If you want to see the future of computing, just look at Apple’s products. There is the iMac, the iPod, and now, there’s the Power Mac G5. The G5 brings 64-bit computing to the consumer desktop, offers dual-processor power, and includes forward thinking elements PC users would never dream of. It is, in short, the computer of tomorrow, available today.
We got our hands on a high-end Power Mac G5 that’s outfitted with dual 2-GHz PowerPC G5 processors. As of this writing, only a handful of programs, such as Adobe Photoshop 7.0.1, Emagic Logic 6.2.1, and PyMOL 0.91, have been tweaked to exploit the G5’s power. However, even without a 64-bit OS and new applications, the G5 delivers a significant performance boost over G4 systems.
In addition to the new processor, the system has a new supporting architecture that includes a fast 400-MHz memory bus and a 1-GHz frontside bus (versus 167 MHz on the G4). Furthermore, 32-bit applications run in native mode (versus emulation mode) on the G5.
With a whopping price tag of $4,448 (w/o monitor) for our system’s configuration, we wouldn’t expect the G5 to cut any corners. The G5 arrived with 2GB of DDR400 RAM, a 160GB, 7,200-rpm Serial ATA hard drive, and an ATI RADEON 9800 PRO graphics card with 128MB of video memory. The beefed-up memory and graphics abilities make the system ideal for video or photo editing (or for playing Quake).
As for expansion, there is only one optical drive: Apple’s SuperDrive does 4X DVD recording and 32X CD burns. The system has three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, two FireWire 400 ports, and optical digital audio-in and -out ports. Inside, you won’t find any room for a second optical drive, and there’s only one open internal drive bay to accommodate a second SATA hard drive.
On the other hand, there are three PCI-X expansion slots that deliver better throughput (133 MHz for one slot, 100 MHz for the other two) than the old 66-MHz PCI slots. And, you can pack up to 8GB of memory into the system. Perhaps more important is how quiet the G5 is when compared to some of the roaring old G4s. To accomplish this, there are nine internal fans that are automatically adjusted according to the detected temperatures in four separate thermal zones. It keeps fan activity down to a minimum and it’s much appreciated in our office.
The 23-inch Apple Cinema Display ($1,999) that Apple included with our G5 is spectacular. It’s a widescreen, high-definition LCD monitor encased in clear plastic. It looks gorgeous with the power off, and once the system comes to life, the monitor is so bright we’re tempted to wear sunglasses. The display’s crisp, detailed images and saturated colors made the other LCD panels in our office look tepid by comparison, and true to its name, the Cinema Display proved ideal for watching DVDs in all their widescreen glory.
To match the display, Apple included the JBL three-piece Creature speaker system ($129). Its silver-domed satellites and subwoofer look like something out of a ’50s sci-fi movie. While the Creature is pretty, it’s not very faithful (sonically speaking). Music through these speakers sounds rather shrill on the high end and a little muddy on the bass end, leaving the upper midrange to languish. The result is that there is an overemphasis on ringing guitars and thumping bass. In other words, what you gain in visual aesthetics, you lose in audio fidelity.
Considering the stratospheric price, we did have one other small complaint. The wired keyboard and mouse put users on too tight a leash. Wireless versions, like Apple’s own Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, would be much more practical.
In spite of our minor gripes, the Power Mac G5 is a major advance over the G4. It’s got enough power to make Wintel users green with envy, and when a full-blown 64-bit version of OS X arrives, this system will really fly. Now, if we could just figure out how to pay for it.
-- John R. Quain
Apple Power Mac G5
Price: $5,648 (as tested)
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