Where Does IT Belong?
Written: Aug 21 '00 (Updated Dec 02 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small, Quiet, Fast and Graphically Oriented
Cons: Expensive, Little Room for Expandability
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| DJC750's Full Review: Apple Power Macintosh G4 Cube 15 in. (B5073LL/A) M... |
Let me first say that I DO NOT have a G4 cube. I am however, relatively knowledgeable about Macintosh computers, or so I would like to believe. I have also had some experience with the cube through work and the Mac Exposition as well as reading numerous articles and opinions about the new cube. Anyway, the G4 cube is not an original idea; it is in fact Steve Jobs second cubic computer. Steve’s original cube, created by his computer startup was a complete flop. When Jobs took over Apple again, he bought out his other computer It should also be added that the G4 cube is NOT the only cubic computer on the market, there are several others also available, PCs of course.
As for the computer itself, it has almost the exact same specifications of the basic G4 tower. The only real differences are the cubes slightly faster processor (50MHz faster), the expandability of both computers (the cube is not designed to be expanded in anything besides ram), the design (the cube is 1/4 the size of the G4 tower, and believe it or not, a cube) and of course, the price (the cube is $200 more than the tower). The actual specs of the basic model are as follows:
450MHz Sawtooth PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine
1MB of backside level 2 cache
64MB of high end memory expandable to over a gigabyte
of RAM
20GB Ultra ATA/66 hard disk drive expandable to 80GB
1 DVD-ROM drive with DVD-Video playback
ATI RAGE 128 Pro graphics card with 16MB of graphics memory
Apple Display Connector (ADC-one wire for your flat
screen Apple monitor)
VGA connector for video out
2 Firewire, and 2 USB ports
Standard10/100 Ethernet connector
Extra cost ($200) 1 Gigabit Ethernet connector
56K internal modem
AirPort wireless capability
External Powerbook-type power supply
All-digital Harman Kardon dual speaker system
New digital optical buttonless mouse
New expanded and enhanced keyboard
Fanless cooling for quiet operation
(All features are further explained later in the article.)
As for the first difference, now while the computer companies make a big deal about 50MHz, it isn't that much. If you are going to be using your new computer for word processing, spreadsheets, internet access and/or other day today activities only, I would suggest that you get a cheaper computer, as the speed is simply unnecessary. The iMac is an excellent substitute. If you are going to be using this machine for high-end gaming, design or other heavy duty works, that 50MHz can make a real difference.
As for the expandability of the cube, it has almost none. As I said before, what you buy, is what you keep. Now while you can add extra RAM when you have the money, or need it, if you want any extra goodies added to your new cube, I would suggest that you check out the apple store, and buy your computer with the extra hardware already installed. If what you want isn't listed in the apple store, than it isn't available to be installed into the cube. Do not be discouraged though, as there are an increasing amount of external devices that can be used to add DVD-RAM, CD-RW, CD-R or additional hard drive space. For the non-techno geeks out there, this means that you can add additional CD drives that can write CDs in the different formats, DVD, Re-Writable (RW), and Writable (R). If you are going to need to add an additional chip, such as another/different Graphics accelerator, get the tower. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend this computer for serious gamers, as newer games are requiring better and better graphic accelerators.
The design of the cube is it's most prominent selling point, and is what apple is counting on to make this computer a success. This new design, which compacts a G4 computer into a small cube 1/4 it's normal size was designed to look good. With its symmetrical, fanless design, it is both beautiful (in a techno-geek/designer way) and small. This 8 inch cube is designed for those that have either next to no place to put their computer, or who want something that looks neat (in both interpretations of the word) on their desktop. This feature makes it very attractive to both small businesses, and design firms. The sleek look can make it a selling point for customers to both of these types of business, as it combines form and function. For those designers out there, be sure to always think about what you will need in terms of expandability before you even look at the design of this machine.
The price of the basic G4 cube is $1,799, as mentioned previously, $200 dollars more than the basic G4 tower. You can of course expand the cube before you buy, via the Apple store, and can increase the price considerably. There is also a higher model available for $2,299. This computer comes with a faster processor, larger hard drive and more Ram than the basic model. Now this increase in price can be attributed to one thing, miniaturization. The Apple cube combines the technology of a laptop in a desktop computer. This of course raises the price, but also leads to the argument that the G4 cube is the first MDC (Miniature Desktop Computer).
As for the individual specs of the computer...
The G4 processor is one of the fastest processors out there, it should be noted however, that it is maximized for photo and video work. Thus it is also a rather decent processor when it comes to games and other graphic intensive programs. It is not as fast as some other processors when it comes to normal day to day activities, however. This is hardly noticeable though.
It comes with the standard 1 MB of backside cache, as do 99% of the computers out there.
The 64 MB of RAM is perhaps a little low for any high-end graphical work, but you can always expand. As for word processing, 64 MB should be more than enough. I would recommend to everyone however, to upgrade to atleast 128 MB, as the extra RAM comes in handy with today’s ever more complicated programs.
The 20 GB hard drive is more than sufficient for most people, if you are going to need more than that, I would suggest looking into either a jazz, zip drive or some other removable storage drives. But as I said before, you can always buy an external hard drive to increase your memory later on.
The DVD drive, which also reads normal CDs at 24x maximum, has become a standard on most of the graphically oriented computers from apple. The DVD-video playback chip allows you to edit your home movies on this computer. If video editing is a major concern, I would also suggest looking into the three iMac DVs.
The Ati 128 Rage Pro comes standard on all Macintosh computers, and is a rather decent graphics accelerator card. It allows you to do most high end graphic work without any problems, and even allows you to run high end games on medium to high quality. You can also upgrade to the new RADEON card, which has 32MB as opposed to 16. This card allows you to do pretyy much all graphics on this computer without any problems, although you need to be sure to balance it with enough RAM.
The Apple Display Connector is a ploy to make you buy Apples new monitors. Now while this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it can be rather annoying. If you are either a designer or serious gamer, these screens are excellent for both their size and quality. For the average person, stick with either the low end, 15-inch model, or with another, non-Apple screen.
The VGA connector was added after numerous complaints about the lack of a different connector besides the Apple one. This allows you to connect your old screen, or a non-Apple brand to your cube.
The 2 firewire ports are excellent for adding external devices, as their speed makes them much more preferable over USB when it comes to such data intensive work such as writing CDs or external hard drives. It doesn't hurt to have your printer hooked up through your firewire if you are going to be doing large graphical prints.
The 2 USB ports give the cube access to the dozens of Mac and PC USB devices already on the market. Now while not as fast as firewire, the USB port is easier to use, and has a much more ranged amount of devices already available for it's use.
The standard Ethernet connection is perfectly sufficient for most business and home networks. It can also handle other modems such as cable and DSL. If you want more speed however, for such reasons as transferring very large files on a daily basis, or using the cube as a server, I would suggest swallowing the $200 dollar bullet and upgrading to the Gigabit Ethernet Connector.
The internal 56k modem allows you to easily connect to the Internet, using the pre-installed software, or software you already use. The internal Apple modem is rather reliable, and will rarely cause you any trouble.
The airport ability, which of course costs an extra $99, can be used to surf the Internet from anywhere in your house, without having to run wires from the nearest jack.
The external PowerBook supply simply means that the power converter is outside of the computer, allowing you to either plug the cube into either a wall socket, or a PowerBook battery.
The digital speakers allow you to better hear what noises your computer programs are making. They are very small and slick looking, and give excellent sound. Try visiting the Apple website for more information.
The new Apple optical mouse gets rid of the problem of having to clean your trackball, as it gets rid of the trackball altogether. Instead the mouse uses a light to track where the mouse is moving, for more precise movements, making it excellent for work requiring precision, such as designing or engineering. There can be problems with this mouse however; if it is used on a smooth, shiny surface, which is either white or black, as the mouse sometimes, has trouble tracking the movement on the solid color.
The expanded keyboard replaces the old, miniature keyboards that were once included with all of Apple's new computers. This keyboard includes all of the extra keys of a standard expanded keyboard, as well as several extra. For a full rundown, I would once again suggest that you visit the apple website.
The fanless design of this computer does indeed make it very quiet, it also makes it unadvisable to either stack them, or to put this computer in an enclosed or tight space.
Overall, this computer was designed for designers and engineers, but it is also very strong in many other areas. If you can afford it, and you are really smitten by its design; I would suggest this computer very strongly. But if you are on a budget, need room to expand or just don't like the idea, try a different computer.
The Apple Store and Website are located at:
http://www.apple.com
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
DJC750
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Member: Daniel
Location: New York, New York
Reviews written: 37
Trusted by: 4 members
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