PowerMac G5 Dual Core Upgrades

The PowerMac G5s are easilly distinguishable from earlier machines by their size, shape, distinctive handles and front and rear grills. If your machine looks like the picture to the right you've got a PowerMac G5.

To distinguish between the latest PCI-Express dual-core PowerMac G5s and earlier ones, one way to tell is by the number of ethernet ports. Machines dealt with on this page have 2 x RJ-45 ethernet ports on the back. If you have only one RJ-45 socket, you need to refer to this page.

You can also tell the difference by opening System Profiler (Apple Menu > About This Mac, then click on the "More Info" button), then selecting Memory on the window that comes up and checking the speed column for any of the modules already installed. For this later PowerMac G5, it will start PC2-4200. Earlier non-dual core machines will start PC3200 or PC2700.

Other main distinguishing features are the number of processor cores - the earlier machines use single-core processors (although frequently were sold with dual processors), use DDR RAM as opposed to the newer DDR2 RAM in these machines. The machines on this page were all sold in or after October 2005.

Apple's own specifications for this Mac can be found here.

If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412 or by email for confirmation.

The PowerMac G5 has 8 memory sockets. The machines can accept up to 16GB in RAM - (8 x 2GB). Our memory is lifetime guaranteed and comes with a full compatibility guarantee.

All RAM for the G5s must be installed in PAIRS - that means matched sizes and types for best performance i.e. to add 512MB of RAM you need 2 x 256MB Sticks.

Please note the RAM below is for the Dual Core (which is different to dual processor) PowerMac G5s only. If you have a PowerMac G5 with 2 ethernet ports, this RAM is correct. If you have only 1 ethernet port, you need the RAM listed here.

The PowerMac G5 came equipped with a Superdrive Optical drive loaded with a tray at the front of the machine. There is no internal expansion for a second optical drive. It is possible to use an External DVD writer via USB 2.0 or FireWire (FireWire is better since you cannot boot a PowerPC Mac from USB). The below drives will work with your Mac.

This range of drives will work in your G5 machine. These drives run at 7,200 RPM and provide excellent speed for almost every application.

If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.

Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.

This Mac can have an eSATA controller card added into an expansion socket - allowing it to control an array of eSATA drives.

For an explanation of what eSATA is, please see our eSATA FAQ. To see our full listing of eSATA products, please see the eSATA category.

eSATA products compatible with this Mac can be found on this page - eSATA controllers can be found on in the expansion cards section, eSATA enclosures are with the external hard drives, and SATA hard drives are listed with the internal hard drives.

The dual-core PowerMac G5s use PCI-Express for their graphics cards. Listed below are the compatible products that we sell.

The dual-core PowerMac G5 uses high-bandwidth PCI-Express for its expansion cards, unlike all preceeding PowerMacs. PCI-Express slots are not backwards compatible with PCI/PCI-X cards, so the only expansion cards for the PowerMac G5 Dual Core are those listed here.

The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.

Listed below are power supplies, batteries and related products we supply for this Mac.

Listed below are power cables, tools and related products we supply for this Mac.

This Mac can use any of the following external hard drives.