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Should I keep or sell the 2.5ghz Dual Processor G5 PM?

California

California

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
Got a loaded 2.5ghz dual processor g5 with nice video editing cards okay stock graphics card that Apple fixed for free due to leaking processor.

This is the model that only takes eight gigs of ram max but is a faster CPU than my 2.3 dual core.

Which one is the better machine to keep? Both have airport.

Have any of you owned this 2.5ghz G5? (NOT the 2.5 quad core, the 2.5ghz Duel Processor)
 
All the 2.5 models will eventually leak and die. The 2.3 will live on for many many years.

The sooner you sell the 2.5 the higher its value will be. The dual core 2.3 also has many improvements, faster memory, PCIe graphics and expansion, that make it a better machine.
 
300D said:
All the 2.5 models will eventually leak and die. The 2.3 will live on for many many years.

The sooner you sell the 2.5 the higher its value will be. The dual core 2.3 also has many improvements, faster memory, PCIe graphics and expansion, that make it a better machine.
Click to expand...

Especially since after Snow Leopard is released I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a sharp decline in the resale value of PPC Macs. :(
 
A quad logic board with two 2,3 GHz 970MP prozessors would be my dream G5. It should be operable, but has anybody ever build such a machine?
 
I saw two in the used shop the other day. Right next to a Mac Pro 1,1 2.66 (4-core) The Intel mac was ¥170,000 (about $1,700) and the two G5's were ¥230,000 and ¥210,000. I was kinda surprised. I'd sell it if I were you. Preferably well before snow leopard releases in October.




.
 
That's correct. I am surprised that a powerpc dual core machine running at a slower clock would be sold for more than a quad core intel machine, even before snow leopard.
 
bozz2006 said:
That's correct. I am surprised that a powerpc dual core machine running at a slower clock would be sold for more than a quad core intel machine, even before snow leopard.
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Are there quad core G5's? Maybe they were quads too. I know nothing about G5. Apple's PPC machines were of zero interest to me.
 
Tesselator said:
Are there quad core G5's? Maybe they were quads too. I know nothing about G5. Apple's PPC machines were of zero interest to me.
Click to expand...

Apple used PPC970MP processors with two cores for about 12 months in 2005 and 2006. They had 2,0, 2,3 and 2,5 GHz versions. Only the 2,5 unit had two processors and that had liquid cooling which wasn't really reliable. The 2,3 version only had 1 processor. I always wondered how a quad with two 2,3 dual cores would work.

I'm not sure that G5 prices will significantly fall, but MacPro1,1 could perhaps remain more solid than otherwise. It is amazing how much value the early Mac Pros have retained. They are very difficult to find in auctions and you have to be lucky to get a 2,66 quad under 1400€ in Europe.
 
gugucom said:
A quad logic board with two 2,3 GHz 970MP prozessors would be my dream G5. It should be operable, but has anybody ever build such a machine?
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I'd like to see how a quad 2.5 performs with the air cooled heatsinks from a dual CPU model.
 
The Fixit Powerstation has the same processors as the G5 and is air-cooled, but also similarly priced (around $1200 - what the G5 quads sell for on FleaBay). If I could get my hands on the heatsink, I would replace it, but I can't find out who/what/where makes them! And personally, I would pay $100 for that heatsink! I know its daylight robbery, but a replacement would mean I could let my G5 render and I wouldn't have to check back every few minutes on its temps...
 
Dr.Pants said:
The Fixit Powerstation has the same processors as the G5 and is air-cooled, but also similarly priced (around $1200 - what the G5 quads sell for on FleaBay). If I could get my hands on the heatsink, I would replace it, but I can't find out who/what/where makes them! And personally, I would pay $100 for that heatsink! I know its daylight robbery, but a replacement would mean I could let my G5 render and I wouldn't have to check back every few minutes on its temps...
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It would have been custom for Apple, but MacPalace.com deals in replacement parts, and might have them (multiple parts by description, so exact P/N would make life much easier). :)

Good Luck. :D
 
Duff-Man says...I had the dual 2.5 G5 and sold it finally just a couple months ago. I got a lot of good years from it but it was time for a new desktop and with a big move happening it seemed practical to sell and buy new upon arrival at the new place.

The writing is definitely on the wall for the old PPC technology and you're going to see more and more stuff be "intel only" so I'd be inclined to say you're better off selling the G5....oh yeah!
 
Duff-Man said:
Duff-Man says...I had the dual 2.5 G5 and sold it finally just a couple months ago. I got a lot of good years from it but it was time for a new desktop and with a big move happening it seemed practical to sell and buy new upon arrival at the new place.

The writing is definitely on the wall for the old PPC technology and you're going to see more and more stuff be "intel only" so I'd be inclined to say you're better off selling the G5....oh yeah!
Click to expand...
PPC's still have their uses (peripheral devices such as RAID controllers), but their days as primary CPU's for computers is gone. :eek: ;) They had a good run though. :D :p
 
Ah, thanks for the info guys! Much appreciated!

gugucom said:
Apple used PPC970MP processors with two cores for about 12 months in 2005 and 2006. They had 2,0, 2,3 and 2,5 GHz versions. Only the 2,5 unit had two processors and that had liquid cooling which wasn't really reliable. The 2,3 version only had 1 processor. I always wondered how a quad with two 2,3 dual cores would work.

I'm not sure that G5 prices will significantly fall, but MacPro1,1 could perhaps remain more solid than otherwise. It is amazing how much value the early Mac Pros have retained. They are very difficult to find in auctions and you have to be lucky to get a 2,66 quad under 1400€ in Europe.
Click to expand...

I agree. But it's quite good for us MP owners. ;) It's not really so surprising to me though. I mean there's such a tiny tiny difference between the 2006 Mac Pros and the 2009 ones. Especially if you consider the various upgrade paths. So to me it just means that people are awake to the "real value" of the various models.

Eric S. said:
Yes, two dual-core G5 cpus:

http://lowendmac.com/ppc/power-macintosh-g5-quad.html
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Kewl! :) Thanks man!
 
In case you didn't get it from the signature, I own a G5... I bought it recently. Silly me! I guess its just a slight bias to towers away from AIO units. The only thing is that I'm consistently worried about G5 leaks. As I posted earlier, I wanted to replace the heatsinks to something air-cooled, and its been keeping me awake at night as a drearily wake up every so often to check if the temperatures haven't gone off the chart, or if it has shut down (temperature monitor safeties).

So, I think I'll take the blood-pressure-reducing route and if the G5 leaks, its time to upgrade and then I can play with the innards... Or I will replace the heatsinks once I have upgraded to a MP, and no longer really need the G5 for my main machine. Its nice, but I don't think I could live with the downtime. :p Plus, more G5 horror stories, I've heard that one could ruin the processors if they are extracted wrong! :eek:

Edit - posted while very tired. I did exaggerate slightly on the above, but the point remains the same.

So, to bottom line it - sell the liquid-cooled one. The air-cooled won't have as much power, but will last significantly longer then the liquid-cooled variety.
 
Dr.Pants said:
In case you didn't get it from the signature, I own a G5... I bought it recently. Silly me! I guess its just a slight bias to towers away from AIO units. The only thing is that I'm consistently worried about G5 leaks. As I posted earlier, I wanted to replace the heatsinks to something air-cooled, and its been keeping me awake at night as a drearily wake up every so often to check if the temperatures haven't gone off the chart, or if it has shut down (temperature monitor safeties).
Click to expand...

You're worried about leaks?

Replace the fluid with something that doesn't conduct.
 
I guess I put it in too draconian of a manner - I don't render on it too much. Its just that I've swallowed the paranoia, that's all. I actually don't worry about it too much.

I would replace the liquid with something non-conductive, I'll look into it. Distilled water might work, but its all about choosing a compound with a similar heat capacity; if its a really corrosive aqueous solution, distilled water won't have a problem, but there's a bunch of other figures that need to be taken into account, such as heat capacity and thermal expansion.
 
Dr.Pants said:
I guess I put it in too draconian of a manner - I don't render on it too much. Its just that I've swallowed the paranoia, that's all. I actually don't worry about it too much.

I would replace the liquid with something non-conductive, I'll look into it. Distilled water might work, but its all about choosing a compound with a similar heat capacity; if its a really corrosive aqueous solution, distilled water won't have a problem, but there's a bunch of other figures that need to be taken into account, such as heat capacity and thermal expansion.
Click to expand...
Take a look at silicone oil. ;) It's been used for this very purpose. :)
 
nanofrog said:
Take a look at silicone oil. ;) It's been used for this very purpose. :)
Click to expand...

Cripes Nano!

Do you have any links? Google is not being kind with this subject (On the G5 or for computer cooling in general)... Or do you have personal experience? :D

I would read the scientific papers on the subject, but I don't have access to my university account atm.
 
I would not worry about the leaks. Apple pretty much will fix them for free for you. They fixed my Quad G5. (Need to change my sig because I sold it).

I'm running the 2.3ghz dual core and just got the 2.5 dual processor, pcix machine. The 2.5ghz dual processor is faster CPU than the 2.3 dual core, but an older machine.

I've owned about five or six of these G5's now and you have to do three things IMHO...

1. Make sure your hd is brand new. HDs are freaky when old or failing in G5's hard to diagnose.

2. Set your power settings off of automatic. I think I set them to highest. This overcomes the on and off again fan action. My G5 right now is completely QUIET, as was my Quad, because of this. Also make sure your power supply is plugged into a good stable surge protector.

3. Leopard runs better than Tiger for me. Don't know why.

I'm selling the 2.5ghz dual processor to someone who wants it for video editing. It is tricked out with a lot of extras from a director who owned it.

I've never had a Mac Pro. They are just too expensive for me to consider. My 2.3ghz has 11 gigs of ram and the Quadro 512mb card, so am very happy.
 
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