Power Mac 9500

Using the same case as the 9150, the 9500 (a.k.a. 9515) was the first Power Mac tower with a replaceable CPU daughter cards. Unlike the first generations Power Macs, the 9500 had PCI slots and used the PowerPC 604 processor, a significantly improved, second-generation PPC design.

Power Mac 9500 and Mac IIciBYTE magazine (October 1995, p. 123) notes that the 132 MHz PowerPC 604 in the 9500 is 87% faster than a 133 MHz Pentium for integer operations and 72% faster for floating point. Not quite the “twice as fast” we’d see with the G3 when it arrived in 1997, but very respectable performance.

The 9500 was the first Mac available with multiple processors using technology licensed from Daystar.

Details

  • 9500/120 introduced 1995.05.01 at $5,000; discontinued 1996.05.18
  • 9500/132 introduced 1995.05.01; discontinued 1996.07.13
  • 9515/132 introduced 1995.10.02; discontinued
  • 9500/150 introduced 1996.04.04; discontinued 1996.08.03
  • 9500/180MP introduced 1996.08.05; discontinued
  • 9500/200 introduced 1996.08.05; discontinued
  • 120/132 require System 7.5.2 (with System Enabler 701 v.1.0) through 9.1; 150/180MP/200 require System 7.5.3 through 9.1; Mac OS 9.2.x requires a G3 or G4 upgrade
  • CPU: 120-150 MHz PPC 604, 180-200 MHz 604e
  • Bus: 40-50 MHz, controlled by CPU card
  • Performance: varies by processor card
  • 63,721 (132 MHz), 97,561 (200 MHz) Whetstones
  • ROM: 4 MB
  • RAM: 16 MB, expandable to 768 MB using 70ns 168-pin DIMMs (12 sockets), Apple notes “128 MB DIMMs can be used, but have not been tested” – this would bring total RAM to 1.5 GB.
  • Video: requires third-party video card, typically shipped with ixMicro Twin Turbo
  • L2 cache: 512 KB, fixed
  • SCSI bus: internal fast SCSI (to 10 MBps), external SCSI (to 5 MBps)
  • CD-ROM: 4x (8x on 180, 200 MHz models)
  • PCI slots: 6
  • Microphone: standard 3.5mm minijack, compatible with line-level input including Apple’s PlainTalk microphone
  • ADB: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
  • serial: 2 DIN-8 GeoPorts on back of computer
  • SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
  • Ethernet: AAUI and 10Base-T connectors on back of computer
  • upgrade path: CPU daughter card
  • Power supply: 225W
  • Height: 16.9 in
  • Width: 7.7 in
  • Depth: 15.75 in
  • Weight: 28.0 lb
  • PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
  • Gestalt ID: 67

Accelerators & Upgrades

Online Resources

Cautions

  • Apple discontinued support and parts orders for this model on 2001.10.15 (2001.10.22 in Canada), except in California. You may be able to find dealers with parts inventory either locally or on our parts and service list.
  • G3 upgrade cards unstable?, MacWeek

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