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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > G4 450 Cube or G4 400 Tower?

G4 450 Cube or G4 400 Tower?
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Shantyman88
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Feb 10, 2001, 09:51 PM
 
I have finally decided to take the step into the world of Apple and sell off my PC. I would like to get the 15" flat screen display, so the system price point I am looking at is around $1200. Should I get a G4 Tower @ 400Mhz or a Cube @ 450 Mhz? I can get a cube bundles with the display for $1999 at the apple store with an education discount.

I plan on using the system for DV editing as well as typical home stuff- internet, MP3 stuff, etc.

Expandability is not too much of a concern to me because the only peripherals/addons I am interested are covered by firewire- EG hard drive and a super drive (someday...). Also, if anyone thinks the 17" display is better then the 15" flat for any other reason than the obvious one (price) please let me know.

Thanks for any thoughts on this.
     
marc
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Feb 10, 2001, 10:30 PM
 
This article from Bare Feats may help: http://www.barefeats.com/apple2.htm Be sure to read the text at the bottom of the graphs. It all comes down to expandibility vs. space. While the Cube is marginally faster at the things you want to do, the author of the article would take the tower for expandibility. Since space is at a premium to me, I would take the Cube. However, since there is some discussion of a posible upgraded Cube, I would wait the 2 weeks until MW Tokyo.

Again, the 15" flat panel is georgeous, but the 17" gives you more working area. Both machines are good in their own ways. It is just a question of how certain you are about your needs. If you haven't actually worked with these machines, I would go to a store and try them out in person. Good luck.
     
cjpainter
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Feb 11, 2001, 01:08 AM
 
Normally the CRT will give you truer color than the LCD screen. Other than that the size of the screen is actually about the same while the LCD takes up less desk space.

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zigzag
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Feb 11, 2001, 01:39 AM
 
Sounds like the Cube would serve you well. It's more compact, quieter, faster, and includes speakers. You might want to wait until the Tokyo show to see if there are any upgrades, but the current model would probably do everything you want very well.

The 400 mHz tower has 2 possible advantages besides expandability: an analog sound input, and the fact that you can save desk space by putting it under your desk.
     
Cipher13
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Feb 11, 2001, 04:17 AM
 
Tower, for sure.
Cheaper, more expandability, longer life (more upgradeable), will be supported in future (the Cube is on death row), plus all the other pros listed...
This has been discussed many many times... search the forum and see what you come up with.

Cipher13
     
^SuKi^
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Feb 11, 2001, 05:19 AM
 
I had to make the same decision, i didnt need expandabilty, and the Cube was pefect price, so i'm going for the Cube....it's perfect for me....
     
jeronimo
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Feb 11, 2001, 06:34 AM
 
Humm, if you stay with your Cube for a while... You'll have time to regret
Go tower!

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[This message has been edited by jeronimo (edited 02-11-2001).]
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scottiB
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Feb 11, 2001, 11:21 AM
 
For your needs, I'd suggest the tower--purely because this is your first Mac and your desire for DV. With the tower you'd have the ability to add PCI cards (SCSI, video, etc.), you could add internal hard drives, etc.

I can't emphasize enough the need for HD space for DV. I've been hacking around with iMovie and learning Premiere on an iMac DV (a fine machine for what I'm doing). Eventhough I installed a 45 GB HD in it, I need more room. The external FW drives I use aren't fast enough for editing from them (at least until faster IDE to FW bridges are available), so I use them for back-up and archiving (still a good thing). With a tower, I could install a second drive and all's golden (or a SCSI card for a fast HD, or a ATA-100 PCI card, or...you get the idea). The tower gives more possibilities and is more adaptive for growth (who knows, maybe in a year you'll be editing an indie film, or like I am, attempting three family projects at one time).

In terms of a monitor, save the $200 and get the 17" CRT. It's still hip looking and can run 1280x1024 (I live in the 1024x768 world and I NEED MORE PIXELS, darnit).

I understand that you have a $2000 budget; see if you can shimmy a new 466 (with ed. discount) and the CRT (or a non Apple monitor) for that amount--the bus speed, memory throughput, etc. will be helpful.

Buy more RAM (!) and refer to the barefeats link above....

Have fun.

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jmatero
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Feb 11, 2001, 11:24 AM
 
I'm really confused... Apple's own research tells them that the average non-iMac buyer REPLACES their system every 2-years. That being the case, I don't understand the whole "get the tower... it's expandable". Hell, just go on eBay and see the HUNDREDS of people selling their G4 400mhz towers just to buy the new 466 and 533... and before that, they were selling their 6 month old B/W G3 towers for 400hmz G4 towers. Even the companies making the upgrades are all going under at what seems like a company a week because people are just buying new systems. If you're torn between a 4xxMhz tower and a 4xxMhz cube and you don't add those PCI slots are all going to be empty, get the damn cube....don't buy this "you can upgrade the tower" nonsense... VERY FEW do. Just my 2cents. Look, I administer 200 mac operators and NONE of them want their desktops... they all want cubes. Also, when systems here are about 2 years old or so, do you think we buy processor upgrades and new video cards? No way! We replace the systems with the newest technology. In the past few months we started replacing our remaining G3 towers with Cubes (Radeon)... ecspecially now that there are so many non-scsi scanners on the market. Look, if you don't work for George Lucas or James Cameron (in other words, you're going to buy your G4 and do NOTHING to it as MOST do...) get the cube. The problem with the cube sales wasn't expandability... the problem was price. If they can sell a 533mhz with 128mb Ram, 40gig HD, radeon or nvidia and CD r/w for $1499, they'll sell by the truck-load. That's what I hope is coming in the next 2 weeks... along with 17-18" LCDs from Apple or a 21" CRT.
     
NeoMac
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Feb 11, 2001, 01:16 PM
 

I have to agree. The CUBE is a very sweet machine. It is THEE Mac to have, no matter what anyone says. I won't get it in the current configuration, but I will get the next revision. It could be revised Feb 22nd, but I'm betting March 24th.

In 2 years, you could sell it, and get the newest upgraded version.

"Last time the French asked for more evidence, it rolled through France with a German flag." - David Letterman
     
zigzag
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Feb 11, 2001, 03:44 PM
 
I think jmatero is right - only a small percentage of consumers ever bother to upgrade or expand, they just buy new machines as their needs change or the technology changes. This is actually quite sensible - the price of new technology comes down over time, and it's easier to buy a new package than to constantly upgrade.

I had a 2 year-old 6500, but instead of trying to add USB and Firewire to it, I bought a new iMac instead. Even if I could have made those upgrades, I liked the iMac a lot better. In another 2 years, USB2 and Firewire2 will be common, there will be new processors, there will be new software requiring the new processors, there will be newer, more advanced peripherals, etc. Ask yourself - do you really want to patch all that stuff together on an old machine, or are you more likely to just buy a new package?

These boards are populated by an above-average number of computer geeks who have to have the latest and greatest cards, processors, etc., the minute they come out, whether they really need them or not. God bless them, but millions of other people who depend on their machines to make a living happily use Cubes, iMacs, and unmodified towers, and will do so for years to come. They just add memory and perhaps upgrade the hard drive, both of which can be done on the Cube. Firewire's available for the rest.

scottiB is correct that DV prefers a lot of fast hard drive space, but it all depends on how you work - do you need to have a lot of material sitting on your internal hard drive, or can you archive it elsewhere, like on an external hard drive or digital tape? Are you making home movies or Hollywood epics? While it's nice to have unlimited space, it's hard for me to imagine that a non-professional couldn't be happy for a long time with a good internal drive and extra Firewire drives as needed. But of course that's up to you.

As I understand it, the 400 mHz tower only comes with a 20MB 5400 drive, so if you're doing a lot of DV you'll probably want to upgrade whether you get a tower or a Cube. As far as I know, you can put a 60+ GB drive in the Cube with no problem.

As for the Cube being phased out, no one really knows if or when, but all models are phased out eventually. It's not as though you'll have to stop using it. There are people still using machines that were phased out 8 years ago. I would suggest judging it on its own merits.

Noise is a real issue for some people. There are threads on this very board from people complaining about noise from their towers, even when they're placed under the desk. It's not a problem for everyone, but Apple didn't make the Cube fanless just for novelty's sake. I'm inclined to upgrade to a Cube, and pay extra, for this reason alone.

This isn't to discourage you from getting a tower - by all means get one if you think it would serve you better than a Cube. Each has its own merits.
     
iMight
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Feb 11, 2001, 05:20 PM
 
Shantyman88, as a Cube owner I believe the last three posts are spot on. I'll only add that while I enjoy the look, screen size, and functionality of my 17 inch monitor, the 15 incher would give you a purely digital computing experience.

(BTW, I'm betting on a Cube revision alongside OS X on March 24; Steve Jobs is saving Tokyo for the new iMacs.)

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NeoMac
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Feb 11, 2001, 06:23 PM
 
Originally posted by iMight:
BTW, I'm betting on a Cube revision alongside OS X on March 24
Finally, some one who shares my opinion!

Everytime I say the Cube will be updated March 24th, I get heckled.
"Last time the French asked for more evidence, it rolled through France with a German flag." - David Letterman
     
Shantyman88  (op)
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Feb 11, 2001, 06:41 PM
 
One more thing I thought I would add to my question- I am getting a Tibook 500/256/20 gig through work (gotta love equipment stipends), so if that changes the complexion of anyone's thoguht/answers, please share.

Thanks everyone for your advice.
     
iMight
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Feb 11, 2001, 10:00 PM
 
Originally posted by Shantyman88:
One more thing I thought I would add to my question- I am getting a Tibook 500/256/20 gig through work (gotta love equipment stipends), so if that changes the complexion of anyone's thoguht/answers, please share.
You lucky son of a gun . . . Get the Ti for the road and a Cube for your desk, and you'll have the two coolest Macs on the planet. This is a no brainer!

Originally posted by NeoMac:
Finally, some one who shares my opinion! Everytime I say the Cube will be updated March 24th, I get heckled.
Yeah, can't ya almost see Steve's OS X demo performed on the Cube? Since both products are so innovative, it could and should happen . . . Only time will tell.


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zigzag
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Feb 11, 2001, 10:24 PM
 
shantyman, if you're getting a TiPB for free, why spend another $2,000 on a Cube and monitor? The TiPB seems to offer almost everything the Cube does. I was even thinking of getting a TiPb as a desktop replacement instead of a Cube. From all accounts I've seen, the screen on the TiPB is comparable to the 15" display. Anybody here compared them?

But don't let me talk you out of it - if you want both, go for it.
     
jmatero
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Feb 12, 2001, 11:54 AM
 
question... since OSX isn't going to be installed on systems until MacWorld NYC in July, why is everyone betting on 3/14/01 for cube updates? Is there another show I don't know about? Actually, if the "Look" doesn't change I don't see them making a big deal about the cube updates. I'm expecting the cube to go the way of the tower with similar processor speeds and perhaps a TopOfTheLine with superdrive... but they ALL will have CD r/w, bigger Hard Drives and more Ram. I figure we'll hear from a fellow poster on Feb 23rd that the Applestore Cube area is updated and that the $1499 is now 466mhz with 20gig drive, cd r/w and 128mb ram. Now if they'd only offer an 17 or 18" LCD... hint-hint. The only thing I'm worried about in terms of the cube is the Radeon cards. The ones we just got have the Radeons and they require a... yup, you guessed it... cooling fan. So, these new cubes aren't quiet at all. Oh well... they're still not as loud as our G3 towers.
     
Nonsuch
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Feb 13, 2001, 11:03 AM
 
Originally posted by Shantyman88:
Also, if anyone thinks the 17" display is better then the 15" flat for any other reason than the obvious one (price) please let me know.
LCD monitors in general have a very limited angle of view, and while Apple's monitors are better than most in this regard, you pretty much need to be facing an LCD head-on to see anything. A designer friend of mine has a Cube with a Cinema Display and he confirmed this for me. If you plan to use your machine to display as well as create your video projects, this may be a consideration.

Nonsuch

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idwire
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Feb 13, 2001, 01:04 PM
 
I think all are good comments and most have merits. I just placed an order for a G4 400, however, as much as I like the Cube, for two main reasons. If you don�t have these or similar, than go for the Cube.

1) We have SCSI products we still use and need a SCSI card to access.

2) Our programmer wants to work off of two screens.

Cube has no card slots to do either of these. If you need SCSI, get a converter and you can�t daisy-chain. Want to work off two monitors, too bad with Cube.

The Cube is great for home use and has always been the iMac replacer for high-end home users, but was too expensive.

Maybe I should check out eBay for those 400 G4s...

my 2 cents...
     
Bodhi
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Feb 13, 2001, 02:34 PM
 
Tower.

Think "Soundblaster Card"

If you really want a computer that will hold its value longer and is just an overall great machine then wait a little longer and save a little more money and buy the 466 tower. The 4xAGP and 133MHz bus are well worth the few extra hundred you will spend.

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[This message has been edited by Bodhi (edited 02-13-2001).]
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krezreb
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Feb 13, 2001, 02:44 PM
 
I do NOT understand the arguements of you folks who like the cube! The ONLY reason I would justify buying a cube is if I live in an appartment in NYC and literally HAD no space.

And for those of you who argue "most ppl buy a new one every 2 years anyway." BULL!! Why should I spend $3500 on the latest and greatest for a "maybe" 30% improvment? Let me tell ya, my ole overclocked beige G3 300 still rocks the block.

The only choice for doing serious DV editing is the tower. One of the most important features that the tower has and the cube lacks is a standard video-out. If you get the cube then you'll HAVE to buy an expensive apple-branded monitor because of the connector, if you get the tower, you can get a 3rd party 19" CRT for probably less than that Apple 15" LCD. Why should you care if the 3rd part monitor is beige and doesn't go with the tower?

If you have the desk space, get the tower .... you NEVER know when you'll want to upgade.

Get the cube and I GUARANTEE that you will be buying another mac in 2 years.... that's what the cubes were designed for: to look pretty and have built-in obsolencence.
     
bitfly
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Feb 13, 2001, 03:13 PM
 
Originally posted by krezreb:
The only choice for doing serious DV editing is the tower. One of the most important features that the tower has and the cube lacks is a standard video-out. If you get the cube then you'll HAVE to buy an expensive apple-branded monitor because of the connector, if you get the tower, you can get a 3rd party 19" CRT for probably less than that Apple 15" LCD.
Well you obviously have no idea what you are talking about. The cube has a standard video out JUST LIKE the tower. You can use whatever monitor you want with it. I use my cube for video 8 hours a day and it makes ZERO difference that I am not on a tower as you don't need PCI slots, just firewire. The tower is for insecure people who want the option of PCI slots even though most people don't use them ever.
The cube is an outstanding computer.

     
ugh
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Feb 13, 2001, 03:14 PM
 
RTFM. ALL Apple video cards with a ADC connector also have standard VGA connectors. From previous posts--MOST people don't use slots or buy new after two year--not argumentative, but factual, either from research or experience [200+ users is a large case study]. So for MOST people the Cube is a viable option.

If you are doing serious video then get a G4 tower and spend an extra $4000 to get FCP Pro, a couple of UW2 hard drives (at least 18 gigs each) and an UW2 SCSI card and maybe a Matrox RT card for real-time editing. But that's if you're seriously doing DV.

As far as obsolecence goes, a two-three year old cube would make a kick-ass web/file server. No noise, headless w/ remote admin.
     
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Feb 13, 2001, 03:41 PM
 
Originally posted by zigzag:
shantyman, if you're getting a TiPB for free, why spend another $2,000 on a Cube and monitor? The TiPB seems to offer almost everything the Cube does.
I would tend to agree. For myself, I would save all that money for a kick-ass CRT (22" La Cie, for example) monitor for the desktop and just use the TiBook for everything. Having purchased an iBook SE earlier this year, I have migrated most of my work to it from my desktops. If I could use a higher res display that was calibrated to boot, I wouldn't need my desktops at all!
     
schwanerhill
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Feb 13, 2001, 04:57 PM
 
If you're getting a TiBook, my advice is not to bother with a desktop computer. I have a Pismo PowerBook (the model that was replaced by the TiBook; it works extremely well as my primary computer, even for games like Quake and Unreal. It has the firewire ports for video editing, and you can buy an external firewire hard drive. The PowerBook takes up even less space on your desk than a Cube when you're at your desk. You can even do your video editing in bed or in the kitchen or on the bus or in front of the TV (although not easily with the external hard drive connected). Having a laptop makes computing much more convenient than with even the smallest desktop machine.

If you want the extra screen space, it might be worth it to spring for an external monitor; you can then use both the built in PowerBook monitor and the external one. Remember, if you just use the PowerBook, you've got the $2000 you would have spent on the Cube or Tower for internal upgrades, memory, and anything else you could want.
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Shantyman88  (op)
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Feb 13, 2001, 05:07 PM
 
Let me clarify my position a little. I am new to DV. It is a hobby at best, and I may find out that I am not into shooting/editing constantly. It is just something I have a nascent interest in. I am a film buff and the idea of editing shooting is cool to me. Maybe it will kick in and be my favorite thing to do- I do not know. I just bought a Canon ZR-10 camera, hardly a professional camera. I do want to approach it in a professional way though if that makes sense. My job (at a university) has given me free access to an old steadicam Jr as well as final cut pro 1.2.5. so why not utilize them?

I am getting the TiBook for work technically, but I can use it for home just as well. I *want* a mac for my home. If I am editing stuff, I would prefer to do it on a home, desktop machine as opposed to a laptop. I will admit I am in love with the cube/flat panel set up, and it is $2000 at the apple store with an edu discount. The Desktop PC I want to get rid of is a nice machine, but it is loud and bulky as hell. I want something aesthetically pleasing .

The problem is I want to boost the ram/HD capacity on the machine, and in that sense I know a G4 400 Tower with the CRT display would be $500 cheaper and I could add a ton of RAM and A new HD on the money I would save.

Thanks for all the thoughts so far. I think this is difficult in some ways because Apple machines are so much more expensive than PCs from my POV. I just want to maximize my dollar.

Any further advice is much appreciated...
     
Allen Wicks
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Feb 13, 2001, 05:54 PM
 
Access to a TiBook changes *everything*. You already own G4 cpu horsepower, so invest in peripherals:

[1] A large monitor. The TiBook will run in either dual-monitor or mirror mode.

[2] RAM

[3] Fast FW hard drive; research carefully to ascertain true video throughput speeds.

The benefits of portability cannot be overstated. Of course a MP G4e running OS X would be nice, but by the time they exist we probably will have fast G4e Powerbooks too...

P.S. Because few folks ever do serious upgrading, the Cube/Tower issue gets to price. Apple overpriced the Cubes initially, but actual street prices at any given time will determine which box is cost effective for the 90% of folks who do their upgrading by buying new boxes.
     
Allen Wicks
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Feb 13, 2001, 06:10 PM
 
You state "If I am editing stuff, I would prefer to do it on a home, desktop machine as opposed to a laptop. I will admit I am in love with the cube/flat panel set up..."

As a G3 PowerBook user (and 90% of the time the PB is on a pedestal on my desk), I would ask, Why? The TiBook already has a 15" LCD monitor as well as similar cpu horsepower. Spend your $2k on peripherals and you will have a better setup by a lot. The only thing you are missing is the cutesy cube itself, and the TiBook is not exactly ugly on your desktop.
     
ugh
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Feb 13, 2001, 06:51 PM
 
Until faster firewire-IDE bridge chips come along there are NO firewire drives that can handle a DV stream. These chips are mainly ultraDMA33, hence the slow firewire transfer speeds [14-17MB/sec]. New chips are being introduced that are ATA100 spec, which can give a 35MB/sec sustained transfer rate, fast enough for DV. But these are not on market. So the TiBook and an external FW drive will not work well for DV.

That said the stock drive in the 450mhz Cube is also a slow 5400rpm drive. You must either upgrade to the 30MB drive or buy your own and replace the OEM drive.

If your heart is set on an Cube then buy a stock Cube [$1290 from educational], buy RAM from a third party [another 256-512 megs: $74 for 256megs at memorytogo.com], get the faster drive [$140] and check out smalldog.com for refurbed 17in Apple ADC monitors [$320]. The LCD displays are purty but expensive.

Or you can wait till MWTokyo and see what the Steve trots out.
     
Officer-g
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Feb 13, 2001, 09:39 PM
 
"I will admit I am in love with the cube/flat panel set up, and it is $2000 at the apple store with an edu discount. The Desktop PC I want to get rid of is a nice machine, but it is loud and bulky as hell. I want something aesthetically pleasing."


And why are you hesitating? The cube delivers solid performance (very solid performance) and she is the most gorgeous computer on the planet with the ASD 15" (TiBook notwithstanding...) I don't think there is any reason why you would really need the expandibility of the tower, and from the way you speak, I would say that the design factor more than makes up for the "what-if" factor. Get a Cube and if you ever start regretting it, just look at the thing for about 30 seconds and listen to what you don't hear. The benefit of sitting down in front of a computer and enjoying before you even turn it on is worth a whole lot more than Apple charges...
     
bitfly
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Feb 14, 2001, 03:01 AM
 
How can you say no to a sexy face like this? http://www.bitflydesign.com/cube1.jpg
     
Norm1985
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Feb 14, 2001, 03:05 AM
 
It's as simple as this!

TOWER = MORE UPGRADABILITY

CUBE = MORE QUIETNESS

TOWER PRETTY QUIET ALREADY! CUBE SOMEWHAT UPGRADABLE!

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Feb 14, 2001, 12:36 PM
 
It's doesn't matter what you'll get, the good reason just to get Mac and send PC to MacAddict magazine, so they can burn it next Christmas!!! ;-)
     
MikeM32
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Feb 14, 2001, 02:15 PM
 
I'm really confused... Apple's own research tells them that the average non-iMac buyer REPLACES their system every 2-years. That being the case, I don't understand the whole "get the tower... it's expandable".
Yeah that's pretty weird, not doubting it though, I've seen those systems on ebay. I'm frankly amazed at the fact that someone who just wants to upgrade every 1 or 2 yrs would go for a higher-end system however. If you're planning on just getting the "next best thing" every year or so get a cheap Mac like an $800.00 iMac. I'm far from "poor" but I'm not "Donald Trump" either, and can't possibly buy a new system so often. So if I'm laying out around $1200.00-plus on a system I'm looking at longevity which = expandability IMHO.

I'm in the graphics business, but don't do alot of this kind of work at home. I'm still running my Rev. 3 Beige G3/266 Desktop which I purchased in Sept. 1998 for around $1500.00. This model was only released a few months earlier. I almost spent a little less on the very first iMac instead, which was just hitting the local CompUSA's at that time. When it was originally released the first iMac was around $1200.00. My brother's friend who's also a designer and does alot more payable design work at home than I do did purchase the very first iMac, which he still has.

I recently spoke to him and he's quite frustrated with his iMac now, which doesn't even have all the "bells and whistles" that even the latest lower-end iMac's do. Meanwhile I've watched the past two U.S. Mac World Expo's, and have come real close to selling my "rig". But rather than selling it off for very little and laying out alot more for something new, I've come to my senses and decided I should still be capable of adding onto it. And I've only just started adding onto it within the past year or less.

I added an additional 256 MB SDRAMM DIMM to fill the last RAM slot, which puts me up at 352 MB total now. I decided to make use of an older Packard Bell 17" monitor for a dual monitor set-up, so I got my very first PCI card in 2 yrs, (16 MB ATI Rage Orion) and am running two 17" monitors. I've added a second ATA "slave" Hard Drive (20 GB Maxtor), so I can boot "to and from" systems to run stuff like Norton Utilities, and DiskWarrior, so I can utilize some space for backup, and so I'd have a second bootable drive in the (dreaded) event my original OEM (or even my new drive) "dies" on me (I saw this happen to a then 1 1/2 yr old G3/300 B&W Mac's OEM Quantum Fireball drive at work, it quite frankly, sucked) The second drive will also come in handy when I receive OSX (which is on pre-order).

I still have more room for expansion with two open PCI slots remaining, so if I need USB or Firewire that's not a problem. Although I'm still happiest with SCSI, as it is fastest, and that's already built-in. SCSI "stuff" is getting alot rarer, but it can still be found, and there's always firewire/usb to SCSI adapters when I'm ready to get a new Mac, or I'll just get a SCSI card.

I'm currently looking at and pricing a few SCSI external CD-RW's to add-onto my ever "evolving" Mac system here. And the possibility of upgrading the processor via a 500 MHz G3 Sonnett Encore ZIFF card is still floating around in my head (I'll decide after seing how OSX final & Classic run on my Mac).

I'm still surprised that anyone who'd invest $1700.00-plus on a system that can be expanded on like a G4 tower, would just sell it off every few years for a new one. But I suppose these people aren't looking at the reality of the "expandability" over several years, but instead what the "return" would be on thier investment

I administer 200 mac operators and NONE of them want their desktops... they all want cubes. Also, when systems here are about 2 years old or so, do you think we buy processor upgrades and new video cards? No way! We replace the systems with the newest technology. In the past few months we started replacing our remaining G3 towers with Cubes (Radeon)
In a "perfect world" I'd also work for a company that wouldn't hesitate to replace 200 Macs every 2 yrs. Don't we all wish we could or had that kind of $$$$$ to replace our own systems so often?

How can I apply to work where you do?

The company I work for has a small Mac department of about 5 Workstations a G4/500 Fileserver, and two R.I.P. Stations. They're not a "tiny" company either, but getting these people to get new hardware is rediculous. I semi-administer/maintain the small amount of hardware in our workgroup (voluntarily), and propose new hardware and software when needed, although my primary duty is as another Graphic Artist.

The G4/500 ASIP Fileserver with DVD-RAM for backups was the only Major Mac purchase I'd proposed that they actually "went" for (can't compain however since the company owners liked the proposal so much it won me a decent raise, which makes me wonder if they were expecting to spend alot more on a Fileserver). Prior to the G4/500 Fileserver we were running an old Quadra 650 Fileserver with an external Seagate "Hammer" drive, and doing Backups to Tape and CD-R

Recently the company put out an inside memo to all departments about cutting costs, which looks real bad for acquiring more hardware. So what we've got is a network of Legacy Hardware (Pre-G3 systems) and a few G3's that we have to build upon if necessary, unless business picks up (which it will, this "slow-down" happens every year). Fortunately all of these workstation systems are expandable 9500, 9600, G3/300 MT, G3/300 B&W, G3/450 B&W. Our two R.I.P. stations consist of a 9500, and a 9600.

But considering thier status at this time, a few G4 Cubes might be better than the notion of 1 or 2 G4 towers. I've had a proposal in since last July's MWE about us getting a G4/500 MP, which has just been sitting on my supervisors'/supervisors' desk. The cost of a handful of Cubes would certainly be more appealing to the owners of the company I work for than the cost of 1 or 2 full-blown towers. The iMac isn't an option as a Graphics workstation for us, since we run 21" Monitors on all our "die-hard" Graphics stations.

I'd just like to "sweep away" the older legacy hardware at work, and get us running at at least all G3's or higher. If OSX takes-off well over the next few years they'll be stuck spinning thier wheels in the mud (and I've already fore-warned them about this very real possibility).

Mike



[This message has been edited by MikeM32 (edited 02-14-2001).]
     
Chimpmaster
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: AUSTRALIA
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Feb 14, 2001, 07:12 PM
 
I hate it when people try to make up formulae like

cube = good
tower = bad

and stuff like that.

I think

people who make formulae = idiots.

Anyway, I must admit i like the cube. Buy the cube, with the current discounts they are a great buy, and if you can get that bundle for $1999 you are laughing. Make sure you get the 32mb radeon video card, and not the 16mb aat 128 one, as there is a big difference in performance.

And youll be needing to upgrade the ram, dont forget that. I think a cube would be a waste with under 256mb ram or at least 192.

Good luck!
MacBook Alu, 13", 2.4Ghz, 4GB RAM, 256MB video
G5 Imac, 17", 1.9Ghz, 1.5GB RAM, 128MB video, built in isight, airport and bluetooth
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Norm1985
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Join Date: Jun 2000
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Feb 14, 2001, 07:43 PM
 
You know you ass, I was just trying to make it simplistic for anyone to understand what the cube is for and what the tower is for.

------------------
Mac OS for productivity.
UNIX for stability.
Palm OS for mobility.
Windows for solitaire.


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