The Money Pit

How much will it cost to modernize a G4 Cube? Why not just buy a brand-new G5? How do the two compare? Those are good questions to ask yourself before starting on the path to turning your Cube into a powerhouse. In this post, I've put together a breakdown of the parts and costs associated with both upgrading a G4 Cube and purchasing a basic new Power Mac G5. I focused mainly on the internals and left the monitors and other peripherals out, since those will add the same cost to either machine no matter what you get. So, ladies and gentleman, without further ado:

Fully-loaded G4 Cube: $1924 with upgrades
$275 - Used G4 Cube with OS X and Apple Pro keyboard & mouse
$595 - Dual 1.7ghz processors (PowerForce G4 7447-series)
$300 - 1.5gb PC133 Crucial RAM (running at PC100)
$80 - 120gb 7200rpm 8mb Seagate 7200.9 PATA
$199 - MCE Technologies' internal 8x double-layer Superdrive
$180 - 128-bit Nvidia GeForce 5200 with 256mb ram
$97 - original internal Apple Airport 802.11b card
$40 - D-link USB Bluetooth adapter
$79 - iLife 2005
$40 - Belkin 7-port USB hub
$39 - Griffin Technology's new iMic (white, not clear)

Entry-level Power Mac G5: $2,098 stock
Power Mac G5 with OS X and Apple keyboard & mouse
Dual-core 2ghz processor (PowerPC G5)
512mb DDR2 PC2-4200 RAM
160gb SATA hard drive
16x double-layer Superdrive
Nvidia GeForce 6600 LE with 128mb ram
Airport Extreme & Bluetooth (add $99 to stock $1,999 price)
iLife 2005

I tried to match the parts at least one-for-one in this comparison while maxing out the Cube. For example, the new G5 has four USB 2.0 ports while the Cube only has two USB 1.1 ports, so I added a USB hub to the Cube's list to make it more fair. Also, the Cube is maxed out with 1.5gb of ram while the G5 only has 512 megs; however, the G5 has DDR ram, which is effectively twice as fast as standard sdram. With that in mind, the upgraded Cube is nearly 1:1 with the new G5, at least as far as I could reasonably push the design envelope with its aging G4 design.

The first thing you may notice is the price difference, which isn't all that big: $174. This gives you some play room if you'd rather get a surround-sound module or need digital input/output, like the G5 has, or some other neat widget. Before we get into all of that, however, let's start out by listing the pros of the G5 platform over the G4 Cube:

• More upgradability (both with dedicated hardware and PCI Express card options)
  
• Modern hardware (USB 2.0, Firewire 800, built this year versus 5 years ago, etc.)
• Better gaming capabilities (mainly due to the video card)
• Faster everything (bus speed, processor, ram, sata hard drive, etc.)
• No hassles associated with the initial purchase (nothing to install or upgrade)

That's a pretty decent list, but the upgraded Cube has some good things going for it, too:

• Small footprint (G5 computers are HUGE!)
• Looks way cooler (okay, this one is subjective)
• More fun (again, this is subjective -- I love upgrading computers!)
• Low noise (suitable for on-desktop use, although I can't comment on the G5's noise level)
• Can run 95% of the applications out there with ease
• Theoretical performance (upgraded) is nearly on par with the entry-level G5
• Final cost is slightly lower than a "bottom of the barrel" G5
  

So yes, you can turn the Cube from a collector's item into a workhorse. Is it worth it? Only if you think it is. If you need a reliable computer for work or school with future expansion options, you should probably look into getting a G5. If you'd rather have a piece of art with 99% of the functionality of the G5 sitting on your desk, then the Cube is definately a viable option. I'm going with the Cube :)