Apple Power Macintosh G4 500 Cube Specs (M7642LL/A*)
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The Apple Power Macintosh G4/500 Cube, officially dubbed the "Power Mac G4 Cube", features a 500 MHz PowerPC 7400 or 7410 (G4) processor with the AltiVec "Velocity Engine" vector processing unit and 1 MB of backside cache. By default, it was configured with 128 MB of RAM, a 30 GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive, a slot-loading 5X DVD-ROM drive, and a 2X AGP ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics card with 16 MB of SDRAM and sold for US$2299. AirPort (802.11b), Gigabit Ethernet, alternate hard drives and graphics cards were available by custom configuration.
Please note that the Power Macintosh G4/500 Cube was only available direct from Apple, but the Power Macintosh G4/450 Cube was available from resellers as well.
Due to its size, the Power Mac G4 Cube lacks PCI slots and a full-length AGP slot, has three RAM slots instead of four (and a single drive bay instead of four) like the "full-size" Power Macintosh G4 (Gigabit) models available at the time. It also lacks analog audio in and out (using USB for audio out), but otherwise packs comparable power in an attractive eight inch cube. For easy upgrading, the interior housing of the cube slides out from the bottom, providing access to internal components.
Unfortunately, the Power Mac G4 Cube was not financially successful, as it generally was viewed as too expensive compared to the other Power Macintosh G4 models, and Apple placed it on "indefinite hold" on July 3, 2001. However, it was largely credited as providing the inspiration for the Mac mini series.
Visit site sponsor PowerMax to purchase new & used Macs, monitors, and peripherals.
Visit site sponsor Other World Computing to buy memory, drives, video, and more.
Click on the underlined category text for related details. The most commonly needed info is "open" by default, but all info is important.
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| Introduction Date: |
July 19, 2000 |
Discontinued Date: |
July 3, 2001* |
| Details: |
The "Introduction Date" refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The "Discontinued Date" refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended.
On July 3, 2001, Apple placed the Power Mac G4 Cube on "indefinite hold". |
| Processor Type: |
PowerPC 7400* (G4) |
Processor Speed: |
500 MHz |
| Details: |
The PowerPC G4 includes the AltiVec "Velocity Engine" vector processor.
*Apple provides no official information beyond "G4", but later models have a PowerPC 7410 (G4) processor. |
| Processor Upgrade: |
AGP G4 Daughtercard |
FPU: |
Integrated |
| Details: |
The Power Macintosh G4 Cube models have the processor mounted on a custom 300-pin daughtercard. |
| System Bus Speed: |
100 MHz |
Cache Bus Speed: |
250 MHz |
| Details: |
This system has a 250 MHz backside bus and 1 MB of level 2 cache. |
| ROM/Firmware Type: |
Open Firmware |
ROM/Firmware Size: |
1 MB |
| Details: |
Boot ROM and around 1 MB, other instructions are loaded into RAM (NewWorld). |
| L1 Cache: |
64k |
L2/L3 Cache: |
1 MB (backside) |
| Details: |
The 1 MB of backside cache has a 250 MHz bus. |
| RAM Type: |
PC100 SDRAM |
Min. RAM Speed: |
100 MHz |
| Details: |
Supports 100 MHz PC100 SDRAM (3.3v, unbuffered, 64-bit-wide, 168-pin). Apple also noted that this model has "full 128-bit internal memory data paths". |
| Standard RAM: |
128 MB |
Maximum RAM: |
1.5 GB |
| Details: |
Site sponsor Other World Computing sells Power Macintosh G4 processors and memory, as well as hard drives, accessories, and other upgrades. |
| Motherboard RAM: |
None |
RAM Slots: |
3 |
| Video Card: |
Rage 128 Pro |
VRAM Type: |
SDRAM |
| Details: |
Commonly configured with an ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics card with 16 MB of SDRAM. Also available with an ATI Radeon with 16 MB of SDRAM or a NVIDIA GeForce2 MX video card with 32 MB of SDRAM. The video card occupies a dedicated "short" 2X AGP slot.
Please note that Apple does not support upgrading the video in the Power Mac G4 Cube. |
| Standard VRAM: |
16 MB |
Maximum VRAM: |
16 MB |
| Details: |
Commonly configured with an ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics card with 16 MB of SDRAM. Also available with an ATI Radeon with 16 MB of SDRAM or a NVIDIA GeForce2 MX video card with 32 MB of SDRAM. Apple does not support upgrading the video in the Power Mac G4 Cube. |
| Display Support: |
Single Display |
Resolution Support: |
1920x1200 |
| Details: |
Apple advertised that this system can support "up to 1920 by 1200 pixel resolution at 32 bits per pixel (millions of colors)". |
| 2nd Display Support: |
None |
2nd Max. Resolution: |
N/A |
| Standard Hard Drive: |
30 GB* (5400 RPM) |
Int. HD Interface: |
Ultra ATA/66 (ATA-5) |
| Details: |
*Originally configured with a 30 GB (5400 RPM) hard drive, but it also could be configured with a 40 GB (5400 RPM) or 60 GB (7200 RPM) hard drive. Drives larger than 128 GB are not supported. |
| Standard Optical: |
5X DVD-ROM* |
Standard Disk: |
None |
| Details: |
Originally configured with a 5X DVD-ROM, CD-RW drive of unspecified speed also available starting February 22, 2001. The optical drive uses a EIDE (ATA-3) bus. |
| Standard Modem: |
56k v.90 |
Standard Ethernet: |
10/100Base-T |
| Details: |
Internal modem and 10/100Base-T Ethernet standard. Gigabit Ethernet available as a build-to-order upgrade. |
| Standard AirPort: |
802.11b (Optional) |
Standard Bluetooth: |
None |
| Details: |
AirPort (802.11b) was available as a build-to-order addition. |
| USB Ports: |
2 (1.1) |
Firewire Ports: |
2 (400) |
| Details: |
USB 1.1 ports are dual channel.
Also see: Complete Ports. |
| Expansion Slots: |
AP* |
Expansion Bays: |
1** 3.5" |
| Details: |
*In the default configuration, this model has an open AirPort (802.11b) expansion slot. The graphics card occupies a dedicated "short" 2X AGP slot that Apple does not intend to be upgraded.
**It has a single 3.5" drive bay occupied by the hard drive. The system also has a 5.25" drive bay occupied by the optical drive. |
| Incl. Keyboard: |
Apple Pro Keyboard |
Incl. Input: |
Apple Pro Mouse |
| Case Type: |
Cube |
Form Factor: |
Power Mac G4 Cube |
| Apple Model No: |
M7642LL/A* |
Apple Subfamily: |
Power Mac G4 Cube |
| Details: |
*Please note that this model number is for the Power Macintosh G4/450 Cube. The 500 MHz configuration was only available direct from Apple. |
| Gestalt/Model ID: |
N/A |
Machine Model: |
PowerMac5,1 |
| Details: |
Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model. |
| Battery Type: |
3.6V Lithium |
Battery Life: |
N/A |
| Pre-Installed MacOS: |
9.0.4, 9.1* |
Maximum MacOS: |
X 10.4.11 |
| Details: |
*Models shipped starting February 22, 2001 had MacOS 9.1 pre-installed. Please note that this system cannot run versions of MacOS X more recent than 10.4.11. |
| MacOS 9 Support: |
Boot/Classic Mode |
Windows Support: |
Emulation Only |
| Details: |
This Power Macintosh G4 model is capable of booting MacOS 9 and using MacOS 9 applications within the MacOS X "Classic" environment.
Site-sponsor OHS specializes in heavily upgraded Macs capable of running both MacOS X and MacOS 9 applications. |
| Dimensions: |
9.8 x 7.7 x 7.7 |
Avg. Weight: |
14.0 lbs. (6.4 kg) |
| Details: |
In inches - height by width by depth, (24.8 cm, 19.5 cm, 19.5 cm). |
| Original Price: |
US$2299 |
Est. Current Retail: |
US$200-US$300 |
| Details: |
To purchase a new or used Mac (and occasionally a used Power Mac G4 Cube), free of sales tax, please visit site-sponsor PowerMax.
Photo Credit: Apple Computer. |
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