The Power Macintosh 9500 Series

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By Diana Ezell

The Power Macintosh 9500 series includes the 9500/120 and the 9500/132. They incorporate the new PowerPC 604 RISC processor, which runs at 120 or 132 megahertz. Both processors also include six slots that support the industry-standard high-performance PCI architecture. PCI technology provides low-cost cards for functions such as videoconferencing, video production, and high-speed networking.

In addition, the Power Macintosh 9500 series computers are upgradeable, so as faster processors become available, you will have the opportunity to easily upgrade your computer.

The Power Macintosh 9500 series of computers run virtually all Macintosh applications, as well as applications accelerated for Power Macintosh computers. They can also run MS-DOS and Windows applications using SoftWindows software, available from Insignia Solutions.

With its accelerated graphics card, the Power Macintosh 9500/120 computer supports all Apple and most third-party displays, including monochrome, color, VGA, and SVGA displays. It supports up to 16.7 million colors on Apple color displays of up to 17 inches. With the addition of 2 megabytes of VRAM (for a total of 4 megabytes), the 9500/120 supports 16.7 million colors on displays of up to 21 inches.

IMPORTANT: The Power Macintosh 9500/132 requires a third-party (non-Apple) graphics accelerator card for display support.

Power and Speed

  • 120-MHz or 132-MHz PowerPC 604 microprocessor, including floating-point processor and 32K cache
  • 512K Level 2 cache
  • Processor upgradeable to 150 MHz

Memory

  • 16 MB of RAM, expandable to 768MB

Display Support

  • Graphics accelerator card includes 2MB of VRAM, expandable to 4MB (for the Power Macintosh 9500/120 only)
  • Supports up to 1,280- by 1,024-pixel resolution

Expansion

  • Six PCI slots for expansion cards
  • Eight built-in ports to support a wide range of peripherals
  • Support for three external and two internal expansion devices
  • On-board Ethernet (10Base-T and AAUI) connectors
  • Internal quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive
  • PlainTalk microphone

System Software 7.5

  • Makes working with applications consistent, so they are easier to learn and use
  • Allows easy customizing of your Macintosh to fit the way you work
  • Provides active assistance in learning new features with Apple Guide
  • Lets you open and use MS-DOS and Windows documents

Communications/Networking

  • Two serial ports: one GeoPort and one LocalTalk
  • 16-bit stereo audio input and output ports
  • Built-in Ethernet networking
  • Background file sharing

Compatibility

  • Runs 68K Macintosh applications and applications accelerated for Power Macintosh computers
  • Runs MS-DOS and Windows applications via SoftWindows
  • Reads Macintosh, Windows, MS-DOS, OS/2, and ProDOS floppy disk formats

Configurations and Ordering Information

  • Power Macintosh 9500/132 (see Note)
    • 16MB of RAM
    • Built-in 1.4 MB Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive
    • Internal 2GB hard disk drive
    • Internal quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive
    • Order No. M4423LL/A

  • Power Macintosh 9500/120 (See Note)
    • 16MB of RAM
    • 2MB of VRAM on the Apple Accelerated Graphics Card
    • Built-in 1.4MB Apple SuperDrive floppy disk drive
    • Internal quadruple-speed CD-ROM drive
    • Internal 1GB hard disk drive
    • Order No. M3093LL/A
  • Apple GeoPort Telecom Adapter
    • Order No. M3127LL/A

  • Macintosh Memory Expansion Kits (Must be installed by an authorized service provider.)
    • 8MB (1-8MB DRAM DIMM)
    • Order No. M3788LL/A
    • 16MB (1-16MB DRAM DIMM)
    • Order No. M3789LL/A

NOTE: Product specifications and part numbers are subject to change. Check with your Apple reseller for the most current information about product specifications and configurations.

Common Questions and Answers

Question: If I add more memory to my system, what kind do I need?

Answer: You need Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) that are 64-bit-wide, 168-pin, fast-paged mode, 70 nanosecond RAM.

Question: Which DIMMs are supported?

Answer: The 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 MB DIMMs are supported.

Question: How much benefit is gained from interleaving?

Answer: Interleaving provides maximum performance to you. If the DIMMs are not paired in the A and B slots, the system does not perform to its capability. Interleaving lets the computer read and write data to memory at the same time other reads and writes are occurring. This improves performance. DIMMs need to be the same size for interleaving to work.

Question: Does this Power Macintosh use the same self-terminating connectors as the original Power Macintosh?

Answer: Yes, the self-terminating connector is the same.

Question: Is the Power Switch a "hard switch"?

Answer: No. It is a "smart switch". You cannot turn off power by just pressing the power actuator button. If you press the Power Key, it quits all applications and shuts down the machine.

Question: Can NuBus cards be used with these Power Macintosh computers?

Answer: NuBus cards cannot be used in this Power Macintosh. However, to preserve your investment in NuBus technology, a NuBus expansion chassis for PCI will be available from Second Wave, Inc. This chassis will enable you to continue to use your existing NuBus cards in Power Macintosh systems with PCI slots.

Question: Can these Power Macintosh computers accommodate any PCI card?

Answer: These systems support any PCI 2.0-compliant card. However, a Mac OS-specific software driver is required for each card, just as PCI drivers are required for any other operating system.

Question: Are these computers PCI card plug-and-play?

Answer: For the most part, yes. The PCI card needs to include either a Mac OS driver or a new ROM so the Mac OS can see it.

Question: What software do the Power Macintosh 9500/120 and 9500/132 computers run?

Answer: These computers run software for the Mac OS version 7.5.2, including applications optimized for PowerPC. They also offer compatibility with MS-DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.1 through either a hardware or software solution. For hardware-level compatibility, a PCI card that includes an Intel-compatible processor will be available. On the software side, these computers can run Insignia Solutions SoftWindows, a software emulation solution that is optimized for the PowerPC processor.

NOTE: Mac OS version 7.5.2 is only for the Power Macintosh 9500 series computers and is not compatible with other Power Macintosh computers.

Question: How does "processor upgradeability" work?

Answer: The processors on these computers are housed in a daughter board, which can easily be replaced with a board containing a higher-performance processor as such processors become available. The new computer and system software will automatically recognize the new processor.The Famous Apple!

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