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G5 Design???

Re: Hmmmmmm................

Originally posted by mischief


I don't know about y'awl but I'd like:

6. Elective (PCI) Drive Hosting
7. A second AGP, both faster if possible
8. More RAM slots
9. Lose the internal Modem
10. Lose the internal Power supply
11. Lose the internal Zip bay
:D
Click to expand...

7. Yup.
8. Definitely.
9. Nope, I like being able to fall back on my modem if my DSL is down.
10. And have it on the floor? I'd rather see it kept inside the machine. Doesn't make too much sense given Apple's "simple" style. Point to G4 Cube.
11. I use zips all the time. At least give us the option of having it internal, don't remove it completely!
 
EVERYBODY uses Zips/Modems...........

It's just a waste of space to build them in when there are dirt cheap USB solutions that don't take up case space.

Besides, what else FITS in that Zip bay? A HD if you care to fight the framing, only have 2 screws in it and taking the skin off some fingers.....

I'd rather have a USB external device than wasted room in the tower. Better versatility(what do you do when Zips go away?).
 
Re: best design

Originally posted by Biggles
although I have no need for a powermac, I have some good ideas for its looks.

First, I would want it simple.
Second, it should be slighty smaller than the G4 tower
and third, even though it is simple, it should look increibly elegant.

I think someone agrees with me, because i found this mock-up:

http://homepage.mac.com/benvp/.Pictures/PowerMac/G5.jpg
Click to expand...

Is that the G5 toaster? does it come with a matching kettle?
 
wow

wow, you guys have front-loading toasters!? What a world we live in!

Sure the design could use some tweaking, but for the most part, that's what i would personally want.
 
Re: Hmmmmmm................

Originally posted by mischief
So apart from the case aesthetics, what would we all like?

1. more ports
2. DDR
3. A wider Mobo Bitstream
4. A hatch that closes reliably
5. Faster Airport

I don't know about y'awl but I'd like:

6. Elective (PCI) Drive Hosting
7. A second AGP, both faster if possible
8. More RAM slots
9. Lose the internal Modem
10. Lose the internal Power supply
11. Lose the internal Zip bay
:D
Click to expand...

lose the internal power supply? maybe im missing something but why?
 
Simple:

Most of the fan noise, 1/2+ of the heat output, 2-4 drives worth of space.

An outboard, Cube style power supply would free up a lot of space, both the 7x9x9 or so unit itself and the wasted space generated in "breathing" room and access to the removeable media bays.

It's not pretty, but if you have a UPS covered in transformer bricks anyways......who cares?

BTW- If you DON'T have a UPS/Power conditioner, you really should.
 
One flaw I can see with going with an external power block, the size it would need to be to handle the power requirements of a tower. Also, remember how limited the expandibility of the cube was?? Part of that was due to the size of the unit, and part was the amount of power the external block provided. I really don't see the external power block flying. You would still need to have the wiring harness inside the case, and all of that coming from one plug from the outside could spell trouble.

I do think that they should go back to at least 4 memory slots, and somehow tweak the code to allow us to use 512MB chips in all slots, and see all the memory (not the 1.5GB max.). That is one of the very, very few areas that peecee motherboards do better then the Mac ones. Most peecee motherboards that are worth anything, support up to 3GB of RAM (if they have 3 slots), and that is usually DDR (PC2100) memory. Not many people can afford the GB memory chips, if you can find them, but that will change. Just look at what memory prices and sizes have done in the past few years.

The modem should be an option. I know that when I get my next tower, I will opt to have it removed. I use DSL via my home network, and don't need a stinkin modem inside my tower (will keep it in the TiBook :D).

I don't see many people actually needing a second AGP slot, and 4x is as fast as it gets, at least this month.

I would like to see more hard drive slots, and would gladly sacrifice the zip drive slot for a hard drive. Maybe they could turn them so that the drives are 90¡ of how they are now (at least the two spots towards the front) and then make a 4-up bracket. They would need to either make another IDE controller spot on the motherboard, or go to a PCI card hard drive controller. The PCI card option would allow users to upgrade the interface as they want to, without getting a new Mac. I know, many people do that now anyways, but with the option already provided by Apple, I think more people would do it. Maybe Apple could even start selling the controllers either in their stores, or online.

Going to 802.11a for Airport would be nice, or maybe the next level (whatever that is going to be).
 
My thoughts on case/mobo design...

...first of all, wtf would I do with two AGP slots? 2d stuff (and 3d rendering), is mostly processor work as far as I can tell, 3d cards seem to be for gaming/high res displays. 2 AGP slots would allow for 4 high res displays which seems a little excessive (I could be wrong), and I've never heard of games that use two monitors.

second, IDE(ATA) sucks. 2 drives per port, master slave settings, giant cables, giant ports, etc... FireWire2 is supposed to be 800Mbps (same speed as ATA100), so it would work better (faster, smaller, and less complex than the current G4). Just take the IDE bus completely off the motherboard and add in two internal FW2 ports instead, that would save a lot of space and mobo complexity (read that as "cost"). I realize FW is expensive, but I think the reduced size and complexity would make up for that.

third (they aren't going to do this, it's just an idea I had a while ago), computers aren't modular enough. In my idea, RAM, PCI/AGP slots, and Drive bays would be accessible from the outside of the machine. Cards and ram would be mounted in things like nintendo cartridges (basically a case for the car), you would slide it into a slot/sliding door/swinging door in the case and click it into place. Drives would be similar, you just stick it into the computer and it works. You can take it out when you're done (be useful for repair guys. carry around a diagnostic drive, just stick it into a broken comp and boot off it. Less messy than externals). This would almost make hard drives a portable storage medium.

fourth, lets have some faster ram. Apple's been stuck at 133MHz/PC133 for way to long. I think if you hooked a G4 up to DDR ram, you would find that the P4 didn't beat it at nearly so many tasks (that's why Apple's been emphasizing the cache on the G4 so much, it partially offsets this problem).
 
Re: My thoughts on case/mobo design...

Originally posted by Catfish_Man
...first of all, wtf would I do with two AGP slots? 2d stuff (and 3d rendering), is mostly processor work as far as I can tell, 3d cards seem to be for gaming/high res displays. 2 AGP slots would allow for 4 high res displays which seems a little excessive (I could be wrong), and I've never heard of games that use two monitors.

second, IDE(ATA) sucks. 2 drives per port, master slave settings, giant cables, giant ports, etc... FireWire2 is supposed to be 800Mbps (same speed as ATA100), so it would work better (faster, smaller, and less complex than the current G4). Just take the IDE bus completely off the motherboard and add in two internal FW2 ports instead, that would save a lot of space and mobo complexity (read that as "cost"). I realize FW is expensive, but I think the reduced size and complexity would make up for that.

third (they aren't going to do this, it's just an idea I had a while ago), computers aren't modular enough. In my idea, RAM, PCI/AGP slots, and Drive bays would be accessible from the outside of the machine. Cards and ram would be mounted in things like nintendo cartridges (basically a case for the car), you would slide it into a slot/sliding door/swinging door in the case and click it into place. Drives would be similar, you just stick it into the computer and it works. You can take it out when you're done (be useful for repair guys. carry around a diagnostic drive, just stick it into a broken comp and boot off it. Less messy than externals). This would almost make hard drives a portable storage medium.

fourth, lets have some faster ram. Apple's been stuck at 133MHz/PC133 for way to long. I think if you hooked a G4 up to DDR ram, you would find that the P4 didn't beat it at nearly so many tasks (that's why Apple's been emphasizing the cache on the G4 so much, it partially offsets this problem).
Click to expand...

I agree with parts one and four of what you wrote. Part two is way off base. ATA100/133 drives have neither large ports nor large cables. The ATA ribbon that Apple ships with the systems are short, with just enough play to connect two drives stacked on top of each other. Do you really want to pay for FireWire converted ATA drives??? I wouldn't. The current case design allows for more then enough room to put in drives, and run the ribbons. Also, ATA ribbons are never longer then 18", SCSI ribbons run in the feet for length. How much SCSI ribbon do you have looped around itself inside your box? Until FireWire 2 comes out, ATA100/133 or the new SCSI are the best options. SCSI drives are much louder then the ATA drives, and unless you are doing either tons of photoshop work, or video editing, ATA drives are more then sufficient.

As for part three... give it up, it isn't going to happen. Apple is all about making the computer more streamlined and easier to both use and set up. If they went modular, that would go completely against both aspects. Right now, you can unpack your Mac, set it all up, power it up, and be online in 10 minutes or less. That applies to iMac's, G4 towers, and the laptops (iBook and TiBook). Going modular, would make that at least 30 minutes. You would also have to make sure all the parts are seated fully (more hassle then most people are interested in).

The day Apple goes modular, is the day I stop buying Apple computers. That would be a very sad day. I do not count having a seperate display, keyboard and mouse as modular. Those are the normal components of a computer (less with laptops since the display, keyboard and trackpad (mouse replacement) are all in the unit). If you want to add components to the system, like a scanner, printer, external FireWire drives, that is your choice. Some people get them, most don't get all of them.
 
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