This is a
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT from your friendly, local myth debunker.
Tired of waitng for updates?
Think that the G5s are overpriced?
Could you build a cheaper box for yourself, using the same kind of technology?
THINK AGAIN!
A fully-specced out, dual processor machine that uses the same sorts of technology that you'll find under the hood of a G5
is more costly than most would imagine. Sure, you can do it cheaper, with commodity parts, but we want honest and accurate reporting, right?
I can hear you, now. "Right!" you cry out, fists raised into the air.
Well, I'm going to give it to you.
Here's what we're looking at, purely in terms of parts:
- TYAN AMD-8000 Chipset Server Motherboard for Dual AMD Socket 940 CPU, Model "Thunder K8W (S2885ANRF)" -RETAIL -- $440
- AMD Opteron Model 146, 1MB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail X2 -- $598
- Pioneer 8X DVD+RW/-RW Drive, Model DVR-A07, Retail -- $189
- ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -RETAIL -- $232
- Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM X2 -- $208
- Maxtor 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model 7Y250M0, OEM Drive Only -- $226
What does this system of supposedly outdated components, these once-wonders that are now languishing at a year of age, set you back?
That's a good question!
Here's the answer: $1839.
For a mid-range, outdated Opteron, a motherboard that supports technology that's eerily similar to Apple's boards, a gig of RAM, the same HD that you see in the towers, the same optical drive we have in the towers, and the BTO graphics card, we find a non-adjusted and caseless, powerless equivalent to be nearly two thousand dollars.
If we tack on assembly fees, the famous Apple RAM tax, additional cost for extra features on the cards (ADC, mac drivers), the cost of doing their own R&D for the ASIC, the manufacturing of said device, and the additional supply costs incurred by owning a mac... I'll be unscientific and call the markup 30%.
What does that leave us with? A tower that, without power supply, monitor, or even a case, costs $2406.
Actual cost for a dual 1.8 with the same componets? $3,124. A dual 2.0? $3,574. That amounts to a $700 markup for the midline, and something around the same for the upper one (adjusting for faster processors being more costly - I assume $100 more per chip, which is conservative).
Now, I put it to you, oh MacRumors public...
Would you rather use a technologically elegant, sophisticated system that relies on technology that isn't stagnating and at the end of its life (the Pentium 4)?
Would you rather go with a better solution, rather than the best (AMD)?
I choose what I always have...
Think Different!
Brought to you by a lack of sleep, an intense hatred of posts whining about Apple's hardware, and the letter Q.
