Apple · Power Mac
Power Mac G4 Cube
A fanless compact PowerPC desktop with a lift-out core, external power supply and USB speakers.
- Type
- Compact
- Processor
- PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac G4 Cube)
- Memory
- 64 MB – 1.5 GB
- Storage
- 20 GB
- Screen
- –
- Weight
- 6.4 kg
What reviewers say
Reviewers praise the compact design, quiet operation and bundled speakers. The price premium, limited internal expansion and awkward underside ports are the main complaints; Ars also found the touch power control sensitive and reported shell marks and DVD vibration.
From macworld.com and arstechnica.com
Specifications
Report a wrong or missing specPerformance
- Processor
- PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac G4 Cube)
- CPU cores
- 1
- Graphics
- ATI RAGE 128 Pro (16 MB)
- Memory
- 64 MB, 128 MB or 1.5 GB
- Storage
- 20 GB
- CPU
- 450 MHz PowerPC G4 with Velocity Engine, 100 MHz system bus and 1 MB backside L2 cache running at 225 MHz. Apple offered a 500 MHz processor option; its complete launch memory/storage configuration is not established by the pages used, so it is described here rather than assigned an assumed configuration.
- GPU
- ATI RAGE 128 Pro with 16 MB SDRAM in a dedicated AGP 2x slot. The retained maker sheet also lists optional NVIDIA GeForce2 MX with 32 MB SDRAM and ATI Radeon with 32 MB DDR; these later options are not presented as launch stock.
- Memory type
- Original launch base: 64 MB PC100 SDRAM. February 2001 CD-RW base: 128 MB. Three DIMM slots support up to 1.5 GB, using low-profile DIMMs up to 1.38 inches (35 mm). Retained maker options: 128, 256, 384, 512 and 768 MB, 1 GB and 1.5 GB.
- Storage type
- Original 20 GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive and top slot-loading DVD-ROM. The 22 February 2001 available-now base has 20 GB and CD-RW. Retained options include 20/40 GB at 5400 rpm or 60 GB at 7200 rpm, CD-RW or DVD-ROM; independent processor/drive/GPU options are not expanded into unsupported combinations. One internal hard drive; external USB and FireWire storage supported.
- Expansion slots
- Dedicated AGP 2x graphics slot; no PCI slots. Lift-out electronics core provides access to DIMMs and optional AirPort card.
Display
- Screen
- None built in
Connections
- Ports
- 2 × USB-A, Ethernet
- Ethernet
- 0.1 Gb/s
- Back ports
- Underside: two 12 Mbps USB ports, two 400 Mbps FireWire ports (12 W total), 10/100BASE-T Ethernet, 56K V.90 modem, ADC and VGA. Optional 11 Mbps IEEE 802.11b AirPort card; no standard wireless networking. The headphone minijack is on the separate USB amplifier, not on the Cube chassis.
- External displays
- ADC carries video, USB and power; 15-pin VGA output. Maker graphics support reaches 1920 × 1200 at millions of colours. A display is sold separately; the source does not establish simultaneous dual-display operation.
- Speakers
- Bundled digital USB amplifier and Harman Kardon speakers: total 20 W, stated 80 Hz–20 kHz response. One USB cable carries power and audio; amplifier includes headphone minijack.
- Keyboard and mouse
- Apple Pro Keyboard with two additional USB ports, optical Apple Pro Mouse, USB digital amplifier and speakers.
Design and power
- Type
- Compact
- Weight
- 6.4 kg
- Width × depth × height
- 195 × 195 × 248 mm
- Operating system
- macOS
- Size and weight detail
- Maker reference weight approximately 6.4 kg varies by configuration and manufacturing process. Published height 24.8 cm, width/depth 19.5 cm. Separate external power adapter.
- Power supply
- External power supply; maker maximum continuous power 205 W. 115 V AC (90–132 V) or 230 V AC (180–264 V), 47–63 Hz.
- Noise
- Fanless vertical cooling channel; no fan added to this original factory specification.
- In the box
- Original launch includes iMovie 2. Maker July 2000 announcement promised early August availability; Macworld’s later history confirms shipping a month after the July launch, so first sale uses August 2000 with no claimed first day. February 2001 CD-RW configuration is labelled in the storage and memory details.
Configurations
| Processor | Memory | Storage | Storage type | Graphics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac G4 Cube) | 64 MB | 20 GB | Hard drive | ATI RAGE 128 Pro (16 MB) |
| PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac G4 Cube) | 128 MB | 20 GB | Hard drive | ATI RAGE 128 Pro (16 MB) |
| PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac G4 Cube) | 1.5 GB | 20 GB | Hard drive | ATI RAGE 128 Pro (16 MB) |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Fanless cooling
- Core lifts out for memory and AirPort access
- Bundled USB amplifier and speakers
Cons
- No PCI expansion slots
- Only one internal hard-drive bay
- Ports underneath the chassis
Closest rivals
Model | Type | Processor | Memory | Storage | Screen | Weight | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower | PowerPC G4 400 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet), PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet) or PowerPC G4 500 MHz (Power Mac Gigabit Ethernet) | 64 MB – 1.5 GB | 20 GB – 40 GB | – | 13.6 kg | Jul 2000 | |
| Tower | PowerPC G4 350 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics), PowerPC G4 400 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics), PowerPC G4 450 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics) or PowerPC G4 500 MHz (Power Mac AGP Graphics) | 64 MB – 1.5 GB | 10 GB – 27 GB | – | 13.6 kg | 1999 | |
| Tower | PowerPC G4 466 MHz (Power Mac Digital Audio), PowerPC G4 533 MHz (Power Mac Digital Audio), PowerPC G4 667 MHz (Power Mac Digital Audio) or PowerPC G4 733 MHz (Power Mac Digital Audio) | 128 MB – 1.5 GB | 30 GB – 60 GB | – | 13.6 kg | Jan 2001 |
