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Back in January Applelinks reader Frank Falcone vented his frustration in Moore's MailBag. "Did you hear the word 'tower' mentioned anywhere at the Mac show?," Frank asked. "It's like Apple has forgotten where their bread and butter came from BEFORE the iPod.
"This is serious. If nothing else the 3 GHz machines should have been announced. A forgotten promise by Steve Jobs. I'm sorry, I have been an avid Mac enthusiast since the first machines in '84. I feel abandoned - thrown over the side in place of 20-something 'nextgeners' or whatever the heck they call themselves, these days. So, now Apple is an appliance company or a toy maker - take your pick. What amazes me even more is I seem to be the ONLY person who cares. Please tell me before I drink Drano - what the heck is going on???"
I replied that I was certain Apple would have loved to have a 3 GHz Power Mac G5 out the door by now, but that the presumed holdup is that IBM hasn't found the development path for the 970 chip as smooth as everyone had hoped.
"When the chips are ready," I said, "Apple will upgrade the towers. You can count on it. I'm sure they are frustrated too."
On Wednesday, Frank and other Apple desktop aficionados got some relief from frustration as Apple unveiled unveiled an upgraded Power Mac G5 desktop line featuring dual 64-bit G5 processors of 2.0GHz, 2.3GHz and 2.7GHz , and pre-loaded with Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger," although amounting to a less than 10 percent speed bump from the previous high-end Power Mac G5, it's no big whoop. Other things that might have been on wish lists that didn't make the cut are dual-core processors and Blu-ray drives.
Things that are included in the slate of enhancements are dual 1.35 GHz front side buses, ATI Radeon 9650 graphics cards, and built-in support for Apple's new 30-inch Cinema HD Display on the 2.7 GHz model, as well as larger hard drives up to 800GB, a faster 16X SuperDrive with double-layer support and 512MB of standard memory across the line. The combination of the 64-bit PowerPC G5 processor and 64-bit memory support built into Mac OS X Tiger working in tandem allows the Power Mac G5 to utilize all the installable memory � more than most other desktop PCs. The dual 2.3GHz and dual 2.7GHz systems have eight DIMM slots, and can hold up to 8GB of RAM.
The new Power Mac G5s have a 128-bit memory architecture with expansion capacity up to 8GB of 400 MHz DDR SDRAM and support graphics cards with up to 256MB of VRAM. The top model features two 2.7 GHz processors, each with an independent 1.35 GHz front-side bus for a bandwidth of up to 21.6 GBps � more than twice the 8.5-GBps maximum bandwidth of Pentium 4-based systems using the latest PC architecture. In addition to providing fast access to main memory, this frontside bus architecture enables each PowerPC G5 processor to discover and access data in the other processor's L1 and L2 caches for optimum performance.
An interesting omission from the standard equipment list for the new machines is a modem, although one is available as a $29 BTO option, and the base, single-processor 1.8 GHz machine still comes with one in the basic spec. Uhhhhh, like some of us Mac users (me for instance) don't have access to broadband (I'm told that it may be available in this neck of the woods in five years), but even the broadband fortunate might be interested in sending or receiving a fax from time to time using Tiger's built-in fax feature. Another spec. downgrade you might want to consider is that the new dual 2GHz Power Mac does not have have PCI-X slots, unlike the old dual 2 GHz Power Mac it's replacing: If that's a significant issue for you, and you can live without the 30 inch Cinema Display support and the 16x DVD burner in the newbie, you could save some bucks picking up a leftover older-spec. 2 GHz machine.
To my eyes, the aluminum G5 PowerMac case still looks like a portable space heater from the '50s or '60s, the effect being amplified by a large expanse of mesh grill there for the functional purpose of more efficient cooling with the G5's computerized, four-fan thermal system.
Given Apple's recent public tussle with environmental activists, a good arguing point is that aluminum is much easier to recycle than plastic, and the recycled product is just as good as "virgin" stuff, so aluminum computer cases can be regarded as an environmentally sound step in the right direction.
In the PC universe, going from 32-bit to 64-bit computing requires migrating to a 64-bit operating system (and purchasing the 64-bit applications that will work on it) or running a 32-bit operating system in emulation mode. The PowerPC G5, however, offers a similarly seamless transition to 64-bit performance. Standard 32-bit code runs natively at processor speed, thanks to the PowerPC architecture being designed from scratch to run both 32-bit and 64-bit application code. This facility enables the PowerPC G5 processor to run Mac OS X natively for an immediate performance boost. In addition, as applications are optimized and as Mac OS X is further enhanced for the PowerPC G5 processor, performance gains will be even more dramatic.
All new Power Mac G5 models come standard with dual-display support with either the ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card with 128MB of video memory or the ATI Radeon 9650 with 256MB of video memory. Available as a build-to-order option on every model, the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL high-performance graphics card can drive up to two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays.
Each Power Mac G5 ships with a 16X SuperDrive with double-layer support. While single-layer DVD-R discs hold up to 4.7GB of data, double-layer discs have two layers of data, allowing the SuperDrive laser to read and write on either layer, almost doubling the storage to 8.5GB. There are also Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, two FireWire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports three PCI-X (PCI-X supports 3.3V signaling and Universal 33MHz and 66MHz PCI cards) or PCI expansion slots, dual display support, optical digital audio input and output, analog audio input and output and a headphone jack. The system also supports 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking and is Bluetooth ready for wireless connections to a host of Bluetooth-enabled peripherals.
The Power Mac G5 comes with optical digital audio in and out ports use the S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) protocol over Toslink cables for connecting to devices such as decks, receivers, digital instruments and even 5.1 surround-sound speaker systems. Because S/PDIF is an optical signal � a beam of light � you won't get any ground loop interference caused by copper wiring. The reports: are also analog stereo audio line in and line out ports, and a handy minijack on the front panel that makes it easy to plug in headphones.
To cool all this power, there are four independently controlled thermal zones compartmentalizing the primary heat-producing components � processor, PCI, storage and power supply for advanced airflow management, with fans in each zone (a total of nine, seven of which spin at very low speeds for minimum acoustic output) that are individually controlled based on a combination of thermal and power monitoring. Using 21 different sensors, Mac OS X constantly monitors component temperatures and power consumption in each zone, dynamically adjusting individual fan speeds for the quietest possible operation. Each of the dual-processor machines' two chips is cooled independently, and the system can increase or decrease the temperature of a single zone without affecting the others. The dual 2.7GHz systems also include a closed-loop liquid cooling system that draws away heat quietly and efficiently.
As before, the Power Mac G5's side panel unlatches quickly and easily. The Power Mac G5 can hold two internal Serial ATA drives that support 1.5-GBps throughput per channel (equivalent to a 150-MBps data rate to meet the demands of digital video editing, 3D modeling and other data-intensive applications, Serial ATA is the industry-standard storage interface that replaces the typical (a.k.a. Parallel) ATA interface. Since each Serial ATA drive is on an independent bus, there's no competition for bandwidth as with Parallel ATA. Note that he G5 models have no ATA66/100/133 interface, so you won't be able to transplant hard drives from your older Macs to the G5 or install cheap ATA disks.
The new G5 model lineup shapes up as follows:
The existing 1.8 GHz single processor Power Mac G5 is continued as an entry-level system priced at $1,499.
1.8GHz PowerPC G5
600MHz frontside bus
512K L2 cache
256MB DDR400 SDRAM
Expandable to 4GB SDRAM
80GB Serial ATA
8x SuperDrive
Three PCI Slots
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
64MB DDR video memory
56K internal modem
THe new dual processor machines are:
The Power Mac G5, with a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US), includes:
• Dual 2.0 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5;
• 512MB 400 MHz DDR SDRAM (4GB maximum);
• 160GB Serial ATA 7200 rpm hard drive;
• AGP 8X Pro graphics slot;
• ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB DDR SDRAM;
• 3 PCI slots (64-bit 33MHz); and
• 16X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±R/CD-RW).
The Power Mac G5, with a suggested retail price of $2,499 (US), includes:
• Dual 2.3 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5;
• 512MB 400 MHz DDR SDRAM (8GB maximum);
• 250GB Serial ATA 7200 rpm hard drive;
• AGP 8X Pro graphics slot;
• ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB DDR SDRAM;
• 3 PCI-X slots (one 64-bit 133 MHz, two 64-bit 100 MHz); and
• 16X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±R/CD-RW).
The Power Mac G5, with a suggested retail price of $2,999 (US), includes:
• Dual 2.7 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5;
• 512MB 400 MHz DDR SDRAM (8GB maximum);
• 250GB Serial ATA 7200 rpm hard drive;
• AGP 8X Pro graphics slot;
• ATI Radeon 9650 with 256MB DDR SDRAM and support for one 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display;
• 3 PCI-X slots (one 64-bit 133 MHz, two 64-bit 100 MHz); and
• 16X SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±R/CD-RW).
Build-to-order options include up to 8GB of RAM, 250GB, 400GB and two 400GB Serial ATA hard drives, Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) drive, graphics cards (ATI Radeon 9600, ATI Radeon 9650, and NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL), AirPort Extreme Card, Bluetooth module, internal v.92 56K modem, Apple Fibre Channel PCI-X Card, Apple PCI-X Gigabit Ethernet card and Mac OS X Server version 10.4 "Tiger."
System softwareMac OS X v10.4 "Tiger"
All of the new dual processor Power Mac G5 systems ship with Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger," providing advanced 64-bit support on a desktop system. Tiger has more than 200 new features and innovations including Spotlightâ„¢, a revolutionary desktop search technology that lets users instantly find anything stored on their Mac, including documents, emails, contacts and images; and Dashboard, a new way to instantly access important information like weather forecasts and stock quotes, using a dazzling new class of applications called widgets.
Hardware peripherals:
• Apple Keyboard
• Apple Mouse
• USB keyboard extension cable
• DVI to VGA adapter
• AirPort antenna
• Power cord
• Modem cable (single 1.8GHz system only)
• Backup/installer DVDs
• Printed and electronic documentation
Appendix - Technical Specifications
• Single 1.8GHz, dual 2.0GHz, dual 2.3GHz or dual 2.7GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5 microprocessors
• PowerPC processor architecture with 64-bit data paths and registers
• Native support for 32-bit application code
• 512K on-chip L2 cache running at processor speed
• Parallel data structure supporting up to 215 simultaneous in-flight instructions
• Simultaneous issue of up to 10 out-of-order operations
• Dual-pipeline Velocity Engine for 128-bit single-instruction, multiple-data (SIMD) processing
• Two independent double-precision floating-point units
• Advanced three-stage branch-prediction logic
• One 600MHz or two 1GHz, 1.15GHz or 1.35GHz 64-bit DDR frontside busses supporting up to 21.6 GBps data throughput
• Point-to-point system controller
Memory
• 128-bit data paths for up to 6.4-GBps memory throughput
• Single 1.8GHz system:
- 256MB of PC3200 (400MHz) DDR SDRAM
- Four DIMM slots supporting up to 4GB of main memory
• Dual 2.0GHz system:
- 512MB of PC3200 (400MHz) DDR SDRAM
- Four DIMM slots supporting up to 4GB of main memory
• Dual 2.3GHz and dual 2.7GHz systems:
- 512MB of PC3200 (400MHz) DDR SDRAM
- Eight DIMM slots supporting up to 8GB of main memory
• Support for the following DIMMs (in pairs):
- 128MB DIMMs (64-bit-wide, 128- or 256-Mbit)
- 256MB DIMMs (64-bit-wide, 128- or 256-Mbit)
- 512MB DIMMs (64-bit-wide, 256-Mbit)
- 1GB DIMMs (64-bit-wide, 256-Mbit)
Graphics and displays
• AGP 8X Pro graphics slot supporting up to 2-GBps data throughput, with one of the following graphics cards installed:
- NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64MB DDR SDRAM, one single-link DVI port and ADC port (single 1.8GHz system only)
- ATI Radeon 9600 XT with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, two single-link DVI ports and ADC port (single 1.8GHz system only)
- ATI Radeon 9600 with 128MB of DDR SDRAM, two single-link DVI ports (dual-processor systems only)
- ATI Radeon 9650 with 256MB of DDR SDRAM, one DVI port and one dual-link DVI port (dual-processor systems only)
- NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL with 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM, two dual-link DVI ports (build-to-order option; occupies AGP slot and adjacent PCI slot)
• Built-in support for digital resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 pixels. The ATI Radeon 9650 or NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card is required to power the 2560 x 1600-pixel resolution of the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays. An NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card is required to power two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays.
• Support for analog resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 pixels
• Dual display support for extended desktop and video mirroring modes
• Support for up to two Apple Cinema Displays(2)
Storage
• Two 3.5-inch hard drive bays, each with a 150MBps Serial ATA controller; with the following hard drive options:
- 1 80GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA; 8MB memory buffer (1) (single 1.8GHz system only)
- 1 160GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA; 8MB memory buffer(1)
- 1 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA; 8MB memory buffer(1)
- 2 250GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA; 8MB memory buffer (single 1.8GHz system only)
- 1 or 2 400GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA; 8MB memory buffer(1) (dual-processor systems only)
• Single 1.8GHz system:
- Optical drive bay with 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) installed; writes DVD-R discs at up to 8x speed, reads DVDs at up to 10x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 10x speed, reads CDs at up to 32x speed
• Dual 2.0GHz, dual 2.3GHz and 2.7GHz systems:
- Optical drive bay with 16x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) installed; writes DVD-R discs at 16x speed, writes DVD+R DL discs at up to 4x speed, reads DVDs at up to 16x speed, writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at up to 24x speed and reads CDs at up to 32x speed.
PCI expansion
• Single 1.8GHz and dual 2.0GHz systems:
- Three open full-length 33MHz, 64-bit PCI slots
• Dual 2.3GHz and dual 2.7GHz systems:
- One open full-length 133MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slot and two open full-length 100MHz, 64-bit PCI-X slots
Communications
• 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45)
• Optional 56K V.92 modem (RJ-11) (3)
• Expansion slot for optional 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme Card (based on IEEE 802.11g specification; 802.11b Wi-Fi certified) (4)
• External AirPort Extreme antenna
• Optional internal Bluetooth module and antenna
Peripherals and audio
• One FireWire 800 port and two FireWire 400 ports (one on front panel, 15W total power)
• Three USB 2.0 ports (one on front panel), two USB 1.1 ports on keyboard
• Front headphone minijack and speaker
• Optical digital audio input and output Toslink connectors
• Analog audio input and output minijacks
Electrical and environmental requirements
• Meets ENERGY STAR requirements
• Line voltage: 100-125V AC or 200-240V AC
• Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz, single phase
• Maximum current: 6.5A (low-voltage range) or 7.5A (high-voltage range)
• Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
• Storage temperature: -40° to 116° F (-40° to 47° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Maximum altitude: 10,000 feet
Size and weight
• Height: 20.1 inches (51.1 cm)
• Width: 8.1 inches (20.6 cm)
• Depth: 18.7 inches (47.5 cm)
• Weight: Single-processor configuration, 36 pounds (16.4 kg); dual-processor configuration, 44.4 pounds (20.2 kg) (5)
1. 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.
2. Second Apple flat-panel display may require ADC to DVI Adapter, sold separately. Connecting two 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Displays requires NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL graphics card.
3. Actual rates will vary. Modem standard on single 1.8GHz systems and optional on dual-processor systems.
4. Wireless Internet access requires AirPort Extreme Card, wireless access point and Internet access (fees may apply). Achieving data rates up to 54 Mbps requires that all users have an AirPort Extreme Card and connect to an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express Base Station. Some ISPs are not compatible with AirPort. Range may vary with site conditions.
5. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
• Internet access requires a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply. Product contains electronic documentation. Backup copy of software is included.
Charles W. Moore
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