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Power Mac G5 Q&A (Power Mac G5 FAQ) @ EveryMac.com
With the Power Mac G5 Q&A you can get answers to all of your Power Mac G5 questions from "What graphics cards are provided by the Power Mac G5? Which have ADC ports and which have DVI ports?" to "How much RAM of what type does the Power Mac G5 support? Which models have four RAM slots and which models have eight RAM slots? How do you upgrade the RAM?" and everything in between.
Please note that the Power Macintosh G5 series was discontinued on August 7, 2006, and the Power Mac G5 Q&A was initially "archived" on December 18, 2006 but new questions have been added and existing ones updated as recently as April 2, 2009.
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The answers to some of these questions may no longer be up-to-date. Please refer to the date published, updated, or revised.
Most Frequently Asked Power Mac G5 Q&As:
What graphics cards are provided by the Power Mac G5? Which have ADC ports and which have DVI ports? What is the maximum supported resolution on a primary and secondary display?
Which Power Mac G5 models have PCI, PCI-X, and PCI Express slots? How many PCI slots of what speed does each Power Mac G5 have? How do you install a PCI card?
How many hard drives of what type are supported in the Power Mac G5? How do you replace the drive or add another one? Are there third-party products to use more drives than are "officially" supported?
What are the primary differences between the "Late 2005" or "Dual Core" Power Mac G5 models?
Is the CPU on the Power Mac G5 upgradable? How is it mounted?
How much RAM of what type does the Power Mac G5 support? Which models have four RAM slots and which models have eight RAM slots? How do you upgrade the RAM?
Can the Power Mac G5 run MacOS 9/Classic applications?
Can you recommend a Power Mac G5 that probably will last another seven or eight years? I have a critical need for MacOS 9/Classic support.
What are the "pros and cons" of the Power Mac G5? Is it right for my needs?
Is the "Quad Core" Power Mac G5 the first Mac with four processors?
Software Compatibility Q&As:
What version of the MacOS is pre-installed on the Power Mac G5?
Can the Power Mac G5 run MacOS 9/Classic applications?
Can the Power Mac G5 run Linux?
Can the Power Mac G5 run Windows?
Comparison Q&As:
What are the primary differences between the original Power Mac G5 models?
What are the primary differences between the "June 2004" Power Mac G5 models?
What are the primary differences between the "Early 2005" Power Mac G5 models?
What are the primary differences between the "Late 2005" or "Dual Core" Power Mac G5 models?
What are the major differences between the Power Mac G5 and the Power Mac G4?
What are the major differences between the Power Mac G5 and the Xserve G5?
What are the major differences between the Power Mac G5 and the Mac Pro?
Performance Q&As:
Is the Power Mac G5 really the first 64-bit personal computer?
What is "Velocity Engine"? What makes Velocity Engine faster?
What does "Dual Core" mean? What does "Quad Core" mean?
Is the "Quad Core" Power Mac G5 the first Mac with four processors?
How fast are dual processor Power Mac G5 models compared to single processor models?
How fast are the "Dual" and "Quad" Core Power Mac G5 models compared to earlier ones?
How fast is the Power Mac G5 series compared to Windows PCs?
Expansion & Upgrade Q&As:
Is the CPU on the Power Mac G5 upgradable? How is it mounted?
How much RAM of what type does the Power Mac G5 support? Which models have four RAM slots and which models have eight RAM slots? How do you upgrade the RAM?
How many hard drives of what type are supported in the Power Mac G5? How do you replace the drive or add another one? Are there third-party products to use more drives than are "officially" supported?
Which Power Mac G5 models have PCI, PCI-X, and PCI Express slots? How many PCI slots of what speed does each Power Mac G5 have? How do you install a PCI card?
What is PCI-X? How is it different from PCI?
What is PCI-Express (PCIe)? How is it different from PCI and PCI-X?
Which Power Mac G5 models use liquid cooling? Which Power Mac G5 models have been reported to have problems with the liquid cooling system?
What are the capabilities of the "SuperDrive" provided by the Power Mac G5? How do you upgrade or replace the optical drive?
What AirPort, Bluetooth, and modem capabilities are provided by the Power Mac G5?
What is AirPort Extreme? How is it different from AirPort?
What is Bluetooth? How much faster is Bluetooth 2.0+EDR?
Graphics, Video, & Audio Q&As:
What graphics cards are provided by the Power Mac G5? Which have ADC ports and which have DVI ports? What is the maximum supported resolution on a primary and secondary display?
What monitors were designed for use with the Power Mac G5?
What is "optical digital audio in/out"? What is SPIDF?
Which Power Mac G5 models have PCI, PCI-X, and PCI Express slots? How many PCI slots of what speed does each Power Mac G5 have?
Design, Configuration, & Purchasing Q&As:
Who designed the Power Mac G5?
Where can I buy a Power Mac G5?
What are the default configurations of the Power Mac G5?
What are the "pros and cons" of the Power Mac G5? Is it right for my needs?
Can you recommend a Power Mac G5 that probably will last another seven or eight years? I have a critical need for MacOS 9/Classic support.
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