I have a powermac g5 with 2gb ram, x2 2ghz ppc cpus, Radeon 9600 pro and OSX 10.5.8 and it runs noticeably slower others powerpc computers( from what ive seen on youtube and read on the forums). Youtube is choppy and laggy at 360p using html5, final cut express 4 freezes up when i try to preview my video (720p 60fps), same with final cut pro 5. And browsing the web on tenfourfox or webkit is sluggish on every website (even google.com) Does anyone know if this is just the way the powerpc computers are or is something wrong?
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PowerMac G5 Slow
- Thread starter SadPotato
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No, that's not normal for that class of machine. Download an old PowerPC version of Geekbench and run it - depending on your exact model it should score between 1600 and 1800.
Also, with no programs open, go to Terminal and type "top -u" (don't include the quotes) - this will list the processes the computer is running - you should be using less than 10% - if it more, find what those programs are and decide whether you need them running.
If all else fails do a fresh install of the OS - sometimes this is the only way to fix an issue - sometimes an install will appear fully functional but still not sit right.
If there's still problems the hard drive may be failing and/or another hardware issue that might not be economical to trace and fix.
Also, with no programs open, go to Terminal and type "top -u" (don't include the quotes) - this will list the processes the computer is running - you should be using less than 10% - if it more, find what those programs are and decide whether you need them running.
If all else fails do a fresh install of the OS - sometimes this is the only way to fix an issue - sometimes an install will appear fully functional but still not sit right.
If there's still problems the hard drive may be failing and/or another hardware issue that might not be economical to trace and fix.
What's the Processor Performance set to in Energy Saver? Might have been set to reduced to hush the fans...
On geekbench i got 1564 and CPU usage is about 5% on idle. Is reinstalling the OS really the only route to go? I purchased this mac from an eBay seller and it didn't come with an OS X Leopard Disc so i will have to find one online.
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it is set to high performance
That's in the range of a typical result for that machine.
Keep in mind it's a thirteen year old machine, that's well outside active support. Tried @eyoungren's TFF tweaks?
Keep in mind it's a thirteen year old machine, that's well outside active support. Tried @eyoungren's TFF tweaks?
yes, i have tried his config, but that does not explain the terrible lag inside of applications such as Final Cut Express 4 and Final Cut Pro 5
http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/mac-osx-mac-os-10-ppc
There's no guarantee a fresh install will work but I speak from experience when I've reinstalled to fix problems I couldn't find.
At least you can then rule out software problems.
I don't have your machine but I have a G5 iMac which has far less grunt than your G5 and Youtube video isn't a problem.
I have a 2.3DP G5 and that zooms along.
I am confused by this statement, could you help me understand it?
"Leopard requires a dual layer DVD.
Unless you can find a DVR-R DL blank you'll probably need to use a +R blank and boot from an external firewire drive that supports DL +R disks.
At least that has been my experience with older machines."
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I bought it off of a ebay seller but i believe its the one that comes with it since it is the exact same size- 160 GB
The retail Leopard disk will require a dual layer disk but there are guides on the internet to open the dmg and take out the unnecessary files.
You might be able to find slimmed version in the normal dubious online places.
Regarding reading/writing dual layer disks or any disks for that matter, I find you take your chances with old optical drives now - most of my PPCs are fussy about what they will and wont handle.
[doublepost=1465901725][/doublepost]You could also check for errors by booting from an Apple Service Disk for your machine - unfortunately, the site I'd normally link to is down but you may be able to search one elsewhere.
You might be able to find slimmed version in the normal dubious online places.
Regarding reading/writing dual layer disks or any disks for that matter, I find you take your chances with old optical drives now - most of my PPCs are fussy about what they will and wont handle.
[doublepost=1465901725][/doublepost]You could also check for errors by booting from an Apple Service Disk for your machine - unfortunately, the site I'd normally link to is down but you may be able to search one elsewhere.
I've uploaded the disk image for version 2.5.8 here:
https://db.tt/JYeSyKMx
You'll need to check online if it's applicable to your machine.
OEM drives tended to be Seagate. If it's Apple OEM then it'll have a
on the drive.Possible it has has sectors after all those years.
I just checked the hard drive and it is the original Seagate drive with the
[doublepost=1465938783][/doublepost]If it is the hard drive, I don't have a replacement that isn't in use
Then take a trip to the candy sh.....er computer store and get a new one
Monitor Disk Activity in Mac OS X
I'd suggest a SMART utility but don't know if any are available for the PowerPC.
I'd suggest a SMART utility but don't know if any are available for the PowerPC.
I just checked the hard drive and it is the original Seagate drive with the
[doublepost=1465938783][/doublepost]If it is the hard drive, I don't have a replacement that isn't in use
My 12" Powerbook has bad sectors on it's 100Gb drive. Tiger and updates install fine but additional apps would crash - after a Tiger re-install I immediately wrote a blank 10Gb file to disk using Terminal and mkfile - then carried on installing apps. In effect, the bad area is encapsulated - that area isn't read or written to again. It's been working fine now for over a year.
I've done similar before. I usually just put an empty partition at the start of the drive. Big files could possibly get moved, although it's unlikely.
SMARTReporter 2.7.3 Listed as a "Lite" version on their site now. 2.7.3 is the last version that is Universal and free.
Smart Utility Not free. Click on the link for older versions and you'll get 3.1.4.
Smart Utility seems to be far more sensitive than SMARTReporter. Unlike SMARTReporter though you can adjust that sensitivity. Both apps will notify you if a drive is failing but Smart Utility can do more than email you.
Both are menubar apps although Smart Utility can actually show you hard drive information (number of hours powered on, bad sectors, age of drive, date of manufacture, etc).
Just downloaded both of these utilities. SmartReporter works great on my PowerBook G4. The older version of Smart Utility (available from the link in Erik's message) does NOT run on the PowerPC - it's an Intel program.
Hmmm. I will have to find what version I have on my PowerBook then and get back to you.