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 2.0GHz Power Mac G5 system ran the 45 filters 82% faster than the 3.4GHz Pentium 4-based system, and 63% 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.

Bandwidth to Burn
The Power Mac G5’s ultra-high bandwidth system architecture features a 1GHz 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.