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PowerMac G5 - shall I take the risk

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bibi2205

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 25, 2010
70
0
I have the possibility to buy a PowerMac G5. There's 'only' 1 problem with it: it refuses to boot.

The problems started with the fans spinning louder then usual, then trouble when booting (with up to 20 tries before it actually working), now it is completely lifeless.

I'd be able to buy it for 125€ (+- $175) and I'm not sure if it is 'worth' it. After Googling I found out that its a common problem for the G5, with 'not too great' power supplies, for instance. But I'm not sure the PSU is the problem in this case.

Shall I take the risk or look elsewhere?

System specs: (2005) G5 2GHz, 3GB, GeForce FX5200.
 
cluthz

cluthz

macrumors 68040
Jun 15, 2004
3,118
4
Norway
All G5s have had issues, I'd stay away from it, unless you want a G5 just for the sake of it and can afford to loose some money on it.

If it's a single CPU G5, then it's really not any speedy either.
I have a 1.8GHz iMac G5 and it's slow.

If you need more info on reliability on G5s, look here:
http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/pmg5.html
 
raysfan81

raysfan81

macrumors 6502a
Oct 6, 2009
598
2
This seems like an obvious question to me. It doesn't make sense to pay $175 on a broken computer. The only models I would totally avoid are the LQ dual processor 2.3, 2.5, and 2.7 ghz models. The DUALCORE 2.0, 2.3 had air cooling and the Quad didn't have nearly as many problems with the LCS as the others did.
 
alust2013

alust2013

macrumors 601
Feb 6, 2010
4,779
2
On the fence
I wouldn't buy a nonworking computer, especially an older Mac. Parts can get pretty pricey, and few of the computers are very fast anymore.
 
sysiphus

sysiphus

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2006
816
1
The air-cooled G5 towers that aren't dead yet will probably last for many more years--BUT there's no way I'd buy a partially dead one. Parts are horribly costly, and sinking much money into a 5+ year old machine doesn't make sense.

The price you quoted seems absurdly high to me (in the US); my single 1.6 G5 in perfect order is probably worth about 150USD on the open market.

The short answer is that it's too much to sink into a machine that's going to eat more money. If you're stuck on the idea of a G5 tower (I can understand it, even though they're not practical), get one that works--and make sure to stay far, far away from the liquid-cooled models.
 
MacHamster68

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
the problem is you are not sure whats wrong with it definitely , and a rough guess towards the powersupply doesnt help, really as it could as well be the logicboard , if it was the powersupply definitely then its cheap and easy to replace , if its the logicboard then it would be a near write off,
but having said that the case if in really good nick can fetch nearly what you pay for it , some people pay good cash to get one be it to replace their damaged one , but more often by people to build a hackintosh
so here in the uk you could easy get your money back if the case is in AS NEW condition outside ,but if its dented or scratched dont even bother selling it as the ebay fees will cost more then you get for it
 
0007776

0007776

Suspended
Jul 11, 2006
6,473
8,170
Somewhere
As everyone else has said I wouldn't buy it, if you really want a G5 look for a working one. it would cost way to much to fix it most likely.
 
B

bibi2205

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 25, 2010
70
0
Ok, thanks all for the replies. I couldn't make up my mind, but the replies here and on a Dutch forum made it pretty clear that I should stay (far) away from it. Better save some more for an Intel Mac Pro then. :)

bizzle said:
You can buy a working one for not much more.
Click to expand...

Well, in Belgium the G5 Pro's go for € 300+ (about $400).. So being able to get one for about $175 is 'a bargain'. Too bad it's dead. :)
 
124151155

124151155

macrumors regular
Jan 9, 2008
204
0
bibi2205 said:
But I'm not sure the PSU is the problem in this case.
Click to expand...

I don't really have any advice.

I just wanted to say that I found your pun mildy humorous, even though I'm sure it was unintentional.

Advice so I don't get banned: look into what a repair may cost, factor in how much life you'll get out of it before upgrading and then consider whether you should get this or a new mac.
 
roadbloc

roadbloc

macrumors G3
Aug 24, 2009
8,784
215
UK
Don't do it. Especially since it's PowerPC. Get an intel mac and you will get a lot more for your money.
 
OrangeSVTguy

OrangeSVTguy

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2007
4,127
69
Northeastern Ohio
Well this is a dual-core model so it could be anything like the CPU or logic board. It's also air-cooled so that rules out any liquid damage. G5 prices over there still sell pretty high compared to the US market but $175 is a pretty decent price here in the US for a broken system. Just check ebay for completed listings so you can gauge what the market determines a fair value.

If you knew what you were doing and what parts to replace and know the costs of the parts, it would be OK to buy it if the repair costs are less than the going value. If not then find another deal on a working G5.
 
H

Hakkera

macrumors member
Feb 13, 2009
48
0
No, in short.

As has been said certain parts can be very expensive and difficult to obtain. I think there are plenty of legs in a PM G5 - I own one and love it.

If I were you I'd save an extra 1-200 Euros and buy a working PM G5, as you may end up spending more than this trying to fix it anyway.
 
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