Power Macintosh 9500

Power Macintosh 9500
Name	Power Macintosh 9500
Developer	Apple Computer
Type	Workstation
Release date	May 1995
Discontinued	February 1997
Processor	PowerPC 604
Os	System 7, Mac OS 8
Predecessor	Power Macintosh 8100
Successor	Power Macintosh 9600

Power Macintosh 9500. The Power Macintosh 9500 was a high-end workstation computer introduced by Apple Computer in May 1995 as part of the Power Macintosh line. It was notable for being the first Macintosh to utilize a modular daughterboard design for its CPU, a significant departure from the soldered logic boards of earlier models. This innovation, combined with its powerful PowerPC 604 processor and advanced PCI architecture, made it a popular choice for demanding professional applications in fields like graphic design, scientific computing, and video editing.

Overview

The Power Macintosh 9500 represented a major architectural shift for Apple Computer, moving away from the NuBus-based Power Macintosh 8100 series. Its introduction coincided with a broader industry transition to the PCI local bus standard, which offered significantly higher data throughput. The machine was designed to compete directly with high-performance UNIX workstations from companies like Silicon Graphics and Sun Microsystems. Its modularity and expansion capabilities were heavily marketed to professional users in the multimedia and publishing industries, who required substantial computing power for applications from Adobe and Quark.

Hardware

The most revolutionary hardware feature of the Power Macintosh 9500 was its Processor Direct Slot (PDS) that accepted a removable daughterboard containing the CPU and L2 cache. This design allowed for easier processor upgrades and future-proofing. The system featured six PCI slots, a dramatic increase over the three NuBus slots in its predecessor, enabling the use of high-performance graphics cards, SCSI controllers, and digital video capture cards from vendors like ATI Technologies and Radius Inc.. It also included built-in Ethernet and supported large amounts of RAM via its eight memory slots.

Technical specifications

At launch, the Power Macintosh 9500 was powered by a PowerPC 604 microprocessor running at 120 MHz or 132 MHz, which offered a substantial performance boost over the earlier PowerPC 601 used in the Power Macintosh 8100. The system bus operated at 40 MHz or 44 MHz, respectively. Standard configurations included 16 MB of RAM, expandable to 1.5 GB, and a 1 GB or 2 GB hard disk drive. Graphics were handled by an onboard ATI graphics card with 2 MB of video RAM, though users could install more powerful PCI-based accelerators. It featured both SCSI and IDE interfaces for storage.

Models and configurations

Several distinct models of the Power Macintosh 9500 were released during its production run. The initial May 1995 models were the 120 MHz and 132 MHz versions. In April 1996, an updated 150 MHz model was introduced, featuring a faster PowerPC 604 and a 50 MHz system bus. A rare 180 MHz PowerPC 604e model was also produced in limited quantities. The system was succeeded in early 1997 by the nearly identical but slightly refined Power Macintosh 9600. Many units were sold to large institutions, including NASA and various universities, for scientific computing tasks.

Software and operating systems

The Power Macintosh 9500 shipped with System 7.5.2 and was fully compatible with subsequent versions, including Mac OS 8. Its PowerPC architecture and PCI support made it an ideal platform for running ported versions of UNIX-based software, and it was a supported machine for Apple Computer's own A/UX operating system. It was a flagship platform for professional creative software suites from Adobe Systems, such as Photoshop and Premiere, as well as QuarkXPress and Avid's video editing systems.

Reception and legacy

The Power Macintosh 9500 was met with critical acclaim from the technical press, including publications like Macworld and MacUser, which praised its performance, modularity, and expansion potential. It is remembered as a landmark model that re-established Apple Computer's credibility in the high-end professional market during the mid-1990s. Its daughterboard design influenced subsequent professional Macintosh models like the Power Macintosh 9600 and Power Macintosh G3. The 9500 series remains a collectible item among vintage computing enthusiasts for its role in enabling advanced digital content creation during a pivotal era for the multimedia industry.

Category:Power Macintosh Category:Workstation computers Category:Apple Inc. hardware