Quad G5, Should I Buy It?

[ToniCH]

EDIT: Hmmm, getting some errors on the links so might have to run this through the Wayback Machine.

All other pages work for me but forum. So, the important info is all there. Better to save them to PDFs for future needs.

There is still one guy selling the MDD conversion cables in ebay (quite expensive though). Other models might need a diy solution but that is easily done with the instructions on the site linked above.

 

[Brandon42]

Thanks for such a detailed reply.

This really good to know. I can't see myself picking up any further G4 desktops but if I do, I'll be wary of the MDD range. Should I come across a dead unit that's free or cheap, the resurrection work might be worthwhile for the fun of an electrical engineering project.

I've got a relative who has one that was in constant usage everyday within a professional, commercial environment. I'll have to ask whether their machine is still working and if they experienced any PSU problems.



Does this basically require through-hole desoldering work by any chance?

I actually really like my MDD. It was the re-released model that was offered after the G5s came out. It is the newest Power Mac that can boot OS 9.

 

[TheShortTimer]

ATXG4

Owner of this website used to actually offer the conversion cables for sale. They stopped doing that a long time ago, but the site is still up so others can see how to do it. It's all documented…

Cheers Erik.

Even when they had the cables for sale, I wouldn't have been able to purchase them because the webmaster doesn't ship beyond the United States. However, as you and @ToniCH have pointed out, the information is available which allows others to create their own.

I actually really like my MDD. It was the re-released model that was offered after the G5s came out. It is the newest Power Mac that can boot OS 9.

Natively or using the OS9Lives installer?

 

[BlueMacawBird]

Earlier I said that I had not personally owned any of the LCS variants of the G5. However, that is not quite as true as it could be. I did not have any of those machines. What I do have are two quad processor modules. While sold as functional replacement parts, I bought them as display pieces. They are big and impressive; they did not cost a lot ten years or so ago. Probably less today. They are radically different from each other, doubtless early and late models. I don't know which is which. Here's what they look like; as I said, they are BIG and impressive. They are roughly 8"x8"x9".

 

[typonaut]

… Get your Power Mac G5’s power supply fixed

Get your Power Mac G5’s power supply fixed

Apple has launched the Power Mac G5 Repair Extension Program for Power Supply …

arstechnica.com

I can’t time travel back to 2006, but I recently had a Quad core G5, and did not have any power supply issues with it. I also currently have a dual processor G5, and that similarly has had no problems. However, I did not have these machines from new, so don't know if they have had new/upgraded power supplies.

And, yes, I am sure about what they are, because they have the IEC C19/20 power socket.

 

[ToniCH]

I don't know which is which.

The one with a waterpump between radiators, ie. the left one in the first pic, is a Quad setup. Don't know what the other one is.

Here is one of mine (Quad single pump version), the radiator/pump unit and the processor cards separated:

 

[ToniCH]

To everybody talking about ways to recognize what G5 something is. If you are really going to buy one, take the side cover out and read the sticker in the lower part of the case which will tell you exactly what it was when new.

This is from the original ebay ad, the last pic. Knowing the identifying details is helpful but in the end there is no need to guess anything based on wifi antennas or power sockets, just read the label. There is even the serial number which can be used to find out the details too using the numerous Mac serial number services in the web.

 

[BlueMacawBird]

The one with a waterpump between radiators, ie. the left one in the first pic, is a Quad setup. Don't know what the other one is.

Here is one of mine (Quad single pump version), the radiator/pump unit and the processor cards separated:

Here is a photo showing the connection side of the processor modules. The connections appear identical, although the physical size of the two modules is surprisingly different. That would probably mean they were intended for differently configured enclosures. I assume all the quads were LC, were there duals that were LC? That could explain why I have two very different units.

 

[eyoungren]

To everybody talking about ways to recognize what G5 something is. If you are really going to buy one, take the side cover out and read the sticker in the lower part of the case which will tell you exactly what it was when new.

This is from the original ebay ad, the last pic. Knowing the identifying details is helpful but in the end there is no need to guess anything based on wifi antennas or power sockets, just read the label. There is even the serial number which can be used to find out the details too using the numerous Mac serial number services in the web.

View attachment 2461859

This is good advice if you have access to the machine or if the seller is willing to take a picture of that (and you believe the picture they are sending you is the one they said they took).

But in a lot of instances all you have are external pictures to go on. If the seller is trying to pull a fast one, they probably aren't going to work with you on this. Clueless sellers might, at least up to the point where they begin to get the idea they might lose the sale.

Of course, any hesitancy to help in verifying the actual model is a big tipoff. The link this thread is concerned about though, the seller used terms that to me indicate they were trying to pull a fast one. Aside from the TAM (and possibly the G4 Cube), there really are NO rare Macs. Not even the Quad.

 

[ToniCH]

Here is a photo showing the connection side of the processor modules. The connections appear identical, although the physical size of the two modules is surprisingly different. That would probably mean they were intended for differently configured enclosures. I assume all the quads were LC, were there duals that were LC? That could explain why I have two very different units.

Yes, the Quads were not the only liquid cooled models, some DPs had it too. But, I don't have experience on the other LC models so I don't recognize the other one.

Everymac says:

The Power Macintosh G5/2.5 DP (PCI-X) (June 2004), Power Macintosh G5/2.7 DP (PCI-X) (Early 2005), and Power Macintosh G5 "Quad Core" (2.5) (Late 2005) all have a liquid cooling system.

 

[eyoungren]

Here is a photo showing the connection side of the processor modules. The connections appear identical, although the physical size of the two modules is surprisingly different. That would probably mean they were intended for differently configured enclosures. I assume all the quads were LC, were there duals that were LC? That could explain why I have two very different units.

The 2.7 Dual Processor was liquid cooled. I have one. Based on the green/blue coloring of the LBs in your pic, I'd say the one on the right is for the DP.

The Dual Cores came out AFTER the last DP. So, the DP LCS would be older.

 

[Amethyst1]

Aside from the TAM (and possible the G4 Cube), there really are NO rare Macs. Not even the Quad.

And the Mac which isn’t a Mac.

 

[eyoungren]

And the Mac which isn’t a Mac.

Sure.

But those were controlled and Apple wanted them all back when the program was over. Of course, not all of them DID make it back to Apple. But anyone trying to sell those as anything other than what they actually are, I should think would be found out pretty quickly.

 

[Amethyst1]

But anyone trying to sell those as anything other than what they actually are, I should think would be found out pretty quickly.

Fake Power Mac G5. 🤣

 

[ToniCH]

Fake Power Mac G5. 🤣

What If its one of those Mac Pro G5s we see so often for sale? ! I always thought they were just nuubies who don't know what they have but maybe it was me all along who missed all those ultra rare developer specials?! 😭

 

[AdamBuker]

I do think it's funny that for the PPC to Intel transition and then the recent transition to Apple Silicon the developer kits are really under-powered examples of the new target architecture. I imagine this was done on purpose for both reasons of costs, but also that whenever the new Apple Mac Hotness appeared, it would run circles around not just the previous architecture but even the developer kit for which the initial third-party apps were targeted toward.

 

[Doq]

I thought it was just because the hardware wasn't available or ready yet. The Intel DTK was a Pentium 4 platform because Core wasn't out yet; likewise, the Apple Silicon DTK was an A12Z because M1 wasn't ready either.

Since these went out to who are otherwise regular people, sending out actual prototype hardware would have been a poor decision, especially for the AS DTK, in the time of rampant leaking.

 

[macfacts]

did you read the description? says not working, for parts only.

 

[PowerPC74]

Apple sold a metric crap ton of Quads, they were very popular, the 2.5GHz DP's are more rare and in a lot of ways better machines.

You don't have the LCS to worry about and faster SP performance, also you get PCI-X rather than PCI-E and that can be fun to play with as well.

As far as a hobbies PowerPC I would go with the DP over the Quad.

The only rarer PPC Mac is the DP 2.7GHz but that was LCS as well.

The LCS's were not that great to start with and they don't age like wine, unless you are looking for a liquid nightmare avoid them if you can.

I've owned just about every PPC Mac, and I prefer the DP AGP PCI-X systems to the DC PCI-E systems just as a hobby it's fun to find PCI-X cards and make them work for PPC and still be able to use legacy PCI without adapters.

There are also a lot more options for AGP on PPC than there ever was for PCI-E.

It's not going to be an everyday computer, either way, a five year old iPhone has more computing power than a Quad, night and day!

It's only good for a hobby, so find your use case, and pick the one you really want to work with, just keep in mind all the time and money it put into an LCS Mac is one day going up in liquid smoke no matter what you do.

 

[eyoungren]

The LCS's were not that great to start with and they don't age like wine, unless you are looking for a liquid nightmare avoid them if you can.

Again…I must be the exception to the rule. In the three years I had my Quad G5 running full power, 24/7 the LCS never had an issue. I've never had a leak or any other problem with it.

I just pulled it out of the garage yesterday. It's been sitting in there since 2020. I see no leaks.

It's not going to be an everyday computer, either way, a five year old iPhone has more computing power than a Quad, night and day!

I guess my primary iPhone 11 Pro Max thanks you… 🤷‍♂️

It's only good for a hobby, so find your use case, and pick the one you really want to work with, just keep in mind all the time and money it put into an LCS Mac is one day going up in liquid smoke no matter what you do.

And right here we have a big disagreement.

Depending on your use case the Quad can still be very relevant. In the graphic design industry in which I work, the basic InDesign document format still revolves around ID CS4. I ran ID CS4 for many years on the Quad and on a G4 before that. Any current version of InDesign can save out a IDML document that CS4 can open.

Photoshop PSD files are the same. Illustrator AI files are also the same. You can save as far back in Illustrator as version 3 if you want.

Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel files are the same. Office 2004 and 2008 runs on a Quad (or any system running Tiger or Leopard). .docx, .pptx, and .xlsx are standards.

And then there is PDF. The industry I work in is agnostic when it comes to PDFs The PDF format was created so that a document would look the same and print the same on any platform. No one gives a darn what app made the PDF on what platform as long as it's made right. And hey, guess what? Acrobat 9 works on a Quad!

This is not a hobby. Not for some. Some people actually still use these machines to produce real work for real money. Maybe there are only a few, maybe some pros use Quads in other ways. My point is that as long as someone out there is using them in this way you can't say it's 'only good for a hobby'. I once knew a designer who told me that QuarkXPress 4.11 was the only program she was ever going to work in. She sent me a PDF for insertion in our newspaper.

And that's another hit on your 'only good for a hobby' part. I had a job for 14.5 years where two weekly newspapers and four monthly special publications were produced on a G4 and a 1.8Ghz SP G5.

As to LCS…again, my Quad defies your statement.

 

[AdamBuker]

Again…I must be the exception to the rule. In the three years I had my Quad G5 running full power, 24/7 the LCS never had an issue. I've never had a leak or any other problem with it.

I just pulled it out of the garage yesterday. It's been sitting in there since 2020. I see no leaks.

If memory serves me correctly, there were two manufacturers of the LCS in the G5s. One was Panasonic which had a much better reputation for reliability in its LCS. That alone could explain it if that’s the case.

Depending on your use case the Quad can still be very relevant. In the graphic design industry in which I work, the basic InDesign document format still revolves around ID CS4. I ran ID CS4 for many years on the Quad and on a G4 before that. Any current version of InDesign can save out a IDML document that CS4 can open.

While I don’t use a quad, my G5 is a late 2005 model 2.0 DC with PCIe. I have used my G5 for music production and I plan on using it next for YouTube video production to edit videos, thumbnails, and create background music. I even have a M2 256GB AHCI mounted on a PCIe card that gets 800 MB/sec R/W speed that’s used for editing. It’s more than enough for 1080p ProRes editing, which itself is perfectly fine for a talking head video with inserts. For me the G5 still fits my needs and is a stable working configuration. I have been burned in the past by hardware and software upgrades on newer systems even after testing them out before. The fact that the modern internet runs like an asthmatic weeb means that I’m far less likely to get distracted and far more likely to get into a zone of focus.

While video editing has in most cases passed this machine by, there are still a decent amount of recording studios and artists that have been running these machines for twenty years. This holds true even more so for the early Mac Prosecution. Mac Pro. (edited for silly auto correction)

 

[Doq]

It's only good for a hobby, so find your use case, and pick the one you really want to work with, just keep in mind all the time and money it put into an LCS Mac is one day going up in liquid smoke no matter what you do.

Hi there, you must be new here. Welcome to our humble PowerPC Macs section. Here we keep our PowerPCs alive and well, whether that be through regular maintenance, emergency repairs, or even custom hacks and modifications.

There are several resources to keep these Liquid G5s running well into the future. We are willing and able to do this, and so that "one day" won't be for a very long time.

The only rarer PPC Mac is the DP 2.7GHz but that was LCS as well.

I would like to introduce you to:
- The Power Mac G4 Cube
- The Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh
- The PowerBook G3 Kanga
- The PowerBook Duo 2300c
- The Workgroup Server 9150

Unless you mean G5s specifically, these are all much rarer than the DP 2.7.

It's not going to be an everyday computer

You would be shocked to learn how easy "everyday computing" is on our Powers. Sure, it might be a slower experience. There may be workarounds and incompatibilities. But unless your "everyday computing" goes beyond checking e-mail, doing web searches, watching YouTube videos (yes it's possible!), and working with documents and etc, a Power Mac will still be very serviceable.

Enjoy your stay and good luck with your Power Macs!

 

[m1maverick]

did you read the description? says not working, for parts only.

I believe it was being sold that way due to a smell of rodent odor. Plus I think it was an estate sale and people selling off such items which are old do not want the hassle of having to deal with returns. I see many sellers selling working systems as "as-is / for parts" merely because that's one of the protections sellers have on Ebay.

My thought for considering it was it was local and I could go and inspect it prior to buying. That assumes the seller would be willing to do so. But, given the sale was on Ebay that would have meant bypassing Ebay, at least for the inspection, which the seller may not have been open to.

Regardless it appears to have sold sometime yesterday, I can only hope the buyer looked at it closer than I did and realized it was a DP and not a Quad.

 

[PowerPC74]

It's been sitting in there since 2020.

That was why I sold my Quad, but I sold it for $350 and only paid $50 for it.

I put a power cord( $10 ) and a video card ( $20 ) into it, but I never found a real use for it, other than making a few $ when I sold it.

 

[PowerPC74]

Hi there, you must be new here. Welcome to our humble PowerPC Macs section. Here we keep our PowerPCs alive and well, whether that be through regular maintenance, emergency repairs, or even custom hacks and modifications.

There are several resources to keep these Liquid G5s running well into the future. We are willing and able to do this, and so that "one day" won't be for a very long time.

I mean if your hobby is rebuilding LCS have at it.

If I ever come across the DP 2.7GHz I would still buy it even if I had to rebuild the LCS because it's one I never had in my collection and I'd like to see what speeds I could get out of the AGP.