PowerMacG5 Late 2005

Marking both a first and a last for the product line, the Power Macintosh G5 Dual Core (2.0), along with its 2.3 GHz and \"Quad Core\" 2.5 GHz counterparts, were the only Power Macintosh G5s to feature dual-core PowerPC 970MP (G5) processors. These advanced CPUs integrated two independent processor \"cores\" onto a single silicon chip.\n\nThe Power Macintosh G5 Dual Core (2.0) was propelled by a single 2.0 GHz \"dual core\" PowerPC 970MP (G5) processor. This CPU included dual optimized AltiVec \"Velocity Engine\" vector processing units (one for each core), four double-precision FPUs (two per core), and 1 MB of on-chip level 2 cache per core, all connected via a 1.0 GHz frontside bus. It came configured with either 512 MB or 1 GB of 533 MHz PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM, a 160 GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 RPM), a reported \"16X\" dual-layer \"SuperDrive,\" and an NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE video card with 128 MB of GDDR SDRAM.\n\nConnectivity options were modern and robust, featuring USB 2.0, FireWire \"400\" and \"800\", one single-link and one dual-link DVI port, optical digital audio in/out, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and support for AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.\n\nA significant architectural update for all \"multiple core\" Power Macintosh G5s was the inclusion of three open PCI-Express (PCIe) expansion slots. This model continued to use the highly-regarded, easy-to-upgrade \"anodized aluminum alloy\" case, complete with its signature removable side panel and a sophisticated cooling system divided into four thermal zones with nine computer-controlled fans.

The Late 2005 Dual Core 2.0 GHz Power Mac G5 marked a significant technological shift as the final generation of PowerPC-based towers. The move to a dual-core processor and the adoption of modern standards like PCI Express and DDR2 memory were key advancements. This entry-level model was seen as a substantial step up from the previous single-core generation, offering improved performance in multithreaded applications. Users praised its air-cooled design for being significantly quieter and more reliable than the problematic liquid-cooled systems of the previous generation. While it was the base model of its series, it was still a very capable machine for general use and many professional tasks. However, it was somewhat overshadowed by its more powerful 2.3 GHz and Quad-Core siblings. Its legacy is that of a solid, reliable workhorse that introduced key modern technologies to the Power Mac line right before the major transition to Intel processors, representing the last, refined stage of an era.