Apple Power Mac G5

Fastest Mac yet ; Double-layer DVD ; Liquid cooling

Relatively noisy ; PowerPC architecture

The Dual 2.7GHz Power Mac is brawny, bold and blazing - even if there's no Intel inside

Dual G5 processors ensure plenty of horsepower for years to come. New fans and liquid cooling are quiet. Up to 8GB of memory support. The 23-inch display is bright, clear, and attractive.

No dual-drive RAID at this price. Tested configuration uses very good, but slightly older and slower ATI graphics solution. DVD burner is single format (-RW), not dual-format.

Graphics pros and media outlets that need the fastest available speed will want to move to the new configuration. But most users with recent-vintage G5 machines (especially dual-2.0GHz models) don't need to jump on this upgrade.

The standard warranty for parts and labor is one year, including on-site service on the AppleCare Protection Plan. Toll-free technical support is available from 9:00–9:00 eastern time daily.

Powerful, workstation-class graphics card on a PCI Express bus; excellent performance on multithreaded applications; fast system bus.

Wireless AirPort card not included in default configuration; external modem; poor AirPort reception; difficult to add second drive; no RAID option.

With two dual-core CPUs and workstation-level graphics, the Power Mac G5 Quad is the burliest, fastest Mac to date, but it may soon become obsolete because Apple's move to Intel CPUs is already underway.

DVD drive now supports double-layer discs; base configuration supports 30-inch Apple Cinema HD monitor; includes Mac OS 10.4 Tiger and the latest iLife suite; has higher maximum storage capacity than previous model.

Only one optical drive bay; no memory card reader and not enough USB ports; includes only a 30-day trial of iWork; telephone support lasts a brief 90 days.

Apple's latest high-end Power Mac G5 is a blazing machine that stands up without blinking to the best of the competition, but we're still annoyed by some of its shortcomings.