Apple G4 Cube upgraded

[DaytonaUSA]

Sold to Tempest.

Edited March 29, 2009 by DaytonaUSA

[CGQuarterly]

That's a good deal on a cool computer. I see them for sale in the surplus store at the university where I work, and they aren't much cheaper than that, and you aren't likely to get the power brick or that much RAM or the Airport card. That's very tempting.

 

Chris

[Mirage]

Definitely very tempting. Have always wanted a Cube but can't justify it right now. That isn't a bad deal though. Not only a great computer, but a nice collectible.

[Albert]

That would be a fun computer. I sold my last PowerMac (Dual G4-450) last year and managed to get $250 for it. I installed Leopard on the machine, which was a trick since normally it will only install on a machine with an 867Mhz or faster processor. Ran pretty well on it, though. Never had one of the Cubes though, but always loved the form factor..

 

..Al

[DaytonaUSA]

Yep, you can upgrade this thing up to modern computer levels too. Which is precisely why I got this, but I got a bit in over my head, and I don't know how to do all the things I need to do with the OS to make it work with the new chips I bought. I bought a 400 dollar 1.7 ghz dual processor and a GF6200 256 mb graphics card to put it in. They supposedly work, but after reviewing the steps needed to do it, and then all the chances of it not working for no reason, I chickened out. As is it's a great little cube. Again, the case is a little scratched and what not, but man is it sturdy (and heavy!), and it's like a tank in OS X. The ram really helps in that department. I test drove it online and it did a great job.

 

Yea, these computers are usually around 250 with no upgrades, or 60-90 bucks without a power adaptor, so I think the asking price is more than fair. The memory is brand new and god knows I spent more on the ram and the airport card in conjunction with the cost of the cube than I'm selling it for.

 

If you guys want more pics, or have any more questions be sure to ask .

 

Thanks guys

[DaytonaUSA]

PMs sent to people who PMed me. Please reply back asap.

 

Thanks guys.

[Godzilla]

As a fellow cube owner, let me recommend this computer to anyone who needs a solid, reliable, computer for any real-world use (aside from uber 3d gaming,) They are oh-so-quiet and very reliable. I love the speakers I have with mine (the round ones,) something funky about the cube with the round speakers. Also in the 'nice sound' category is my other favorite mac, my 20th anniversary macintosh.

[Emehr]

I always wanted one of these. I love the form factor and the way the guts pop out of the bottom. I already soaked a lot of time and a little money upgrading my Blue&White G3. DVD-RW, 1GB RAM, Mac OS 9.2.2, 1GHz... Vroom!

 

Hey Godzilla, did you get that 20th Anniversary Mac second-hand or when it came out?

[Godzilla]

Never had that kind of money myself You know a limo driver delivered them? I got it from the first owner who lost more money than I made in a year in my late teens/early 20s selling it to me. It is complete in box, with the leather media pouch, the pen/pencil set, all the books, etc. And a 'factory serviced' bose sound system (a lot of them had problems,)

[Emehr]

Never had that kind of money myself You know a limo driver delivered them? I got it from the first owner who lost more money than I made in a year in my late teens/early 20s selling it to me. It is complete in box, with the leather media pouch, the pen/pencil set, all the books, etc. And a 'factory serviced' bose sound system (a lot of them had problems,)

Wow, that's pretty sweet. I remember reading about the leather pouch (in MacAddict, I think) and wondered if you had it and all the other goodies that came with the Mac. Neat!

[Godzilla]

http://tam.axon.net/spartintro.htm

 

really cool TAM site with a great pictorial history of the development through the different prototype phases, up to spartacus.

[DaytonaUSA]

I keep on getting PMs of people asking if it's available and giving me offers, but then they never answer back haha. Can the parties interested at least contact me back so I can tell people asking about it if it's on hold or not. Thanks!

[SRGilbert]

How weird, I haven't see one of those in years, yet a day after reading your post, I see one at a Goodwill! It seemed pretty nice, included monitor, keyboard, power supply and those orb speakers for $200 and they had it powered on to show it was working. I have absolutely no use for one, otherwise I might have grabbed it.

[DaytonaUSA]

CURSE OF THE CUBE!

 

I keep getting PMs saying people want this thing, then no one replies... is this a game O_o loool.

 

Sigh, anywho, still available. Would rather not put it on evilbay. Thanks guys.

[tisaperfectdayelise]

CURSE OF THE CUBE!

 

I keep getting PMs saying people want this thing, then no one replies... is this a game O_o loool.

 

Sigh, anywho, still available. Would rather not put it on evilbay. Thanks guys.

 

I didn't forget about you...I"m still trying to work out the funds :-)

[DaytonaUSA]

The cube is still up for grabs. Edited first post to offer new upgrades and conditions of the sale.

[Tempest]

PM Sent

 

Tempest

[DaytonaUSA]

PM Sent

 

Tempest

 

You sir, have a reply.

[Tempest]

I've been doing some research on the G4 Cube. Amazingly they made accelerators for the G4 that go up to either a single 1.7Ghz processor or a dual 1.5 Ghz processor. Pretty amazing for a system that came with either a 450 or 500 Mhz processor. Of course these upgrades cost from $200-$350 which is almost half of the cost of a spiffy new Mac Mini, so I'm not sure how realistic they are, but it's still pretty neat. Maybe once they start clearancing them out I'll pick one up. Heck my laptop is only a 1.5 Ghz G4 and it's pretty damn fast even today.

 

Is there some sort of way to compare a PowerPC chip to an Intel Pentium? I know a 450 Mhz PowerPC is faster than a 450Mhz Intel chip, but how much faster?

 

Tempest

[DaytonaUSA]

By about a quarter. However, you can't compare new intel chips in macs the same way.. they are totally different. But yea, PC intel 450 mhz vs powerpc 450 mhz, the intel is weaker.

 

ANYwho, the chips are totally legit. I had one of the single processor 1.7ghz chips. Most cube owners who upgrade get these. Sure it's almost as much as half a mini (and once you buy everything else, it IS the price of a mini), but these people the upgrade more to prove it can do it more than anything else. It's fun for them to say "i have this old computer and it's about as good as your new one.. haha".

 

If you want to try, be my guest.. but it's a pain in the neck to figure out if you're not good with electronics and once you add up yoru costs, it's not worth it.

 

As a side note, your pricing structure is off. Expect to pay at least 400 for a 1.7 single processor chip.

[Tempest]

If you want to try, be my guest.. but it's a pain in the neck to figure out if you're not good with electronics and once you add up yoru costs, it's not worth it.

Yeah that's what I quickly figured out. Maybe if I can snag one cheaply off ebay or craigslist somehow it might be worth it. I also figure they'll close them out sometime in the near future simply because the Mini has taken over the cube and even with a 1.7 Ghz processor cubes are starting to show their age.

 

Tempest

[DaytonaUSA]

If you want to try, be my guest.. but it's a pain in the neck to figure out if you're not good with electronics and once you add up yoru costs, it's not worth it.

Yeah that's what I quickly figured out. Maybe if I can snag one cheaply off ebay or craigslist somehow it might be worth it. I also figure they'll close them out sometime in the near future simply because the Mini has taken over the cube and even with a 1.7 Ghz processor cubes are starting to show their age.

 

Tempest

 

And due to something.. i think it was bus speed, the computer can't really handle a chip much more than that. Even so, it was VERY impressive that something the size of a tissue box has been upgradable all the way to Leopard if upgraded correctly. I don't think you get that type of expandability unless you buy a tower.

[Tempest]

I thought I read somewhere that it's possible to overclock the 450Mhz board to a 500+Mhz (550Mhz or something like that). I saw a reference to moving a small jumper on the board somewhere, but I can't find any explicit instructions on what to do.

 

Tempest