PowerTools Infinity Tanzania clone

[equill]

Perhaps as a result of my ineptitude with the search engine, I have seen/found no current/prior reference in these forums to this sale on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330360490902#ht_720wt_1055

EveryMac makes reference to the marque, of course:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/powertools/infinity/infinity3240.html

I was curious as to why the eBay offering might have needed to be held—almost as if just the isolated rear and front panels were available for display—while it was having its picture taken, and bemused (as well as amused) at the left-right inversion in the pictures of its rear panel. Making the mental back-transposition, I was struck by the similarity of its style of fabrication (and architecture of the MLB) to Power Computing's PowerTower Pro, the only PT machine that I know in the flesh, as it were. An ambitious asking-price, too.

de

 

[LCGuy]

I remember reading about PowerTools in MacAddict back in the day...from memory they sold their machines in kit form, with no RAM, hard drive, video card or peripherals. Thats the first one I've actually seen photos of as well.

And I agree, $3000 is wayyyy too much.

 

[Mike Richardson]

That same case design, except in a desktop form, was used by a bunch of PC clones we used to have in school. Kind of scary.

 

[LCGuy]

Yeah, most of the Tanzania clones simply used PC cases. The Mactell (hah, nice name) and APS M-Power systems (which were also Tanzania based from memory) also used the exact same case, as well as the desktop version that you speak of. I think it was a fairly common case - I knew a guy in high school who had a Celeron he bought in 1998 that had that exact same case.

 

[Mike Richardson]

What's even more messed up is that right before I graduated, the school bought even more clones and those new clones used a slightly smaller version of the desktop version of that case.

So not only is it common, they've been manufacturing it for 10+ years now with barely a change.

 

[~tl]

I was curious as to why the eBay offering might have needed to be held—almost as if just the isolated rear and front panels were available for display—while it was having its picture taken, and bemused (as well as amused) at the left-right inversion in the pictures of its rear panel.

My guess is that it was taken using the built in web-cam on a computer (which usually flip the image horizontally)...

 

[Bunsen]

Ambitious? Tell 'im 'e's dreamin'!

 

[Mars478]

Thats one ugly mofo.

 

[Charlieman]

What's even more messed up is that right before I graduated, the school bought even more clones and those new clones used a slightly smaller version of the desktop version of that case.

PC case designs live for years and years. The case OEM will come up with a basic design and a couple of fascias, so you'll often get the same case with a different front and badge (even the badge size is a standard). Changes only emerge when Intel/AMD impose different cooling requirements -- you get minor reworks with extra side vents or fan mount spacing, but still the same basic design. If a white box manufacturer is buying in sufficient volume, they can specify their own fascia design on a generic case.

At work, we picked a PC supplier seven years ago and they have been able to maintain supply continuity of one basic design for all of that time. This is ideal for student labs where PCs are locked up in security enclosures that cost £100, allowing the same enclosure to be used up to three times. There is a marginal mark up for the legacy case, because newer designs are cheaper to make and provide assembly efficiencies (fewer screws etc).

 

[Unknown_K]

Looks like an Inwin case with a custom motherboard tray (they slide out completely so you can put in the motherboard and cards then mount it).