MDD quieting - Success!

[Cox Orange]

I have an additional question regarding fans and PSUs.

My example is not about the MDD, but the Sawtooth aka "AGP" (208W rev1, 237W rev2), GigabitEthernet / DigitalAudio and Quicksilver types of G4s (338W), but the issue might be there as well.

My question is, can there be (replacement) fans that draw to mutch power?

The person here http://infohost.nmt.edu/~holstien/g4fanswap.html says that one has to look at the voltage. He has a Quicksilver, were there is a daughtercard that regulates the fan speed of the PSU-fan (same in the Sawtooth PSU).
Others say that the 12V says, that there is enough Watts for every fan imaginable.
specs on a AGP-G4 PSU http://www.applemacparts.co.uk/store/popup_extra_images.php?peiID=150 and http://www.applemacparts.co.uk/store/popup_extra_images.php?peiID=353

I do not know enough about PSUs and am not really sure about understanding the specs one can see on a PSU, without me being left with a remaining bit of doubt.

So, what do you think, does one have to mind the max Wattage of fans concerning PSUs? Or does it only apply to this curious/strange PSU-fan-daughtercard? Of course, the answer is better save than sorry, if one does not understand things into deep, but calculating the max. Watts supplied by the given V x mA, one should be save - so, if not save, than there must be more to it, than just reading the Voltage and Amperes on the lines.

 

[Andropov]

The PSU should have far enough power in the 12V line to run any fan.

 

[Lil Chillbil]

If some people can run a gtx 660 ti with a 400 watt Japanese psu. I am sure that the original apple psu can handle any fans you throw at it

 

[madhatmac]

Edit for clarity: This script should work with CHUD version 3.5.2 on a dual CPU MDD running Leopard. 3.5.2 is the only version that should be used on a dual CPU MDD. Also, be aware that the preference pane will misreport Level 2 and Level 3 cache sizes. This might give you the impression that it's not working correctly, but ignore it. Enabling nap mode is the only thing that you want to do.

Thanks for all the info.

One question: Will Nap mode turn itself off if my G4 goes to sleep?

 

[Swampus]

Thanks for all the info.

One question: Will Nap mode turn itself off if my G4 goes to sleep?

If it's in nap mode when it goes to sleep, then it will be in nap mode when it wakes. A restart will require that nap mode be enabled again (either manually or with script).

 

[MacBH928]

What does MDD stand for?

I had a 02 iMac , it was pretty good and decent after 7 years of use. Had to change it due to probably dying hard-drive and it was basically too old to run recent software , even simple software will not run on it because the OS on it (Tiger) is old.

May I ask what do you use this G4 for? If you are saving money, you can get a much more powerful mac for a very cheap price like a 2009 model.

 

[Nameci]

What does MDD stand for?

I had a 02 iMac , it was pretty good and decent after 7 years of use. Had to change it due to probably dying hard-drive and it was basically too old to run recent software , even simple software will not run on it because the OS on it (Tiger) is old.

May I ask what do you use this G4 for? If you are saving money, you can get a much more powerful mac for a very cheap price like a 2009 model.

Mirror Drive Door. You can see it on the front of the computer, the optical drive door have a mirror finished surface.

There are many uses for an "old" computer. It is not slow, it has the same speed the day you bought it. System requirements for "new" software have gone up to the roof because of added features and eye candy.

The power of computers will continue to increase versus size of the chip. That is already a given, because hardware should adapt to the "new" (again) software requirements. Run "old" software on "old" macs and they are quite quick and snappy. Most of the "newer" softwares nowadays would not even run on powerpc.

If you are content with "old" softwares then this "old" macs are fine for your usage, otherwise buy a new one.

 

[pastrychef]

Wow. This thread brought back lots of memories from when I still had my G4s. At one point, I had two MDDs and replaced every fan in one of them in an attempt to rein in the noise.

One thing that I have not seen mentioned in this thread is the heatsink for the G4s. There were two variants of heatsinks used in MDDs. One was an aluminum heatsink and the other was copper. Both of my MDDs came with the aluminum and I replaced my fan modded one with an aluminum one which seemed to help slightly. I also went from 1.25GHz to 1.42GHz on that machine.

Another thing that MDD users should be aware of is that when loaded up with all drive bays occupied, the fans pull in lots of air as well as DUST! It's important to regularly dust out these beasts with compressed air.

Good luck with your machines. Thanks for the thread, it brought back some fond memories.

 

[666sheep]

There were two variants of heatsinks used in MDDs. One was an aluminum heatsink and the other was copper.

There were even 3: thin aluminum, thick aluminum and copper one.

 

[pastrychef]

There were even 3: thin aluminum, thick aluminum and copper one.

Oh. I didn't know this... Were the thick aluminum ones used on single CPU models?

 

[666sheep]

Mostly in 1.25 Singles and I've seen few in 867 Duals, but I'm not sure if they were factory fitted. All these 867s came from one company.

 

[MacBH928]

Mirror Drive Door. You can see it on the front of the computer, the optical drive door have a mirror finished surface.

There are many uses for an "old" computer. It is not slow, it has the same speed the day you bought it. System requirements for "new" software have gone up to the roof because of added features and eye candy.

The power of computers will continue to increase versus size of the chip. That is already a given, because hardware should adapt to the "new" (again) software requirements. Run "old" software on "old" macs and they are quite quick and snappy. Most of the "newer" softwares nowadays would not even run on powerpc.

If you are content with "old" softwares then this "old" macs are fine for your usage, otherwise buy a new one.

I have following Apple for more than 10 years, I always thought the mirror was a design . I dont know how I never thought where the CD drive went.
What are the four holes at the bottom? Are they for sound?

For old computers, I know you can change the HDD but what about stuff like the motherboard dying? I heard that kind of stuff happens. And yes, old software was snappy. I remember using Microsoft Office for OS 9 on Jaguar . I bet it was more than enough for over 90% people's use today. My g4 could do video editing and rip DVDs .

surprisingly, it has difficulty running youtube in HD. I think one of the reasons that made me quit on my g4 was that latest version of browsers needed upgraded hardware , and websites today need the newer browsers to work. I bet all those new HTML5 website will NOT work on Tiger, making it hard to browse the web.

 

[ihuman:D]

I have following Apple for more than 10 years, I always thought the mirror was a design . I dont know how I never thought where the CD drive went.
What are the four holes at the bottom? Are they for sound?

For old computers, I know you can change the HDD but what about stuff like the motherboard dying? I heard that kind of stuff happens. And yes, old software was snappy. I remember using Microsoft Office for OS 9 on Jaguar . I bet it was more than enough for over 90% people's use today. My g4 could do video editing and rip DVDs .

surprisingly, it has difficulty running youtube in HD. I think one of the reasons that made me quit on my g4 was that latest version of browsers needed upgraded hardware , and websites today need the newer browsers to work. I bet all those new HTML5 website will NOT work on Tiger, making it hard to browse the web.

Its not suprising that HD YouTube does not work on a G4, they are at least 7 years old now.

All those htm5 websites DO work with Tiger, check out TenFourFox and TenFourKit.

 

[666sheep]

What are the four holes at the bottom? Are they for sound?

No, these were part of "wind tunnel" i.e. cooling. Speaker is on top of front panel.

For old computers, I know you can change the HDD but what about stuff like the motherboard dying?

Nowadays, you're just checking your local CL/kijiji/whatever and picking up one or two for spares

 

[MacBH928]

No, these were part of "wind tunnel" i.e. cooling. Speaker is on top of front panel.



Nowadays, you're just checking your local CL/kijiji/whatever and picking up one or two for spares

I like your profile pic, it reminded me of the time when companies were rivaling for the better platform not maximum profit.

Well...Apple still goes for the better platform, but they just picked up on the idea of mutual benefit instead of direct competition.

Still waiting to hear from the OP what does he use his computer for. Those later 90's early 2000s Apple computers must be the most mouthwatering computers(or products) ever built. They still look beautiful over 10 years later.

How much does a MDD cost now days?

 

[666sheep]

I like your profile pic, it reminded me of the time when companies were rivaling for the better platform not maximum profit.

Thanks, Intel is still considered satan, esp. in PowerPC forum [Do not confuse with our respectable member Intell ofc].

How much does a MDD cost now days?

From few dozen to about 100 bucks on CL, depending on location. I've seen few for $30 or $50 recently and I didn't search deeply, just out of curiosity.

 

[philz4life]

I like your profile pic, it reminded me of the time when companies were rivaling for the better platform not maximum profit.

Well...Apple still goes for the better platform, but they just picked up on the idea of mutual benefit instead of direct competition.

Still waiting to hear from the OP what does he use his computer for. Those later 90's early 2000s Apple computers must be the most mouthwatering computers(or products) ever built. They still look beautiful over 10 years later.

How much does a MDD cost now days?

I got my MDD for $110, including a 500 GB hard drive. Even though it is 10(!) years old, my dual 1.25 is my everyday computer. It browses the web with ease on WebKit, and can even play 720p videos. I also have a 2007 MacBook, which is about equal in performance to the MDD. With these two, I probably won't need a new Mac until I go to college.
I agree with you on the design. That's the main reason I got my Powermac. In my opinion, the MDD is the best looking computer ever.
Stay tuned, in a few days I'll be posting pics of my SSD upgrade.

 

[MacBH928]

I got my MDD for $110, including a 500 GB hard drive. Even though it is 10(!) years old, my dual 1.25 is my everyday computer. It browses the web with ease on WebKit, and can even play 720p videos. I also have a 2007 MacBook, which is about equal in performance to the MDD. With these two, I probably won't need a new Mac until I go to college.
I agree with you on the design. That's the main reason I got my Powermac. In my opinion, the MDD is the best looking computer ever.
Stay tuned, in a few days I'll be posting pics of my SSD upgrade.

I am very very surprised you don't need an upgrade . I believe all software today will not run on a PowerPC. I think they stopped support for PowerPC like at least 3 years ago.

It will be interesting to see how does an SSD work with a 1.25 GHZ powerpc. IF you do not mind , update this thread with a link to your SSD coming post so I get a notification.

 

[seveej]

I am very very surprised you don't need an upgrade . I believe all software today will not run on a PowerPC. I think they stopped support for PowerPC like at least 3 years ago.

You should not be surprised. There's still a lot of PowerPC Macs around, and most of that old software (from up until about 2008) is still available in some form. Sure, there are some things which you can simply not do, but most of these are more constrained by hardware performance than the existence of suitable software.

I'm sitting at my summer house writing my master's thesis on an MDD2003, using dropbox and the same version of word I use on my more current gear (MBP and MP).

I have an older MDD running as 24/7 server, and my only gripe is that the bugger runs hot in summer (so I'm planning on replacing it with an early intel mini within 12 months), my father works 5-8 hours a day on his Powerbook G4...

To be honest, I could easily supply all my computing needs with PowerPC gear, were it not for the simple reason that I am an impatient person who spends too large a portion of his income on gear...

- all that said, an SSD is a worthwhile upgrade for a G4/G5, as long as you can boot from it. My mother-in-law's 12" PBG4 boots in 15 seconds flat.

RGDS,

 

[ihuman:D]

I am very very surprised you don't need an upgrade . I believe all software today will not run on a PowerPC. I think they stopped support for PowerPC like at least 3 years ago.

It will be interesting to see how does an SSD work with a 1.25 GHZ powerpc. IF you do not mind , update this thread with a link to your SSD coming post so I get a notification.

I play and run a game from '07, Office '08, iLife '08, current release of TenFourFox, current release of LeopardWebkit and a near current release of Mono. All on my PowerBook G4.

 

[jbarley]

It's spelled "Aluminium"

Maybe, where you live, in the real world it's spelt "Aluminum"

 

[ihuman:D]

Maybe, where you live, in the real world it's spelt "Aluminum"

No, in the real world it's spelled "aluminium", it's only in NA where it's spelled "aluminum".

It's similar to "could care less", "could care less" doesn't make any sense if you mean to say you don't care about something.

 

[Swampus]

No, in the real world it's spelled "aluminium", it's only in NA where it's spelled "aluminum".

It's similar to "could care less", "could care less" doesn't make any sense if you mean to say you don't care about something.

Yes, but debating the spelling of aluminum / -ium, which can vary geographically, detracts from your more important mission of raising awareness about the meaning of the phrase "couldn't care less" and the relative lack of meaning of the phrase "could care less". It's your choice, of course, but I think that's more worthy of your endeavors, more worthy to fight for.

 

[subaiku]

Hey philz4life, I was trying to upgrade my case and power supply fans too. But when I tried restarting my MDD, it could start up except the fans don't start up at all. I've read what you wrote about putting the red wire into the red wire pin but I also remember reading somewhere that for some fans you have to reverse that? As in put the red in where the black pin originally was.

These are the fans I used:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-SickleFlow-Computer-R4-L2R-20AC-GP/dp/B0026ZPFCK

http://www.newboxx.com/item.php?id=12442

I know the fans are not defective because I tested them by plugging them into the MDD with a molex adapter the fans came with and they worked. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

[ihuman:D]

Yes, but debating the spelling of aluminum / -ium, which can vary geographically, detracts from your more important mission of raising awareness about the meaning of the phrase "couldn't care less" and the relative lack of meaning of the phrase "could care less". It's your choice, of course, but I think that's more worthy of your endeavors, more worthy to fight for.

I honestly really don't care about either, I wasn't the one who brought it up, all snarky, in this thread. (Jbarley, if it bothers you that much I'll just remove it from my signature )