SETUP

We set up our D-2 G5 in a few minutes, easily adding an AirPort Extreme card and an additional 1 GB of PC3200 RAM (2 x 512 MB) bought from one of our sponsors, TransIntl. To do so, one just lifts a latch on the back, pops off the side door, lifts out the clear plastic shroud and the front CPU fan assembly to expose the RAM and AirPort card slots. The well-crafted side door fits very precisely, much more so than the hinged door of the "El Capitan" case used in the Blue & White G3 and subsequent G4s. The Mac OS X 10.2.8(G5) update and other software updates installed with no problem.

Our only disappointment is that there is no audio-out port for our Apple Pro speakers. We thought that we'd have to rely on the D-2 G5's single internal speaker under our desk, not a pleasant prospect for gaming. Fortunately, we discovered that our extra set of G4 Cube USB speakers and our USB iSub work just fine when plugged into the USB ports on the back of our Apple flat panel display and the Sound preference pane is configured accordingly.