Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

I am now scared to buy an iMac G5

D

dferigmu

macrumors 6502
Original poster
I really wanted to get one and I loved using it at the Apple Store, but it is a rev. A and I have been reading about many heat/fan/power supply issues that have kind of made me unsure.

Do you guys think Apple will fix these problems now, or would it be safer to buy a rev. B?

I really want a new Mac now, but I don't want to pay $1800 and then have to keep dealing with heat and fan problems and getting new parts, ect. 😕
 
dferigmu said:
I really wanted to get one and I loved using it at the Apple Store, but it is a rev. A and I have been reading about many heat/fan/power supply issues that have kind of made me unsure.

Do you guys think Apple will fix these problems now, or would it be safer to buy a rev. B?

I really want a new Mac now, but I don't want to pay $1800 and then have to keep dealing with heat and fan problems and getting new parts, ect. 😕
Click to expand...

I have a 20" iMac G5 that shipped from apple Sept 24/04. My house is absoluetly quiet and I can barely hear the fans. When the system is maxed out, they are no louder than a normal PC (this only happens when playing games). If I have any sort of music or sound around me, you can not hear the fans at all.

I bet your chances of having problems are pretty slim.
 
get it now, enjoy it and get applecare. they machines they are releasing now probably arent of the batch that had the problems. i have a rev A 12" PB and it is fine. i had an iBook that was after the first rev (though i dont know which it was the 700mhz modle) and it had the logic board problem. i think its the luck of the draw if yours works or not. but i would bet on the newer ones working more b/c they have solved the problem.
 
dferigmu said:
I really wanted to get one and I loved using it at the Apple Store, but it is a rev. A and I have been reading about many heat/fan/power supply issues that have kind of made me unsure.

Do you guys think Apple will fix these problems now, or would it be safer to buy a rev. B?

I really want a new Mac now, but I don't want to pay $1800 and then have to keep dealing with heat and fan problems and getting new parts, ect. 😕
Click to expand...

Everyone was worried about the exact same thing with the new liquid cooled powermac G5. (Will the Cooling system start spewing radioactive liquid coolant all over!?!?!?)

Let me tell you, I haven't had any problems with my baby... 😉
 
Forget the Rev A hoopla, if you want it get it. I've recently purchased the 17" 1.8GHz iMac and I love it. I've not had a singe issue, it really is a beautiful machine and a treat after staring at the 12" Powerbook screen! 😛
 
Don't worry about rev A issues. The problems that you inevitably here with new product releases usually relate to one or two batches of computers that slipped through the quality testing procedure. Any problem that occurs will be covered by your warranty. If Apple says the iMac G5 is whisper quiet, any machine that isn't can be exchanged. And even where there have been more widespread problems, Apple has offered free replacements (e.g. G4 Tower Mirror Drive Doors noisey power supply problem, iBook G3 logic board replacements, etc).

Also, bear in mind that if you have 1000 satisfied customers and 1 disatisfied customer, you'll bound to hear more noise from the latter one.
 
Only thing I would say is if you really need a faster computer for the tasks you are doing with it then get it...if not, wait. Think to yourself, in four months will your life be much better cause you dropped the cash now...or can you wait. Yeah, they might fix it, but what if it takes a while, apple care costs extra and you should not have to buy it with a decent one year warrenty on electronics.
My two cents

Note: If I was in the run for a new desktop I would get it though- hard to pass up on that speed with what I do with my desktop.
 
If I had to do it all over again I'd wait. But then, you haven't had the problems that I've had w/ my iMac and sound issues... 😱

BTW, this has nothing to do w/ Apple Care; my machine was this way out of the box. Apple Care doesn't give you preferential warranty treatment.

- Don
 
Food for thought..

I have a Rev A snow 12" iBook ( post clamshell ) It is still an excellent little machine, although, it does seem a little slow on some days.

Ironically enough, it was the later revs of this machine that had all of the problems ( bad mainboards, spots, etc ).

If you like it, buy it. If your not secure in your purchase, you have 1 year after your purchase to buy AppleCare.

Max.
 
Dalriada said:
You'd better ask our friend edesignuk first or read his various threads on his recent experience 😉
Click to expand...

edesignuk, ebook, Don M and maybe 1 or 2 others have reported problems. Dozens, like me, have had no problems and would highly recommend going for it.
 
rdowns said:
edesignuk, ebook, Don M and maybe 1 or 2 others have reported problems. Dozens, like me, have had no problems and would highly recommend going for it.
Click to expand...

Thats good to hear rdowns. I hope that I can count myself in that group after my replacement arrives! As for being scared. I'd say go for it! It does seem like there are a lot of people enjoying them now and you wouldn't want to miss out on the fun!!!
 
Buy now or wait

If you need/want it, then get it.

If you can wait, then in 6/12 months time someone will say - Don't buy now the upgrades are due, OR wait for the new XXXXXX (please substitute current unrealistic rumour of your choice).

My advice is

1) Decide if you want anything
2) Decide what you want
3) Get it
4) Enjoy it - do not look around for better offers / options after you have it
5) Accept the following fact - If you have bought some item of consumer electronics, and have taken delivery, then it is already obsolete. There will always be something better available.


If you wait to buy something now, then in 3/6/12/24 months exactly the same arguments will be just as valid. Until progress stops there will never be a 'best' time to buy.
 
I'll add my name to the hat of totally satisfied iMac G5 customers.

The only time I can hear the fan is if I am really laying it on the computer, and even then, they are much quieter than any other machine in the office. During normal use, the fans are inaudible.

I love this machine, go for it. 😉
 
I wouldn't worry about this one.

dferigmu said:
Do you guys think Apple will fix these problems now, or would it be safer to buy a rev. B?
Click to expand...

I never buy rev. A products when it's brand new technology. Like the first version of OS X or the first lot of G5 chips. The iMac G5 is old technology repackaged in a different form.

Life's too short to worry about such thing, get it and enjoy it 🙂
 
Every Mac I've ever bought has been a Rev A product, including a Mac II, a Power Mac 6100/60, a beige Desktop Power Mac G3, and an iMac G5. My Mac II just died (after never needing any repairs except a power supply replacement), and the rest still work fine. Aside from the replacement of the power supply of the Mac II, I've never needed service on any of my Rev A Macs. I agree with all who said that if you like it, you should buy it. And if you're really worried about problems, purchase AppleCare from one of the resellers who are selling it for around half of the list price.
 
I am another happy iMac G5 customer - just because there are a few bad apples (no pun) that doesn't mean that the whole batch is bad. And if you're unlucky enough to get one, you will be taken care of. If you're seriously in the market, then don't let these 'horror' stories put you off - you will get a terrific product and enough support to see you through that uncertainty.
 
Revision A Macs are a myth. Just remember that all computer companies, Apple, Dull, Hewlett Packard will all have problems with their computers, and it is always the dissatisfied customer that will make the most noise, not the happy, perfect computer owners. When I first got my PowerBook, the Space Bar had a squeak in it. I didn't complain at all, and when the computer got more use, the space bar issue went away.

You seem interested enough in the computer for me to safely say 'buy the computer and be happy with it, instead of being left waiting, and wondering about the computer and what it could have done for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back