When the Rhapsody project was started [1996] PCI Power Macs were in the beginning of their second or third generation depending on how you count [x500, then x600, then x300 models].
If they had come out with the original graphics subsystem it would still have had good performance on the 7500/7600/7300. And it could have possibly managed to pull it off for the 7200... though the 7200 was more a degeneration than a generation. :)
I'd call all of those "first generation PCI Powermacs". The x500 and x600 had the same motherboards, just different processors, and the x300 wasn't that far off, more an internal design bump than a new breed. I'm not sure you can tell a 7300 with a 604e/180 from a 7500 with a 604e/180 except by careful visual inspection of the motherboard.
two specific products in the range do not have same mother boards. Infact the case design and a significant ammount of detail inside is very different.
8500 = Nitro MB 8600 = Kansas MB
9500 = Tsunami MB 9600 = Kansas MB
I also belive the Mach 5 versions of 8600 and 9600 to be based on a variation of Kansas. Particularly L2 cache is a DIMM and not soldered.
7300 = Montana MB 7600 = TNT MB
These two are quite possibly the same but with minor revisions.
There would also be differences between what was avail in US as to what was shipped to rest of world as well.
Having said all of that the 7300 MB (and 7600?) slide straight into the 8600 and 9600 case with no modification. Would be interesting to do comparisons with 7300 MB against non mach 5 8600 and 9600 as I am sure there would be negligable difference in performance after adding G3/G4 card, video card upgrade and HD upgrades. 8500 and 9500 boards will not fir into 8600 and 9600 cases with out modifications
Now lets not get into the clones as it's even more of a mine feild there.
Simon
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