Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Resurrecting the "Cube"

davisjw

davisjw

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 28, 2006
128
0
Richmond, Va
Hello,

I was surfing around the internet as everyone does and came across the lost Mac Cube. I remember wanting one years ago in my younger years (makes it sound like they came out during the beige era) because of the slot loading and "sweet" design but couldn't afford it. Now that they're $100 on eBay, the money is there.

However.. Can anyone think of any use for one? I never had one so not sure on the pros and cons and I already have an iBook that's 3x as fast as the 500MHZ addition so there's really no need to have one, it's just one of those Macs I want to have around (we all have one).

So basically is there any way to upgrade these forgotten gems to a more respectable configuration/ is there any practical use for one or is sadly the Cube bound to be forgotten or gather dust on my bookshelf?

Thanks for your time and any comments!
 
Book ends?

I would move on from wanting a Cube. Yeah they're neat, but pretty useless IMO. Maybe as a Music server or something perhaps? I dunno.
 
I think that the fastest a Cube can reach is a dual 1.8 GHz G4 with a Radeon 9800 Pro, but that would require a good deal of money and some modding. If you're going to get a stock (450 or 500 G4) Cube, make sure you get at least the GeForce 2 MX. I admit that I use my Cube rarely, but I was surprised how much snappier it felt after swapping out the old Rage 128 Pro with the GeForce 2, and it was powerful enough to watch 480p DIVX movies without dropping frames on my 20" ACD.

Actually, having a Cube hooked up to a TV isn't a terrible idea (you'd need to buy a video card with S-Video out though); it runs silently, it can handle 480p, and it is much prettier than an AppleTV.
 
I love my G4 Cube. Its silent so i keep it on 24/7 and use it for downloads such as torrents. I keep it in my bedroom and even at night I can't even hear it running. Ahh, such is the beauty of a fanless computer.
 
My Cube has an upgraded video card and a 1.7 Ghz CPU, and functions perfectly well as my every-day Mac. So, yes, it is kind of useless. ;)

If you buy a Cube, I'd make sure it comes with the original USB speakers.
 
My 1.2GHz Cube also continues to function as a back-up machine and runs my scanner and A2 printer for which there are no satisfactory Intel drivers.
 
Hey thanks for the information!

Are the CPUs you all are using extracted from say a Mini or are they after market up-grades and where could I find one?

May pick up one for the "every day" work and use a mini or tower for Adobe work (haven't got enough to get the big boys.. yet)

Thanks again all for your help!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back