In the early 2000s, Apple Inc., renowned for its consumer-oriented products, decided to venture into the enterprise space. Among its endeavors was the introduction of the Xserve G5 Cluster Node Early 2005, unveiled on January 4, 2005. This network server computer was a part of Apple’s Macintosh Xserve G5 series, aiming to compete with established players like IBM and Dell.
Apple upped its game by upgrading the Xserve 1U rack-optimized server. It boasted dual 64-bit 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5 processors, delivering over 35 gigaflops of processing power per system. The inclusion of the industry’s fastest front-side 1U server system bus, running at up to 1.15 GHz, provided up to 9.2 GBps of bandwidth per processor.
Additionally, the Xserve G5 featured up to three 400 GB drives, achieving a groundbreaking 1.2 TB of hot-plug storage. With configurations starting at just $2,999, it became an ideal choice for various applications, from file and print serving to computational clusters.
Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, emphasized the significance of the Xserve G5’s enhancements, citing its unbeatable price performance and manageability. Notably, the Xserve G5 formed the backbone of Virginia Tech’s upgraded System X supercomputer cluster, showcasing its prowess by achieving over 12.25 trillion operations per second. Srinidhi Varadarajan, director of the Terascale Computing Facility at Virginia Tech, praised the Xserve G5 for its computing power, unit density, low power consumption, and cost-effectiveness compared to other supercomputers.
Equipped with dual 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5 processors and up to 8 GB of 400 MHz DDR memory, the Xserve G5 packed phenomenal computational power in an optimized 1U rack-optimized enclosure. Its support for up to three 7200 rpm 400 GB Serial ATA Apple Drive modules and industry-leading 1.2 TB of internal storage made it a standout choice. The inclusion of two full-length 64-bit, 133 MHz PCI-X slots provided up to 1 Gbps throughput and allowed easy expansion to high-performance storage and networking cards.
The Xserve G5 shipped with an unlimited client edition of Mac OS X Server 10.3 Panther software pre-installed, offering seamless integration with Mac, Windows, and Linux clients. Apple complemented its hardware offerings with world-class services and support programs, including AppleCare Premium Service, ensuring reliability and peace of mind for users.
While the Xserve G5’s journey was cut short with its discontinuation on August 7, 2006, just a year and a half after its launch, its legacy remains significant. Today marks 19 years since the unveiling of the Xserve G5 Cluster Node Early 2005, reflecting on Apple’s bold step into the enterprise market. Despite not achieving massive commercial success, the Xserve G5 paved the way for Apple’s continued expansion into enterprise solutions, leaving an indelible mark on its journey towards becoming the tech giant it is today.
Xserve G5 Cluster Node Early 2005 Details
Introduced | January 4, 2005 – 19 years ago |
Discontinued | August 7, 2006 – 17 years ago |
Time on the Market | 19 months (1 year) |
Model Identifier | RackMac3,1 |
Model Number | Unknown |
EMC | Unknown |
Order Number | M9742LL/A |
Original Price | $2,999 |
Colors | Aluminum |
Weight | 33 Ibs. 14.968 KG |
Dimensions | 1.73” H x 17.6” W x 28” D 4.39 cm H x 44.7 cm W x 71.12 cm D |
Rack Support
- Fits EIA-310-D-compliant, industry-standard 19-inch-wide racks, including four-post racks (24-inches, 26-inches, and from 29 to 36-inches deep) and two-post telco racks (center-mount brackets included)
Xserve G5 Cluster Node Tech Specs
Processor
Processor | PowerPC 970fx G5 |
Processor Speed | Dual 2.3 GHz |
Architecture | 64-bit |
Number of Cores | 2 |
System Bus | 1.15 GHz |
Cache | 64 / 32 KB L1 512 KB L2 |
Storage & Media
Storage | 80 GB 7,200 rpm |
Media | None |
Memory
Built-in Memory | 512 MB |
Maximum Memory | 16 GB |
Memory Slots | 8 – PC-3200 DDR400 ECC SDRAM |
Interleaving Support | No |
Display
Built-in Display | None |
Graphics
Graphics Card | None |
Graphics Memory | N/A |
Display Connection | None |
Display Modes | N/A |
Expansion
Expansion Slots | 2 – PCI-X 133 MHz 64-bit |
Bays | 1 – Apple Drive Module bays |
Hard Drive Interface | 1 – 1.5 Gbps Serial ATA (SATA) |
ADM Compatibility | 74 GB 80 GB 250 GB 400 GB 500 GB |
Connections
Ethernet | 2 – 10/100/1000BASE-T (support for jumbo frames) |
Modem | None |
Wi-Fi | None |
Bluetooth | None |
Fibre Channel | Optional |
USB | 2 – 480 Mbps |
Serial | 1 – DB9 (RS-232) |
SCSI | None |
FireWire | 1 – 400 Mbps 2 – 800 Mbps |
Audio In | None |
Audio Out | None |
Display | None |
Software
Original OS | Mac OS X Server 10.3 (10 Clients) |
Maximum OS | Mac OS X 10.5.8 |
Firmware | Mac OS ROM |
Bundled Software | None |
Power
Backup Battery | Unknown |
Maximum Continuous Power | 240 – 252 W |
Line Voltage | 90V – 264V AC |
Further Reading and References
- Xserve G5: Technical Specifications – Apple Support
- Apple Upgrades Xserve G5 – Apple Newsroom
- Xserve – Wikipedia
- Xserve G5 (Cluster Node) – Apple History
- G5 Xserve – Sound on Sound
- Xserve G5 Review – MacWorld
Disclaimer: The data presented in this article is under continuous development and has been manually collected from various sources based on their availability. The author of this article may revise this dataset as additional research is conducted and reviewed. Please note that the information is provided “as is” and “as available” without express or implied warranties. The author cannot be held responsible for any omissions, inaccuracies, or errors in the published information. Any warranties relating to this information are hereby disclaimed.