the exabyte is EB...
s) of virtual memory
Virtual memory
In computing, virtual memory is a memory management technique developed for multitasking kernels. This technique virtualizes a computer architecture's various forms of computer data storage , allowing a program to be designed as though there is only one kind of memory, "virtual" memory, which...
. The memory in this final revision of the Power Mac G5 is Dual-Channel DDR2 PC4200
DDR2 SDRAM
DDR2 SDRAM is a double data rate synchronous dynamic random-access memory interface. It supersedes the original DDR SDRAM specification and has itself been superseded by DDR3 SDRAM...
, with support for ECC memory.
Product revision history
DP designates a dual-processor machine, SP designates a single-processor machine, and DC designates a dualcore-processor machine.| Component | Power Mac G5 | Power Mac G5 (June 2004) | Power Mac G5 (Late 2004) | Power Mac G5 (Early 2005) | Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codename | "Omega, Q37" | "Q77, Q78" | N/A | N/A | "Cypher" |
| Processor Central processing unit The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in... |
SP 1.6, 1.8, DP 1.8, or DP 2.0 GHz PowerPC 970 (G5) | DP 1.8, DP 2.0, or DP 2.5 GHz PowerPC 970FX (G5) | SP 1.8 GHz PowerPC 970FX (G5) | DP 2.0, DP 2.3, or DP 2.7 GHz PowerPC 970FX (G5) | DC 2.0, DC 2.3, or DP DC "Quadcore" 2.5 GHz PowerPC 970MP (G5) |
| Graphics Computer graphics Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware.... |
NVIDIA GeForceFX 5200 Ultra, GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL, ATI Radeon 9600 Pro, or Radeon 9800 Pro with 64, 128, or 256 MB of DDR RAM | NVIDIA GeForceFX 5200 Ultra, GeForce 6800 GT DDL, GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL, ATI Radeon 9600 XT, or Radeon 9800 XT with 64, 128, or 256 MB of DDR RAM | NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL, ATI Radeon 9600, Radeon 9650, or Radeon X850 XT with 128 or 256 MB of DDR RAM | NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE, GeForce 6600, GeForce 7800 GT, or Quadro FX 4500 with 128, 256, or 512 MB of DDR RAM | |
| Cache Cache In computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere... |
64 KB (instruction), 32 KB (data) L1, 512 KB L2 | 64K (instruction), 32K (data) L1, 1 MB L2 per core | |||
| Front side bus Front side bus A front-side bus is a computer communication interface often used in computers during the 1990s and 2000s.It typically carries data between the central processing unit and a memory controller hub, known as the northbridge.... |
800, 900, Dual 900 MHz, or Dual 1.0 GHz (2:1) | Dual 900 MHz, Dual 1.0, or Dual 1.25 GHz (2:1) | 600 MHz (3:1) | Dual 1.0, Dual 1.15, or Dual 1.35 GHz (2:1) | 1.0, 1.15, or Dual 1.25 GHz (2:1) |
| Memory | 256MB of PC2700 DDR RAM (1.6 GHz) or 512MB of PC3200 DDR SDRAM (1.8Ghz+) Expandable up to 4 GB (1.6Ghz) or 8.0 GB (1.8Ghz+) |
256MB (DP 1.8Ghz) or 512MB (DP 2.0Ghz+) of PC3200 DDR SDRAM Expandable up to 4 GB (DP 1.8Ghz) or 8.0 GB (DP 2.0Ghz+) |
256MB of PC3200 DDR SDRAM Expandable up to 4 GB |
512MB of PC3200 DDR SDRAM Expandable up to 4 GB (DP 2.0Ghz) or 8.0 GB (DP 2.3Ghz+) |
512MB of 533 MHz PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM Expandable up to 16GB |
| Hard drive | 80, 160, or 250 GB 7200 rpm | 160, 250, or 400 GB 7200 rpm | 160, 250, or 500 GB 7200 rpm | ||
| AirPort AirPort AirPort and AirPort Extreme are local area wireless networking products from Apple Inc. based on the IEEE 802.11 standard .... Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security... |
Optional AirPort Extreme card (802.11b/g) (external antenna) / Optional Bluetooth 1.1 | Optional AirPort Extreme with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR combo card | |||
| Optical drive | 4x/8x/16x/8x/32x DVD-R/CD-RW (4x SuperDrive) | 8x/10x/24x/10x/32x DVD-R/CD-RW (8x SuperDrive) | 16x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) | ||
| Expansion slots | 3 - 33 MHz 64-bit PCI (1.6 GHz) 2 - 100 MHz 64-bit PCI-X and 1 - 133 MHz 64-bit PCI-X (1.8 GHz+) 1 - 8x AGP Pro (all) | 3 - 33 MHz 64-bit PCI (dual 1.8 GHz) 2 - 100 MHz 64-bit PCI-X and 1 - 133 MHz 64-bit PCI-X (dual 2.0 GHz+) 1 - 8x AGP Pro (all) | 3 - 33 MHz 64-bit PCI, 1 - 8x AGP Pro | 3 - 33 MHz 64-bit PCI (dual 2.0 GHz) 2 - 100 MHz 64-bit PCI-X and 1 - 133 MHz 64-bit PCI-X (dual 2.3 GHz+) 1 - 8x AGP Pro (all) | 2 - 4-lane, 1 - 8-lane, 1 - 16-lane PCI Express |
| Expansion bays | 2 - Internal 3.5" Serial ATA drive bays, 1 - optical drive bay | ||||
| Standard Features | 3 USB 2.0, 2 Firewire 400 ports, 1 Firewire 800 port, 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet, Built-in Modem, Built-in mono speaker, 1 - 3.5-mm analog input jack, 1 - optical S/PDIF (Toslink) input, 2 - 3.5-mm analog output jacks, 1 - optical S/PDIF (Toslink) output | 3 USB 2.0, 2 Firewire 400 ports, 1 Firewire 800 port, 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet, Optional Built-in Modem, Built-in mono speaker, 1 - 3.5-mm analog input jack, 1 - optical S/PDIF (Toslink) input, 2 - 3.5-mm analog output jacks, 1 - optical S/PDIF (Toslink) output | 4 USB 2.0, 2 Firewire 400 ports, 1 Firewire 800 port, 2 - 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet Ports, Optional Apple USB Modem, Built-in mono speaker, 1 - 3.5-mm analog input jack, 1 - optical S/PDIF (Toslink) input, 2 - 3.5-mm analog output jacks, 1 - optical S/PDIF (Toslink) output | ||
| Most recent supported mac operating system | Mac OS X 10.5.8 "Leopard" | ||||
| Weight | 39.2 lb (17.8 kg) | 44.4 lb (20.1 kg) | 36 lb (16.3 kg) | 44.4 lb (20.1 kg) | 44.5 pound |
- 2003 June: Initial release at speeds of SP 1.6, SP 1.8, DP 2.0 GHz.
- 2003 November: DP 1.8 replaces SP 1.8 GHz; a price reduction on SP 1.6 GHz.
- 2004 June: 90 nm DP 1.8, DP 2.0 and DP 2.5 GHz replace all previous models. The 2.5 GHz model is notable as the first major PC with liquid cooling included as stock.
- 2004 October: A new SP 1.8 reintroduced, with a slower, 600 MHz FSB (front-side bus), PCI bus, based upon the iMac G5IMac G5The iMac G5 was a series of desktop Macintosh computers designed and built by Apple Inc. using the PowerPC chip architecture. It was the last line of iMac computers that used a PowerPC chip, making it the last of the iMacs that could run Mac OS 9 applications. In August 2004, the iMac design was...
's architecture (U3lite and Shasta chips). Apple's official name for this machine is "Power Mac G5 (Late 2004)". - 2005 April: CPU speed increased: DP 2.5 GHz → DP 2.7 GHz (PCI-X, LC), DP 2.0 GHz → DP 2.3 GHz (PCI-X), DP 1.8 GHz → DP 2 GHz (PCI). Newly introduced features were the 16x dual-layer SuperDrives across the line and increased storage, up to 800 GB for the higher-end models. The 1.8 GHz SP was not modified.
- 2005 June: The SP 1.8 model was discontinued in the United States.
- 2005 July: The SP 1.8 model was discontinued in Europe.
- 2005 October: Shift to dual-core processors: DP 2.0 GHz → DC 2.0 GHz, DP 2.3 GHz → DC 2.3 GHz, DP 2.7 GHz → DP DC 2.5 GHz (termed a Quad Power Mac G5, with four CPU execution cores and more reliable liquid cooling), all with DDR2 memory, and PCI ExpressPCI ExpressPCI Express , officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a computer expansion card standard designed to replace the older PCI, PCI-X, and AGP bus standards...
expansion in place of PCI-X. The older PCI-X, DP 2.7 GHz model remained available for a while, but the slower speed single-core models were discontinued immediately. - 2006 August: The Power Mac is replaced by its Intel successor, the Mac ProMac ProThe Mac Pro is a workstation computer manufactured by Apple Inc. The machines are based on Xeon microprocessors, but are similar to the Power Mac G5 they replaced in terms of outward appearance and expansion capabilities...
.
A partial list of official firmware updates
- 1 March 2006: Highly important SMU Update for G5 (Late 2004) (Apple, 2006, originally 14-Nov-2005)
- 27 September 2005: Version 5.1.5f2 (Apple, 2004)
- 17 November 2005: Version 5.1.8f7 (Apple, 2006)
Electronic audio interference problems
Early versions of dual processor G5 computers have noise problems. The first one is ground loop-based interference, which sometimes causes noise leaks into the analog audio outputs. This bug was fixed in Rev. B G5.The second noise problem came from the 'chirping' sound, which can be triggered by fluctuations in power draw. For example, showing and hiding the Dock makes a brief chirp. Many had blamed the power supply used in the G5 as the cause, but this theory has never been confirmed. A very effective work-around is to disable the CPUs' "nap" feature using Apple's CHUD Tools, but this was not recommended by Apple. This noise problem was not fixed until the dual core generation of G5s was produced, however it did not affect the "Late2004" model (at least there have never been any reports). The power draw fluctuation was later attributed to the lack of power management features in the single-core processors. Apple eventually posted the chirping bug information on its support site.
Although the noise problems did not prevent the affected computers from working, they were problematic for audio professional and enthusiasts alike, especially for the liquid-cooled models, which had been expressly designed as mechanically quiet for discerning listeners.
Water Cooling Problems
Some 2.5GHz dual processor and all 2.7 dual processor and 2.5 Quads were cooled by a liquid cooling system (LCS) that consisted of a radiator, coolant pump, and heat exchangers that were bolted to the processors. The cooling system was made by Delphi, a former Harrison Radiator DivisionHarrison Radiator Corporation
Harrison Radiator Corporation was an early manufacturer of automotive radiators that became a division of General Motors in 1918. Today its business is a part of General Motors's Automotive Components Group. Based in Lockport, NY, the company was founded by Herbert C. Harrison, an inventor and...
of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. This was a bold step for Apple, and should have allowed the use of very fast processors, giving Apple an advantage in both the horsepower and reliability race, but the LCS turned out to be subject to coolant leakage. If not caught in time, the leakage can destroy the processors, logic board, and even corrode the aluminum casing itself. While leakage was sometimes detectable by drops of green coolant in or beneath the machine, in many machines the seepage is so slight that it was almost impossible to detect without dismantling the entire computer.
Apple responded with what many owners felt was a halfhearted job of standing behind the leaking G5s, extending the warranty somewhat but not providing any long term protection, making liquid-cooled G5s a dubious buy today. Anyone who finds their G5 leaking today can expect to pay approximately $1000 to have it repaired by Apple. G5 owners also complain that it is impossible to get any service information about the machines out of Apple, such as whether the coolant needs regular replacement or topping up, and if so, what to use. However DIYers claim that the problem with the Delphi LCS is with the O-Rings sealing the heat exchanger and that, if the leakage is discovered before it has damaged the electronic components, the system can be resealed with only several hours' work and $20 in parts.
Later models were equipped with a Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
LCS which was a much more reliable system.
The LCS system fits into the case where the heat sinks would normally go, so there is no easy way to distinguish the liquid-cooled versions from the air-cooled, although most but not all of the LCS versions have a sticker inside warning about the possibility of leakage.
P.A. Semi's G5 derivative
When P.A. SemiP.A. Semi
P. A. Semi was a fabless semiconductor company founded in Santa Clara, California in 2003 by Daniel W. Dobberpuhl who was the lead designer for the DEC Alpha 21064 and StrongARM processors...
announced the preliminary pre-production plan of PWRficient
PWRficient
PWRficient is the name of a series of microprocessors designed by P.A. Semi.PWRficient processors comply with the 64-bit Power Architecture, and are designed for high performance and extreme power efficiency...
processor, there had been persistent rumors that Apple would prepare for its use in its professional line of personal computers.
In 2006, The Register
The Register
The Register is a British technology news and opinion website. It was founded by John Lettice, Mike Magee and Ross Alderson in 1994 as a newsletter called "Chip Connection", initially as an email service...
reported that P.A. Semi
P.A. Semi
P. A. Semi was a fabless semiconductor company founded in Santa Clara, California in 2003 by Daniel W. Dobberpuhl who was the lead designer for the DEC Alpha 21064 and StrongARM processors...
had formed a tight relationship with Apple, which would result in P.A. Semi promptly delivering processor chips for Apple's personal computer notebook line and possibly desktops. Even in 2006, Apple did not have a laptop version of G5 processor. The processor that would run the personal computers was P.A. Semi's preliminarily proposed processor, PWRficient
PWRficient
PWRficient is the name of a series of microprocessors designed by P.A. Semi.PWRficient processors comply with the 64-bit Power Architecture, and are designed for high performance and extreme power efficiency...
1682M (PA6T-1682M). The version that would be sampled for pre-production at third quarter of 2006 was a 2 GHz, dual-core CPU with two DDR2 memory controllers, 2 MB of L2 cache, and support for 8 PCI Express lanes. The sampled chip also has lower heat intensity than Intel's Core Duo, which gives off 9–31 W under normal load.
According to The Register article, P.A. Semi executives believed they were all but assured winning Apple's contract, and CEO Dan Dobberpuhl thought Apple's hints of moving to Intel were just a persuading tactic. At the time, the companies were working for PWRficient software.
Despite the advantages of more compatible architecture, Apple moved to the Intel architecture officially for 'performance-per-watt' reasons. However, P.A. Semi would not be able to ship its low-power multicore product in volume until 2007, which, combined with P.A. Semi's status as a start-up company, seems to have been the final blow to the development of Power Mac computers. However, it was also speculated that Apple switched to Intel processor because Apple could no longer abide the constant delays in performance ramp up, desired native Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
compatibility, or it was Apple's strategy to shift its business focus away from desktop computing to iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
(and subsequently iOS (Apple)) development.
Recycling of cases
Even though the old parts inside the PowerMac G5s are outdated by today's standards, some members of the OSx86OSx86
OSx86 is a collaborative hacking project to run the Mac OS X computer operating system on non-Apple personal computers with x86 architecture and x86-64 compatible processors...
community have devised ways to recycle these old work horses. By doing simple modifications to the G5's case, these case modders are able to fit standard ATX
ATX
ATX is a motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT form factor. It was the first big change in computer case, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts...
PC computer motherboards into the all aluminum chassis. Also, some members of the "Hackintosh" community install OS X on one of these "Fake Macs". http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=263175