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Speed up G5 (Internet and in General)

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3349793

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Jul 6, 2015
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Hi all,

I own a PowerMac G5 (dual 2.5) and a 1.6GHz iMac G5, and I was just wondering if you guys have a couple of things that could speed my macs up, other than the optimizations found in another thread.

Whenever I open Macrumors, or any other site like it, the fans start kicking in, and it can be quite loud.

I have the most up to date Flash Player version (I'm pretty sure), and I do use WebKit and TenFourFoxG5, and I do have 10.5.8 on both (have Tiger on the iMac as well).

Thanks, Alex
 
Sadly, PowerPC Macs, even high-end G5s such as the dual-core I'm posting this with, tend to struggle with the modern CPU-intensive internet. The late 2005 models of Power Mac G5 are a bit better with keeping the fan speed down during CPU-intensive tasks.
 
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eyoungren said:
See the link in my signature to optimize TenFourFox.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'll try those out tomorrow! :)
redheeler said:
Sadly, PowerPC Macs, even high-end G5s such as the dual-core I'm posting this with, tend to struggle with the modern CPU-intensive internet. The late 2005 models of Power Mac G5 are a bit better with keeping the fan speed down during CPU-intensive tasks.
Click to expand...

I do understand it is an old computer. :) I really wish Apple still supported these amazing computers, but the only way to get you to buy their new ones is to discontinue and not support the older ones. :p
 
alex.marton said:
Thanks. I'll try those out tomorrow! :)
Click to expand...
Sure! I'm getting initial page loads (where content displays and is readable) in about 4-6 seconds with full page loading at around 7-12 seconds (which means CPU returns to idle). Depending on complexity. I believe that's pretty good considering the Macs we operate.

Just a note. In Post #1 I recommend Request Policy and NoScript. But read the whole thing. I just recently knocked out four addons by replacing both of those and two others with uMatrix.

So, spend a little time with the thread to get the full value out of it.
 
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Also, set the processor settings to reduced, the fans won't ramp up when the CPU is being used because the power and energy consumption is reduced
 
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I use TenFourBox to surf these MacRumors sites and as seen in the included photo my fans pretty much stays at the minimum of 970rpm.
Picture 2.JPG
 
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jbarley said:
I use TenFourBox to surf these MacRumors sites and as seen in the included photo my fans pretty much stays at the minimum of 970rpm.
View attachment 607700
Click to expand...
Is yours a late 2005? I have never had an issue with the fans ramping up on mine. The earlier dual-processor models are a completely different story.

And I happen to be posting this from a TenFourFoxBox also, after spending some time changing the system font on my G5 :)
Picture 5.png
 
redheeler said:
And I happen to be posting this from a TenFourFoxBox also, after spending some time changing the system font on my G5 :)
Click to expand...

How did you change the menu bar font?

@alex.marton Ditch Flash Player and go to HTML 5 for video. Flash is an enemy of PowerPC Macs and is quite honestly a resource pig. For streaming video, I recommend that you read my tips page here if you want to continue to use WebKit.
 
redheeler said:
Is yours a late 2005? I have never had an issue with the fans ramping up on mine. The earlier dual-processor models are a completely different story.

And I happen to be posting this from a TenFourFoxBox also, after spending some time changing the system font on my G5 :)
View attachment 607708
Click to expand...
My Quad handles browsing really well, no lag no issues on TFF. I would think the other Late 05 models would too, but those extra 2 cores may make a difference
 
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I really wish Apple released 10.6 or even 10.7 for the G5s.

MacCubed said:
Also, set the processor settings to reduced, the fans won't ramp up when the CPU is being used because the power and energy consumption is reduced
Click to expand...

I have put it to "Reduced" on both macs, and the fans are pretty quiet. :) Thanks.
jbarley said:
I use TenFourBox to surf these MacRumors sites and as seen in the included photo my fans pretty much stays at the minimum of 970rpm.
View attachment 607700
Click to expand...

What app do you use to see the speed of the fans? And I will download TenFourBox to see what it's like. :)

MacCubed said:
My Quad handles browsing really well, no lag no issues on TFF. I would think the other Late 05 models would too, but those extra 2 cores may make a difference
Click to expand...

Sometimes I think of selling my dual and buying a Quad, but for some of the prices, I could get a 2006 Mac Pro... Not a bad thing, but I love my PowerMac G5. :p
 
alex.marton said:
I really wish Apple released 10.6 or even 10.7 for the G5s.



I have put it to "Reduced" on both macs, and the fans are pretty quiet. :) Thanks.


What app do you use to see the speed of the fans? And I will download TenFourBox to see what it's like. :)



Sometimes I think of selling my dual and buying a Quad, but for some of the prices, I could get a 2006 Mac Pro... Not a bad thing, but I love my PowerMac G5. :p
Click to expand...
Quads run really expensive on eBay in the US... Don't know what the prices are where you live!
 
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alex.marton said:
What app do you use to see the speed of the fans?
Click to expand...
Based on the picture it looks like James is using iStat Menus.

You can use that or Menu Meters. iStat Menus is more customizble but many people here swear by Menu Meters so try both to decide what you prefer.
 
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eyoungren said:
Based on the picture it looks like James is using iStat Menus.

You can use that or Menu Meters. iStat Menus is more customizble but many people here swear by Menu Meters so try both to decide what you prefer.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I heard there was an app for G4s (only apparently) but never found a download link for one. I'll try the ones you suggested out. :)
 
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Altemose said:
How did you change the menu bar font?
Click to expand...
I had to completely replace LucidaGrande.dfont, meaning anything calling for Lucida Grande will be the new font.

------​
MacCubed said:
My Quad handles browsing really well, no lag no issues on TFF. I would think the other Late 05 models would too, but those extra 2 cores may make a difference
Click to expand...
Yes, a Quad would be nice. How much did you pay for yours, if you don't mind me asking?
 
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I got my quad G5 back in 2011 and paid $286 for it back then. Its been my main setup ever since, and will probably remain that way until it kicks the bucket or a cheap Mac Pro is obtained. Its fans are considerably more stable than the fans my dual 2.0 or dual 2.7 G5's. The actual browsing experience between the 2.7 and the quad doesn't feel that different to me unless its HD video playback.



I don't think there is much you can do to improve your internet experience on either system. You're already using the best browsers, so unless you're operating under 2GB of RAM in either system, its about as good as it'll ever be.
 
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Hrududu said:
I got my quad G5 back in 2011 and paid $286 for it back then. Its been my main setup ever since, and will probably remain that way until it kicks the bucket or a cheap Mac Pro is obtained. Its fans are considerably more stable than the fans my dual 2.0 or dual 2.7 G5's. The actual browsing experience between the 2.7 and the quad doesn't feel that different to me unless its HD video playback.



I don't think there is much you can do to improve your internet experience on either system. You're already using the best browsers, so unless you're operating under 2GB of RAM in either system, its about as good as it'll ever be.
Click to expand...

In my PMG5 I've got 4GB that I want to upgrade to 8GB and in the iMac I've got 1GB that I want to upgrade to 2GB. :)
 
DDR400 RAM has gotten cheap, so now is a great time to do it. 1GB in the iMac is pretty tight, but 4GB in the PowerMac is pretty good. I rarely get a Leopard machine to use more than 3GB of RAM.
 
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Hrududu said:
I got my quad G5 back in 2011 and paid $286 for it back then. Its been my main setup ever since, and will probably remain that way until it kicks the bucket or a cheap Mac Pro is obtained. Its fans are considerably more stable than the fans my dual 2.0 or dual 2.7 G5's. The actual browsing experience between the 2.7 and the quad doesn't feel that different to me unless its HD video playback.



I don't think there is much you can do to improve your internet experience on either system. You're already using the best browsers, so unless you're operating under 2GB of RAM in either system, its about as good as it'll ever be.
Click to expand...
I got my Quad this summer for $75 with free shipping! And its a prototype so its worth a bit more than the normal Quads!!!!!
 
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MacCubed said:
I got my Quad this summer for $75 with free shipping! And its a prototype so its worth a bit more than the normal Quads!!!!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great deal! What's the difference between a prototype and the final one? Do you know?
 
alex.marton said:
Sounds like a great deal! What's the difference between a prototype and the final one? Do you know?
Click to expand...
So far from mine, there are subtle differences, mine is a DVT stage prototype, so everything is all working, ready to be released. Since it was built in August of 05', I believe that the computer was used by software companies to perfect apps for the Quad core. So far, there have been a few bugs that I have noticed, like not waking from sleep properly, and no going to sleep properly. Most of these issues may be due to the PRAM being old, but who knows!!!!
 
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