04/30/01

Customers wishes for the next Cube.

Some of our readers have several ideas to create a better Cube.

Here is what "M" says :

"Why's the Cube still unsuccessful? There's no room for two iMacs, two Cubes, & one Tower all between $1200-$1700. Hasn't it occured to anyone else that what the Cube has always needed is for Apple to literally think outside the box? As in, there's no room for internal expansion but if they enhanced the options for external expansion it could be a tower substitute.

A second reader had nearly the same idea :

"The best feature that could be included in the Cube would be an optional expansion chassis with a couple PCI slots, linked to the main unit via FireWire or even a proprietary slot. Those who like the design of the Cube and need some expandability could buy it. Even if this idea sounds unrealistic, I think that could greatly help the Cube sales."

John.

Polls

We have created a new poll. A lot of people are complaining about the lack of PCI slots in the Cube. that's the reason why we want to know how many PCI slots you use in your current Mac.

Links

04/27/01

The Cube : what's next?

After the poor sales of the Cube last quarter, one should ask that question : why is this little marvel quite unsuccessfull? It should be selling very well after the price cuts that recently happened. That is not the case.

The G4 Cube was first considered as an alternative to the expandable G4 towers. Its so-called non expandability is the explanation for its relative failure. However, Apple changed its strategy. the cube is no longer sold as an alternative to the towers....Steve Jobs decided that the Cube should be the high-end iMac. That is the reason why the Cube is now bundled with the same software as the iMac. This was the right thing to do. Apple also began to sell lower-cost Cubes. The Cube is now quite cheap. However, the price of the TFT screen, which perfectly match with the Cube are quite expensive. And nobody would consider buying a Cube without a TFT screen.... The real problem is not the Cube anymore, but the Cube displays.

What should Apple do? First, upgrade the features of the Cube (133 mhz bus, AGP 4x, faster processors). It is absolutely necessary, but not enough. The smart move would be to sell bundles. If Apple made a bundle for $1499 including a Cube G4/450 or 500 and a 15" TFT, that may be the beginning of a new life for the Cube. Who knows, we may see such a bundle the 1st of may......

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A USB startup button for the Apple USB Pro Keyboard

Compucable has created OnCue for those of you who want to startup your Mac from the keyboard. The Apple USB Pro Keyboard does not have a power-on button. By adding onCue Start-Up Key to any USB enabled Macintosh computer, you can startup from the keyboard again! Here are the specs of this small piece of hardware :

G4 Cube Your Way

The Gallery has been updated with new pictures.

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04/25/01

The Radeon Fan Project : How to make the Radeon Cube quiet!

Instigo, who wanted to have a quiet Cube, even with the powerful Radeon card, created the Radeon Fan Project. The aim of that project is to replace the fan of the Radeon in order to disminish the noise it makes. This article is for information only. If you make the modifications Instigo made, The Cube-Zone will not be responsible for any damage made to your cube or your Radeon.

The Project

I finally got around to doing something with that fan in my Cube.  I have a 500MHz, 256Mb RAM, 60Gb HD Cube with a Radeon card that has a fan.  I am glad to say that the new Tennmax fan I put in is noticeably quieter.  It is not silent, but now the noise from the Cube hard drive and my firewire hard drive is louder than the fan.

I did some investigation before I decided upon my choice:

1.    I read in www.xlr8yourmac.com about installing a passive heatsink for the Radeon instead of the fan.  I decided against this because the Cube is so ventilation-challenged and there is a good review at www.hardocp.com that shows that passive heatsinks do not reduce heat significantly.

2. I then considered installing the Tennmax Lasagna BGA Type 0 cooler but only powering it at 5V.  The Lasagna BGA cooler seemed noisy at 12V.  I decided against that since it would mean a drop in performance and, besides, the Lasagna coolers have very narrow vents which are prone to dust blockage if there isn't sufficient air flow through them.

3. Add a fan to the bottom of my Cube!?  Maybe when I figure out how to overclock my G4.

I finally decided on the Tennmax Lasagna iOp cooler.  It runs on 5V with a power connector that fits the Radeon card.  Its thermal efficiency is 1.2 C/w which is twice the efficiency of standard BGA fan heatsinks and 3-4 times the efficiency of passive heatsinks.  It runs at 23dB, as quiet as a whisper.  At 50x50x10mm, it is larger than the Radeon and Lasagna BGA coolers.  You can order it directly from www.tennmax.com, mention the 5V DC version with special thermal tape attached in the "special instruction" area of the order entry form.

Left: Lasagna iOp Cooler, right: Radeon OEM fan

The Operation

Check out www.heatsink.net for a good guide to removing a heatsink and installing a Lasagna cooler.

1.    Powered down my Cube and let it cool overnight.

2.    Opened up my Cube as per Apple's instructions.  The video card is at the back of the Cube.

Original Radeon OEM fan at back of Cube

3.    Used a Torx 10 screwdriver to unscrew the video card: two screws outside, one inside.  Removed the video card from Cube.

4. Used a thin 2.5mm flat screwdriver to take off old heatsink.  Be careful to insert the screwdriver all the way so that it wedges between the Radeon chip and the heatsink (there is a little gap where the glue is).  After two or three twists, the old heatsink popped off easily.

5.    Spent an hour wiping the old glue off the chip.  I used Guardsman Goof Off "The Ultimate Remover" (contains Xylene) and kitchen paper towels.  Be patient and don't press too hard.

Clean, naked, shiny Radeon chip

6.    Re-attached my video card and connected the Lasagna iOp cooler.  Booted up my Cube.  Whew!  Nothing broken.  Fan works!

7. Attached Lasagna iOp cooler to chip.  OK, I didn't quite get it squared up.  Heck, I'm happy I didn't break anything.

New Tennmax Lasagna iOp cooler

8.    Put everything back together.

Test Results

The operating temperature of my Cube remained within the range it was at before the operation.  There seems to be less of a differential between the core temperature and the back grill temperature now.

Temperature Before Operation

Temperature After Operation

I recorded the hum with a microphone located directly above the back grill.  It seems that the Lasagna iOp cooler eliminated the low frequency hum but accentuated the 500Hz hum.  There is also a slight reduction in noise in the 1000Hz to 2000Hz range.

Noise Before Operation

Sound of Radeon OEM Fan:

Noise After Operation

Sound of Lasagna iOp cooler:

Conclusion

Was it worth it?  For 2 hours work, I think it was.  It sounds quieter even though the spectrum analysis indicated a sharp rise in 500Hz energy.  My Cube sits on my desk next to my monitor and so any noise it makes effects my immediate physical environment.

instigo@cube-zone.com