Reply #12: How much RAM? HD size? CPU type? Video? You don't want to read this... [View All]

[Deja Q]

I bet it has but 128MB RAM, 256MB if you're very lucky.

40GB HD

G4 CPU, now lower in price thanks to the G5 of which I was basing my prices on (macmall.com or any Mac e-seller usually spells out how much the new G5s cost)

Probably a low-end pathetic Radeon model that my GeForce 4600 could cremate.

I think I found your model: http://www.macreviewzone.com/html/reviews/guides/individual/03/emac/1ghz-super-may.shtml - there's a link from there, http://www.macobserver.com/article/2003/05/06.13.shtml . Both articles prove my quotes were indeed in the ballpark. Indeed, the Radeon 7500 is hardly better than the Radeon 64 VIVO which came out nearly 4 years ago, and that was in the time of the GeForce2 - long before the 4600 came out!

Let's compare:

My PC, for $600 (add $150 for a 19" monitor):

2.2GHz processor that compares to Intel Pentium 4 2.7GHz
1GB RAM
200MB hard drive w/8MB cache
GeForce 4600 video with 128MB graphics RAM
CD-RW drive (gee, did that Mac come with a writeable drive? NO, go figure.)

With Linux, my box simply screams at 1600x1200x32-bit, negating the need for a P4 3.2GHz or GeForce 5900FX Ultra or Radeon 9800. (and I recall being told that even on that $3000 high-end G5 Mac, adding a 512MB upgrade to the stock 512MB system would visibly improve performance... gee, even Windows XP can work within 512MB without needing another 512MB on top of it!)

My computer has 4 USB 1.1/2.0 ports AND available drive bays for expansion, too. I like the freedom that expandability offers.

I won't call you nuts despite it all though, as I'm really a nice guy. :-)