PowerMacG5 Mid-2004

Replacing its predecessor, the Power Macintosh G5/2.0 (PCI-X) (M9032LL/A), the Apple Power Macintosh G5/2.0 DP (PCI-X 2) was introduced with four key changes: it utilized a more power-efficient PowerPC 970fx (G5) processor, featured a more modest graphics card, incorporated a faster 8X \"SuperDrive\", and was launched at a US$500 lower price point.\n\nThis model was part of the first Mac series, along with the Power Macintosh G5/1.8 DP (PCI) and Power Macintosh G5 2.5 DP (PCI-X), to be based on the 90 nm 64-bit PowerPC 970fx (G5) processor. This new chip technology consumed less power and produced less heat than earlier versions.\n\nThe Power Macintosh G5/2.0 DP (PCI-X 2) was powered by dual 2.0 GHz PowerPC 970fx (G5) processors, each with an optimized AltiVec \"Velocity Engine\" vector processing unit and 512k of level 2 on-chip cache.\n\nIt came configured with 512 MB of 400 MHz PC3200 DDR SDRAM, a 160.0 GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 RPM), an 8X DVD-R/CD-RW \"SuperDrive\", and a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (AGP 8X Pro) video card with 64 MB of DDR SDRAM. Its connectivity options included USB 2.0, FireWire \"400\" and \"800\", ADC and DVI ports, and optical digital audio in/out, plus support for AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth 1.1. Crucially, this model, like the high-end G5 2.5 DP, retained PCI-X slots for high-speed expansion.\n\nInheriting the design of its predecessors, it used the iconic \"anodized aluminum alloy\" case, which featured four separate thermal zones and nine computer-controlled fans for optimal cooling. The convenient removable side panel for easy access to internal components was also retained. Various custom configurations were available to customers.

The mid-2004 revision of the dual 2.0 GHz Power Mac G5 was a strategic repositioning by Apple. It delivered impressive performance that significantly outpaced contemporary Pentium 4 and even dual Xeon-based systems in professional tasks like Photoshop. By using the more efficient 90nm G5 processor and a less powerful graphics card, Apple was able to reduce the price by a substantial $500, making dual-processor power more attainable. While the downgrade in the graphics card was a notable compromise, the machine retained crucial professional features like PCI-X slots, ensuring it remained a viable workstation for users with high-bandwidth expansion needs. It was generally praised for its rock-solid stability and quiet operation, despite its immense processing capability. This model was thus seen as a smart evolution, successfully balancing cost and high-end performance to appeal to a wider segment of the professional market.