Power Macintosh · The Beige Era · 1997
Power Macintosh 9600
The 9600 was a monster pro tower with six PCI slots and huge RAM capacity, beloved by power users who kept upgrading it for years.
Power Macintosh 9600: key facts
When was the Power Macintosh 9600 released?
The Power Macintosh 9600 was released in February 1997. Apple discontinued it in March 1998.
How much did the Power Macintosh 9600 cost?
The Power Macintosh 9600 launched at $3,700 in 1997 — about $7,363 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the Power Macintosh 9600’s specs?
The Power Macintosh 9600 used a PowerPC 604e running at 200 MHz, with 32 MB of memory and 3.9 GB of storage. It ran System 7.
Why does the Power Macintosh 9600 matter?
Six-slot PCI tower and one of Apple’s most expandable Macs.
Full specifications
| CPU | PowerPC 604e · 200 MHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 1 |
| Memory (RAM) | 32 MB (up to 1 GB) |
| Storage | 3.9 GB |
| Display | External display |
| GPU | Integrated / NuBus video |
| Ports | SCSI, ADB, serial |
| Weight | Varies by configuration |
| Dimensions | Large tower |
| Operating system | System 7 |
| Released | February 1997 |
| Discontinued | March 1998 |
| Launch price | $3,700 |
How the Power Macintosh 9600 compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 512× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 200 MHz, the clock is roughly 16× 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 1,000 modern phone photos — a respectable library even today.
Launched at $3,700 in 1997 — about $7,363 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
It is the kind of model collectors use to map Apple’s complicated family tree.
Related Power Macintosh models
Open the Power Macintosh 9600 in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-27