[Thade]

Hi all. I have a Powermac Gigabit Ethernet Dual 450 that's problem free and I've recently had a bad experience with a MDD. I'm looking to beef up another G4 and I have my eye on Quicksilver models. In my research to get the MDD repaired it seemed that the MDD was pretty problematic. Can anyone speak for the reliabilty of Quicksiilver models? It got to the point that I was afraid to even touch the MDD but I feel like I could kick my Gigabit Ethernet down the stairs & she would still chime right up.

TIA

Jeff

[bowwowman]

Although ANY computer can have problems at any given moment, I have not heard of any machine-specific reliability issue which could be attirbuted directly to either MDD or QS models.

Sure, everyone comes across a glitch in a program now & again, a bad stick of ram, or a peripheral that seems destined to be a P-I-T-A, but most of those problems are generally solvable with a bit of basic troubleshooting and analysis.

I know several people who bought both QS and MDD units brand new, and they have been and still are running quite well to this day, as is my severely upgraded, maxed out, speedomaster B&W from 1999..........notta problemo from day 1

If you could elaborate some on your "bad experience", perhaps we can help you find a solution........

[Boochie]

I had a Quicksilver G4/867 for four years. The only problem I had with it was that the original 80 GB Maxtor hard drive in it got a bit flaky after two years. I bought a Western Digital drive and made it the primary, and only used the Maxtor as a backup. Eventually the Maxtor gave up the ghost. Apart from that, it was a great machine. Not as nice as my new G5, mind you.

[IFLY2HIGH]

My dual 1ghz QS trucks all day long and all day stong, never had a problem.

[Thade]

Thanks for the feedback!

Yeah..I know jut about any computer can be problematic. Until I locked horns with the MDD, I hadn't had a hardware problem I couldn't work through. In the end, it wasn't worth the time, energy & expense. Mac parts are priced insanely high. I posted the symtoms here & elsewhere and had no success so I threw it up on eBay as a non-working system. In my research to repair it SEEMS to me that MDD Macs are a bit more prone to failure than other models.

I'm now on the upgrade vs. G5 fence and I'm VERY close to pushing the button on a G5. I have a decent Gigabit Ethernet Dual 450 that has seen many upgrades and downgrades. At one point I had a Sonnet 1.2, 1 GB RAM, 9800 Pro, bla bla them I yanked all the good stuff to beef up a Cube, then I sold the Cube Goodbye Christine

By the time I add everything I want: DP 1.8, 1 GB RAM (maxed at 4x128 now), Dual Layer DVD, SATA.... I'm pushin' $1000.00 and still choking on 100 FSB.

Tough call but I'm lening toward the G5

[superfula]

Don't let the fsb turn you away. The G4 isn't as dependant on fsb as the G5 processor is. At similar clock speeds, the G4 is right up there with the G5. Either way, you'll spend a lot more money on a dual G5 and not that much of a performance gain.

As far as quicksilvers go, I've heard the dual 800 can be a little problematic, but I had one back in the day and it ran perfect for me.

[Meijin]

I have a dual 1GHz QS ('02 -- ordered the day they were announced) that I've had since February 16 2002. It's been largely trouble-free. I've had only one problem I would attribute to actual machine part failure -- any other difficulties were of my own doing.

Earlier this year my CPU fan gave up the ghost. It ended up being a moderately pricey ($100ish) repair, but I'm sure I could have done it myself or gotten it for less. However, at the time, I had no free time to make said repair.

However, it should be noted that at the time, that machine was essentially running full tilt (90% or greater processor load) 24 hours a day for quite some time.

Solid machine, nicely upgradeable (I've added FW800, USB2, Airport) and even though it's nearly four years old, it doesn't feel like it's at the end of its days, unless you're doing extensive video conversions or dvd prep. If you are doing that stuff, then definitely go for a DP G5.

[Thade]

I couldn't help myself. I caved in & bought a DP 2GHZ G5.

[OogaBooga]

Originally Posted by Thade

I couldn't help myself. I caved in & bought a DP 2GHZ G5.

You won't be disappointed.