David's new iMac G4 Thread!

[davidg4781]

Alright, I finally did it! I picked it up yesterday. So far, I'm satisfied, but I don't know if I'll end up keeping it.

What it has...
iMac G4 1.25Ghz 20"
140GB HDD
512MB RAM
OS X Tiger (burned copy)
Apple Pro Speakers, Keyboard, Mouse
Airport Extreme w/ Bluetooth (Can't remember if they're combined)

What I need to do with it...
*I need more RAM. I'm thinking of getting the 1GB SODIMM now.
*Might need a new HDD. This one's clicking an awful lot. I'm going to wait to replace it along with the internal RAM and install a fresh copy of Tiger from a retail disc.
*Figure out what's up with the wifi. If I'm sitting in front of the router I have great speeds. If I move to the dining room and put it on my table (single guy without a computer desk) I can barely get any wifi service. Very annoying. I may see if I can share my MBP's internet through bluetooth. Or maybe get a USB dongle?
*Maybe a new mouse? This one has no right click or scroll function. It also has the two side squeeze buttons that are not doing anything. I thought there would be a control panel in System Preferences for this?

I'll post up pics later. I'm using the iMac right now and it has no pictures.

And I'll try to keep all my questions and what not in this thread.

 

[Intell]

Make sure the replacement ram is low density. When you open the dome's halves, make sure you replace the heatsink compound on the two contact points or it will overheat. The poor wireless range could be from an improperly connected antenna. G4 iMacs have rather good wireless range. The Bluetooth board and Airport card are not on the same circuit board in G4 iMacs. G4 iMacs come with the rather slow Bluetooth 1.X which wouldn't make for very good internet sharing. If you really, really wanted Bluetooth 2.X, you can upgrade it. That mouse is the original Apple Bluetooth mouse. It is a single click mouse that does not have any squeeze buttons.

 

[iParis]

Maybe upgrade it to 2GB ram and installing Leopard would seem a bit more appealing? Also, if it's not already, I'd make sure you have a 7200rpm hard drive.

 

[davidg4781]

I think in the short term I'll upgrade that SODIMM, the one that I won't have to take apart and replace the thermal compound. Just to make it a bit more usable. I had installed Leopard with the current RAM and it was very sluggish.

Next will be to replace the HDD, internal RAM, and that's when I'll make sure it's cleaned up and install new thermal compound.

I have a retail copy of Leopard but I want to see if it'll be worth keeping it on Tiger for Classic. I have Diablo II, but other than that I can't think of any other software I'd be giving up. The Sims would be fun to play again also and I think I can even get The Sims 2 on here.

I'm not sure yet what I plan to do with this. But it was a good price and it'll give me something to do during down time.

 

[gooser]

new mouse? control + click is a right click. also use the up and down arrows on your keyboard for scrolling. i have two of the same model (except mine are 17") and i'm satisfied with tiger.

 

[davidg4781]

new mouse? control + click is a right click. also use the up and down arrows on your keyboard for scrolling. i have two of the same model (except mine are 17") and i'm satisfied with tiger.

I'm getting used to the control+click. I've always had 2 button mice, since like 1992. Actually I think it had 3. My first Mac was a MacBook so I'm really used to using trackpads. Too bad I can't get one for the iMac.

 

[davidg4781]

Make sure the replacement ram is low density. When you open the dome's halves, make sure you replace the heatsink compound on the two contact points or it will overheat. The poor wireless range could be from an improperly connected antenna. G4 iMacs have rather good wireless range. The Bluetooth board and Airport card are not on the same circuit board in G4 iMacs. G4 iMacs come with the rather slow Bluetooth 1.X which wouldn't make for very good internet sharing. If you really, really wanted Bluetooth 2.X, you can upgrade it. That mouse is the original Apple Bluetooth mouse. It is a single click mouse that does not have any squeeze buttons.

How would I know if it's low density? This is the one I'm looking at... http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Techn...=1382764546&sr=8-3&keywords=1gb+ddr333+pc2700

There's some on macsales.com but they're a little more expensive. Plus shipping and sales tax? Not sure why they're charging that, unless they're in Texas. Or I missed something.

Either way, I was going to purchase a few things on Amazon to get free shipping.

When I replace the HDD I'll look at the Airport antenna wire. And I'm ok without using BT. The keyboard and mouse are wired. I remembered the Mighty Mouse having squeeze buttons, just thought these were of use also.

 

[gooser]

griffin made a little bluetooth dongle that set in a usb port that works well with these things.

 

[Intell]

There are two places where the Airport antenna could be improperly connected. The more likely is the one just inside the bottom cover where it connects to the Airport card. The other less likely is inside the dome. The inside dome one has two antennas, one for Bluetooth the other for Airport. If you don't have a Bluetooth board installed, you'll see a loose unconnected antenna, that's the Bluetooth one.

There are a few places on the Internet that detail how to best determine if DDR ram is high or low density.

 

[davidg4781]

So when I replace the HDD and internal RAM, is there anything else I should look at replacing?

PRAM battery? Fan? I think the main reason I want to do this all at once is because I don't want to deal with replacing thermal paste more than I need to.

 

[Intell]

The PRAM battery is nearing the end of its designed life. It may be a good idea to replace that. The fans generally don't need replacing unless they come from a very dirty environment like a smoker's house. Just blast some air up around the fan and power supply to clean out the dust. Try not to make the fan spin too much or the high speed could damage it.

 

[davidg4781]

Oh. Here's a pic. I kept getting upload failed or I would've posted this up sooner.

 

[Jessica Lares]

She's beautiful. Definitely needs Leopard.

 

[havokalien]

Great machine

It's a good machine, and a great say bedroom DVD player, air tunes juke box, and just overall solid performer as iMacs go.

When I got mine years ago I actually played WOW on it and it wasn't horrible.

 

[davidg4781]

She's beautiful. Definitely needs Leopard.

Thanks! I need to get more RAM in it, quick. And I also need to figure out what's going on with the wifi. Since it has an odd size HDD I'm assuming it has been opened. I'm guessing when they put it back together they pinched a wire or something. Hopefully it'll be an easy fix.

 

[davidg4781]

Ok, just want to make sure, whenever I do open it up am I absolutely required to replace the thermal paste or is it just a recommendation? I'm on vacation and it's either clean up the apartment or open this up and clean it out. I also want to see if there's anything going on with the wifi.

Ultimately I will replace the paste, but if I can get away with just opening it for now then putting it back I'd like to try that. I just don't want to risk it overheating.

 

[gooser]

go buy some paste.

 

[davidg4781]

go buy some paste.

Alright, I'll wait. There's none near me. Closest would be about an hour away

 

[Intell]

The thermal paste is a must. Otherwise it will overheat and has the chance of welding the two halves together. Make sure you scrape off the old OEM black stuff.

 

[davidg4781]

Alright, I had it unplugged for a few days. Plugged it back and in and turned it on... date was set to 1969. Looks like the PRAM battery (I think that's what it's called?) needs replacing. Will definitely do that. While it's opened I'll probably replace the fan.

So, my immediate plans....

Opening it up and cleaning it out
Checking what's up with the wifi
Replacing PRAM
Replacing Fan
Adding 1GB RAM.

Few more questions...
Will one tube of thermal paste be enough to cover a few times of opening/closing?
Could I open the LCD up to check the wifi antennas in there? Any risk or issue? Maybe just something's unplugged or something?

 

[Intell]

One tube would be enough for about 10 G4 iMacs. The antennas in G4 iMacs are no in the screen or neck, they are all within the main dome. There is very, very likely nothing wrong with them. Unless you have a reason to replace the fan, don't. G4 iMacs require a special fan that has open side to circulate air around the power supply. If you put in a standard fan with closed sides, the power supply will overheat and fry itself.

 

[davidg4781]

One tube would be enough for about 10 G4 iMacs. The antennas in G4 iMacs are no in the screen or neck, they are all within the main dome. There is very, very likely nothing wrong with them. Unless you have a reason to replace the fan, don't. G4 iMacs require a special fan that has open side to circulate air around the power supply. If you put in a standard fan with closed sides, the power supply will overheat and fry itself.

Got it. I'll wait on the fan. My main reason for waiting is I didn't want it to go out and if I get a replacement not have enough paste. I should be good with one tube. Living out in the middle of nowhere has helped me to prepare and plan ahead a bit.

So, this has a 140GB HDD, not the standard one, I think. Should I assume it's been replaced and possibly didn't have the thermal paste replaced as well? Should I kind of leave it alone until I can be for sure? I have played a bit of Diablo II for about 45 minutes with no issue. If it were overheating it should've done something then, correct?

 

[Intell]

That drive isn't standard. OEM 20" G4 iMac sizes are 80GB and 160GB. If you want to replace the drive you can, but it shouldn't hurt to leave in the current one.

Correct, you'll know when it overheats. The fan in G4 iMacs usually stays at the low rpm value. But it can become very fast and loud if it is overheating. I've only heard one do that once, but it was rather surprising. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner. What caused it was it running the shell screen saver included with Leopard for about 30 minutes and then going to sleep. The iMac awoke itself and blasted its fan for about 10 minutes then went back to sleep again. In my case the thermal switch triggered it to wake up and rev the fan to the max. Unless you've heard it do that, it isn't overheating.

 

[davidg4781]

That drive isn't standard. OEM 20" G4 iMac sizes are 80GB and 160GB. If you want to replace the drive you can, but it shouldn't hurt to leave in the current one.

Correct, you'll know when it overheats. The fan in G4 iMacs usually stays at the low rpm value. But it can become very fast and loud if it is overheating. I've only heard one do that once, but it was rather surprising. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner. What caused it was it running the shell screen saver included with Leopard for about 30 minutes and then going to sleep. The iMac awoke itself and blasted its fan for about 10 minutes then went back to sleep again. In my case the thermal switch triggered it to wake up and rev the fan to the max. Unless you've heard it do that, it isn't overheating.

Great. Thanks!

I guess I might wait on the HDD. I plan on using this just for fun, nothing critical on there. So if it ends up failing it won't be a big loss. It is making a lot of noise which in my experience means it's on its way out. Hopefully adding more RAM will help to extend it's life.

 

[Intell]

Some hard drives always make lots of noise. I know my Cube's hard drive sounds like a coffee grinder, has since day one way back in 2003. It currently has about 25,000 hours on it and no problems.