Apple Power Mac Desktop M8787LL/A (867-MHz DP PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, 60GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

I've never written a review 4 Amazon before, but I feel I must 2 urge people away from this this product. The primary issue with it is the fan noise. At times it sounds like a jet fighter taking off, at others a whiny AC or air filter set 2 maximum power. When you're trying 2 concentrate 2 get work done, or playing a game, it gets in the way. That alone would be enough 2 avoid a purchase, but there are other issues.

It's prone 2 crash when you use an app that is intensive in sound & 3D graphics - in other words, games. When this 1st happened I went thru multiple diagnostics 2 find out what the issue was. One thing I found, from using Apple's own testing tools, was that the memory chip was corrupted. I got that replaced, but later crashes still occur. I later find out from developers, that their sound API is very unstable.

'Crashes happen in PC's too' you may say. That's true, but when this so called uncrashable OS crashes, its messy & un-graceful. You can't force quit the program under a severe crash, & there is no way 2 force a reboot - no reset button, no cntl-alt-delete mechanism outside of pressing the power button 4 10 seconds, or unplugging the cord (and I'm aware of the combo with esc-opt-eject whatever, that doesn't work).

This is obviously a system that was rushed out of the gate w/o sufficient testing & review. By far the worst computer Apple ever produced. Think different Apple.

Originally I set out with the 17" iMac as the kind of machine I'd like most. But when I saw the actual screen at the Apple Store, I found it 2 handle text & pictures fairly poorly [not that it's worse than most LCD screens out there] & so the only alternative was 2 go 2 the Tower, which also gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of memory, hard-drives & driving multiple screens at the same time [important if you're going 2 do video editing].

I can't say much 4 Apple's quality control, as it seems I ended up with a lemon with my first one, after a very frustrating week spending endless hours on the phone with the help desk. They finally agreed 2 replace it, & I haven't had any major problems since. Keep in mind that the software bundle with the Tower does NOT include any word processing application. Currently there is a deal 2 buy Microsoft's Office suite in conjunction with a computer purchase 4 $199, & I think that's a great deal 4 a superior product 2 it's PC mothership.

OS X.2/Jaguar is definitely very sophisticated, yet simpler 2 use than OS 9.2. But it certainly isn't nearly as reliable as they would have you believe. There are still going 2 be numerous reboots necessary--just not nearly as many as with another OS [certainly not as many as on Windows ___].

There is definitely the idea in the computer world, from the software point of view, that Mac/OS X makes you some kind of "red-haired stepchild." The difficulty is more with websites/software that don't make clear they have no Mac/OS X version right upfront. There are also some problems with printers etc. not having the proper drivers. But in compensation, the Mac "community" [and I think it can be rightly called that] steps in with a much more personalized response 2 specific issues 2 help you out. They want 2 help you have the best computer experience possible, & I think on balance you end up with one with a Mac in general, & specifically with this Tower should you need the specific flexibility I've mentioned.

I recommend getting the "Superdrive" option with it, so you can burn DVD's 4 storage or video display. Also I recommend buying extra RAM memory [DDR memory is more expensive, yet not noticeably faster--but you have 2 get it], & another hard drive. It's a pain 2 install [why can't they put any time in the design of things like that as they do other elements??], but great 2 have onboard instead of as a firewire-connected model. I really like my Monsoon speakers as well.

I got the LaCie 19-III monitor, which is terrific. Unfortunately OS X's "text smoothing" results in blurry, inconsistent text letters [even on their Cinema Displays], but I find the CRT superior 4 color correcting photos/video & a lot cheaper 4 what you're getting than LCD's. Apple customer service is definitely a cut above the average intelligence, but they're not very good at follow-up or dealing with major issues that don't meet their initial job descriptions. The also are only open until 6PM pst, so that leaves out a lot of time when you may need help.

Bottom line: not a breakthrough Apple product, but a good value & the best computer if you're going 2 be using Photoshop, iMovie/Final Cut Pro etc. & want 2 use monitors that are going 2 produce the best results.

This computer is FAAAAAAAST. Fast is the only way 2 describe it. Having TWO G4 processors at 867 MHZ makes this machine absolutely scream through all of the tasks I can put it through. Since OS X takes advantage of both processors as well as the velocity "Altivec" engine, all system tasks are completed instantaneously.

Now that more & more applications are being released 4 OS X, there is no need 2 boot into OS 9(although it is still possible). OS X is the future of computing. A Rock solid UNIX foundation ensures that your computer will virtually never crash. I have had mine 4 almost two months, & the system has never crashed on me. Apps(Internet explorer, 4 one) have crashed before but it doesn't cause a full fledged system lockup.

The one thing that you will need 2 do is buy an extra 512 MB of RAM. In this case, you need PC2100 DDR RAM(266MHz).

The graphics performance of this machine is also quite impressive. I personally bought the Radeon 9000 Pro with my machine but this particular model comes stock with the GeForce 4 MX. This card is good 4 current games(Q3, RTCW, Medal of Honor, Warcraft 3), but the lack of shaders & advanced Anti Aliasing capability mean that games like Doom 3 will struggle 2 play smoothly.

The Specs listed on Amazon's page are a little misleading. It says, 4 instance that the machine comes with 1 MB of L2 cache, when in fact it comes with 1 MB of L3 cache as well as 256k L2 cache. the L3 cache really adds an extra kick 2 the processors ability 2 crunch information without having 2 access the RAM or the hard drive.
Also, it says the machine is not 3d capable. Huh? I believe the fact that it has a 3d card makes it quite capable.
Amazon's specs 4 the combo drive are also incorrect. the CD-RW part of the combo drive can write at 16x & rewrite at 10x.

Anyway, from my own experience, this is a wonderful machine that has it waiting 4 me more than me waiting 4 it. Highly recommended.

This computer is pricey, but it is certainly better than most of the pc's in this price range. This Power Mac is well built, like all Apple products, & runs the world class Mac OS X. This operating system is awesome, & combined with the stability of it's Linux base, & the dual Power PC processors, it's nearly impossible 2 freeze or crash this computer. And you couldn't bog it down if you wanted to. I've had mine 4 several weeks & haven't had it fail me yet.

All in all, this a great system. It's sort of like the BMW of computers. And if you buy Virtual PC you can even run Windows XP on this system. There are no limits 2 what you can do with a Power Mac. Truely awesome....

Since personal computers first became available & affordable circa 1980, I have owned three different PC-compatible computers (a 286 running MS-DOS, a 486 running Windows 3.1, & a Pentium running Windows 95/98). When it came time 2 replace this last machine, I decided 2 take a look at Apple's product line. I liked what I saw. Their new operating system -- OS X -- is based on Unix, which means it can run all the GNU software. A world-class GUI called Aqua runs on top of that. My only question was which machine 2 buy. I decided that the towers provided more of an upgrade path than the iMac & eMac. So I bought the dual 867 MHz machine, & am very happy with it.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II, & reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple remains committed 2 creating the best personal computers in the world, & its hardware & software products are widely regarded as being the most innovative in the industry.Newly designed from the inside out, with an ultrafast Xserve-based architecture, the dual processor Power Mac G4 delivers unprecedented performance. For your next creative leap, scientific breakthrough, or production challenge, expand the boundaries of possibility with the new Power Mac G4 - twin-engine supercomputer.

The new dual 867 MHz Power Mac G4 combines the brawn of two fast processors with improved system throughput, & features a high-performance graphics processor, a combination DVD player/CD burner, & the new Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar preloaded.

The dual 867 MHz processors enable the Power Mac 2 run professional applications like Adobe Photoshop up 2 45 percent faster than a 2.53 GHz Pentium 4-based PC. And it's not all about processor speed--a 133 MHz system bus, new memory cache technology boosts, & other engineering improvements inspired by Apple's new Xserve server architecture boost the speed of throughput between main memory & the system controller.

Graphics performance is excellent, with nVidia's GeForce4 MX graphics processor & Mac OS X Jaguar's new Quartz Extreme--a breakthrough combination of software & hardware that accelerates the compositing of 2- & 3-D images using your graphics card instead of the main processor. This gives the Power Mac G4 an order-of-magnitude advance in graphics capabilities--including color, lighting, modeling, transformations, texture mapping, motion blur, & more. In addition, the Power Mac lets you spread your work across two monitors 4 a larger workspace.

This Power Mac comes with a fast 60 GB Ultra-ATA hard disk drive & three additional 3.5-inch hard disk drive expansion bays--with support 4 a total of up 2 four internal hard drives, 4 up 2 480 GB of possible storage.

Since Mac OS X has the ability 2 burn CDs built right into the system software, you can burn data CDs 2 archive your work with point-and-click ease, minutes after you take your new system out of its box. It also accommodates a second DVD or CD drive, so you can even watch a DVD movie while your work is burning 2 disc, or archive material at the same time.

You also get the benefit of built-in Gigabit Ethernet 4 shooting large files across your network at previously unheard-of speeds, the 108-key Apple Pro keyboard, a 56K modem, four USB ports & two high-speed FireWire ports 4 connecting all kinds of peripherals, & an AirPort card slot. Four PCI expansion slots are also integrated directly into the main system controller, speeding expansion cards' throughput.