PowerLogix
Acrylic PowerCube Enclosure
White Color
Superior cooling for use with faster CPUs and high-end graphics cards
Flame polished cast acrylic
Start with the original PowerMac G4 Cube. The Cube was universally praised for its clean design. The new Apple G5 machines have set new design standards as well. Take a little bit of both, and you have the new Acrylic PowerCube Enclosure from PowerLogix.
Not only does the PowerLogix Acrylic PowerCube Enclosure have G5 styling cues, the slightly larger case size provides tremendous performance benefits while retaining the classic Cube's silent, fanless operation.
It's no secret that higher speed processors and graphics cards generate a tremendous amount of heat - far more than hardware from just a few years ago. The original Apple Cube was a landmark achievement in design and engineering, but the original fanless enclosure is simply not compatible with today's components (for comparision, the PowerMac G5 has no less than NINE fans.)
The Acrylic PowerCube Enclosure is uniquely hand-built out of flame polished cast acrylic. It lends itself well to customizing into your own personal decor or style. (Take a look at cubeowner.com for examples of what people have done to their original Cubes to set them apart.)
Cooling Features
Highlights
- G5-style aluminum top plate
- Substantial additional cooling capability for higher performance upgrades
- DC/DC Card relocation mounting bracket and cable
- Greatly increased free area around video card for maximum coolin
- Works with original Airport Card
- PowerLogix 1 Year Limited Warranty
The design goal was to dissipate the heat generated by the primary offenders: the processor, the graphics card, and the DC/DC converter.
The first step we took was to significantly increase the ventilated area on the top of the Acrylic PowerCube. This helps ensure the Cube processor heatsink is operating to maximum efficiency, as well as offering maximum airflow for the other components. The second step was to increase (by one-half inch each direction) the footprint of the Acrylic PowerCube. Although this change is quite modest and actually almost unnoticed even when the Acrylic PowerCube is placed next to an original Cube, the increase represents an enormous gain in unobstructed air flow within the enclosure.
This relatively small increase in size also allows the Acrylic PowerCube to support higher performance graphics cards, many of which simply don't fit in the original Cube. The Acrylic PowerCube provides much more free space around the video card ...plenty of room for the heatsinks on the graphics card to do their jobs efficiently.
The often overlooked component regarding heat generation is the DC/DC (aka VRM) card.
The DC/DC card is used to step down the incoming 28 volts from the external power supply to 12V, 5V, and 3.3V for use by the various components in the Cube. The special bracket included with the Acrylic PowerCube repositions the DC/DC card into direct airflow. The result is much cooler and safer operation - and longer life for the DC/DC card.
Finally, the Acrylic PowerCube is 100% identical to the original Cube in terms of Airport wireless operation.
With the Acrylic PowerCube, it's now possible to operate a fully performance-enhanced Cube using today's technology, while retaining one of the most admired features of the original Cube - silence.
Product Specifications:
PowerLogix Part Number
Color
Manufacturer provided specifications for PowerLogix p/n CUBEKITWHT
Power Mac G4 Cube
(July, 2000)
Model ID: PowerMac5,1
450MHz, 500MHz
1-800-275-4576
