G4 Cubes?

[bling]

Hi, first post here    

I saw what looks like a very good deal on eBay, a 500mhz G4 cube WITH flat panel monitor and Apple pro speakers. I mainly want to just surf the web, do digital video editing, photoshop, and a few games. Is this a good system for this or should I go higher and ger a dual prosc g4 tower? thanks

by the way, i'm using an XP machine (eew), and i'm really strapped for cash. I only have around 650$ right now and plan to raise some more.

[ February 22, 2003: Message edited by: MacBling ]

[Fett101]

Mmmmm.... Cube

All the cubes I've seen are $1000 and over. If that's what you toss around when you're strapped for cash then by all means.

[slave]

Here is a PowerMac 933 Mhz going for ~500 dollars on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3402429311&category=14912

It ends in 1 day and has 12 bids for it already.

[bling]

hrm.... doesn't say that is dual prosc or not, should I just assume since its a g4?

Also, on the apple website when it says 1ghz dual proscessor, is it 2 500mhz or 2 1ghz?

[slave]

933 Mhz usually arent MP.  You really only need MP for 3D rendering programs like Maya and for intense digital video editing, etc.  Apps that aren't optimized for multithreading (most aren't, like games) will not perform much better.

[bling]

well I want to do SOME DV editing, but not like some huge steven speilburg thing. I mean 600$ is a good deal, just not sure... kinda still wish they made the cube  

[cocoamix]

The Cube was absolutely the most beautiful computer Apple ever made, except for maybe the 20th Anneversary Mac.
If you have the cash, you can upgrade one to a 1.25Ghz G4 (or maybe a dual, I'm not sure), and you can also put most new graphcs cards in one, but some have to be shaved a bit (!) to get them to fit.

Again, they're beautiful, but a bit impractical for upgrades.

A Cube would make a great headless server tucked away in a small corner too.

[bling]

I am extremly careful and delicate with my stuff, I have never modded anything in my life
      . Guess I dont have the guts to go in and mess around with stuff I shouldn't be messing with. Also I heard that the 1.25 ghz overheats due to the fact that the cube doesn't have a cooling system. Ugh wish that apple still made them, I'd gladly pay the money

Also, it bugs the shit out of me that stupid m$ can afford to even LOSE money on their dumb media center cubes, yet apple cant even afford to make them though it was their innovation first. Kinda like how m$ can lose millions on XBOX just to make it over the GameCube (which I own one and love    )

[ February 23, 2003: Message edited by: MacBling ]

[ February 23, 2003: Message edited by: MacBling ]

[Fett101]

quote:Originally posted by MacBling:
[QB]Also, it bugs the shit out of me that stupid m$ can afford to even LOSE money on their dumb media center cubes, yet apple cant even afford to make them though it was their innovation first. QB]

The only innovation in the cube was a spectacular looking, silent PC. Those Media PCs aren't just small boxes with XP crapped on. The OS was tailored for home entertainment systems.

[rtgwbmsr]

I think the newer upgrade cards (from Sonnet?) come with a quiet fan to help with cooling. Overheating isn't a problem, and any earlier problems probably aren't an issue anymore. The 800+ MHz upgrade cards are in their second or third revision.

[mr_nobody]

You can find G4 towers for about $650, but not with a monitor and speakers. If you don't upgrade much and you get the full setup with this cube, I would go for it on account of its small size and quiet design. One thing I wish the iMac could do (modular design), I'm starting to notice the fuzziness of its display with OS X's visual effects.