“Wicked fast” is the phrase that best summarizes the breakthrough performance of the Power Mac G4 – the first personal computer classified as munitions and under export restriction because of its power. Offering up to twice the performance of the Power Mac G3 and three times the power of a Pentium III at the same clock […]
Tag Archives: Power Mac
The Power Mac 6500 replaced the slower 6400 and uses the same tower configuration. It was available in 225 MHz to 300 MHz configurations.
The Power Mac 5500 was the second PCI-bus Power Mac with an integrated monitor; it replaced the slower 5400. It shipped in 225, 250, and 275 MHz versions. Xemplar distributed a 225 MHz educational version in the UK as the Power Macintosh One. A black 275 MHz “Director’s Edition” was available in Australia. The 5500 was […]
The Power Mac 9600 was the last Mac with six PCI expansion slots. It also has 12 memory sockets and no onboard video, so one PCI slot must be occupied by a video card. It shipped from the factory with an ixMicro TwinTurbo video card especially adapted for Apple.
Although it uses the same cleverly designed case as the Power Mac 9600, the 8600 was a less costly, less expandable machine. It has 8 DIMM sockets for memory, four less than the 9600, and three PCI slots, down from six in the 9600.
The Power Mac 7300 is pretty much the same computer as the 7600, except that it has a faster CPU and a special cover that makes it harder to dismantle the case (important in settings where users might steal memory, drives, etc.).
The Power Mac 4400 (7220 in Australia) was Apple’s attempt to build an inexpensive Mac using more industry standard components, such as a chunky PC-like case. It was also available in a PC Compatible system with a 166 MHz DOS card with a 133 MHz Cyrix PR166+ 6×86 CPU (80486 class) and 16 MB RAM.
The 6400 replaced the Performa 6360 and used a new tower configuration. It was available in 180 MHz and 200 MHz configurations. The neatest feature: a built-in subwoofer for very rich sound.
The Performa 6360 replaced the 6320‘s 120 MHz 603e with a 160 MHz 603e CPU. Fortunately, it also had an improved motherboard design that overcame the most egregious failings of the Road Apple x200 series.
The 120 MHz Power Mac 6300 and Performa 6320 replaced the 100 MHz Performa 6300‘s 100 MHz 603e CPU with a 120 MHz 603e.
The Power Mac 7600 is identical to the 7500 – except for the processor card. The 7500 shipped with a 100 MHz PowerPC 601 CPU; the 7600 with a 120 MHz or 132 MHz PPC 604 or a 200 MHz 604e.
Essentially a Power Mac 7200 repackaged in Apple’s mini-tower case, the 8200 came in 100 and 120 MHz versions. Because the CPU is not on a daughter card, the only upgrade is replacing the motherboard with one from a Power Mac 8500 and adding a daughter card.
The 5400 was the first PCI-bus Power Mac with an integrated monitor. It was available in black in the UK, the first black desktop Mac since Mac TV.
Using the same case as the Power Mac 8100, the 8500 (a.k.a. 8515) was the first Mac minitower with a replaceable CPU daughter card. Unlike the first generation of Power Macs, the 8500 has PCI slots and uses the PowerPC 604 processor, a significantly improved, second-generation PPC design.
Apple introduced a brand new case design with the Power Mac 7200 and 7500, one with a slide-off cover, an extra internal drive bay (compared to the Power Mac 7100 they replaced), and a flip-up drive/power supply assembly, providing easy access to the motherboard.
The Power Mac 7200 was the entry level second-generation Power Mac, part of the first group of Macs to use the PCI bus instead of older, slower NuBus. Originally produced in 75 MHz and 90 MHz versions (a.k.a. Power Mac 7215/90), the slower model was phased out when the 120 MHz model was introduced in […]
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.
The 75 MHz Power Macintosh 6200 (a.k.a. Performa 6200, 6205, 6210, 6214, 6216, 6218, 6220, and 6230!) was one of the first Macs to use the PowerPC 603 processor. Although the CPU was superior to the older 601, the computer architecture kept performance of the 6200 – and it’s built-in monitor twin, the 5200 – comparable to […]
The Workgroup Server 9150 is the only Workgroup Server for which an equivalent Power Mac model was never released.
The 80 MHz Power Mac 8100 was the fastest Power Mac when Apple introduced the line in March 1994, and it was the only model to ship from the factory with a 256 KB level 2 cache installed.
The 66 MHz 7100 was the middle of the Power Mac line when Apple introduced its first PowerPC models in March 1994. Built into the Quadra 650 case, the 7100 has three NuBus slots and a PDS (processor direct slot).
The 60 MHz Power Mac 6100 was the entry-level Power Mac when Apple introduced its first PowerPC models in March 1994. Built into the Quadra 610 case, the 6100 contains a PDS (processor direct slot) that can be converted to a NuBus slot with an adapter.
