Power Macintosh 9500
Encyclopedia
The Power Macintosh 9500 (the 132 MHz model is also known as Power Macintosh 9515 in Europe
and Japan
) was a high-end Macintosh personal computer
which was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer
from May 1995 until early 1997. It was powered by a PowerPC 604 processor, a second-generation PowerPC
chip which was faster than the earlier PowerPC 601 chip. The 180MP and 200 used the enhanced PowerPC 604e processor. The CPU was connected via a daughterboard
, and so could be swapped easily. Available were single-processor cards ranging from 120 to 200 MHz, and a dual processor
card with two 180 MHz CPUs. It was the first Macintosh to use the PCI
standard, with six PCI slots available, with one always needed for the graphics card. The basic design of the logic board
, called "Tsunami", was used by various Macintosh clone
makers as a reference design and a modified version was used in the non-Macintosh Apple Network Server
series. The 9500 was superseded by the Power Macintosh 9600
in February 1997.
Utilizing a third party G4 CPU upgrade and the XPostFacto
installation utility it is possible to run up to Mac OS X v10.5
"Leopard" on a 9500, making it the oldest model capable of running Mac OS X.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) was a high-end Macintosh personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
which was designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
from May 1995 until early 1997. It was powered by a PowerPC 604 processor, a second-generation PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
chip which was faster than the earlier PowerPC 601 chip. The 180MP and 200 used the enhanced PowerPC 604e processor. The CPU was connected via a daughterboard
Daughterboard
A daughterboard, daughtercard or piggyback board is a circuit board meant to be an extension or "daughter" of a motherboard , or occasionally of another card...
, and so could be swapped easily. Available were single-processor cards ranging from 120 to 200 MHz, and a dual processor
Symmetric multiprocessing
In computing, symmetric multiprocessing involves a multiprocessor computer hardware architecture where two or more identical processors are connected to a single shared main memory and are controlled by a single OS instance. Most common multiprocessor systems today use an SMP architecture...
card with two 180 MHz CPUs. It was the first Macintosh to use the PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect
Conventional PCI is a computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer...
standard, with six PCI slots available, with one always needed for the graphics card. The basic design of the logic board
Logic board
A logic board is the Apple equivalent of a motherboard. The term logic board was coined back in the 1980s, when the compact Macs at the time had two separate circuit components. The term "logic board" stuck over the years of Macintosh manufacturing, even in the non-all-in-one Macs...
, called "Tsunami", was used by various Macintosh clone
Macintosh clone
A Macintosh clone is a personal computer made by a manufacturer other than Apple, using Macintosh ROMs and system software.-Background:...
makers as a reference design and a modified version was used in the non-Macintosh Apple Network Server
Apple Network Server
The Apple Network Server was a short-lived line of PowerPC-based server computers manufactured by Apple Computer from February 1996 to April 1997, when it was discontinued due to very poor sales...
series. The 9500 was superseded by the Power Macintosh 9600
Power Macintosh 9600
The Power Macintosh 9600 is a personal computer that is a part of Apple Computer's Power Macintosh series of Macintosh computers...
in February 1997.
Utilizing a third party G4 CPU upgrade and the XPostFacto
XPostFacto
XPostFacto is an open source utility that enables the installation of PowerPC versions of Mac OS X up to Mac OS 10.4 , and Darwin on some PowerPC-based Apple Macintosh systems that are not officially supported for them by Apple....
installation utility it is possible to run up to Mac OS X v10.5
Mac OS X v10.5
Mac OS X Leopard is the sixth major release of Mac OS X, Apple's desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers. Leopard was released on 26 October 2007 as the successor of Tiger , and is available in two variants: a desktop version suitable for personal computers, and a...
"Leopard" on a 9500, making it the oldest model capable of running Mac OS X.
See also
- Power MacintoshPower MacintoshPower 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,...
- List of Macintosh models grouped by CPU type
- List of products discontinued by Apple Computer
External links
- Power Macintosh 9500/120, 9500/132, 9500/150, 9500/180MP, 9500/200 and 9515/132 specifications at AppleSpec
- Apple-history.com - PowerMac 9500
- Low End Mac's Power Macintosh 9500 page
- Power Macintosh 9500/ 150 official page (1996)
- Power Macintosh 9500/ 200 & Power Macintosh 9500/ 180 MP official page (1996)