Power Macintosh 7500
{{Short description|Personal computer by Apple Computer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Primary sources|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| Name = Power Macintosh 7500
| aka = "TNT"
| family = Power Macintosh
| developer = Apple Computer
| Image = Apple Power PC 7500 100 MHz 6879.jpg
| caption = A Power Macintosh 7500/100
| release date = {{start date|1995|08|08}}
| Discontinued = {{end date|1996|05|18}}
| MSRP = {{USD|3000|1995}}
| CPU = PowerPC 601
| CPUspeed = 100 MHz
| OS = System 7.5.2 - Mac OS 9.1
| RAM = 8 or 16 MB, expandable to 1 GB
| RAMtype = 70 ns 168 pin DIMM
| predecessor = Power Macintosh 7100
| successor = Power Macintosh 7600
Power Macintosh 7300
}}
The Power Macintosh 7500 is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from August 1995 to May 1996.
The 7500 was introduced alongside the Power Macintosh 7200 and 8500 at the 1995 MacWorld Expo in Boston.{{cite magazine
| url = https://archive.org/stream/Infoworld-1995-08-07#page/n89/mode/2up
| title = Apple's PCI risk
| publisher = InfoWorld Magazine
| pages = 1, 80
| date = August 7, 1995
| first = Anita
| last = Epler
}} Apple referred to these machines collectively as the "Power Surge" line, communicating that these machines offered a significant speed improvement over its predecessors. The 7500 introduced a new case design,{{cite magazine
| url = https://archive.org/stream/MacWorld_9512_December_1995#page/n57/mode/2up
| title = Reviews - Power Macintosh 7500/100
| magazine = MacWorld Magazine
| date = December 1995
| pages = 56–57
| first = Tim
| last = Warner
}} later dubbed "Outrigger" by Mac enthusiasts.
There were two derivative models: the Power Macintosh 7600, identical to the 7500 except for the CPU which was a PowerPC 604 or 604e processor instead of the 7500's 601; and the Power Macintosh 7300, identical to the 7600 but without the video inputs found in both the 7500 and 7600.
Hardware
The 7500 is one of the first PCI-capable Macs manufactured by Apple; NuBus expansion cards are not supported. It has a PowerPC 601 processor rated at 100 MHz that is replaceable via a daughtercard.{{cite web
| url = https://support.apple.com/kb/SP366
| title = Power Macintosh 7500/100: Technical Specifications
| publisher = Apple
| access-date = September 26, 2022
| archive-date = September 26, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220926133807/https://support.apple.com/kb/SP366?locale=en_US
| url-status = live
}} It also includes full composite video and S-Video input capability, but no output, as the 7500 was designed to be a video conferencing system, not a multimedia editing machine—this was the 8500's task.
The main bus runs at 45 MHz or 50 MHz (set by the CPU daughtercard), and the CPU at integer or half-integer multiples of this speed. The bus can be temperamental with sensitivity to different kinds of RAM or of L2 cache, which could cause problems with aftermarket CPU cards trying to increase the clock speed.
Models
In addition to the standard matrix of configurations available from Apple, various third-party resellers offered a wide variety of configurations.
- Power Macintosh 7500/100: 8 or 16 MB RAM, 512 MB or 1 GB HDD, AppleCD 600i 4x CD-ROM drive.{{cite web
| url = http://tim.id.au/laptops/apple/legacy/pm7300.7500.7600.ws7350.pdf
| title = Power Macintosh 7300/ 7500/7600 & WS 7350 - Apple Service Source
| publisher = Apple
| access-date = September 26, 2022
| archive-date = September 26, 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220926133807/https://tim.id.au/laptops/apple/legacy/pm7300.7500.7600.ws7350.pdf
| url-status = live
}}
Timeline
{{Timeline of Power Macintosh models}}