Update: Apple unveils dual-core Power Mac, revised PowerBooks

Macworld - Apple today introduced a new Power Mac G5 line featuring dual-core PowerPC CPUs and a PCI Express expansion architecture. The new 2- and 2.3-GHz dual-core-processor systems are shipping now, and the new top-end 2.5-GHz "Quad" system will be available early next month. Prices range from $1,999 for the entry-level model to $3,299 for the top-of-the-line system.
Also today, Apple updated its PowerBook lineup, touting new, higher-resolution screens for its 15- and 17-in. models. It also introduced its new Aperture photo-processing program.
The Power Mac G5 lineup now features four PCI Express expansion cards. PCI Express is a high-performance interface that has been widely adopted in the PC market for high-performance video and other applications, but this marks its debut in the Power Mac line. Last week, Apple introduced a refreshed iMac G5 system that also included PCI Express.
Along with those upgrades, Apple announced new high-performance graphics options, including Nvidia's Quadra FX 4500, bringing workstation-class graphics performance to the Macintosh for the first time. Up to now, Power Mac G5 systems have been relegated to consumer-class graphics card options.
Also new to the Power Mac G5 is a dual-core PowerPC processor architecture, used across the entire line. In the past, Apple has emphasized -- and continues to emphasize, in high-end configurations -- dual-processor systems, and a single dual-core processor does much of the same work, particularly for applications optimized for multiprocessor hardware.
Apple explained that its new Power Mac G5 Quad configuration, clocked at 2.5 GHz and featuring two dual-core G5 chips, can encode standard-definition video content in Final Cut Pro 5 up to 60% faster than the dual-processor 2.7-GHz system that preceded it, for example. Adobe Photoshop runs a series of 45 commonly used filters and actions 43% faster on a Quad system. Adobe After Effects can render video effects up to 69% faster, LightWave 3D renders animation up to 59% faster, and the Bioinformatics Benchmark System (BBS Version 3) can complete a comparison of genomic sequences up to 39% faster.
The Power Mac G5 supports up to 16GB of 533-MHz DDR2 SDRAM and now includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports are well suited for users who plan to utilize their Power Mac in an Xsan environment -- that's Apple's storage-area network technology for high-performance computing.
Also new to this revision is the inclusion as standard equipment of the Mighty Mouse, Apple's recently released multibutton, scroll-ball mouse.
The Power Mac G5 continues to feature FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, digital audio input and output, AirPort

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