My 2.5 Quad saga with teardown pics

[burnout8488]

As the title suggests, I currently own a June 2004 2.0DP PowerMac G5. It is in MINT condition, and I love it to death.

A 2.5 Quad just hit Craigslist, but the case is a bit beat up. I would have no problem actually performing the swap, but my question is whether I would be able to swap out the back panel so the ports on the 2.5 Quad Logic Board would fit.

Can this swap be performed in my 2.0DP case, assuming I change EVERYTHING over from the 2.5Quad? (Including the PSU) If it can, you guys get a lot of pics.

Fingers crossed!

2.0DP

2.5Q

EDIT:

What I'm seeing inside my 2.0 are a lot of torx screws holding the frame and individual panels together. My main worry is that the 2.5Q Logic Board has different standoffs and screw holes than my 2.0. Comparing pictures of the two boards, they SEEM to use the same case standoffs, but the only way to be sure is to ask someone that's actually got experience with this.

 

[burnout8488]

Well, I purchased the 2.5 and started the teardown earlier tonight.

I'm tearing it down to the bone, and taking certain panels of the case apart. Gonna have to do some bodywork because the rear panel is dented a little bit. This case was transported to the US from London, and it shows.

It appears the case really is the same across the generations. The front panel I/O are different, but they can be swapped.

 

[burnout8488]

This failed. The motherboard standoffs are different between the two generations, based on images I've found on eBay.

Is there really noone with useful input on my dilemma?

Going to try and make the most of the beat up 2.5 case now unless I find a nice one on eBay I suppose.

 

[burnout8488]

Teardown commenced last night.

 

[burnout8488]

Complete. I'll be fixing the dents carefully with a vise grip and a hammer. Hopefully I can bang them out a whole lot better than they were. It might be getting a new paintjob once I determine how well it cleans up.

Most people convert their cases to a Hackintosh at this point - No way is that going to happen here

 

[applegeek13]

I have no advice on this one, but it sure seems like a fun build. I'll be watching.

 

[Transporteur]

How the heck did you disassemble the case itself?

I never found any screws in their to do that, neither in the G5, nor the Mac Pro.

 

[burnout8488]

There are a bunch of T8 Torx screws that hold it together. Once all the components are out, they LINE every seam of the case. There are probably about 18 6mm hex bolts as well.

On top of that, there were about 10 rivets I had to drill out of the panel that has the barcodes and serial number sticker on it. Quite the task.

I'm taking the pieces to my Uncle's house today to use his bench vise. Hopefully I can squeeze the metal into position. In any case, it'll probably be better than how I got it.

The front mesh took such a hit, that the superdrive door was stuck in the down position! The woman told me the Apple Genius "took" the door when he repaired it, she had no idea it was still there.

 

[VanneDC]

Looks like it took a serious hit or was dropped. Did you verify the machine still worked fine before beginning the tear down?
Love the quad G5

 

[burnout8488]

Yeah, when I picked it up she had it running and I tooled around with it.

Once I got it home I didn't even turn it on, just started the teardown and vacuum. The radiator was 100% caked in dust, no air could get through whatsover. I'm surprised it was running as quiet and cool as it did.

Am I going to notice a big difference compared to my 2.0DP? I'm excited for the first boot

The case:

I just rebuilt it after getting home. The vise really straightened some of the panels great, and now the superdrive door works smoothly! The feet are essentially f*cked, but still a lot better than when I got the machine.

 

[burnout8488]

Well, I'm typing this from the Quad. This thing is so snappy, wow. I'm gonna learn to love this thing very shortly I think.

 

[stroked]

Well, I'm typing this from the Quad. This thing is so snappy, wow. I'm gonna learn to love this thing very shortly I think.

Lets see some pics of the finished job. I'm surprised you didn't get any help here.

 

[burnout8488]

Done! Minor improvement to the base, major improvement on all the subtle bends you couldn't see on the camera. The panels are no longer bowed, and the superdrive door slides now!

Progress:

Am I automatically qualified to be an Apple Genius now that I've completely overhauled a G5 Quad? That had to be the most involved computer teardown I've ever taken on. Only two fingertips got sliced in the process - I'll refrain from posting the blood pictures

 

[burnout8488]

Video Woes

Does anyone know what the normal operating temp range for the 6600 should be? It's idling at 62ºC right now...seems hot to me but I know GPUs usually run hotter.

 

[Psychomacuser]

Recommendation

The NVidia 6600 burned out on me last night after 5 minutes of YouTube 1080p, right after I got the system booted for the first time. The screen got garbled, then turned off completely.

So..... I threw it in the oven! After removing the heatsink, I baked it at 385º-400ºF for 8 minutes. This actually worked, and the card is working flawlessly.

Does anyone know what the normal operating temp range for the 6600 should be? It's idling at 62ºC right now...seems hot to me but I know GPUs usually run hotter.

I recommend you get the revision 2 G5 Quad Liquid cooling system, as the one you have by Delphi is prone to serious leakage. Its the same one that the Late 2004 and Early 2005 G5s use. The revision 2 is with the dual black pumps by Cooligy. I also heard of a Panasonic model, but having spoken with Apple engineering about this the only two mentioned in the service manual are the one you have and the Revision 2 model by Cooligy. Panasonic was on the Dual 2.5 and dual 2.7 I believe.

Nvidia 6600 can go as high as 145 degrees - 150 degrees, but given it has a black heatsink and its massive, it should be no problems using it when watching 1080p video. I recommend a 7800 GTX as this is a much better and faster video card.

 

[burnout8488]

Question: Since I can't see the MacRumors marketplace yet, would anyone recommend me waiting until then for me to sell my 2.0DP PowerMac? Is there a big PowerPC market here, or should I just go eBay? I've already listed my Firmtek 1v4 SATA card and 6800GT DDL on eBay, but I'd wait to sell the PM if someone on here would appreciate it more. (and pay top dollar! It's 100% mint)

 

[stroked]

Question: Since I can't see the MacRumors marketplace yet, would anyone recommend me waiting until then for me to sell my 2.0DP PowerMac? Is there a big PowerPC market here, or should I just go eBay? I've already listed my Firmtek 1v4 SATA card and 6800GT DDL on eBay, but I'd wait to sell the PM if someone on here would appreciate it more. (and pay top dollar! It's 100% mint)

That could be a while, since you only have 21 post. I doubt if you could get top $ for it here. People here know what a G5 is really worth. The real suckers are on Craigslist.

 

[Hrududu]

Exactly how did you straighten out the case? I've got a June 04 DP 2.0 that got some case modifications courtesy of FedEx that I would love to get straightened out, but I've never heard of a good way to do it.

 

[burnout8488]

That could be a while, since you only have 21 post. I doubt if you could get top $ for it here. People here know what a G4 is really worth. The real suckers are on Craigslist.

Good points!

Exactly how did you straighten out the case? I've got a June 04 DP 2.0 that got some case modifications courtesy of FedEx that I would love to get straightened out, but I've never heard of a good way to do it.

I accidentally deleted the pictures of me straightening everything in a bench vise, agh! Basically, I would take the bent piece in the damaged area, and put half of it in the vise. The other half would be the straight unmolested metal. The vise would then correct the bend when clamped so it was significantly more straight. The thick aluminum such as the door and the outer shell were nearly impossible to straighten, while the cheesegrater portions were simple. A plastic hammer also helped straighten it once in the vise.

 

[AppleNewton]

Id recommend craigslist first and then last resort eBay, easier to deal locally and not have to waste all of your earnings on fees and shipping per se.
I had recently picked up a 2.0Ghz DP G5 for dirt cheap cleaned it up a bit, did some small upgrades (ram and hdd) and resold it for double what I paid on CL and it went pretty smoothly. Definitely give it a shot.
Probably find someone who is looking for their first Mac that would buy it a decent price.

Also nice restoration job on the 2.5 Quad those G5 are still beautiful stunning machines.