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xanderwilson · Oct 20, 2002, 09:49 AM

Considering purchasing my first desktop, but the noise reports, if the rule rather than the exception, is a dealbreaker. I use a lot of audio and I can't afford to build a soundproof enclosure for it. I think I CAN wait for my purchase, but four months or more is pushing it.

Is this a problem with ALL the current models, even the slowest ones? Is this a consistent problem or, as with many things you read in forums, we're hearing only from a vocal minority whose computers are loud?

Alex.

eddiecatflap · Oct 20, 2002, 10:02 AM

..very valid point.

..considering the pm's are aimed at audio studios etc..apple really goofed up with the noisy fans...

Reddog99 · Oct 23, 2002, 01:21 AM

All of the tower models have acquired the nickname of "Wind Tunnel" for a good reason. How about an iMac?

Pat

cube-dude · Oct 23, 2002, 09:30 AM

Originally posted by xanderwilson:
Is this a problem with ALL the current models, even the slowest ones? Is this a consistent problem or, as with many things you read in forums, we're hearing only from a vocal minority whose computers are loud?

I own a Cube (fanless) so I'm spoiled but, to give you an idea of the noise level of the new line, when I went to my campus store I actually HEARD the 1GHz Dual on display in a row of Macs a few seconds before I actually SAW it.

To me, it's too loud and high pitched. It's up to the individual's needs to determine if the machine is too noisy for them, however. No blanket statement will cover it. Have you considered a used Cube?

xanderwilson · Oct 23, 2002, 09:41 AM

Originally posted by Reddog99:
How about an iMac?

Tempting, but it's almost like buying another laptop, only this one's stationary. I plan on making use of some of the expansion including a second hard drive. That, and I plan on getting a larger LCD, so I'll be paying for something what I don't need and not getting what I want.

As a rule, I don't consider used electronics. Too many friends have been burned because they realized six months down the road that the piece had been stored in a humid or smoking environment.The cube is tempting to me to make an exception, though; it was before my time as an Apple user and I like what I've seen on paper.

Alex.

SpaceMonkey · Oct 23, 2002, 12:54 PM

If you need to buy now and noise is more of an issue than power, you can also buy the previous revision from Apple's Education Store. You may not qualify for that though.

xanderwilson · Oct 23, 2002, 01:09 PM

Thanks for pointing that out. My wife is actually a student, but this has two strikes against it for me. First, we bought an iBook a few months ago from Apple using her education discount, and they allow for only one computer purchase with the discount per semester (I think this used to be different). Second, they don't offer the Quicksilver in the configuration I want (yeah, yeah, now I'm getting picky--but as long as I'm getting a tower, I might as well go for the Superdrive).

I have found decently priced refurbished Quicksilvers with one-year warranties at authorized resellers at decent prices. I'm going to look into this while I wait for some better news out of Cupertino. If anyone has had good experience with any refurbished dealers, please let me know.

Thanks for your help, all.

Alex.

tramahound · Oct 24, 2002, 09:49 AM

You might be able to find a still-in-box, new cube on ebay still. that's how i got mine. it's only 450mhz, but i've got 80gigs of drive space and 640mb of ram in it with no complaints about speed. you could always bump it up to a dual gig with powerlogix or sonnet, but you'd also have to add a semi-noisy fan. i doubt somehow that it would ever get as loud as the new PM though...