WANTED: CPU upgrade for my G4 Cube

[Knezzen]

Hi,

Im looking into speeding up my G4 Cube a bit with faster graphics, SSD and finaly a CPU upgrade. Does anyone have a Sonnet G4 upgrade or something else laying around?

Anything over 1.2ghz is interesting. Wanted to look here before I start paying insane ebay prices for one

[GaryN]

You're kidding, right? Apple made these for less than a year.  The general consensus at the time was "hated it" (for lack of expandability -NO PCI slots, single display only and the unconventional form factor) so sales never got off the ground and they dropped it like it was hot. So, by the time any aftermarket suppliers started thinking about making stuff for it, it was history.

If you're serious about a CPU upgrade, you can buy this tight now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-PowerMac-Cube-G4-CPU-upgrade-1-4ghz-Sonnet-Encore-/151881176153?hash=item235cd2d459:g:8GsAAOSwu-BWQpDA

The fact that these were ever actually made, that one still exists AND is available for sale for 200 bucks is amazing to say the least. You do know that you can't just take any old "Sonnet G4 upgrade or something else laying around" and crowbar it into your Cube, don't you?

I haven't looked but I'm pretty sure that your choices for faster graphics are equally limited.

[Knezzen]

No. Im not kidding. Why would you even have to begin your reply by more or less asking if Im stupid?

Why would I be kidding? And I know the story behind the machine and how it failed to pick up sales.
It's actually quite expandable though, despite it's size. It can take a regular 3.5" PATA drive inside, it uses a 2x AGP slot for the graphics card and a regular CPU daughtercard like all the other PowerMac G4 systems (except the MDD).

Pretty much all the Sonnet Encore and Duet CPU's works with the Cube, the difference between the the Cube and non-cube upgrades was that the non-cube ones came with an already attached heatsink.
The Cube upgrades used the cubes stock heatsink.

I did see that ebay auction. I might buy it if I can't find anything speedier.

[GaryN]

Jeez man, I don't think you're stupid…you're evidently awfully sensitive though. I'm sorry for offending you. Really, I am.
I was pretty sure that you couldn't just stick any G4 daughtercard in there. There's evidently more room in there than would appear.
Again, I was misinformed… sorry 'bout that.

[DieHard]

Anything over 1.2ghz is interesting. Wanted to look here before I start paying insane ebay prices for one

Knezzen,

I was almost going to post the same message as Garry, glad I didn't, lol; since I thought it was a snowballs chance in hell of finding any "cheap" cube upgrades.  I think that is what Gary meant buy "are you kidding"... surely we know you are serious about wanting to upgrade it and nobody here thinks by any means you are stupid.

The Cube unfortunately (since it's like the Holly Grail of the silent DAW search) is definitely NOT a cheap CPU upgrade, and there are not many out there.  The quietest Cubes (with no fans) peak out, as I am sure you know, at 500MHz (standard Sawtooth CPU with 100 bus). Another approach is to find a G4 Sawtooth upgrade that should work in a Cube as long as you can fit the Fan/Heatsink or find a retrofit method.

I remember it like yesterday, as a vendor at "MacWorld" in New York in 2000, I was helping out at the Steinberg Booth and Apple was pushing the Cube at full throttle.  It was the main theme at MacWorld 2000 with Cube demo units everywhere and 20 foot posters all over the place. They gave us about 4 to demo with Audio Apps and at the time I was very impressed at this silent little machine.  My love for Cubes went on for about 5 years and I applied almost every know mod/upgrade.  I eventually gave up on my beloved cubes since they lacked the internal PCI slots I needed for the PowerCores and UAD-1 cards.  It is still such a cool little unit.  For a while on eBay, I was buying old cubes to chop up and sell as parts (since the individual parts brought 2X the money as a whole unit) back around 2005.

Now with SSDs available, I wish i still had one; they still ran well with CuBase 4.1

[Knezzen]

Oh, im really sorry. I took it the wrong way. Reading it back now and it makes more sense. I guess a couple of years with you-know-who on the forum makes me a bit sensitive to BS.
This time it wasent BS and im terribly sorry for taking it that way this time. Sorry GaryN!

[DieHard]

We are all a little Chris-a-phoebic these days, I feel sorry for the 2 Canadian guys that I haven't approved as members yet...lol.  They may have to move to gain access here