The rear intake fan on my QuickSilver '02 was dead when I got it;
luckily I had a spare 60mm fan laying around... Finding replacements
for these things certainly isn't a problem - the internal layouts of
all the G4/G3 cases is pretty much the same, with the exception that
some QuickSilvers (mine included, even though it's the low end single
processor version) have an extra intake fan at the back, in the IO
panel.
The large fan in the side is a standard 120mm casefan, which you can
replace with one bought from PC retailers all over the place, though
you may have to hack around with the connectors a bit to get it
hooked up (i.e. PC casefans usually have 3-pin connectors since they
tend to have an extra one for RPM readings, whereas Apple fans have
only 2 pins) though you can get one with a passthrough molex
connector to make it very easy to connect. The PSU fan is a standard
80mm casefan, although taking the PSU apart to replace that one is
rather more risky than the side fan, and involves soldering/using
connector block to splice the new one in. I've done these kinds of
mods to numerous machines over the years that have either had fans
that were too noisy for my taste of about to kick the bucket.
By the way, if you really want a Mac mini, I'm selling mine right
now ;) With a CPU upgrade, I can almost assure you that you're better
of with a G4 tower though. You already have a solid investment in RAM
and hard drives that can't be reused in the mini, and you'd also be
stuck with slow, expensive notebook drives and a pretty lame non-
upgradable graphics chip - these factors combined pretty much negate
the bus speed advantage of the mini (which is next to zero to start
with anyway - there's something funny about them there Intrepid-based
Macs - i.e. the fact that frequently a same-clocked Quicksilver is
faster than an MDD - DDR RAM is not an advantage when the system bus
is half it's speed anyway!). The money's much better spent on getting
the fastest affordable single 7447 upgrade for your machine and the
best graphics card/
Jason Mayfield-Lewis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
If freedom is outlawed, only outlaws will be free.
On 2 Jan 2006, at 10:56 PM, Roger Houghton wrote:
Either run your G4 into the ground or sell it on eBay. No dealer will
give you much as a trade-in and it's probably not worth the cost of
servicing. Noisy fans are a common complaint with these models anyway.
The Apple refurb store has had first generation Mac minis at a
discount
recently - worth looking at if money is tight. If you're buying a
brand
new Mac, though, it's probably worth waiting until after next week's
Mac Expo.
On Mon, 2 Jan 2006 19:14:12 +0000, Joe B wrote:
I have a 4-yr old G4 Powermac 667 with 1.25 Gb of Ram. Its been very
useful for
Photoshop and everyday internet use. But I'm thinking of getting a
new G5 and
demoting this G4 to be my spare computer. But I'm not sure that's the
best thing
to do with it. I might be able to trade it in against a Mac Mini and
have that
as my spare instead. The reasons why I might not want this G4 as the
spare are:
1] A fan has been making odd noises for some weeks and at the very
least the
computer needs a service. That will cost some cash, just to get it
to be a
properly functioning 4-yr old Mac. That cash might buy me most of a
Mac Mini. I
might be able to do a trade-in with a dealer that is authorised to do
refurbs
and avoid the cost of fixing it up.
2] The fan noise is quite loud anyway when working properly. It is
too loud
really and I have to have the TV on quite loud to be heard easily
over the sound
of the computer- it is very noticeable when I turn the computer
off and the
whole house is quiet except for my booming tv. I don't know if the
fan(s?) could
be replaced with quieter one/s- I've never heard of this being done.
3} A spare computer for me is only needed for internet use and
communication
when my main computer isn't working - it doesn't need to be able to
do Photoshop
as well so it doesn't need a huge amount of memory, so a new Mac Mini
seems like
it could be just as good for that purpose, but also be quieter and
take up only
a tiny amount of space in comparison. I would probably go for the
lowest spec
Mini since it really only is an emergency-use computer to get me
email and web,
no real heavy duty use. Much as I love my Mac G4, it will be overkill
as a spare
once I get a G5.
Can anyone see a flaw in my thinking- have I got my facts right? Is a
Mac Mini
really a quiet computer? Any other observations? TIA for any
insights etc.
--
Joe B.
--
Mac UK is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and...
123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html>
Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html>
Mac UK list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/mac-uk.shtml>
--> AOL users, remove "mailto:";
Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]>
To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-uk%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
iPod Accessories for Less
at 1-800-iPOD.COM
Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal
www.1800ipod.com
