" Mike,
Just wanted to drop you a line. I got my twin 800MHz G4 yesterday. I haven't had as much time to play with it as I would like, but I can give you my first impressions.

My configuration is:
2x 800MHz processors
1,128MB RAM (128MB when it shipped from Apple)
60GB 7200rpm HD
SuperDrive
GForce3

I went with the trimmed back memory and hard drive when I ordered it for obvious reasons. I got a ton of memory for next to nothing at OWC. (Now offering 512MB PC133 CL2 dimms.) I went with the 60GB drive because the 40GB Apple offers is at 5400rpm drive.

Aside from getting everything running just the way I wanted it, I burned my first DVD last night. It worked great! It was able to multiplex at 12x! Unreal! It took me 31 minutes to create a DVD that contained about 1hr 40min of video.

I used DVD Studio Pro for the DVD. I am looking forward to iDVD 2.0, but could not wait. I needed to get more than 60 min of video on to one disc (the limitation of iDVD 1.0). DSP did the trick.
[Note - iDVD 2 for OS X will up this to 90 minutes.-Mike]

I am really looking forward to Final Cut on this machine! From what I have heard, the dual processor support is killer and the AltiVec support is even better. I will write back when I have more info on that in particular.

And as for the reports of the noisy fans, when I first popped this baby out of the box at work, it sounded like every other G4 I have used. Once I set it up at home, it really does sound like I am sitting on a tarmac. I think the G4 is preparing for takeoff! The fan may be noisy, but there is good reason. Putting my hand behind the exhaust vent I can feel this thing kicking out some real heat! And based on that simple fact, I think the guy that who posted on your site that he had put an adjustable fan in his machine in order to keep the noise down touched in the head. The fan is there because it is needed. Don't mess with this monster- you may get bitten! Temps in the case are higher than any Mac ever made. When you start stacking the chassis with drive arrays like the IDE RAIDs or a video card like the GForce3 you will be looking for trouble. I recommend doing what some of your users have done and look for ways to quiet the existing fan. In any case, that is just my 2 cents. :-)
[If you have felt the PS fan heat from even a single G4/733 system, you know it gets very warm very quick also. The other Fan noise reduction articles here do not involve reducing the speed of the fan, and the fan speed mod was for the main case fan, not the Power Supply fan, although I do not recommend reducing airflow in any case.-Mike]

I bought this machine to replace my G4 350. It is a major step up. We have a number of other G4's from all over the spectrum at the office, and this twin 800 stands head and shoulders over them. I have attached the Fractal scores from this machine showing a comparison to the other machines. This thing rocks!

I have not had enough time to even touch game play, but while I had it out of the box at the office, a couple of co-workers took Oni and Unreal Tournament for a spin. I only had time to glance at them, but when they left my office they where both wide eyed and walking funny. I did not ask them what that was all about, but I can guess. Take from that what you will. :-)

I am VERY glad I went with the Gforce3 and the SuperDrive. It was tempting to cut them and save the money. I think they are worth the extra green.

If you are interested, I will drop you a line with some Final Cut comparisons!
Thanks!
Steve M."

I'll post the FCP comparisons as soon as they are received, but here are Steve's comparisons using the DP aware Altivec Fractal Demo (comparison scores are from graphs posted at OWC):