At a Glance
Expert's Rating
Pros
- Very good performance
- Excellent graphics capabilities
- PCI Express slots
- Huge memory capacity
Cons
- No backward compatibility with PCI or PCI-X cards
- No improvement in performance compared with dual-processor model
Our Verdict
Apple adds a dual-core processor — two processing units on a single chip — to its Power Mac line. The new desktops also add PCI Express, a high-performance interface that’s particularly appealing to video pros. (To that end, the Power Mac line offers several video card build-to-order options above the Nvidia GeForce 6600 that comes standard on this model.) Also new: a double-layer SuperDrive, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and faster DDR2 RAM.
Compared with their predecessors, the Power Mac G5 Dual models offer an array of new workstation-class capabilities, including impressive improvements in graphics, advanced networking, enormous memory capacity, and state-of-the-art expansion slots.