Making haste slowly, Apple has moved the fastest Power Mac G5 from 2.0 GHz CPUs in 2003 to 2.5 GHz in 2004, and now to 2.7 GHz in 2005. It’s nice to see Apple squeeze nearly 10% more speed from the G5 – and sad that Apple still can’t deliver the 3.0 GHz G5 that it promised “within a year” when the first Power Mac G5 was introduced.

Improvements for 2005 include a 16x SuperDrive (vs. 8x in last year’s model), larger hard drives, improved graphics cards, twice as much video memory, and Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger preinstalled. The once-standard internal modem is now a build-to-order option.

As before, the entry level model uses 64-bit PCI slots and only supports up to 4 GB of RAM vs. PCI-X slots and an 8 GB RAM ceiling in the faster G5s.

The motherboard architecture uses HyperTransport technology. System memory is so fast (400 MHz RAM on a 1.0 to 1.35 GHz bus) that Apple doesn’t bother with a level 3 cache.

Your Power Mac G5 uses a PowerPC 970MP (G5) CPU which is based on the RISC architecture. The Intel CPUs (Core2Duo, i3. I5 & i7) are CISC based architecture. The OS’s are very different! Your system can only support the older Mac OS-X. The early OS-X OS’s where in fact dual binary! Quick video showing how to boot from USB flash drive on Power MAC G5. Command on Microsoft keyboard is: Windows key + alt + o + f In Open Firmware: boot ud:3. Make Offer - Apple Mac G5 A1047 Dual 2.0GHz Power PC 512MB 160GB 16x DL SuperDrive M9747LL/A Apple Power Mac 7,2 Desktop - Dual Processor, 2 GHz, 4,5 GB RAM, 150GB Storage $250.00. HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for Mac OS X, Linux and Windows. UPDATE 7/27/2015: Official download link has been fixed. System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 or later, PowerPC G4 or G5. I have a Power Mac G5 Dual 1.8 with 3.5GB of ram running 10.5.8 The system feels so slow though.:( Taking in mind that this was a beast back then, which would be the best OS X version I could i.

A headphone jack, a USB 2.0 port, and a FireWire 400 port are located on the front of the G5 for easy access.

The G5 uses an aluminum enclosure that’s vented in the front and back. The case includes four thermal zones and nine fans to handle cooling, each independently controlled for speed. The 2.7 GHz model uses a liquid cooling system to keep the CPU from overheating.

Note that the 2.0 GHz model is one of Apple’s entry-level G5s, which means it uses 33 MHz PCI slots instead of 133 MHz PCI-X and has 4 memory slots instead of 8.

Power Mac G5 Reliability

Reliability ratings are based on statistics compiled by MacInTouch in June 2006, at which time the dual-core Power Mac G5 models had only been on the market for 8 months. Letter grades are based on failure rate: A = 0-6%, B = 7-12%, C = 13-18%, D = 19-24%, and F = 25% or higher. We also note the two components that failed most often.

G5/2.3 dual (April 2005), B- (11%, logicboard, power supply)
G5/2.7 dual (April 2005), D (22%, logicboard, power supply)

In each generation, except for the final dual-core one, the fastest model is the least reliable, while the second-fastest is the most reliable. Logicboards are the most expensive component to repair, followed by the power supply. Hard drives, optical drives, video cards, and RAM can be replaced inexpensively using third-party components.

Got a G3, G4, or G5 Power Mac? Join G-List.
Our Mac OS 9 Group is for those using Mac OS 9, either natively or in Classic Mode.
Our Tiger Group is for those using Mac OS X 10.4.
Our Leopard Group is for those using Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6.

Details

introduced 2005.04.27 with 2.0 GHz dual 256 MB/80 GB at $1,999; 2.3 GHz dual 512 MB/160 GB at $2,499; and 2.7 GHz dual 512 MB/160 GB at $2,999,; scheduled for August shipment; replaced 2005.10.19 by Power Mac G5 Dual and G5 Quad
Supported Mac OS Versions
CPU: 2.0/2.3/2.7 GHz PowerPC 970
Bus: 1.0 GHz/1.15/1.35 GHz (half CPU speed)
Performance:
- Geekbench 2 (Leoapard): 2251 (2.7 GHz), 1906 (2.3 GHz), 1704 (2.0 GHz)
- Geekbench 2 (Tiger): 2269 (2.7 GHz), 2066 (2.3 GHz), 1828 (2.0 GHz)
L2 cache: 512 KB on-chip L2 cache
L3 cache: none
RAM: 512 MB, expandable to 4 GB or 8 GB using pairs of 400 MHz PC3200 DDR RAM (4 RAM slots in 2.0 GHz model, 8 slots in faster ones)
Video: AGP 8x
- 2.0/2.3 GHz: ATI Radeon 9600
- 2.7 GHz: ATI Radeon 9650
- ATI Radeon 9800 XT with 256 MB optional
VRAM: 128 MB (9600) or 256 MB (Radeon 9650)
Hard drive bus: 1.5 Gbps SATA Rev. 1
Hard drive: 160/250 Serial ATA (SATA) 7200 rpm
Optical drive bus: ATA/100 bus
optical drive: 16x SuperDrive on Ultra ATA/100 bus
3 33 MHz 64-bit PCI slots on 2.0 GHz model
3 64-bit PCI-X slots on faster models (two 100 MHz, one 133 MHz)
internal 56k v.92 modem, optional
Microphone: standard 3.5mm minijack, compatible with line-level input, not compatible with Apple’s PlainTalk microphone
FireWire: 2 FW400 ports (1 on front), 1 FW800 port
USB: 3 USB 2.0 ports (1 on front)
Ethernet: 10/100/gigabit
WiFi: antenna and connector for 802.11g AirPort Extreme card
Bluetooth: built in, optional antenna
PRAM battery: 3V CR2032 lithium
power supply: 450W 661-2903 for 2.0 and 2.3 GHz, 600W 661-2904 for 2.7 GHz
size (HxWxD): 20.1″ x 8.1″ x 18.7″ (51.1 x 20.6 x 47.5 cm)
Weight: 39.2 lb. (17.8 kg)
Gestalt ID: n/a
PRAM battery: 3.6V half-AA
Part no.: M9747 (2.0 GHz), M9748 (2.3 GHz), M9749 (2.7 GHz)

Accelerators & Upgrades

none likely

Online Resources

Best Power Mac G5 Deals.
Best Classic Mac OS Deals. Best online prices for System 6, 7.1, 7.5.x, Mac OS 7.6, 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, 9.0, 9.2.2, and other versions.
Best Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.4.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Deals. Best online prices for Mac OS X 10.5.
What’s the Best Version of OS X for My Mac?, Ian R Campbell, The Sensible Mac, 2008.02.28. Which version of Mac OS X is best for your hardware depends on several factors.
How Fast Is Classic Mode on a Power Mac G5?, Dan Knight, Mac Daniel, 2014.08.21. We run several benchmark tests from the Classic Mac OS era on a dual 2.3 GHz Power Mac G5 to see how well Classic Mode fares.
Know Your Mac’s Upgrade Options, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 2008.08.26. Any Mac can be upgraded, but it’s a question of what can be upgraded – RAM, hard drive, video, CPU – and how far it can be upgraded.
The ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’ Guide to Installing Mac OS X Updates, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.16. Most users encounter no problems using Software Update, but some preflight work and using the Combo updater means far less chance of trouble.
Why You Should Partition Your Mac’s Hard Drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.12.11. “At the very least, it makes sense to have a second partition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you have problems with your work partition, you can boot from the ’emergency’ partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics.”
PowerPC Architecture Was Not a Failure, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.02.16. CNET’s Brooke Crothers calls PowerPC a failed architecture, but 12 years of PowerPC Macs, IBM’s blade servers, and three game consoles tell a different story.
The Future of Up-to-Date Browsers for PowerPC Macs, Charles W Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2009.08.31. With Intel-only “Snow Leopard” shipping, software support for PPC Macs will continue its decline. Also, a look at SeaMonkey 2 and Camino 1.6.9.
Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Low End Mac’s Online Tech Journal, 2009.06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac’s CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
Tips for Installing or Reinstalling Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, Adam Rosen, Adam’s Apple, 2009.06.10. Mac OS X 10.4 uses less memory than Leopard, supports Classic Mode on PowerPC Macs, and, unlike Leopard, is supported on G3 Macs.
Choosing My Next Low-end Desktop Mac, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2009.05.19. The recently deceased iBook G4 was going to take up desktop duty. Now the options are a G4 iMac, 17″ PowerBook, Power Mac G4, and Power Mac G5.
Will Snow Leopard Support Some PowerPC Macs?, Simon Royal, Tech Spectrum, 2008.11.26. It just doesn’t make sense that Apple would ship a new OS that won’t support Macs sold less than three years ago.
The Long Term Value of a High End Mac, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 20

Mac Os X For Power Mac G5