Apple PowerMac Dual 1.25GHz Review

Summary

In a sleek Quicksilver enclosure, the PowerMac G4 takes data and spins it around so fast you have to be careful not to get dizzy. In Photoshop 7 tests, this model outperformed a 3GHz Pentium 4 computer by 23% – how’s that for graphics power? It’s configured with dual 1.25GHz G4 processors, a 256KB on-chip, full-speed L2 cache per processor, a 1MB DDR SDRAM L3 cache per processor, an 80GB 7200rpm hard drive and 256MB PC2700 DDR SDRAM (expandable to 2GB). The G4 processor is built on the Velocity Engine vector processing unit. A powerful floating-point unit supports single-cycle, double precision calculations and data stream prefetching operations support four simultaneous 32-bit data streams. The PowerMac also features four 64-bit, 33MHz PCI slots, a built-in 56K V.92 modem, 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet connectivity, an AirPort Extreme slot for optional wireless networking, two open USB ports, one FireWire 800 port and two FireWire 400 ports. The combo drive includes both CD-RW and DVD-ROM functions; it writes CD-Rs at 32X, rewrites CD-RWs at 10X, reads CD-ROMs at 32X and reads DVD-ROMs at 12X (max. speeds), so you can compile audio CDs and watch movies. Video is provided by the ATI Radeon 9000 Pro card with 64MB DDR SDRAM and support for simultaneous ADC and DVI displays and a VGA adapter, with resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 (digital) and 1600 x 1200 (analog) on compatible displays. Plug in optional speakers to the sound card or USB ports and you have a complete multimedia machine. An Apple Pro Keyboard and Apple Pro Mouse are included.