Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9032LL/A (Dual 2.0-GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD-R/CD-RW Drive)

by Apple

Product Details

Supplementary Guide [1.88mb PDF]

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Data Sheet [105kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 20 x 12 x 20 inches ; 39.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 58 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000A5R5M
• Item model number: M9032LL/A
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,065 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 23, 2003

Product Description

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.

Product Description

The Apple Power Macintosh G5/2.0 DP (PCI-X), along with the Power Macintosh G5/1.6 and Power Macintosh G5 1.8, 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 G5/2.0 (PCI-X) features dual 2.0 GHz PowerPC 970 (G5) processors each with an optimized AltiVec "Velocity Engine" vector processing unit and 512k level 2 on-chip cache. It shipped configured with 512 MB of 400 MHz PC3200 DDR SDRAM, a 160.0 GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive, a 4X DVD-R/CD-RW "SuperDrive", and an ATI Radeon 9600 Pro (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. Additionally, this model and the mid-range Power Macintosh G5 1.8 introduced PCI-X slots.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Speed Demon, November 21, 2003

By 

Jon Kreisler (New York City, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9032LL/A (Dual 2.0-GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD-R/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

Once again, Apple leads the way. A super-fast, dual processor "flying" machine. Apple certainly has a way of packaging innovation into a box that virtually explodes when you need computing power. The G5 processor is part of the latest technology from IBM. It is a true 64-bit processor with automatic 32-bit processing capability (that translates to more speed because selection of 32 or 64 bit processing is handled directly by hardware.)
Apple includes their latest, highly stable, Unix-based operating system, OS X. A high powered graphics engine rounds out the core capabilities.
Apple has not forgotten the latest technology advances either.
The disk is Serial ATA, USB is version 2.0, both FireWire and FireWire 800 ports are included.
If you want to try wireless networking, the G5 is ready for AirPort Extreme (an optional card to allow your Mac to network wirelessly at up to 56 Mbps - 802.11g standard. Intel is still expounding the virtues of Centrino - 802.11b, which maxes out at 11 Mbps.) BlueTooth is another option, for wireless connectivity of closely located devices (printers, mice, keyboards, some cellular phones, etc.)
Additonal Features: The dual-processor model has eight memory slots (memory must be installed in matched pairs) for up to 8 GB of RAM. The SuperDrive allows you to read and write CDs and DVDs.
With all this going for it, can there be any negative points? Unfortunately, yes. Since they are minor points, in my opinion, they don't detract from the overall rating. The included keyboard seems a bit flimsy. The optical mouse needs a medium to dark colored, slightly textured, non-reflective surface to operate properly. Also, the price-point is still a bit high.
Overall, this machine is a great performer, extremely fast, stable and just plain fun to use.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear and full understanding, July 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9032LL/A (Dual 2.0-GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD-R/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I HAVE NO REGRETS!!!, August 18, 2004

By 

Ladislao (Peekskill, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9032LL/A (Dual 2.0-GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD-R/CD-RW Drive) (Personal Computers)

PROS:
Amazing speed, and extremely quiet! I'm quite surprised that no one has yet given a review to this wonderful piece of equipment. I guess you don't need to. That statement about "you get what you pay for" is very true. But if you actually look at it, if I were to buy a top of the line dual AMD Opteron or Pentium Xeon system with the same basic configuration, I'd be spending about the same amount of money. And as a graphic designer, I almost went totally PC when I purchased a Pentium 2.8GHz HT (Hyper Threading - the so-called "multitasking" want a be Mac processor) for my wife. Well much to my dismay, I was using a demo of Adobe Photoshop CS to test the PCs' skills, only to find out that when I went to save a 160MB file, that I only saved about 7 to 8 seconds of time compared to my 5 year old G4 (400MHz single processor) system. Mind you, they both had the same amount of RAM. That's when I remembered testing one of the machines at an Apple store a few months before I almost made that fatal decision to go PC. I saved a 250MB Photoshop file in about 9 seconds!!! Now, the new G5 that's out is the dual 2.5's. So that means the dual 2.0 machines are $500 less (now, $2,500.00). And if you're like me, and can take a couple of weeks to spend some dedicated time to finding a better price, you can actually save about a thousand or more buying it used. I did. I purchased a G5 dual 2.0GHz, 250MB HD, with 1.5GB of RAM and the extended Apple Care Warranty; the full three years was already included with the machine, for a total of $2,400.00. (...) I was a little scared, because I heard about some horror stories about people who got taken of there hard earn money not to get what they paid for. I even found out that the person who owned this G5 was only 115 miles away. So I picked it up myself. He even had it open so I could try it out first. (...)Then you will find out what the going rate is (and also know who the "scammers" are who are trying to take you for your money). Email as many people that seem to be reasonably priced and ask for three things that you have a right to know; 1) What there serial number is on the machine 2) Where they bought it along with the original receipt 3) Get the owners full name and then call Apple (800-275-2273), to get through to the Apple Care Dept. (from last I checked, ext. 3), verify if the G5 belongs to them and if it's still under warranty. Also, ask if there is an option to extend it to the full 3 years; you will have to pay an additional $249.00, but it's completely worth every penny. I know that I'm going off the "review" topic here, but I believe that it is just as important, because of the fact that these machines are not cheap, and they were not available to buy (because of backorder situations, even through Apple), and I know that people want to save as much as they can when purchasing this system (or one like it). But again, we're going back to the beginning of what I said; "you get what you pay for." Another thing to add about this G5, they designed this machine from the inside-out, not the other way around; like I see in some PC towers that are built. The way this system is cooled is simply incredible. I was just reading MaxiumPC's (Sept. '04) review on case towers that just came out, and still NOTHING can touch the way they built this tower. Please do yourself a favor, if you can, either go to an Apple Store, CompUSA, Best Buy to physically try out a 1.8, 2.0, 2.5GHz G5 yourself, or check out there website (www.apple.com). You'll get more information than I can give here in this review. Again, I want to let everyone know (who reads this), that if I sound bias at all, I'm not, I REALLY was about to switch over to a PC; even my close friends were shocked when I said it to them. I actually felt humbled at one point saying that statement. But I'm glad I didn't make that mistake. If you're looking for a workhorse, this is the machine for you; and I'm ONLY talking to GRAPHIC DESIGNERS, VIDEO PRODUCERS AND THE LIKE; NOT to those who play video games on these machines. If you're looking for a gaming machine, then buy a PC. You'll have more to choose from, with thousands of games and more options to making your PC work better with faster framerates by overclocking the processor and graphics card, (only if you're into that kind of stuff and that you know what you're doing - only if - you overclock your PC).
(...) If you do your homework on this, (Graphic Designers - G5 Mac and PC Gamers - OverdrivePC) in the end, it will be worth it! I hope I've been helpful and good fortune to all who read this.

CONS:
None that I know of. Except I would give it a 9 (out of 10) for ease of use, because I was very acclimated to using OS9. OSX takes a day or two of adjusting, but it is a far better operating system to use in the end.