Mac · The Beige Era · 1995
Power Macintosh 9500
The high-end PowerPC tower: PCI expansion (replacing NuBus) and an upgradeable CPU card made it a favourite of publishers and the Mac upgrade scene.
Power Macintosh 9500: key facts
When was the Power Macintosh 9500 released?
The Power Macintosh 9500 was released in June 1995. Apple discontinued it in February 1997.
How much did the Power Macintosh 9500 cost?
The Power Macintosh 9500 launched at $5,300 in 1995 — about $11,042 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Power Macintosh 9500’s specs?
The Power Macintosh 9500 used a PowerPC 604 running at 120 MHz, with 16 MB of memory and 1.0 GB of storage. It ran System 7.5.2.
Why does the Power Macintosh 9500 matter?
First Mac with PCI slots and a CPU on a removable daughtercard.
Full specifications
| CPU | PowerPC 604 · 120 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 16 MB (up to 768 MB) |
| Storage | 1.0 GB |
| Display | External (BYO video card) |
| GPU | PCI graphics card |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, 6× PCI |
| Weight | 14 kg |
| Dimensions | Tower |
| Operating system | System 7.5.2 |
| Released | June 1995 |
| Discontinued | February 1997 |
| Launch price | $5,300 |
How the Power Macintosh 9500 compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 1,020× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 120 MHz, the clock is roughly 27× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
All of this storage holds about 250 modern phone photos.
Launched at $5,300 in 1995 — about $11,042 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
Its swappable CPU card let owners drop in faster chips for years.
Related Mac models
Open the Power Macintosh 9500 in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25