Power Mac G4 Cube


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Model Identifier:PowerMac5,1
Model Number:M7886
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Speed:450 MHz
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This is the computer that triggered it all. From the first time I lay eyes on the Cube I was mesmerized. This machine is the sole definition of an Irresistible Mac!

I bought my first Cube on eBay but was a bit disappointed by the condition it was in. So I purchased a second one that was in very good condition. I was also able to find an Apple Studio Display (M2454) to go with it.

The computer was rather loud and it was clear to me, that an SSD had to be installed. There are a few SSDs which you can connect to an IDE interface, but they are not cheap. That's why I decided to buy a SATA SSD and an IDE to SATA adapter.

Kingston SV300S3B7A/120G SSDNow V300
STARTECH.COM 40 Pin IDE PATA to SATA Adapter

This guide from iFixit shows the necessary steps to remove the old hard disk. Installing the SSD was a real challenge since there is not much room inside the cube. A SSD is smaller than a regular spinning disk, but the adapter was too big for a comfortable fit. In my first attempt, I managed to cramp everything in but was not able to fastened the screws of the SSD. Since the SSD is not that heavy it didn't move around too much and I closed the Cube just to see how if it would work.

It worked perfectly but I was not satisfied. So I ordered an IDE extension (10 cm). Once it arrived I opened the Cube up again and installed the extension. Well, I wanted to install it. The plug in the Cube was a 40 pin plug with one pin removed. The extension I ordered had all 40 pins. So I clipped the casing of the plug and bend on pin down so it would fit. I was totally prepared that this would not work, but to my astonishment it did.

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It still was pretty cramped in the hard disk slot, but I managed to securely attach the SSD.

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Another source for noise was the ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics card. The one installed in this cube had a fan that was rather loud. So I took a look in my other cube and there was the same card but with a heat sink instead. So I swapped the two cards.

After resembling the computer everything works just fine. I partitioned the SSD with 2 partitions (Mac OS X and 9).

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