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all2ofme · Jan 28, 2004, 05:23 PM

I was thinking of getting a cube to run as a server and had the two following questions:

1) I have a 20" Cinema display and understand that I have to have at least the GeForce2MX video card in the Cube in order to be able to use it. How easy and cheap would it be to change a Rage128 Cube to have a compatible video card?

2) There's a thread on here at the moment ( http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=199450 ) about maximum drive sizes for ATA66 controllers. I'd like to put a 200GB drive into the Cube. Would this be possible? Will I get the full 200GB?

Thanks for any help,
Ben

driven · Jan 28, 2004, 08:00 PM

#1: Very easy if you can find the video card.

#2: No ... you won't be able to use your maximum size unless you mount it in an external case. (Firewire).

jonasmac · Jan 28, 2004, 08:59 PM

I think the biggest drive you can fit in the cube is 120gb.

Check out www.cubeowner.com. It's really helpful for all your cube needs. I consulted the FAQ's and forums over there when I first got my cube.

driven · Jan 29, 2004, 01:37 AM

Originally posted by jonasmac:
I think the biggest drive you can fit in the cube is 120gb.

Check out www.cubeowner.com. It's really helpful for all your cube needs. I consulted the FAQ's and forums over there when I first got my cube.

I've noticed that you've updated your cube to 800Mhz.
What card did you use?

all2ofme · Jan 29, 2004, 06:32 AM

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

I take it that it's not that easy to find those video cards, then? Do Cubes with the right video card come up often or would I be better off looking for the two separately.

Originally posted by driven:
#1: Very easy if you can find the video card.

driven · Jan 29, 2004, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by all2ofme:
Thanks for all the help, everyone.

I take it that it's not that easy to find those video cards, then? Do Cubes with the right video card come up often or would I be better off looking for the two separately.

The best place to look is ebay. Be prepared to pay a premium. Part of the problem of course is that they didn't make very many of them to start with.

As jonasmac mentioned the cubeowner web-site is a very valuable resource. They have a FAQ that talks, in-part, about video card upgrades.

Good luck!

joe · Jan 30, 2004, 09:21 AM

Originally posted by all2ofme:
I take it that it's not that easy to find those video cards, then? Do Cubes with the right video card come up often or would I be better off looking for the two separately.

Any Apple OEM GF2MX will fit. But with the prices people are getting for these cards, you may be better off waiting until you find a Cube that already has one installed. Just be sure to ask if it is an OEM and not a flashed PC card. Otherwise, you'll have to buy a DVI->ADC converter to use with the 22" Apple Cinema.

There's one on eBay right now with a GF2MX and AppleCare - only 7 hours left. It was the top of the line (500MHz, CDrw, 60gigHD, 896MB RAM) and comes with original box. If I didn't already have a Cube I'd probably bid on this myself::
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=51034

Here's a genuine OEM Cube Radeon. You can tell by the cooling fan. Tower versions only had a heat sink. This is faster than the GF2MX though very noisy (louder than the GF3 fan). You can upgrade the cooling fan though you have to be very careful. My Cube came with one of these along with a 22" Apple Cinema display:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4601

Here's an OEM GF2MX, though it's currently priced higher than the Radeon:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=4601

The fastest OEM card (with ADC) that will fit the Cube without mods is the GF3. But unless you're a gamer, you probalby won't notice much of a performance benefit over a GF2MX or Radeon. Also, OEM GF3s go for a lot of $$$ on eBay. I lucked out and paid $195 for mine when OWC had a sale. I've seen them go for more than twice that on eBay. Personally, I'd recommend bidding on the 1st item. It's fast, totally silent, and comes with the GF2MX and a few months of AppleCare just in case.

regards.............joe

TiDual · Jan 30, 2004, 10:07 AM

I've put a GF2MX in my cube (from a quicksilver machine) ... easy, and worked great. Then did a cpu+fan upgrade. The machine cooked (new main board required). So now I run with 1.2Ghz but the original Rage card.

Moral: CPU upgrade plus fanless GF2MX is a very risky proposition, even with the fan at the bottom of the core. Most "cubists" agree you need a fan on the video cards too.