on 7/13/02 12:04 AM, Jay Pricer at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote in part: > (BTW I found that > outside the Mac World we/I live in, fans and cases and such are a big part > of the PeeCee world while I have hardly heard any Mac discussion of fans > outside of side comments on the noise. Never about replacing, adding or > upgrading)
I was talking with an IT person with a Fortune 500 company awhile back, and I asked why it was that Macs seemed so durable and trouble-free compared with PCs. His view was that since Apple produced not only the operating system but also the machines, it was able to exercise considerable control over ensuring that the components were compatible. Over most of its history, Apple didn't have to look over its shoulder constantly, worried that the company next door was making a Mac-compatible machine that cost $15 or $50 or $150 less to build. Apple machines traditionally have been more expensive than PC-compatible machines; it seems Apples featured premium components, or at least ensured that the machine was well-engineered and that the components worked well together. PCs, on the other hand, have been regarded more as commodity products; the IT guy claimed that PC manufacturers were more inclined to choose components based on price because the market didn't value PC boxes based on quality so much as on price. What seems to have distinguished PowerComputing is that while it built Mac-compatible machines in PC-type boxes, it used the best components available at the time of manufacture. It went the extra mile in many ways, such as providing 1 MB backside cache on my PowerTower (and many other items); that, combined with the 604e processor, kept that machine performing well for many years. (As with some other users, I was actually disappointed that the G3 upgrade card I installed didn't provide a dramatic performance boost; the 604e with 1 MB L2 cache was a very strong performer.) I think Mac users should all be grateful that PowerComputing was around to pressure Apple during its dark days; it produced quality machines, and helped sustain the Mac OS until Jobs came back to rescue Apple. That said, I have enjoyed tweaking and tinkering with my PowerTower. It's easy to work on, and I enjoy researching upgrades. It's like having the best of both worlds -- an easy-to-use OS built into a quality machine that you can nonetheless have fun working on. It's like having a vintage Porsche in the driveway. Happily, though, I haven't had the fan noise trouble that Jay encountered. But as he indicated, fan noise is indeed a prevalent problem in the PC world, and one can find many web pages where PC folks address the issues in intricate detail. And now that he has raised the issue, he has me thinking: The PowerTower doesn't seem that noisy. But I just wonder ... could I tinker with it and make it even quieter. Panaflo brand, you say, Jay? <g> -- Power Computing is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Power Computing list info: <http://lowendmac.com/power/list.html> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powercomputing%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
