Apple Power Macintosh G5 1.6 (PCI) Specs
Identifiers: Power Mac G5 - M9020LL/A - PowerMac7,2 - A1047 - 1969
All Power Macintosh G5 Models | All 2003 Models | Dynamically Compare This Mac to Others
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The Apple Power Macintosh G5/1.6, along with the Power Macintosh G5/1.8 and Power Macintosh G5 2.0 DP, is a member of the first Mac series to use the 64-bit PowerPC 970 (G5) processor, and consequently are arguably the first "desktop" computers to use 64-bit chips. In addition to higher clock speeds, the PowerPC 970 (G5) has a "new execution core that features massively parallel computation for an unprecedented 215 in-flight instructions", and the Power Macintosh G5 uses a new system architecture as well. Together this combination results in major speed gains compared to earlier Apple systems.
The Power Macintosh G5/1.6 features a 1.6 GHz PowerPC 970 (G5) processor with an optimized AltiVec "Velocity Engine" vector processing unit, and 512k level 2 on-chip cache, and shipped configured with 256 MB of 333 MHz PC2700 DDR SDRAM, an 80.0 GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive, a 4X DVD-R/CD-RW "SuperDrive", and a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (AGP 8X Pro) video card with 64 MB of DDR SDRAM. In addition to including FireWire "400" and "800", ADC, DVI, support for AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth 1.1, the Power Macintosh G5 also introduces USB 2.0 (on the Mac) and optical digital audio in/out.
On first glance, the case looks similar to the case introduced with the "Blue & White" Power Macintosh G3 series crossed with a postmodern cheese grater, but it is actually a completely different design. The "anodized aluminum alloy" Power Macintosh G5 case is divided into four different thermal zones with nine computer-controlled fans for optimum cooling, and features a removable side panel for easy access to internal components. Custom configurations also were available.
Also see: What are the primary differences between the original Power Mac G5 models?
Despite the age of this system, site sponsor Other World Computing has RAM, hard drives, SSDs, and other upgrades available for this specific Mac while supplies last.
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| Introduction Date: |
June 23, 2003 |
Discontinued Date: |
June 9, 2004 |
| Details: |
The "Introduction Date" refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The "Discontinued Date" refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended.
Also see: All Macs introduced in 2003. |
| Processors: |
1 |
Geekbench 2: |
918 |
| Details: |
When last updated, Geekbench 2 only provided sufficient 32-bit performance data for this model. These numbers reflect an average of user provided 32-bit and 64-bit results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.
You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit Geekbench 2 user submissions for Macs with the PowerMac7,2 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.
To dynamically compare Geekbench results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison. |
| Processor Speed: |
1.6 GHz |
Processor Type: |
PowerPC 970 (G5) |
| Details: |
The PowerPC 970 "G5" has 64-bit data paths and registers with native support for 32-bit application code. Apple also reports that it includes a "parallel data structure supporting up to 215 simultaneous in-flight instructions, [and] simultaneous issue of up to 10 out-of-order operations." It likewise has a "dual-pipeline Velocity Engine for 128-bit single-instruction, multiple-data (SIMD) processing, two independent double-precision floating-point units, [and] advanced three-stage branch-prediction logic."
Also see: How fast are dual processor Power Mac G5 models compared to earlier ones? |
| Processor Upgrade: |
G5 Daughtercard |
FPU: |
Integrated |
| Details: |
The Power Macintosh G5 models have the processor mounted on a custom 300-pin daughtercard, but it is not feasible to upgrade the processor.
Also see: Is the CPU on the Power Mac G5 upgradable? How is it mounted? |
| System Bus Speed: |
800 MHz (2:1) |
Cache Bus Speed: |
1.6 GHz (Built-in) |
| Details: |
Apple notes that the system has a "64-bit DDR frontside bus supporting up to 8-GBps data throughput". |
| ROM/Firmware Type: |
Open Firmware |
ROM/Firmware Size: |
1 MB |
| Details: |
Boot ROM and around 1 MB, other instructions are loaded into RAM (NewWorld). |
| L1 Cache: |
32k/64k |
L2/L3 Cache: |
512k |
| Details: |
32k level 1 data cache, 64k level 1 instructional cache. The 512k on-chip level 2 cache runs at processor speed. |
| RAM Type: |
PC2700 DDR |
Min. RAM Speed: |
333 MHz |
| Details: |
Supports 333 MHz PC2700 DDR SDRAM.
Also see: How do you upgrade the RAM in the Power Mac G5 models? |
| Standard RAM: |
256 MB |
Maximum RAM: |
4 GB |
| Motherboard RAM: |
None |
RAM Slots: |
4 |
| Details: |
Apple notes that the memory system features "128-bit data paths for up to 6.4-GBps memory throughput".
Also see: 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? |
| Video Card: |
GeForce FX 5200 Ultra |
VRAM Type: |
DDR SDRAM |
| Details: |
The NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra with 64 MB of DDR SDRAM occupies an 8X AGP Pro slot.
Also see: What graphics cards are provided by the Power Mac G5? Which have ADC ports and which have DVI ports? |
| Standard VRAM: |
64 MB |
Maximum VRAM: |
64 MB |
| Details: |
Other graphics cards could be pre-installed at the time of purchase or installed later. |
| Display Support: |
Dual Displays |
Resolution Support: |
1920x1200 |
| Details: |
Apple advertised that this system can support "digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels" and "analog resolutions up to 1600 by 1200 pixels" with the pre-installed NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra. It has ADC and DVI connectors, and a DVI-to-VGA adapter was included. |
| 2nd Display Support: |
Dual/Mirroring |
2nd Max. Resolution: |
1920x1200 |
| Details: |
Supporting a second ADC-equipped Apple display at the time of its release required a DVI-to-ADC adapter. Using the system with two DVI displays likewise requires an adapter or a different video card. |
| Standard Storage: |
80 GB HDD |
Std. Storage Speed: |
7200 RPM |
| Storage Dimensions: |
3.5" (26.10 mm) |
Storage Interface: |
Serial ATA (1.5 Gb/s) |
| Details: |
Officially holds two 3.5" hard drives -- drives larger than 128 GB are supported. Not compatible with Ultra ATA drives without an adapter. |
| Standard Optical: |
4X "SuperDrive" |
Standard Disk: |
None |
| Details: |
Apple reports that this 4X DVD-R/CD-RW SuperDrive "writes DVD-R discs at up to 4x speed, reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to16x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 10x speed, [and] reads CDs at up to 32x speed." It uses an Ultra ATA/100 bus.
Also see: What are the capabilities of the "SuperDrive" provided by the Power Mac G5? How do you upgrade or replace the optical drive? |
| Standard Modem: |
56k v.92 |
Standard Ethernet: |
10/100/1000Base-T |
| Details: |
Internal modem and Gigabit Ethernet standard. |
| Standard AirPort: |
802.11b/g (Optional) |
Standard Bluetooth: |
1.1 (Optional) |
| Details: |
Expansion slots for AirPort Extreme (802.11g) card and Bluetooth 1.1 module. Both optional at the time of purchase. |
| USB Ports: |
3 (2.0) |
Firewire Ports: |
2 (400), 1 (800) |
| Details: |
The Power Mac G5 has three USB 2.0 ports on the system (one on the front panel and two on the back), two Firewire "400" ports (one on the front and one on the back), and one Firewire "800" port on the back. Apple also advertised "two USB 1.1 ports on included keyboard". |
| Expansion Slots: |
3 PCI, AP/BL |
Expansion Bays: |
2 3.5", 1 5.25" |
| Details: |
This model has three open full-length 33 MHz, 64-bit PCI slots, an 8X AGP Pro slot that "supports up to 2-GBps data throughput" and is occupied by the graphics card, as well as expansion slots for AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth 1.1.
In the default configuration, one internal 3.5" bay is occupied by a hard drive and one is free, and the single external 5.25" bay is occupied by a "SuperDrive" optical drive.
Also see: 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? |
| Incl. Keyboard: |
Apple Pro Keyboard |
Incl. Input: |
Apple Pro Mouse |
| Details: |
Also included a USB keyboard extension cable. |
| Case Type: |
Tower |
Form Factor: |
Power Mac G5 |
| Apple Order No: |
M9020LL/A |
Apple Subfamily: |
Power Mac G5 |
| Details: |
The Apple order number should be unique to this system. Also see: What are the primary differences between the original Power Mac G5 models? |
| Apple Model No: |
A1047 (EMC 1969) |
Model ID: |
PowerMac7,2 |
| Details: |
Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model.
Also see: All Macs with the A1047 Model Number, the 1969 EMC Number, and the PowerMac7,2 Model Identifier.
For more about these identifiers and how to locate them on each Mac, please refer to EveryMac.com's Mac Identification section. |
| Battery Type: |
3.6V Lithium |
Battery Life: |
N/A |
| Pre-Installed MacOS: |
X 10.2.7 (G5) |
Maximum MacOS: |
X 10.5.8 |
| Details: |
This system cannot run versions of MacOS X more recent than 10.5.8. |
| MacOS 9 Support: |
Classic Mode Only* |
Windows Support: |
Emulation Only |
| Details: |
*This model is capable of using Mac OS 9 applications within the Mac OS X "Classic" environment provided with Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" and lower ("Classic" is not supported starting with Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard"). It cannot boot into Mac OS 9. |
| Dimensions: |
20.1 x 8.1 x 18.7 |
Avg. Weight: |
39.2 lbs. (17.8 kg) |
| Details: |
In inches - height by width by depth, (51.1 cm, 20.6 cm, 47.5 cm). |
| Original Price (US): |
US$1999* |
Est. Current Retail: |
US$50-US$100 |
| Details: |
On November 18, 2003, Apple reduced the price of this model to US$1799.
Please note that on average the estimated current retail pricing of used systems is updated twice a year (please refer to the date on the bottom of the page for the date last updated).
Photo Credit: Apple Computer. |
Ten of the most popular Q&As about the Power Macintosh G5 models follow.
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2 (ADC/DVI) 
None 
None 
None 
None
None
3 (2.0)
2 (400), 1 (800)
1 (RJ-45)
None
None
None
2
2
1
1
N/A
1
N/A