Quiet Macs

Partly to run Mac OS X more effectively, we replaced our workhorse iMac with a Power Mac G4 Cube. We got the Cube for our desktop workhorse instead of a Power Mac G4 tower precisely because the Cube is quiet. It is wonderfully quiet, especially since we did not upgrade our stock 5400 rpm hard drive to a faster 7200 rpm one. Being quiet is the Cube's best functional feature. We also love the design, of course, and the fabulous 15" LCD flat panel Studio Display. We do have a Power Mac G4 533 DP tower at Macs Only!'s global headquarters for "special" purposes. Despite it being located under a desk, it is still noisy and if the room is quiet and we do anything for long periods but play games or play music the noise is naggingly noticeable. Walter Mossberg, writing for the Wall Street Journal, recommends iMacs and Cubes to avoid computer noise, pointing out that only Apple has fanless computers designed to be quiet.