Ever since Virginia Tech announced that it would be replacing all of the dual processor 2.0GHz G5 computers in its cluster with new G5 Xserves, some have been wondering what would become of the chunks of the famous cluster. Well, wonder no more.
The folks at MacMall will be selling off the refurbished machines for US$2,799. While only US$200 less than retail, the price includes 1 GB of RAM, for which Apple charges US$250, making the systems US$450 off retail. We should also note that Apple’s RAM prices are outrageously inflated, but the point is the MacMall units include a full GB of RAM for that price. From MacMall:
Profiles in success: Costconscious [sic] supercomputing!
Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University had always dreamed of building a world-class supercomputer. But with only a fraction of the budget of most supercomputing programs, Dr. Varadarajan’s dream seemed hopeless. He crunched numbers, solicited every likely vendor, and ultimately discarded all options using current platforms and chips. Then history was made in June of 2003 when Apple announced the release of the Power Mac G5.The Birth of System X!
With the release of the Power Mac G5, Dr. Varadarajan realized his dream could now become a reality, without overtaxing his limited budget. Varadarajan made the call and in November of 2003 Virginia Tech’s combination of 1,100 Power Mac G5 systems — named System X — became the third fastest supercomputer in the world.Now own a piece of System X at a radically affordable price!
Dr. Varadarajan and Apple are doing it again with the release of the new 64- bit Xserve G5. Building on the original concept, Virginia Tech has ordered 1,100 Xserve G5 models to replace the current System X models due to the smaller size, stackability, and lower power consumption of the Xserve series. With the charge in digital guard, Virginia Tech has offered PC Mall a limited supply of original System X G5 models to be sold to the public. Not only can you now own a piece of computer history, but have one of the most powerful computer in the world working for you!
You can find more information at MacMall. The G5s are currently front and center on MacMall’s home page.
The Mac Observer Spin:
Call us silly, but we are definitely tempted to buy one of these units, even though Steve Jobs told us at the WWDC that 3 GHz G5s would be here this summer. The VT project was an important development for the Mac platform, and it would be extra handy to have a piece of Apple history (to borrow some of MacMall’s marketing verbiage).
That said, if you want one, you should probably buy it now; while there were 1,100 of these units originally used in Big Mac, and six months from now, there will be at least 2,200 of "Genuine Big Mac G5s" on eBay. Best to buy it while you know it’s legit.