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Build Your Own Mac
DaytonCIM writes "TechTV has a great article by Kevin Rose on how to build your own Mac: 'When it comes to PCs, geeks usually make a decision between buying a prebuilt computer or building one, component by component. This isn't true when it comes to Macintoshes. You're stuck with whatever Apple has to offer, with only a few measly dollars differentiating the products from retailer to retailer.' It will be broadcast on The Screen Savers today."
I was able to build a 500mhz G3 based iMac for under 300$ from parts I picked up on e-bay. I then installed it into a Marathon iRack 1U case.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
In the old days these were called CAT Macs. or catalog Macs.(circa 1987-1994) There wer a few companies that specalized in building custom enclosures for Mac IIs and such. ATS or Atlanta Technical Specalists built a great product. John Yaeger came up with the design and production of cutting up PC AT cases and mounting custom power supplies, logic board plates and port covers to give enough room to make some killer Macs of the day.
Those were the days when Larry Pina was king.
For the price of the processor you can have a reasonable PC.
This is not a troll, just a note of what happens when hardware is made in small quantities, and is not actively updated as fast as the competition.
In the land of PC's, people that want the absolute best, or the absolute cheapest build their own.
In the land of Apple, if you want the best, buy it directly from Apple. Cheapest? Probably eBay.
there is a weird thing with PPC processors these days. it has something to do with the IMB/Moto design and manufacturing thing. also the "processor" is not just a bare chip like a PC user may think. it's a whole processor card, including the backside cache bla bla bla. not that it really narrows the gap, but there is a lot more than a bare chip.
Moto makes the chips that Apple currently uses in machines, IBM makes a lot of the ones that are used for upgrades. there is some agreement over pricing and speed. the rumors have long said IBM can outclock Moto's chips, but are not allowed to sell them because they are held back because of contractual agreements. rumors, but interesting because it seems IBM will be making the new Apple super-chip in mid/late 2003 when the 970s roll out.
also of note, a $399 PC is a piece of junk compared to any Mac. i am talking about the physical components. everything from power supply to ram, it will not have gigabit ethernet, it will not have firewire with individual busses for each port. things like that where the prices of Macs add up.
Logic board: $200 Sonnet CPU: $700 Video card : $220 Memory: $200 hard drive: $150 pro keyboard/optical mouse: 99 Operating system: 129 ___________ Not including any shipping thats' 1730 $ for a SINGLE PROCESSOR MACHINE already without a case, power supply, cd/dvd drive, or even any cables or power cords. Or you can get a DUAL CPU system assembled with an air port card, extra memory, and operaing system from mac mall for $1690
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Is anyone surprised you can pick up a refurbished mainboard, and a processor upgrade on the internet? Whoopee.
Sure, you CAN build a Mac. But why? By the time you get done paying shipping from 10 different online merchants, you may as well have bought the real thing.
I understand building PC's, but I do that because the hardware is plentiful, I can get everything at one place usually, and end up saving quite a bit of money in the long run.
If you want to build a Mac, order yourself a Dual 866 G4, have someone tear it apart and put it in boxes, and put it back together...
If you're going to bash TechTV for a connection to Microsoft, get the facts straight.
TechTV is owned by Vulcan Ventures, who's primary investor is Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. TechTV disclaims this ownership whenever they report on Charter Cable or Allen's America's Cup team, but they do not disclaim it when they talk about Microsoft since Paul Allen doesn't control that company, Bill Gates does.
I dont know, I just built a Linux machine WITH Gigabit ehternet (yeah I have a gigabit connection too), firewire and a DVD+RW burner for under 900 bucks. Oh and I equipped it with good RAM and a high end power supply. Pricing the Apple hardware, it was double that, the you gotta deal with Aqua, hahah yeah I know, its sooo nice and sooo ahead of everyone else and well I would say soo much just eye candy.
I know though, the Power Mac is a supercomputer right, or ummm, isnt that what their marketing claims....yeah right, supercomputer.
MSNBC has even been known to bash The Mothership on occasion.
TechTV knows what side its bread is buttered on...most people run Windows (sad but true) and it follows that TSS and other TechTV shows are very Windows-centric as a result.
However, Chris DiBona is a TSS regular, and Leo Laporte is very loud in his support of MacOS X. I don't think the rest of them are too fond of Windows but give out Windows tips because that's what the viewers use. Yoshi seems to like Windows the most because that's what's got the most games.
Now, don't get me started on Chris Pirillo...he genuinely seems to be Borged by MS.
"But you've already got a DVD. It lasts forever....In the digital world, we don't need back-ups..."
-- Jack Valenti
I'm typing this on a Mac, but with a bunch of other kit on this desk - a Microsoft mouse, an ADSL router, a TV and a video recorder. And compared to that lot, the Apple keyboard, monitor and G4 tower look resplendent - they're just better designed, they look nicer, they have nice touches like the fact that the iBook, when put to sleep, has a power light that pulses. (Freaked me out at first, when I was trying to get to sleep and wondered where that glowing pulsating light was coming from...)
I think people who talk about building their own Mac should remember one of the most interesting things about owning a Mac - i.e., the case. And the design that comes with it.
Yikes, that's a lot of money for that puppy! Guess they're gonna have to run YellowDog or it's ilk on that box... after laying down all the extra green.
But, seriously, I look forward to the day when I can run OSXX (not a typo) on my P4-7Ghz. Ah, the longing for the 'nix platform with a stable, polished (snappy) GUI (that doesn't leave you all M$ gooey)... some day. : )
Keep up the fight!
here's the lowdown (as if anyone cares) of the Mac I've been piecing together for a few months now:
Its a 7600 case painted gloss black w/ silver highlights on the power button, the cd eject button, and, of course, the apple logo.
inside you'll find a beige g3 rev 3 mobo. a 350 MHz G3 clocked up to 433 w/ 1MB cache, 6MB internal Rage Pro graphics. Beefed up to 768 MB RAM. Added the A/V card that was optional on these models. Added a USB/FW combo card, a fast ethernet card, a Radeon 7000 PCI graphics card, 2 HDs(12 and 20, soon to be 12 and 80), a and a DVD-ROM for movies. This baby kills. Check out the list of ports:
1/8" stereo audio in
1/8" stereo audio out
RCA stereo audio in
RCA stereo audio out
RCA video in
RCA video out
S-video in
2x S-video out (one onboard, one on Radeon card)
Original Apple Monitor Connector
VGA
DVI
2 USB
2 FW
10/100 Enet
10 Enet
SCSI
2x serial
ADB
3x Monitor support (2 off the Radeon, one off internal video - the internal video can be a monitor or television, Radeon can be any 2 of either DVI, VGA, or S-video or composite video.).
Its not a gaming station as I'm stuck w/ PCI graphics and a 66MHz bus on this (Tomb Raider runs great but forget about Jedi Knight II), but I'm not done w/ it yet. Next up are the final 2 additions:
-SuperDrive (found a vendor that sells a black model CHEAP, so it'll match - just bought one for my B&W G3 and it rules.)
- Single or Dual G4. XLR8 made a dual g4 upgrade, but they're out of business. So I'm trying to find a dual 450 or 500 upgrade for this baby, and if I can't find one I'll swap in a 450 from a B&W I'm upgrading, clock it up a tad, and be done with it.
OK, so there's the setup, now here's the use:
computer sits by the couch/loveseat/lazyboy w/ a flat panel monitor, wireless mouse and keyboard. the computer's display is mirrored on the tv set via the Radeon. Cable TV runs directly into the TV. Cable TV also runs into a VCR, which is plugged into the Computer via S or Composite Video. Audio out from Computer (which also serves as a CD player, DVD player, networked MP3 player, CD burner, DVD burner, and PVR) goes into a reciever to speakers. Everything else is also hooked into the reciever. Reciever audio out is looped back into the Computer through 1/8" input on Computer while the VCR uses RCA audio in.
The Computer's video is hooked into the Receiver as well, with the output going into the TV, and an auxilliary video and audio output going back into the VCR.
This way, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING can be recorded both digitally and analog with live monitoring and multiple recording points. Please keep in mind that a CD-changer, record player, and tape deck are all plugged into the receiver as well. Because of the way its set up, the TV can be just a TV or have the full computer interface and due to the VCR hooked into the computer, can retain TV functionality in addition to all the other uses that a Mac has.
The computer is running on Mac OS X Jaguar, so its a cinch to set up an audio/video file server and a limited-use user account specifically for the functions of using it as a media center. Not to mention the use of a Wacom tablet for interaction, plus all the user apps that mac Mac OS X so great - iMovie, iPhoto, etc., all integrated into a total entertainment environment. Plus, using bluetooth, if I'm watching TV and my cell rings, I'll get a nice pop-up message on my TV of who's calling with their picture. I drool when I think about it. Much cooler and more expandable/useful than MS's media center, and the components were dirt cheap. most were scavenged off eBay or are hand-me-downs from a B&W G4 that I've been upgrading as well. Fun stuff!
Beyond that, add into the mix the Computer's ability to run things like Pro Tools or Deck. And iTunes will soon have Rendevous support, so as soon as my friends come over with their iBooks or PowerBooks, their music is available on my entertaiment system automatically. Or use a USB or FireWire TV tuner and run cable directly into the Computer as well. The sheer geekiness of it is astounding.
The possibilities are endless, and I'm like 85% there. I really should have been chronicling all this (especially all the clocking experiments) or something, but I usually only get to work on it in the wee hours when I'm all cracked out (not literally mind you).
Oh well, that's it. I think its cool, its been fun to build, and I hope nobody is mad cuz they read the whole damn post and feel ripped off.