Power Mac G5 2.0GHz (June 2004) compatible with 2.7GHz CPU?

That would be a bad idea. You need a calibration CD to re-calibrate the system to work correctly with the cpu, and those are hard to come buy. I would look at saving up for a Mac Mini instead as it would really out perform that G5 cpu.

zmttoxics said:

That would be a bad idea. You need a calibration CD to re-calibrate the system to work correctly with the cpu, and those are hard to come buy. I would look at saving up for a Mac Mini instead as it would really out perform that G5 cpu.

Click to expand...

I have to echo this sentiment and say save your pennies for an Intel based Mac. The G5 is nearing the end of its OS life cycle with Snow Leopard discontinuing support for PowerPC altogether. I'm in the same boat as you with a Dual G5 2.0 GHz and am already finding that some apps I want to use are only built with Intel in mind (BackBlaze for one). This is only going to continue.

macomrade said:

Thanks zmttoxics, thought it might be a little more than just popping it in...so if in-fact I can locate one of those discs for calibration, do you think the CPU is compatible with my logic board?

Click to expand...

The FSB of the cpus would have to be the same. There are only a few cases of people trying this, and with very limited success. Some times the system wont boot, sometimes it will boot but be stuck at the wrong clock speed for the cpu. The calibration cd is meant to calibrate the fans / smc to work with the cpu, but some have reported even with the cd the system still puts the fans at full speed non stop. Etc, etc.

Its a whole can of worms, I can't recommend trying it even if you had the cd.

You also need to consider that you need two identical CPUs. From 2,0 upwards the Power Mac will not run on one CPU. The liquid cooled CPUs are considered to have limited life span compared to air cooled heat sink.

macomrade said:

yeah, it's looking pretty dire at this point according to what others have said, oh well...could always just buy an entire Dual 2.7GHz G5 from ebay but that's probably a waste of money considering the performance gains may be marginal. A 2.5GHz Quad may be worth it, of course as another poster mentioned PPC is on it's way out. Alas, I can see a Mac Pro is in my future...lol Not entirely a bad thing!

Click to expand...

Well, the PCI-E expansion slots on the Quad G5s do make the lifespan slightly longer, as PCI-X cards for Mac are generally expensive/exotic... One of the contributing factors, IMO.

macomrade: if you're really looking for a hardware experiment, make yourself a Hackintosh.

G5 processors are not upgradable at all.

Hackintrash should never be considered if you want a reliable computer.

300D said:

G5 processors are not upgradable at all.

Hackintrash should never be considered if you want a reliable computer.

Click to expand...

I have to disagree with that. As long as you have the right components a Hackintosh is just as stable as an actual Mac. My Dell Mini 9 has never had a problem and I even update via Software Update.

But I still recommend buying an actual Mac =)

Its also illegal.

300D said:

Its also illegal.

Click to expand...

... EULA != Law

I'm not sure how many times this has to be covered for people to get it.

EULA might as well be law for corporate entities, IMO; podunck users like us Apple doesn't care about, but corporate entities trying to "save a buck" (not a good idea, anyways) can face some severe legal penalties.

300D said:

G5 processors are not upgradable at all...

Click to expand...

That isn't totally right. If you use the processors specified by the Apple AASP service manual for one model/logic board you can very well change CPUs. I have successfully upgraded DP 1,8 GHz V3 (June 2004) with two 2,0 V2.2 CPUs.

zmttoxics said:

That would be a bad idea. You need a calibration CD to re-calibrate the system to work correctly with the cpu, and those are hard to come buy.

Click to expand...

It's not even that, but the 2.7ghz powermac was watercooled.

macomrade said:

yeah, it's looking pretty dire at this point according to what others have said, oh well...could always just buy an entire Dual 2.7GHz G5 from ebay but that's probably a waste of money considering the performance gains may be marginal. A 2.5GHz Quad may be worth it, of course as another poster mentioned PPC is on it's way out. Alas, I can see a Mac Pro is in my future...lol Not entirely a bad thing!

Click to expand...

This would probably be the better option. Since you could then sell off your 2.0. I have not researched the prices. But I imagine this would be the same price or likely cheaper since Apple parts can be pricey. Especially considering you will need the calibration CD, 2 CPU's and 2 liquid cooling units.

Dr.Pants said:

Well, the PCI-E expansion slots on the Quad G5s do make the lifespan slightly longer, as PCI-X cards for Mac are generally expensive/exotic... One of the contributing factors, IMO.

Click to expand...

Not necessarily since you can use regular PCI cards in PCI-x slots. From what I have seen there are many more PPC compatible PCI cards than PCI-e. Most PCI-e cards that are Mac compatible I have seen are Mac Pro only. Excepting for cards were generic PPC drivers already exist; such as for many wireless adapter chipsets, some SATA cards and many USB/Firewire cards. Which makes sense since there are very few PCI-e PPC Macs compared to Intel models likewise with PCI compatible Powermacs while the PCI-e G5's are a niche group comparatively speaking.

If the price difference is more than $200 I would say just sell the G5 and get a new Mini. You could always go the Hackintosh route just do your research thoroughly before buying parts.