Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9454LL/A (Dual 1.8-GHz Power PC G5, 256 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

Other products by Apple

Product Details

Product Manual [9.21mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 44.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 58 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002A6XCW
• Item model number: M9454LL/A
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,159 in Computer & Accessories (See Bestsellers in Computer & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 7, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The creative class needs superior tools to produce designs, music, high-definition video or the next scientific breakthrough. The new Power Mac G5 spans as far as you require. Its dual 64-bit G5 processor— with a processor speed of 1.8GHz — room for up to 4 GB of main memory, 8X SuperDrive and ultrahigh-bandwidth system architecture will give you more results than systems costing twice as much.

Supersonic Twin Engine Speed Mac OS X really shines when it divvies up tasks between two CPUs, and now the Power Mac G5 offers dual processor models across the board at 1.8GHz, for a substantial speed boost at the top of the line. The Power Mac G5 packs so much power into tight quarters that Apple designed a liquid cooling system, resulting in a cool tower that runs Photoshop nearly two times faster than a Pentium 4-based system. In fact, for most creative endeavors, the Power Mac G5 simply has no competition in its class. Does It In Double-Time The PowerPC G5 processor dramatically accelerates performance in real world applications. When compared head-to-head against PCs in a large series of Photoshop tests, the dual 1.8GHz Power Mac G5 system ran the 45 filters 66% faster than the 3.4GHz Pentium 4-based system, and 48% faster than the dual 3.2GHz Xeon-based system. Additional performance tests reveal similar performance gains for professional film, video, music and audio creation, and scientific analysis of genetic research.

The dual 1.8GHz Power Mac G5 system ran the 45 filters 66% faster than the 3.4GHz Pentium 4-based system, and 48% faster than the dual 3.2GHz Xeon-based system.

Exquisitely Advanced Technology
With 64-bit power and high-bandwidth architecture, this groundbreaking system alleviates the limitations and bottlenecks of the traditional PC — opening up a wealth of possibilities for 2D and 3D designers, video and audio producers, scientists, researchers and game developers and players. The industry’s fastest frontside bus, an advanced system controller and high-speed, high-capacity memory combine to make the Power Mac G5 one of the fastest PCs ever built.

The Power Mac G5 1.8 GHz comes equipped with one FireWire 800 port, two FireWire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 1.1 ports.

Bandwidth to Burn The Power Mac G5’s ultra-high bandwidth system architecture features a 900MHz frontside bus — one on each processor — for maximum throughput from the system to the G5 processor. And a point-to-point system controller lets data move directly between subsystems, without affecting processor function. Plugged In It’s easy to plug printers, scanners and other devices into the Power Mac G5. In addition to sporting a full complement of ports on the back, the front panel of the Power Mac G5 offers FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 ports, as well as a headphone jack. PCI-X Expansion Slots PCI and PCI-X cards enable the Power Mac G5 to perform specialized tasks, such as video acceleration and audio digital signal processing (DSP). PCI-X supports 3.3V signaling and Universal 33MHz and 66MHz PCI cards. Three 64-bit PCI-X slots let you add one card running at 133MHz and two cards running at 100MHz. Three 64-bit PCI slots allow you to add three 33MHz cards. Optical Digital Audio The Power Mac G5 comes with audio capabilities that are not usually found on personal computers. The state-of-the-art optical digital audio in and out ports use the S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) protocol over Toslink cables for connecting to devices such as decks, receivers, digital instruments and even 5.1 surround-sound speaker systems. And since S/PDIF is an optical signal — a beam of light — you won’t get any ground loop interference caused by copper wiring.

Truly Intelligent Design An exceptional computer demands an exceptional enclosure. The Power Mac G5 has a stunning chassis forged of anodized aluminum. Apple engineers were also pretty obsessive about clutter. That’s why there isn’t any. Especially conspicuous by its absence is that tangle of unsightly wires and cables that turn the inside of a typical PC into a veritable rat’s nest. “A place for everything and everything in its place” isn’t just something your mom said: It’s an important philosophical precept that Apple applies rigorously to hardware design. Each of the four thermal zones is equipped with its own dedicated, low-speed fans. Apple engineered the nine fans to spin at very low speeds for minimum acoustic output. Using 21 different sensors, Mac OS X constantly monitors component temperatures in each zone, dynamically adjusting individual fan speeds to the appropriate levels for the quietest possible operation. As a result, the Power Mac G5 runs two times quieter than the previous Power Mac G4 enclosure.

The enclosure design allows heat dissipation through four independently controlled thermal zones. A transparent internal air deflector channels airflow over the processor heat sinks and the expansion slots.

Since its introduction, the Power Mac G5 has stunned customers, critics and developers alike with the promise of unprecedented performance in a desktop computer. Unlike other 64-bit systems, the Power Mac G5 runs existing applications natively, without emulation. In fact, unmodified Mac software can already take advantage of the speed benefits of the G5, since Mac OS X Panther has been fine-tuned for the new processor. You’ll find that adding a Power Mac G5 to your workflow will pay you back before you know it. In every way, the Power Mac G5 outpaces the previous generation, thanks to faster processors and a high-bandwidth architecture.

Product Description

Apple's Power Mac G5 is a revolutionary 64-bit desktop system designed to meet the high-performance, no-compromise requirements of the creative professional. With 64-bit power and a high-bandwidth architecture, this groundbreaking new system alleviates the limitations and bottlenecks of the traditional PC - opening up a wealth of possibilities for 2D and 3D designers, video and audio producers, scientists and researchers, and game programmers and players.All this performance begins with the 64-bit PowerPC G5 processor developed in collaboration with IBM and produced using state-of-the-art process technology. This breakthrough processing power combines with the industry's fastest frontside bus, a point-to-point architecture, high-speed memory, and the latest I/O technologies. The result? The world's fastest personal computer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take the negative reviews with a large grain of salt., February 27, 2005

By	Maine Writer "David" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

It's easy to see Windows users trying to "bomb" the review of this amazing computer. Pay no attention. You see, unlike Windows, OS X never freezes. Ever. I have four Macs at home, a PowerBook, and an iMac G5 at the office, all running OS 10.3, and none of them -- none, including a dual G5 just like this one -- have ever crashed or frozen. Reviews that say different are complete fabrications. Why? Because the underpinning of OS X is UNIX, which keeps the OS running even if an individual program crashes -- which might happen on rare occasions. What do you do then? Simply relaunch the program and no problems at all.

This is terrific computer and a terrific value. It comes with Apple's unparalleled "video lifestyle" applications, too. And do invest in more RAM. It's cheap and super easy to install. In fact, the G5 is designed from the ground up for easy access and easy upgrades. Even a computer novice can install a new hard drive, updated DVD drive, memory, or a wireless card -- even the new Radeon X-800 for Mac installs like a breeze (and doesn't require it's own power supply cord like the PC version).

But don't just read this review, zip down to the nearest Apple Store and take a test drive. This is what a computer is meant to be.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars G5 is fast; OSX is elegant; combination is easy to use, September 24, 2004

By	R. Terlaje - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you're invested in other platforms or can switch, Apple has finally caught up with the rest of the industry with the G5. OSX is a joy to work in: stable, elegant, well layed-out, and secure (I won't get started on WinXP vulnerabilities).

Do yourself a favor and install at least an additional 256 MB of RAM. Apple is skimpy when it comes to outfitting their computers - 256 MB is way too little. So they can save a couple of dollars on their end, you'll have to fork out multiples of that on yours.


Correction on Amazon's listing:

The current version rev.b Dual 1.8 - M9454LL/A - does *not* have PCIx slots, only regular PCI slots.

The original rev.a Dual 1.8- M9393LL/A - of the dual 1.8 has PCIx.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Machine, March 14, 2006

By	Oscar Ferrer (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have had this computer for about 2 years. I could not be happier with it. The design is just perfect needless to say. It's the first time I don't have any desire to get another computer after 1 year or so, and I don't plan on changing this one anytime soon (although I am planning on getting a MacBook Pro if a 12" version is released). I upgraded the memory to 1GB by myself and the process was extremely easy (not to mention how perfectly well the computer is put together on the inside, just as good as it is on the outside).

You can't go wrong getting apple hardware. Extremely well built quality product.