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So something useful isn't (and can't be) art?

What about the Chrysler Building? Or houses by Frank Lloyd Wright? Or the Apple G5?

We have opened the cases, and looked at what's in them, and we just do not see it.

Compare and contrast.

http://www.hitmancomputers.com/IMAG0056.JPG
http://www.billnoll.com/g5/030/

For probly the best example of what inspired the "porn" moniker, see http://www.billnoll.com/g5/

This guy's "photo essay" of his then-new cheesegrater G5 borders on the obsessive. He's a pro photographer, so...

For the flavor, his opening caption reads:
"If beauty is only skin deep, nobody told the industrial designers at Apple - the new Power Mac G5 is stunningly gorgeous - both inside and out. I used a Sony DSC-F717, handheld with available light, to capture the metallic textures and elegant curves...."

Actually, some nice shots!

There is no doubt that Apple pays really close attention to function and aesthetics in their product design. The G5 enclosure and internal layout is simply awesome - one only needs to look at the Bill Noll G5 photo gallery (posted a few months ago on slashdot) to realize that this is simply one of the most beautiful personal computers ever to exist.

Still, I wonder about a few things -- most specifically the large number of fans and the 3-zone cooling. I don't personally own a G5 and have never seen one outside of a store so I can't really vouch for how loud or quiet it is, so G5 owners -- how are you finding the noise level? Do you find that the fans ramp up very often, and if they do, do you notice a big difference in volume?

Also, I'd like to see some real rationality about that 3-zone cooling system... obviously the PPC 970 runs hot, but how hot does it run compared to a modern Pentium / Xeon / Athlon processor? Would the x86 boxes benefit from that kind of enclosure as well? Are we likely to see the "multiple zone" principle copied into cheap Wintel enclosures?

I'm not doubting Apple, but I wonder about the validity of the G5 cooling design. I'd like to read some /. opinions as to whether it's overkill, or if it's truly revolutionary, or if perhaps there might be a better approach.

Thoughts??

At the risk of sounding facetious, I would suggest that perhaps you consider an apple.

Granted, if you are a hardcore gamer, or if you feel the need for homebuilt PC to reinforce your "1337"-ness, then an apple is not for you, but it bears consideration.

Personally I think that an iMac makes a great looking (albeit slow) email/letter writing/web surfing workstation. Alternately, it is a nice looking platform that you can load PPC linux on if you are a more serious computer user. Again, I'm a programmer, not a gamer, so my needs are probably atypical.

Not everyone likes the minimalist theme that apple is currently usigng in their designs, but at least you have an option. Like you, I find that all the current PC case designs tend to look like those Honda based hotrods with wild fins and colours. To say that they doesn't fit in with the way my house is decorated is an understatement.

You could also go for some more modern hardware, which looks stunning. This is going to be my next machine when I am due for an upgrade.

Of the mac pics I likethis one the best.
In case you missed it, he also linked to a friend's spoof, pics of his generic wintel box.