Inherited PowerMac G5 - Should I keep it or sell it?

[Nameci]

Originally Posted by thorns

1. The graphics card has no noticeable influence on 1080p playback. The 2.0 GHz G5 can play 1080p MKV rips (15MBit/sec) since VLC 2.0 (and CorePlayer, but this software isn't free and completely unsupported by now).
2. The X1900 is the best value for money card for the late 2005 G5. I have successfully flashed many cards from 7800GT to 7800GTXs and various X1900. I can confirm that the x1900xt 512MB and X1950XT 256MB can be flashed to the G5 version. I always wanted to test the x1950pro since there's an abundance of them in Europe, but didn't manage to get ahold of one by now.
3. For Airport/BT support, I used a 3$ BT dongle and a mini-pcie card with wifi antennas, popped in a standard apple broadcom card and have full airport support since then. cost me about 40$, way cheaper than buying the standoff card and the combo card.

The ATI X1900XTX is a 512MB gfx card, I thought that the one that is compatible is the 256 because there is no existing 512MB ROM?

[VanneDC]

Not only that, but I thought the only 1950 that flashed was the gainward golden sample card...

[prvt.donut]

Originally Posted by Nameci

The ATI X1900XTX is a 512MB gfx card, I thought that the one that is compatible is the 256 because there is no existing 512MB ROM?

Hi Nameci,

I have seen you have written much about the PowerMac G5's what with owning one yourself.

How does yours perform with the 1080 video?

I downloaded some sample MOV files from the Apple trailers site and they all played smoothly, so that was good, but the iPhone video, pretty choppy.

Also, I tested out a Hulu video 480p and in the small window and it played nice, but when full screen, it got the slightest hint of chop, which will get annoying when actually trying to watch something.

Does this sound normal?

I am thinking that software is to blame there, so maybe I should use a different browser or something.

[Jethryn Freyman]

Originally Posted by jbarley

I picked up a BT USB dongle on Ebay for about nine dollars, plugged it in and bingo!
Tiny little thing works like a charm.

Same here, a tiny 2cm USB 2 BT card works perfectly. "Cambridge Silicon Radio" it gets reported as. Remember that it will work much faster if it's outside of the metal G5 case.

Originally Posted by thorns

1. The graphics card has no noticeable influence on 1080p playback.

True - I upgraded from a 128MB Radeon 9600 XT to an X800 XTX 256MB and there was NO difference.

[prvt.donut]

Well, I got a x1900xt 512MB from a friend who juat upgraded. But need to flash it as it was from a Mac Pro. He said we can flash it on his Mac Pro! Nice!

I have a SSD drive that I was thinking of testing out in it too.

Will I be better off installing Leopard? Or sticking with Tiger?

It's kinda sad to think that even after putting in this beast of a card, Hulu at 420p won't playback really smoothly on full screen.

Do you think the 1.5GB RAM is limiting it?

[thorns]

I am not sure if you can actually flash a PCIe card in a Mac Pro. Do you even have the correct ROM file?

Anything based on flash is relatively slow on a G5. The last available flash version is 10.2, it won't be updated in the future.

RAM should not be the limiting factor, you can check the page outs in system monitor to see if you run out of memory.

@flashing X1900s: RAM size doesn't matter, this and clock rates/chip characteristics (pipelines/vertex units etc) are set by the BIOS/driver combination. This is why you cannot overclock the X1900GT (it has fewer pipelines and clock rates than both the X1900XT and X1950XT). The good thing about the X1900GT ROM is that it fits on any card with the correct chipset, since it is just 64KB.

[prvt.donut]

Originally Posted by thorns

I am not sure if you can actually flash a PCIe card in a Mac Pro. Do you even have the correct ROM file?


@flashing X1900s: RAM size doesn't matter, this and clock rates/chip characteristics (pipelines/vertex units etc) are set by the BIOS/driver combination. This is why you cannot overclock the X1900GT (it has fewer pipelines and clock rates than both the X1900XT and X1950XT). The good thing about the X1900GT ROM is that it fits on any card with the correct chipset, since it is just 64KB.

I don't have the ROM, trying to research it and find a ROM.

I don't even know if this is would work because I have never seen a G5 flashed x1900XT with 512MB RAM although the one linked on ebay is 512 and claims to be for the G5.

You seem to suggest I can use the normal 256MB ROM. Can you confirm that?

That would make life easy if I can just use that ROM. I can't imagine why a Mac Pro GPU wouldn't be as flash-able as a PC GPU. The hardware is the same, just that the Mac Pro GPU has an EFI section to the ROM.

Can anyone please confirm the situation? the card is free, but I don't want to waste it, even though it will get binned if I don't take it.

[VanneDC]

You cannot flash a 512mb card with a 256mb rom

[prvt.donut]

Originally Posted by VanneDC

You cannot flash a 512mb card with a 256mb rom

Ok, so is Thorns spouting BS then? Because I need to know if I can flash this card or not.

[Nameci]

Originally Posted by prvt.donut

Hi Nameci,

I have seen you have written much about the PowerMac G5's what with owning one yourself.

How does yours perform with the 1080 video?

I downloaded some sample MOV files from the Apple trailers site and they all played smoothly, so that was good, but the iPhone video, pretty choppy.

Also, I tested out a Hulu video 480p and in the small window and it played nice, but when full screen, it got the slightest hint of chop, which will get annoying when actually trying to watch something.

Does this sound normal?

I am thinking that software is to blame there, so maybe I should use a different browser or something.

Playing 1080p on a G5 depends on how the movie was encoded. I would play HD movies both from outside sources, ripped and from iTunes and the G5 would play it with ease.

With hulu, I have no complaints. I am using hulu desktop, since they use flash, playing it on full screen would tax the cpu and would render it a little bit choppy.

[thorns]

I currently have a flashed X1900XT 512M running in my G5 without problems. I can't think of a way to prove it, so just take my word. If you give me your email I will give you the X1900GT G5 ROM. Are you going to use Zeus to flash the X1900? I am not sure if this tool supports PPC ROMs.. Remember that you will need to get the extra power cable for the X1900 (It's actually the same as in the Mac Pro).

[Colpeas]

Originally Posted by thorns

I currently have a flashed X1900XT 512M running in my G5 without problems. I can't think of a way to prove it, so just take my word.

A screenshot of system profiler?

[thorns]

Originally Posted by Colpeas

A screenshot of system profiler?

It actually shows as a X1900 XT with 256MB. Should be 128MB (that's a common error). I am not sure if I have 256MB or in fact 512MB in use (if so, the more, the merrier). Is there a tool which can tell how much graphics RAM is used? There's one for Windows iirc...

Edit: Okay, I checked with this tool: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/155...vidia-get-vram and only 256MB seem to be accessible.

[seveej]

Originally Posted by prvt.donut

Hi PPC aficionados,

I always wanted a G5 PowerMac, neigh coveted the G5 PowerMacs.

So, now I have one (the office threw it out), and I'm not sure if I should keep it!

Yeah, that's the Dual Core 2.0, last generation of the PPC era.

Tell you what, memory and GPU are easy to upgrade later on, so if I was you, I'd get an SSD (just big enough for your system - 120 GB should do), install the OS on that, and start using the computer.

That way you can ascertain what you really need, and if your requirements outstrip the CPU, you can get 80% of your investment back when you sell the SSD.

Depending on what you may want to use the machine for, I'd guess that 2005-models of video cards will meet your needs pretty nicely (I had a 2,3 DP once upon a time and the Radeon 9600 was quite sufficient for my needs).

RGDS,
Pekka

[Colpeas]

Originally Posted by thorns

It actually shows as a X1900 XT with 256MB. Should be 128MB (that's a common error). I am not sure if I have 256MB or in fact 512MB in use (if so, the more, the merrier). Is there a tool which can tell how much graphics RAM is used? There's one for Windows iirc...

Edit: Okay, I checked with this tool: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/155...vidia-get-vram and only 256MB seem to be accessible.

So there is no point in getting a 512MB X1900XT instead of 256MB X1900G5, correct? I see...

[thorns]

Well, the X1900XT 512MB is a pretty common card, so in general it is pretty cheap (like the X1950XT) at around 15-20 Euro. The original X1900GT has a loud one slot cooler, instead of a virtually silent dual slot cooler of the XT versions. So, if you don't want to spend a fortune on an original G5 X1900GT you can just get one of the XT versions and flash it, given you can get your hands on a PCI-Express PC.

[prvt.donut]

Originally Posted by thorns

I currently have a flashed X1900XT 512M running in my G5 without problems. I can't think of a way to prove it, so just take my word. If you give me your email I will give you the X1900GT G5 ROM. Are you going to use Zeus to flash the X1900? I am not sure if this tool supports PPC ROMs.. Remember that you will need to get the extra power cable for the X1900 (It's actually the same as in the Mac Pro).

The card has a sticker on the bottom side of the card saying x1900xt 512mb.

Could you send me the ROM? The Mac Elite doesn't seem to have the x1900gt rom! This seems a common card to flash so I am surprised it isn't listed.

[VanneDC]

It's not listed as the guy / partners thereoff who wrote that rom is still actively selling the gt card.

Thorns, have you confirmed you actually have the x1900xt 512mb card? And it's sporting the 256mb rom? If that's the case then that is amazing.. I can't remember if my g5 showed the gt card as an xt or gt, at any case it is 256mb. (Looking at the card now)

[thorns]

Yes, VanneDC, I had a look at the card yesterday. The sticker says X1900XT 512MB! However, it doesn't matter since there are still only 256MB accessible. The ROM works perfectly, no sleep issues (however, some quirks in connection to my Sonnet SATA controller..). I guess the Device ID isn't changed by the BIOS, so it shows as a X1900 XT (0x7244) if it was one before.

[prvt.donut]

Hi Guys. I have been playing with the options, thought about getting a Dremel and Hackintoshing it up, but I just can't bear to destroy the beautiful design of the G5. Even the very best G5 mods end up looking like hack jobs on some level, either internally or externally.

I even posted it up on the local Craigslist and so far the best offer I have gotten is $100!!!

So best option is to keep it and upgrade it as best I can. I have a 260GB SSD spare that I hadn't used for a different computer. So will install leopard to that, and then buy a fistful of RAM and flash the x1900 GPU and have fun with it!!!

[Colpeas]

I have a question about flashing FX4500

I've been browsing eBay recently, and I came across this quadro FX4500 (presumably a PC version, but not completely sure, since both versions look the same). If it's a PC version, is it flashable? I wouldn't like to paperweight it, nor waste money in vain if it's not eligible to be flashed to PPC ROM.
On the other hand, if it is, it's a bargain, right?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MakeTrack=true

Thanks for your advices.

[thorns]

If you are based in Czech Republic, why bother with shipping & customs from the US? Bidding for the Quadro hasn't ended, so the price will probably go up a bit. At eBay.de there are actually some FX4500 available for sale. I wouldn't pay more than 30 EUR for the card itself, except you need it for professional work. A flashed X1950XT/X1900XT is the better card in terms of value for money and in relation to the value of a G5.

[Nameci]

Originally Posted by thorns

If you are based in Czech Republic, why bother with shipping & customs from the US? Bidding for the Quadro hasn't ended, so the price will probably go up a bit. At eBay.de there are actually some FX4500 available for sale. I wouldn't pay more than 30 EUR for the card itself, except you need it for professional work. A flashed X1950XT/X1900XT is the better card in terms of value for money and in relation to the value of a G5.

i strongly agree, if you don't do 3d or CAD work it does not make sense to have a quadro, the best bang for the buck is the X1900.

[AnonMac50]

Originally Posted by prvt.donut

Hi PPC aficionados,

I always wanted a G5 PowerMac, neigh coveted the G5 PowerMacs.

So, now I have one (the office threw it out), and I'm not sure if I should keep it!

Specs wise:
Machine Name: Power Mac G5
Machine Model: PowerMac11,2
CPU Type: PowerPC G5 (1.1)
Number Of CPUs: 2
CPU Speed: 2 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 1 MB
Memory: 1.5 GB
GPU Model: GeForce 6600LE
VRAM (Total): 128 MB
Monitor: Apple Cinema Display 23-Inch

I know 1.5GB ram is not much nowadays, but it has a clean install of Tiger and the OS feels nice and snappy (although web-pages seem to load pretty slowly).

Can it be of any use in this x64 chipset world we live in?

I was thinking I could drop a few HDD's in it and using it as a media Library. Although if I sell it I could get a Time Capsule with the money and server the same purpose.

Tiger has some 64-bit support, but for apps to be 64-bit, they need to be at least Leopard, I think.

[666sheep]

Originally Posted by MisterKeeks

I believe this one should be flashable, but I am not at all certain.

This one is surely flashable for PPC. There are 2 versions of FX4500: one and two sided RAM chips. One sided are working with EFI ROM but not with PPC one, two sided are working with both ROMs.

Originally Posted by Nameci

i strongly agree, if you don't do 3d or CAD work it does not make sense to have a quadro, the best bang for the buck is the X1900.

I'd add video editing to this list. It's always better to have 512MB framebuffer than 256MB. My recommendation would be Quadro (or 7800GTX 512MB) for serious work (video, 3D, CAD), X1900 for other purposes as gaming and everyday tasks. Choice depends on what you're using your Mac for.