Comments on: Putting an old friend down – my G5 Mac http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/ Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:53:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Apple Widower http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-7054 Apple Widower Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:22:48 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-7054 G5 purchased second hand many years ago - dual 2.3 PowerPC, ran like a champ for years, added RAM and an NVidia card because it was more powerful. I'm a PC guy anyway, and the G5 was the wife's. After upgrading to Leopard, I felt the beast would be part of the daughter's dowry because it was so bulletproof. Then one day last week it just stopped. No boot sound, fans spinning, drives fine. I tried re-seating the video card, pulling it out, removing and replacing fans, pulling all the RAM. Geeksquad said it's probably the logic board, $1000 plus labor and two weeks minimum to fix. Apple store said around $800 plus labor and two weeks. This for what's now very old technology, with absolutely no promise that the logic board is the problem and if not, then more money to replace what might be next (power supply was mentioned, yes). I gave up, used my wife's recently re-acquired university identification and got a discount on a 24" iMac dual processor. Happy with the new, disappointed with the old, and much money out later I now have to figure out if I can part out a non-working G5 without even knowing for sure what the problem is! PCs are so much easier to fix and diagnose. G5 purchased second hand many years ago – dual 2.3 PowerPC, ran like a champ for years, added RAM and an NVidia card because it was more powerful. I’m a PC guy anyway, and the G5 was the wife’s. After upgrading to Leopard, I felt the beast would be part of the daughter’s dowry because it was so bulletproof. Then one day last week it just stopped. No boot sound, fans spinning, drives fine. I tried re-seating the video card, pulling it out, removing and replacing fans, pulling all the RAM. Geeksquad said it’s probably the logic board, $1000 plus labor and two weeks minimum to fix. Apple store said around $800 plus labor and two weeks. This for what’s now very old technology, with absolutely no promise that the logic board is the problem and if not, then more money to replace what might be next (power supply was mentioned, yes). I gave up, used my wife’s recently re-acquired university identification and got a discount on a 24″ iMac dual processor. Happy with the new, disappointed with the old, and much money out later I now have to figure out if I can part out a non-working G5 without even knowing for sure what the problem is! PCs are so much easier to fix and diagnose.

]]> By: Apple Granny http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-4438 Apple Granny Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:00:08 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-4438 G5 Mac purchased in 2005. Apple began receiving complaints about their 2005 G5s. Seems the manufacturer used logic boards with faulty capacitors. My G5 doesn't get much wear and tear because I am a light user. However a week ago the bottom right corner became very heated, at times the fan sounded like a jet engine and the computer started shutting down all on it's own. The Genius Bar at my local Apple store advised me to junk it. I cried for two days. I took the machine to a geek repairman and he opened it up to show me the swollen capacitors. Of course the logic board needs replacement. The cost is less than Apple's estimate but still astronomical It is my understanding from Google blogs that Apple knew about this problem in 2006 and did nothing. Is that anyway to build loyalty or run a company? G5 Mac purchased in 2005. Apple began receiving complaints about their 2005 G5s. Seems the manufacturer used logic boards with faulty capacitors.
My G5 doesn’t get much wear and tear because I am a light user. However a week ago the bottom right corner became very heated, at times the fan sounded like a jet engine and the computer started shutting down all on it’s own.
The Genius Bar at my local Apple store advised me to junk it. I cried for two days.
I took the machine to a geek repairman and he opened it up to show me the swollen capacitors. Of course the logic board needs replacement.
The cost is less than Apple’s estimate but still astronomical
It is my understanding from Google blogs that Apple knew about this problem in 2006 and did nothing. Is that anyway to build loyalty or run a company?

]]> By: Dave Williams http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-3373 Dave Williams Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:17:54 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-3373 The same thing happend to me, constant crashing with fans on full. Apple refuses to acknowledge the problem,no joy from Apple customer service, so the upshot is unless I pay £656 for a new logic board all I have left is a worthless pile of junk. Thanks Apple. The same thing happend to me, constant crashing with fans on full.
Apple refuses to acknowledge the problem,no joy from Apple customer service, so the upshot is unless I pay £656 for a new logic board all I have left is a worthless pile of junk.
Thanks Apple.

]]> By: Alan http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-3031 Alan Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:22:04 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-3031 My beutiful G5 dual 2.0 ghz refused to start up one afternoon. Web reports showed that the Power Supply design was not robust (many reports of failure - the extended waranty for this concern did not include my serial number) So I bought a new power supply from America - it was cheaper than UK price. The Mac powered up OK, but after 2 minutes the fans went into limp home mode (full speed) and it sounded like Concorde taking off. I sent it to a Mac repair centre - £750 to replace the logic board. For legal reasons the following information is given with no waranty or comeback and should be used at the owners discretion by people who are computer and electrically competent.......... I checked the cables to the fans and deduced that each fan has four cables - 0v, 12v, fan speed sensor waveform, and DC drive signal. Disconnect any one fan and the Mac shuts down because it thinks the fan has stopped (no speed signal at all) So I cut the DC drive siganl between the fan and the logic board, then tied the fan's DC drive up to the 12v line with a 56 ohm resistor making each fan run faster than normal (cost of seven 56 ohm resitors (one for each fan) is on £2.00). I used Bresincs hardware monitor to monitor the temperature of both CPUs and activated the talk on overtemperature warning facility - just in case. After 3 weeks the CPUs never go above 40 degrees (the warning trigger is set to 76 degrees) even after heavy Video processing. I never leave the Mac alone when it is switched on but so far my Mac, which was ready for the skip is performing fine. I publish this because I was so disappointed with Apple that my Mac was dead (their power supply poor design) - and the joy I now have that its working. My beutiful G5 dual 2.0 ghz refused to start up one afternoon.
Web reports showed that the Power Supply design was not robust (many reports of failure – the extended waranty for this concern did not include my serial number)
So I bought a new power supply from America – it was cheaper than UK price.
The Mac powered up OK, but after 2 minutes the fans went into limp home mode (full speed) and it sounded like Concorde taking off.
I sent it to a Mac repair centre – £750 to replace the logic board.

For legal reasons the following information is given with no waranty or comeback and should be used at the owners discretion by people who are computer and electrically competent……….

I checked the cables to the fans and deduced that each fan has four cables – 0v, 12v, fan speed sensor waveform, and DC drive signal.
Disconnect any one fan and the Mac shuts down because it thinks the fan has stopped (no speed signal at all)
So I cut the DC drive siganl between the fan and the logic board, then tied the fan’s DC drive up to the 12v line with a 56 ohm resistor making each fan run faster than normal (cost of seven 56 ohm resitors (one for each fan) is on £2.00).
I used Bresincs hardware monitor to monitor the temperature of both CPUs and activated the talk on overtemperature warning facility – just in case.
After 3 weeks the CPUs never go above 40 degrees (the warning trigger is set to 76 degrees) even after heavy Video processing.
I never leave the Mac alone when it is switched on but so far my Mac, which was ready for the skip is performing fine.
I publish this because I was so disappointed with Apple that my Mac was dead (their power supply poor design) – and the joy I now have that its working.

]]> By: gry planszowe http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-2668 gry planszowe Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:28:35 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-2668 Ciekawa strona, trafilem tu przypadkowo, ale od dzis bede wpadal czesciej, pozdro Ciekawa strona, trafilem tu przypadkowo, ale od dzis bede wpadal czesciej, pozdro

]]> By: mike gagne http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-1805 mike gagne Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:15:19 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-1805 It isnt the cost of the logic board but the labor to access the deep innards of the device. A few hours labor and you're into refinancing your house to pay the bill. Learning to do your own repairs is recommended. I bought tested used parts at iFixit.com in the US to fix my G4 Powerbook and surely there is something like that near you as well. Aloha, mike It isnt the cost of the logic board but the labor to access the deep innards of the device. A few hours labor and you’re into refinancing your house to pay the bill. Learning to do your own repairs is recommended. I bought tested used parts at iFixit.com in the US to fix my G4 Powerbook and surely there is something like that near you as well. Aloha, mike

]]> By: Kevin Davis http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-1502 Kevin Davis Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:01:45 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-1502 It is truly shocking. My Powermac G5 clicked when I pressed the spacebar to wake it from sleep and it was dead as a dodo... pretty inoquous I thought! I dragged the thing to the applestore and crossed my fingers for a few days then, got a call from the Genius Bar in Southampton today saying that they had tried a new power supply and it was still dead, therefore it's probably the logic board that had blown when the power supply surged. Net result £650!! Surely a logic board can't cost £500?! It is truly shocking. My Powermac G5 clicked when I pressed the spacebar to wake it from sleep and it was dead as a dodo… pretty inoquous I thought! I dragged the thing to the applestore and crossed my fingers for a few days then, got a call from the Genius Bar in Southampton today saying that they had tried a new power supply and it was still dead, therefore it’s probably the logic board that had blown when the power supply surged. Net result £650!! Surely a logic board can’t cost £500?!

]]> By: John McCarthy http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-1496 John McCarthy Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:13:26 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-1496 I am in exactly the same position . My G5 Power Mac ( bought in ) 2004 refused to start up , nothing appearing on the screen and the fans started up after a about two minutes. I took it to a mac repair shop to be told the logic board was dead and they recommended getting a new computer . I am in exactly the same position .
My G5 Power Mac ( bought in ) 2004 refused to start up , nothing appearing on the screen and the fans started up after a about two minutes.
I took it to a mac repair shop to be told the logic board was dead and they recommended getting a new computer .

]]> By: Dougal http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/2008/02/putting-an-old-friend-down-my-g5-mac/comment-page-1/#comment-1396 Dougal Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:14:14 +0000 http://www.smokingdrum.co.uk/?p=148#comment-1396 I think that's shocking. I think that’s shocking.

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