Dual 2.0GHz Power Mac G5

Dual 2.0GHz Power Mac G5

Apple’s new dual 2.0GHz Power Mac G5 desktop is radically different from any other computer the company has made. This is the first Macintosh to use IBM’s PowerPC 970 chip, which is designed to provide a bump-free roadmap to faster 64-bit processing. Existing 32-bit applications will run natively and faster on the G5, and applications taking advantage of its new system architecture are making their way to the market.

Law offices should realize immediate productivity gains by being able to launch applications and process data more quickly than with previous models. Those gains will be magnified once developers rewrite their software to take advantage of the G5s, and firms move to the latest version of the Mac OS Version 10.3 (Panther). The downside is enhanced applications have been slow in coming, and internal expansion is limited and more expensive.

The tower was completely redesigned and is best described as minimalist. It features an easily removable side door to access RAM, hard drive and Peripheral Component Interconnect slots, and it’s taller, but not quite as heavy as its G4 predecessor. Nine separate fans cool independent areas of the computer as needed. However, the computer is remarkably quiet.

A stock dual 2.0GHz Power Mac is configured with 512MB of memory consisting of two 256MB modules. Apple has to be faulted for providing barely enough RAM to run RAM-intensive OS X in a top-end model. Required Double Data Rate 400 RAM also is more expensive than PC133 RAM, and must be installed in matched pairs. However, RAM is installed easily. Up to 8GB RAM can be added using eight 1GB sticks. Until RAM prices drop and applications appear that use this much RAM, most law offices only need 2GB.

The revamped graphics system uses ATI Technologies Inc.’s Radeon 9600 Pro video card with 64MB RAM that supports two monitors. A more powerful 9800 Pro card is available as a build-to-order option, but law firms will not need it. The G5’s hard drive system uses faster and pricier Serial Advanced Technology Attachment drives. A stock G5 ships with a 160MB SATA hard drive, and room for one additional internal SATA drive. SATA hard drives run at a theoretical 150Mb/s, which contributes to better overall system performance, especially in server applications. They also are easier to install.

The procedure to install an additional internal ATA drive is characteristic of Apple’s attention to detail and engineering. A lever releases the side door of the G5, and a plastic cover and fan assembly can be removed. Inside the computer are four screws to align the hard drive to the open internal slot. Unclip the power and data connectors, attach them and the drive is ready to be formatted. The hardest part of the process is removing the four screws from the holder.

Faster FireWire 800 and universal serial bus 2.0 ports were added, and legacy ports for FireWire 400 and USB 1.1 were retained. The company thoughtfully located earphone, USB 1.1 and FireWire 400 connectors on the front of the case.

A modem, Gigabit Ethernet and audio in/out ports are included. Bluetooth and wireless capability are available by installing appropriate cards. The dual G5 ships with a combination DVD-R and CD-RW burner.

With limited internal expansion, users will have to use external FireWire and USB peripherals such as Zip drives and FireWire/USB hard drives. The dual G5 also uses newer PCI-X slots. Check with your manufacturer’s Web site to determine if your card is compatible.

Currently available G5s have Mac OS 10.3 (Panther) installed. Panther further boosts performance on the G5, particularly the dual processor 2.0GHz model. Boot times are up to twice as fast on a Panther G5 than on a dual processor G4 1.42GHz running Mac OS 10.2.8. From chime to desktop, Panther launched in 34 seconds. With stock 32-bit applications such as Microsoft Office, I experienced a 35 percent increase in performance compared to a dual processor 1.42GHz G4. Microsoft Word launched in less than two seconds.

Subjectively, the dual G5 felt snappier in overall performance. For optimized G5 applications, such as Adobe Photoshop 7.01, I saw dramatic performance gains. In addition, processor-intensive tasks and multitasking stability were noticeably different. You can run an optical character recognition session in the background while you are on the Internet, composing a brief and accessing your e-mail with no perceptible performance hit.

Apple offers lower-priced configurations for single G5 processors running at 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz. These systems have 800MHz and 900MHz front-side system buses, which are slower overall than the 1GHz front-side bus for each processor on a dual 2.0GHz G5. Expect a 1.6GHz single processor G5 to run as fast as a dual processor 1.42GHz G4. Although pricier, the dual system is the better value, particularly when running Panther.

Apple Computer Inc.
(800) 692-7753

www.apple.com

Price: $2,999

Reviewed by David A. Saraceno, a practicing attorney and owner of Pixelcraft Studios, a presentation graphics consulting firm in Spokane, Wash.

Feb/Mar '04 Issue

PROS
Significant performance gains, especially for optimized applications. Easy to install internal hard drive and RAM.

CONS
Limited internal expansion and few optimized applications. Some issues with AirPort connectivity with older base stations.

VERDICT
There is plenty of bang for the buck in this well-built dual processor G5. I recommend it.