Mac · The Digital Hub · 2003
Power Mac G5
Apple jumped to 64-bit and clothed it in a slab of perforated aluminium. Top models needed liquid cooling; the promised 3 GHz G5 never came, pushing Apple toward Intel.
Power Mac G5: key facts
When was the Power Mac G5 released?
The Power Mac G5 was released in June 2003. Apple discontinued it in August 2006.
How much did the Power Mac G5 cost?
The Power Mac G5 launched at $1,999 in 2003 — about $3,478 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Power Mac G5’s specs?
The Power Mac G5 used a PowerPC 970 (G5) running at 1.60 GHz, with 256 MB of memory and 78.1 GB of storage. It ran Mac OS X 10.2.7.
Why does the Power Mac G5 matter?
First 64-bit desktop processor in a Mac, in the iconic perforated aluminium tower.
Full specifications
| CPU | PowerPC 970 (G5) · 1.60 GHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 256 MB (up to 8 GB) |
| Storage | 78.1 GB |
| Display | External |
| GPU | ATI Radeon 9600/9800 |
| Ports | USB 2.0, FireWire 400/800, Ethernet |
| Weight | 17.6 kg |
| Dimensions | Perforated aluminium "cheese-grater" tower |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.2.7 |
| Released | June 2003 |
| Discontinued | August 2006 |
| Launch price | $1,999 |
How the Power Mac G5 compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 64× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 1.60 GHz, the clock is roughly 2.0× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
This held about 20,000 modern phone photos — a respectable library even today.
Launched at $1,999 in 2003 — about $3,478 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
The cheese-grater look was so loved Apple revived it for the 2019 Mac Pro.
Related Mac models
Open the Power Mac G5 in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25