Amazon.com Product Description

Benefiting from a truly impressive set of technological breakthroughs, Apple's new Power Mac G5 series is designed for discriminating individuals who simply won't settle for anything less than the very best. This model, the Apple Power Mac G5 M9020LL/A, delivers many of the features of the stunning top-of-the-line dual-CPU Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A (hailed as the fastest personal computer ever released) but with less power and memory, a smaller hard drive and a substantially reduced price tag.

Driven by a 1.6 GHz Power PC G5 processor, 256 MB PC2700 (333MHz) memory (expandable to a gargantuan 4 GB), and an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics card with 64 MB DDR SDRAM video memory, the Power Mac G5 M9020LL/A certainly seems impressive. But those figures only begin to tell the story. For its latest series of high-end desktops, Apple teamed with IBM to redesign its leading edge CPU architecture. Accordingly, this system features two very important innovations -- an extremely fast 800 MHz frontside bus and the world's first 64-bit processor. These are critical advancements that not only boost the top-end speed but also prevent bottlenecks along the way.

Yet there's more than raw power lurking inside the Power Mac G5's futuristic anodized aluminum case. For starters, Apple has compartmentalized the unit into four independent sections to direct appropriate airflow to each key component. A total of nine fans work to keep things cool, yet all are extremely low-speed. Thusly the Power Mac G5 M9020LL/A runs three times quieter than the previous Power Mac G4 enclosure.

Apple has loaded the unit with data handling features, including a large 80 GB 7200 RPM hard disk and a DVD-R/CD-RW combo drive (4X DVD write speed) through which you can archive information, play and burn audio CDs, enjoy the latest movies and record home videos. To help you transfer data to and from external peripherals such as optical drives and digital camcorders and cameras, the system also sports two high-speed FireWire 400 ports, one ultra-fast FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports and two USB 1.1 ports.

Other significant amenities include a convenient Apple Pro keyboard, an Apple Pro mouse, three available high-performance PCI-X slots for future expansion, and a broad array of multimedia and Internet software. Connectivity facilities include an integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port, a built-in 56K modem, and AirPort Extreme wireless support (with an AirPort Extreme card). Speakers and display are available separately. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Apple G5 is an excellent computer
The Apple G5 is an excellent computer which doesn't have any of the problems on the Windows/PC platform, namely Microsoft Viruses, Trojans and Worms.

Someone did label the Apple G5 as the "Ferrari of Computing", an apt description.

Amazing
This is a great computer! Whether or not it's the fastest is debatable... however It is fast enough! The reason's to buy apple are that they are more reliable computers that they are fast and have a great OS. I mean sure microsoft has a lot of apps that aren't compatible with mac but at least my computer doesnt crash every 10 minutes. i also am proud to not support the unfair busienness practice of microsoft that and microsoft is a flaming P.O.S!!

Mac g5 is the way of the future
a seemless system. I'm sure ther are some windows fans who honestly believe that a window machine and all the stability that is sacraficed is the best but once you truly get to know this machine you will never be able to go back to the countless crashes, poor functionality, joke of a plug n' play windows world. Buy some extra ram to eally start seeing the speed of this machine. It takes a lot more ram than most people are used to installing and once there is more in the machine the obvious superiorty of UNIX and Mac become apparent.

The G5 does not support Virtual PC
The G5 does not support Virtual PC. If you want to run dual operating systems, do not buy this computer!

SGI V MAC
I have had a chance to use both PC, Mac and SGI . I have done 3D Animation on all 3. SGI is the best of the group. If you want a PC with power and very few crashes you should run AMD with linux.I can not recomned a Mac. It has made false clamis of performance it is not as fast
as AMD 64 or as fast as SGI. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Review

Early Adopters Pick: June 2003 The world's fastest personal computer and the first with a 64-bit processor -- which means it breaks the 4 GB barrier and can use up to 8 GB of main memory.

Hailed as the fastest personal computer ever released and featuring a truly remarkable set of technological breakthroughs, Apple's Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A is clearly designed for discriminating individuals who simply won't settle for anything less than the very best. For extreme performance and unrelenting power, this, the top of the line Power Mac G5 model, is as good as it gets.

Driven by not one but two 2 GHz Power PC G5 processors, 512 MB ultra-fast PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory per processor (expandable to a gargantuan 8 GB!), and an ATI RADEON 9600 Pro graphics card with 64 MB DDR SDRAM video memory, the Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A certainly seems impressive. But those figures only begin to tell the story. For its latest desktop, Apple teamed with IBM to redesign its leading-edge CPU architecture. Accordingly, the new Power PC G5 is the world's first 64-bit processor. With two of these 2 GB powerhouses running in tandem -- each sporting an industry-leading 1 GHz frontside bus -- the Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A delivers nearly double the throughout of a single 3 GHz Pentium 4-based machine and, according to Apple, runs standard Photoshop tests at 2.2 times the speed of a single 3 GHz Pentium.

But there's more than raw power lurking inside the futuristic anodized aluminum case. For starters, Apple has compartmentalized the unit into four independent sections to direct appropriate airflow to each key component. A total of nine fans work to keep things cool, yet all are extremely low-speed. Thusly the Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A runs three times quieter than the previous Power Mac G4 enclosure.

Apple has loaded the unit with data handling features, including a monstrous 160 GB 7200 RPM hard disk and a DVD-R/CD-RW combo drive (4X DVD write speed) through which you can archive information, play and burn audio CDs, enjoy the latest movies and record home videos. To help you transfer data to and from external peripherals such as optical drives and digital camcorders and cameras, the system also sports two high-speed FireWire 400 ports, one ultra-fast FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports and two USB 1.1 ports.

Other key amenities include a convenient Apple Pro keyboard, an Apple Pro mouse, three available high-performance PCI-X slots for future expansion, and a broad array of multimedia and Internet software. Connectivity facilities include an integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port, a built-in 56K modem, and AirPort Extreme wireless support (with an AirPort Extreme card). Speakers and display are available separately. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Video Card a Minor Problem at Best
I've been a PC user since the good old days of the soldering iron, my last mac was an old powerbook running OS 6 or 7, either way - it was a long time ago. The main thing thats been keeping me from getting a Mac was price, and I must say - it's getting a lot better. I bought the dual 2.0Ghz configuration from the apple store along with the new 20" LCD (that still hasn't shipped ~_~) and it rocks. The biggest problem people have mentioned on the various reviews is the 64mb card - if it means that much to you, go to the Apple Store on their site and configure your own system with a 9800 or an x800 or a different 9600 if you'd like. I got a 9800 personally. I don't understand how anyone can claim a PC runs faster than this, perhaps with video games but for standard use (this coming from a person to whome standard refers to compiling java) its much better.

Fantastic machine
The guy who is obviously dumping on Apple and the G5 to get his jollies needs to go elsewhere. I'm quite sure he knows nothing about Macs or Apple. The hardware on this Mac blows Intel out of the water and it's OS blows XP away. Early reviews before the latest version of OS X called "Panther" showed slower results than the new version of the OS which is designed for the G5 and is much faster. For the guy who gave it one star because it doesn't run Virtual PC all I can say is Puh-lease. First of all that is no reason to give it one star plus it is not true that the G5 can only run one OS it can also run multiple versions of Linux. Finally there IS a new version of Virtual PC coming out soon that will run on the G5.

Clear and full understanding
To complain about prices or chosen base graphics card is ridiculous. If you want to compare this product with a custom made computer... CUSTOM ADD SOME STUFF TO IT! The price of PC3200 memory is exactly the same for this as for a P4 system. Find 512MB sticks for 115 bucks each and then pop 8 in. Presto, 4 gigs for 900 bucks (AN ABSOLUTE BARGAIN!)It would cost more than twice that on a Dell (Dell=gag!).

I actually appreciate the barebones nature of this machine, it allowed me to save money by pricewatching my memory instead of paying the out of box price. Try maxing out a Sony PC, or even a Dell out of the box, its way more money than if you just pop in some yourself.

Compare this beauty to a Sony desktop, its every bit as slick and its actually usefully slick instead of just shiny to get you to pay more money. And seriosly, PC gamers are ruining the whole idea of computers as powerful tools, and Microsoft is doing a glorios job at promoting this. Win XP is THE video game platform for all the twenty somethings that should really just grow up. Big video graphics cards aren't even used by Windows except in games, OS X panther uses video hardware every chance it gets and enhances productivity. This machine is for work for Pete's sake, look at the price tag. If you're using this primarily for games, you simply have no respect for your dollar. Plain and simple.

About OS X, I would pay 200-400 dollars extra just for this operating system. It is actually worth money to me, VS Win XP which is a dime a dozen. If the speed were the same or slower i would still want Panther, it is quite simply DESIRABLE. It makes me want to work, and it definitely promotes creativity. My PC is like creating inside a prison cell. Panther is like a summer cabin.

Compare this to any similarly priced PC out of the box and you would see that there is little comparison. Compare this to a custom made PC, and you would have to admit that the case and cooling alone would have a market value of 400 bucks. Buy it barebones and add stuff if you're concerned about the bang for your buck. It's simply right for professionals to be open about these machines, Apple doesn't reverse engineer like Microsoft does... it actually comes up with things, and makes using a computer interesting again.

Sure it's fast, but do you want a Boeing 747 in your room?
On Apple's web site it says "Designed for whisper-quiet operation." Well, *maybe* it is *designed* for it. But it doesn't *achieve* it. This thing is loud! I'd like to know if anyone with the 2.5GHz model knows whether that is quieter, because maybe that is what I should buy instead. The 2.0 GHz model is one loud puppy, the fan noise is easily as lound as some servers at my office.

Even pros don't see the vaulue anymore
I have been a Mac afficianado for 20 years and owned or useed at least 20 models professionally. I know I will get a low "helpful" rating on this review, but I suspect professionals and some people who really understand where Mac has failed will agree.

In my current firm, which is quite leading edge, we are now at about 75% pc based machines. The more experienced the designer, the more likely they are to have thrown in the towel on MAC. The fact is that for a given amount of money to spend on a system: $2,000; $2,500; $3000; $4,000, you name it, less or more, MAC is will deliver less performance, less upgradablity, and as anyone who has used panther (os x) knows (and this is incredible)...less stability.

One example of how Apple has decided to treat us like fools is to equip this machine (and in the advertising copy breathless brag!) with 64 meg vidio card. Doesn't that say it all?

I have spent years advocating Macs. All of us Apple fans have a hard time admitting it, but the truth is the entire G5 line is an overpriced insult.

Price out what you will get in a pc for $3000, or even the $2600 you get this machine with the academic discount which you can get if you have a third cousin in grammer school (another insult is fixed pricing vs the "academic discount" option which rewards all apple buyers for lying).

Look at the independent benchmarks (not the skewed ones where apple or its "friendly reviews have made with crippled win- pc's), compare them for the same money, Apple isn't slightly slower, it is way slower across the board. Don't even get me to start on the prices Apple charges for memory (the 1.8 dual comes with 256, that is just laughable, and here we have a $3,000 machine with only 512!!!). I mean it is gouging that is shameless. Now look at the apple cinema displays. 50% more money for what eveyone knows are the lowest spec displays on the market. they won't even publish the refresh rates .. and we know why. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Billed by Apple as "a breakthrough in desktop processing power", the new dual CPU Power Mac G5 series represents the state of the art in Apple desktop technology and is clearly designed for discriminating individuals who simply won't settle for anything less than the very best. This model, the Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9393LL/A, offers many of the benefits of the extraordinary top-of-the-line Power Mac G5 Desktop M9032LL/A, but with slightly slower processing and graphics power and a substantially more affordable price point.

Driven by not one but two 1.8 GHz Power PC G5 processors (each operating at 64-bit rather than the industry standard 32-bit), 512 MB ultra-fast PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory per processor (expandable to a gargantuan 8 GB!), a sizzling 900 MHz frontside bus, and a 64 MB nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics card, the Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A certainly seems impressive. Moreover, the dual-CPU architecture of this unit is far superior to the model it replaces, the single-CPU 1.8 GHz Power Mac G5 M9031LL/A.

But there's more than raw power lurking inside the system's futuristic anodized aluminum case. For starters, Apple has comparentalized the unit into four independent sections to direct appropriate airflow to each key component. A total of nine fans work to keep things cool, yet all are efficiently low-speed. Thusly the Power Mac G5 Desktop M9393LL/A runs quieter and cooler than many of its competitors.

Apple has loaded the unit with data handling features, including a monstrous 160 GB 7200 RPM hard disk and a DVD-R/CD-RW combo drive (4X DVD write speed) through which you can archive information, play and burn audio CDs, enjoy the latest movies and record home videos. To help you transfer data to and from external peripherals such as optical drives and digital camcorders and cameras, the system also sports one ultra-fast FireWire 800 port (currently not found on standard PCs), two FireWire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 1.1 ports, and a comprehensive range of audio and video ins and outs.

Other key amenities include a convenient Apple keyboard, an Apple mouse, a broad array of multimedia and Internet software, and oodles of interior space for future expansion. Connectivity facilities include an integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet port, a built-in 56K modem, and AirPort Extreme wireless support (with an AirPort Extreme card). Speakers and display are available separately. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

First time Mac owner
This is my first Mac after owning PC's for almost 20 years. (my first PC was an AT&T 8088 processor). Although I choked on the price, I was very excited at what I beleived Mac had to offer -- primarily an integrated operating system that many said would never crash. I'm impressed with the design, styling and the ease and speed of the digital storage and editing (both still and video). I was pleasantly surprised at the ease at which I was able to convert my PC Quicken files as I had read this was a disaster. However, I am VERY disappointed in the stability of the OS (10.3.2). I routinely freeze the machine and when I put the G5 to sleep, it will "wake up" will all fans going at full speed. I have made four calls to apple customer service and although they have been pleasant and patient, the problem persists. (also, the support hours are a joke if you live on the west coast and have a job).
In summary, it is fun but over priced vs. a PC -- and I'm not convinced I made the right choice (although my teenage daughter loves the small G4 Powerbook). DEFINITELY purchase the extended producct support. (AppleCare Protection Plan)

Excellent computer
First of all, this is an excellent computer-fast, nice to look at, excellent OS, and enjoyable to work with. Definitely worth the price (and if you configure a SIMILAR PC on the Wintel side, you'll obtain an excellent price/performance ratio)

Secondly, the pure conjecture and shallowness of some of the statements made on these reviews, namely the performance of Adobe apps, the migration of users to the PC side as exhibited by the dropping Mac sales of certain apps, etc is not helpful and quite frankly false. Adobe quit producing some Mac apps, but also just put out one of the best suites on either platform- Adobe CS, which is optimized for the G4 and G5. You can search for "benchmarks" until your blue in the face, and you will find some in your favor. But even an exec at Adobe recently quipped that the G5 is the best and fastest platform for Adobe products (search macnn.com or one of those sites)

Also, don't forget that Apple has developed a market leading crop of professional software as well, including the award winning Final Cut Pro (which has probably accounted for some of the "drop in Adobe market share" that was spoken of earlier). Take a gander at their website for more info.

The only ding that I give the G5 is the wake from sleep issue. This is an issue that has affected both the Wintel side and the Mac side, and although I have not been hampered by this issue personally, it seems to be a significant blemish among the Mac community. The latest OS update (10.3.4) fixed the issue for many users though.

Keep an eye on other Apple technologies as well, including Firewire (now a wireless spec) and how that may influence your workflow and efficiency.

G5 Freezes
This was my first mac. Panther is great, and I enjoy working on it. BUT, this machine crashes at least once a day. The screen freezes, and I can move the mouse, but that's it. You have to reboot.
If not for this problem, the G5 is a 5 star product, but this problem makes the machine nearly useless. Definetly not worth the price.
Just to see how common this problem is, visit Apple's very own G5 forum:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?14@213.KrVuaQFonuz.1@.688d6eb8

Incredible slow for the price
Firstly, I might get low "helpfullness" scores on this as Mac owners are a brand loyal bunch, and God bless us for it.

I have owned Macs and PCs, and used both extensively in different work environments for design work, namely Photoshop, Quark and Illustrator.

There is just no question in the world that, today, PC platforms offer the same or better speed on these applications for seriously less money. I have benchmarked professional Photoshop and Quark work and my $2400 g5 dual 1.8 is slower than our $1200 3gmhz Dell. (Don't confuse g5 with 5g, LOL)

I won't even go into what Apple thinks it is doing offering a 64 mg video card on a high end machine. If you look at the price of their better cards, upgrading through them at purchase means you essentially get no allowance for not taking the original card. And what they think they are doing charging 2.5 times as much for memory upgrades (and lets face it this machine is a DOG with less than one gig.)!

More stable operating system? No such luck. Wxperienced users will tell you the new OX is suprisingly crash prone. Ok then, Macs handle fonts better? nope. Worse than a PC.

Again, I have loved Macs. But ask youself this.: Why are professional desingers steadily and increasingly moving away and to PCs? Just look at Adobe and Quark's sales. Their highest end productsx which are used by the pros, are being sold in an increasingly large proportion in PC format. Indeed the majority. It is no accident.

Look at the various apple forums. Over the years the participants are clearly less experienced. The people who want the leading edge in computing abandoned the Mac (or visa versa) long ago. You see people talking about the "look" of the machine. The machine goes under your desk. With just part of the money you save buying an even more capable PC machine you can put a very sexy 20" lcd. (Want an example of gouging...look at MAC's lcd prices and tell me if ANY experiinced buyer would touch them. The casing look nice enough, sure, but they are twice the price and have some of the lowest refresh, brightness and contrast ratings on the market!

Below expectations
Yes, It works better than a G4 but it is heavy and HUGE. I had great expectations but am sorely disappointed. I am now using one at work and the 10.3.3 finder is still a dirty dog. Slow and clunky. Problems with sleep and shutdown. Crashes with Quark. And the font issues are disgusting!

Photoshop still runs 5x faster on my Dell M60 Laptop workstation with 2 gigs of ram and 128 meg video card. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Benefiting from a truly impressive set of technological breakthroughs, Apple's new Power Mac G5 series is designed for discriminating individuals who simply won't settle for anything less than the very best. This model, the Power Mac G5 M9031LL/A, delivers many of the features of the stunning top-of-the-line dual-CPU Power Mac G5 M9032LL/A (hailed as the fastest personal computer ever released) but with reduced power and a more affordable price tag.

Driven by a 1.8 GHz Power PC G5 processor, 512 MB ultra-fast PC3200 DDR SDRAM memory (expandable to a gargantuan 8 GB!), and an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics card with 64 MB DDR SDRAM video memory, the Power Mac G5 M9031LL/A certainly seems impressive. But those figures only begin to tell the story. For its latest series of high-end desktops, Apple teamed with IBM to redesign its leading edge CPU architecture. Accordingly, this system features two very important innovations -- an extremely fast 900 MHz frontside bus and the world's first 64-bit processor. These are critical advancements that not only boost the top-end speed but also prevent bottlenecks along the way.

Yet there's more than raw power lurking inside the Power Mac G5's futuristic anodized aluminum case. For starters, Apple has compartmentalized the unit into four independent sections to direct appropriate airflow to each key component. A total of nine fans work to keep things cool, yet all are extremely low-speed. Thusly the Power Mac G5 M9031LL/A runs three times quieter than the previous Power Mac G4 enclosure.

Apple has loaded the unit with data handling features, including a monstrous 160 GB 7200 RPM hard disk and a DVD-R/CD-RW combo drive (4X DVD write speed) through which you can archive information, play and burn audio CDs, enjoy the latest movies and record home videos. To help you transfer data to and from external peripherals such as optical drives and digital camcorders and cameras, the system also sports two high-speed FireWire 400 ports, one ultra-fast FireWire 800 port, three USB 2.0 ports and two USB 1.1 ports.

Other significant amenities include a convenient Apple Pro keyboard, an Apple Pro mouse, three available high-performance PCI-X slots for future expansion, and a broad array of multimedia and Internet software. Connectivity facilities include an integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port, a built-in 56K modem, and AirPort Extreme wireless support (with an AirPort Extreme card). Speakers and display are available separately. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Some People don't deserve quality!
Based on the review "Lame Duck" I think that the writer is a "Lame Brain".. I have operated a small business for the past 12 years with nearly all Mac's, and have never needed to take a Mac to a service technician.. This new G5 is the fastest and easiest machine to use yet.. For the record, we still have a 10 year old Quad 610 Mac for accounting that has never needed service, aside for adding some memory and a larger hard drive which any 4th grader could do..

The office presently has 5 Mac's and one Windows XP machine.. The Windows machine which is only handling faxes and UPS software requires more maintenance restarts to keep it working than all the Mac's combined! We have one Mac that is 3 years old, that we use as a server for all the sales machines.. It runs 24-7, and has not been turned off for the past 6 months, and then only because we needed to move it, and blow out a hand full of dust.. Frankly I am in business to sell other products, and can't afford to be bothered with the high maintenance required by the popular neighborhood machines.. Perhaps the writer of "Lame Duck" should actually try a Mac..

Outstanding performance with no compromises
I've been running my 1.8 Ghz G5 24/7 for about a month now. It serves as my primary work machine and as a database-driven webserver. It also serves as a wireless basestation, sharing it's ethernet connection to the net wirelessly. It has performed flawlessly and quickly since the beginning. I have only ever needed to restart it after updating system software.

I have 1.5 GB of RAM, which really opens the throttle. It is quiet, too, which makes working in the office a pleasure. You won't be disappointed.

Softimage and other top companies drop mac os!
Aplle has lost both battle and the war to Linux and Windows!

Add $130 to your price...
Note that this model ships with the 10.2 version of the OS rather than the latest (and much improved) 10.3 version. There's no upgrade. You'll probably want to buy the full version of the OS (retail $129).

Otherwise an impressive, quiet machine.

The G5 does not support Virtual PC
The G5 does not support Virtual PC. If you want to run dual operating systems, do not buy this computer! I'm stuck running two computers now. ... Read more