MegaCase Solves Blue G3, G4 Woes

- 2000.01.04

1/4/2K: Apple has been getting dissed on for years by the AV community for a lack of expansion slots in the Power Mac G3 - and now the G4.

Yosemite design Four slots, one of which must hold a video card, is fine for the average user. But the AV pro may well need a SCSI card, a video capture/video-out card, a high quality sound card, and more in addition to that.

There go all the slots. Where is that fifth card going to fit?

And that's not the only problem with the otherwise clever G3/G4 case with drawbridge access. There's a serious shortage of drive bays for removable media drives.

Well, that's something MegaCase is addressing with their new G-Mac case, along with a couple other issues important to IS types.

First, the case emulates Apple's excellent decision to put the logic board on a fold-down door (not to be confused with Intel's blue door). The main board from a G3 or G4 attaches to a drawbridge door, just like on the current Power Macs.

But MegaCase one-ups Apple in several ways. For instance, the case doesn't sit on plastic handles. Instead, it has a base that raises the case about 1" from the floor or desktop to allow circulation, but the supports are wider than the computer case.

Likewise, the G-Mac case has solid metal handles on the top, making it easy to move the computer, but no extending beyond the front and back of the case. This results in a case almost 1.5" smaller than Apple's.

It's also a bit narrower, since MegaCase doesn't feel constrained to stick fancy plastic on the side.

As for height, it's actually taller than the current Apple minitower case to make room for more PCI slots and more drive bays.

You read that right - the G-Mac case comes with a three-slot PCI expansion chassis, which connects to the fourth PCI slot on the G3 or G4 motherboard. This finally gives those who need six slots access to them without an external expansion box.

At the same time, MegaCase has given the G-Mac box more externally accessible expansion bays. Users will now be able to have more than just a Zip and DVD drive in the computer. With three 5.25" bays and two 3.5" bays, it's possible to have a DVD-RAM drive, a CD-RW burner, a Jaz or ORB drive, a Zip drive, and a tape drive all within the computer case.

The G-Mac case also uses a hard drive mounting sled similar to Apple's, providing room for three 3.5" drives at the bottom of the case. In total, users can have eight drives in the G-Mac case.

But it doesn't stop there. The G-Mac case is equipped with a robust 500 W power supply that has a built-in UPS, making it not only a great production machine, but an excellent choice for setting up a server. As shipped, the UPS will power a fully equipped computer for 12-15 minutes.

And it doesn't stop there, either. MegaCase offers an external battery that can work in conjunction with the internal battery. OEMed from American Power Conversion, this box also include a DC-to-AC converter to power a monitor and one or two external devices.

The MegaPowr external battery will be available in 90-minute and 4-hour versions - and can be combined with more MegaPowr modules to reach 24 hours and beyond.

Finally, the MegaCase won't ship in graphite-and-ice. It will come in a brushed metal finish as well as a black lacquered case. It will also ship with matching faceplates for most types of drives, with additional faceplates available on a special order basis.

So if you need a bit more computer than Apple offers, you no longer have to try to scrounge up a used Power Mac 9500, SuperMac S900, or one of Power Computing's tower models. Instead, you can drop a Blue G3 or G4 motherboard into the G-Mac case and have the full power of the Yosemite or Sawtooth design.

- Anne Onymus

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent Rumor Mills

Driver Cell Phone Ban Only the Beginning, 2011.12.14. The NTSB wants states to ban texting and talking on the phone while driving, but what about the other 90% of traffic fatalities?
Buffalo Mouse Runs with Rumor Mill Concept, 2010.08.24. We thought the idea of a clickwheel mouse was off the wall when we presented it in 2004, but Buffalo Japan just introduced its own clickwheel mouse.
Microsoft Announces Cash for Clunker PCs, 2009.07.29. Beleaguered Microsoft, with declines in profits and market share, is offering cash for old computers to boost sales of new PCs with Windows Vista installed.
More in the Rumor Mill index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay