questions about mac hardware

Hey folks,

I'm considering switching to a Mac next year (when I have the money, and after new Fall models come out, etc.), but I've got some questions first.

1) The 'GeForce 4Ti' high-end video card option - what version of the 4Ti are they talking about? 4200? 4400? 4600? What are the specs on it? There are several versions of the 4Ti available in the 'PC' world, but Apple doesn't seem to be listing which one they're using.

2) Memory. I know the current G4s come with lowly PC133 CL3 memory. If you replace it with CL2, will the machine be able to run at CL2, or is it designed to only run at CL3?

3) Audio. What is the audio hardware on a G4 like compared to typical audio cards for the PC such as a Creative Labs Live! or some such? What connections are available?

4) Harddrive. What brand, model, & specs for the harddrive in the G4?

5) ATA RAID options. Are there any ATA RAID adapters for Mac G4s?

6) Space taken up by OS X. How much drive space is taken up by a full install of OS X with and without OS 9 compatability?

7) Booting from external devices. Can OS X boot from an external firewire CD-R/W or DVD-ROM or DVD+R/W drive?

8) included CD-R/W drive - can it use the small 8cm CD-Rs and CD-R/Ws? Can it 'overburn' with 80min discs? What about 89min discs? What make & model IS this thing, anyway?

Okay, that's it for now - thanks!

 

> If you are going to be waiting that long, you'll likely be using DDR memory.

Undoubtedly, as I wouldn't buy a non-DDR computer at this point. Still, I would like to know if Apple engineers their machines to actually make use of better-quality RAM than they use, since they seem to use high-latency RAM for what is undoubtedly profit reasons.

> There are a host of RAID hosts, many based on the ACARD 6880M ATA133 architecture.

Hmm, that's too bad (about the 6880M) - it only does RAID levels 0 and 1, not 0+1 or 10. *sigh* Still, I just found out the G4 enclosure only supports 3 drives, so it's a moot point for putting drives inside the enclosure - guess I'll have to spring for an external one. *bleh* Or, since I intend on attaching an external CD-R/W/DVD-ROM drive, I could remove the internal one and hack a 4th one in there somehow, assuming I find a good ATA RAID card.