The airflow panel is because the PowerMac has four separated thermal zones, liquid cooling, nine variable speed fans and 21 temperature sensors to make sure cooling is as efficient as possible while keeping the noise level whisper-quiet.
That's the kind of info I'm interested in.It sounds pretty cool, literally.I'm not really in the market for a new computer right now I just wondered what the big deal was.It seems to me that people either love em or hate em but their devotion to them is almost religious.My PCs, all three of them, suit me fine for now.
I don't have that "Mac love." I hated the OSs 9 and before because underneath it was technologically inferior to even Windows 9x in ways (no preemptive multitasking or protected memory), and inferior to 2K in all ways (including symmetric multiprocessing). Then by 2002 their OS was good, but their processor was quite inferior to the Intel/AMD offerings because Motorola had bungled the development of the G4 chip.
I just appreciate superior technology and workmanship, and right now the Mac is in a sweet spot with a great new IBM chip with a Big Iron heritage, and the best OS on the market.
If it sounds interesting, but you're not in the market now, I'd suggest watching Mac news. Another revision of the PPC970 chip (G5) is expected next year, and it'll likely be much faster at the same clock speed due to symmetric multithreading (the technical name for Intel's Hyperthreading) and a memory controller getting put back onto the die (like the Opterons have). Right after that upgrade would be a great time to buy.