9 Jun
2005
9 Jun
'05
6:41 a.m.
>>>> "Eric" == Eric Smith
<eric at brouhaha.com> writes:
> So what was the purpose of your reply, then, if
you have no
> interest in either Windows or Mac? In my case, the whole reason I
> went with Mac is to keep Windows off my desktop and because I
> think Apple has superior hardware engineering to a whitebox PC.
Eric> Than an average whitebox PC, quite probably. But if you choose
Eric> components for your whitebox PC carefully, I think you can get
Eric> stuff significantly better than what Apple makes, ...
Not likely. Part of the magic is in the packaging. You *cannot* get
the cooling & packaging of Mac Mini in a PC of any kind, nor the
cooling & packaging of the Power G5.
Yes, you could replicate that in a PC *if* you do your own mechanical
work. But if you want to use off the shelf building blocks, you can't
get there from here.
An interesting question is how much value there is in that better
cooling & packaging. DEC showed that it's possible to do a much
better job than others and lose anyway (the Pro series of PDP-11 based
personal computers). But there are obvious benefits to what Apple
does even if you never open the box; the Mini is clear just by
inspection, and the Power G5 is wonderfully quiet.
paul