Power Mac G5 longevity and usability questions

[beeffeter456]

After having previously purchased 2 of these aluminum monsters, I plan to keep them alive for as long as the hardware will allow me to (and hopefully push them to their limits). That leads to my questions:

• What should the standard procedure be to keeping these things operating optimally? I know repasting xyz is a good idea, but the only annoying part of all that is the northbridge. If it was easy to access, I would be a lot more inclined to repaste them on both systems. The processors aren't really an issue, repasting those are relative straightforward. I've also seen posts about this killing their system, is this anything to worry about?
• Is there any essential maintenance besides repasting that should be conducted to keep these things going? I'm guessing cleaning out the PSU and other essential components form dust would be a good start, but anything else?
• Are there any easy replacements for a quads cooling system? Hacking a 2.3 DC heatsink to work on both processors is the only option I know of besides completely rebuilding the LCS, something I know nothing about. Any modern air cooling solutions/hacks that can be done?
• Is there any essential software that should be acquired immediately for these macs? I have iStat Pro widget on both, which reads me the temps and fan/pump speeds (and the northbridge temp I think), but is there anything else? Any alternatives that are better or otherwise key software?
• Any hardware that is highly recommended?

I know about many of the upgrades that can be done to the system, such as video or expansion cards, etc. and I tried to avoid asking the same questions about them since they seem very well documented. I'm more asking about what is required to keep these silver monoliths running as smoothly as possible for as long as possible.

Thanks for the help.

 

[ahurst]

As I mentioned in another thread recently, don't put any unnecessary strain on the part where the bottom feet connect back to the case under the access door! My G5's previous owner moved houses without any reinforcement underneath and the metal just straight-up detached, leaving a sagging, lopsided case. I managed to reattach it with some pop rivets and JB Weld, but it's still a little distorted.

Also, if you want to be proactive about keeping the hardware healthy, you can burn yourself a copy of the G5's Apple Service Diagnostic disc (check the garden) and run the official full system/RAM/HDD check every now and then to catch issues before they become a problem.

 

[Alb_rn]

After having previously purchased 2 of these aluminum monsters, I plan to keep them alive for as long as the hardware will allow me to (and hopefully push them to their limits). That leads to my questions:

• What should the standard procedure be to keeping these things operating optimally? I know repasting xyz is a good idea, but the only annoying part of all that is the northbridge. If it was easy to access, I would be a lot more inclined to repaste them on both systems. The processors aren't really an issue, repasting those are relative straightforward. I've also seen posts about this killing their system, is this anything to worry about?
• Is there any essential maintenance besides repasting that should be conducted to keep these things going? I'm guessing cleaning out the PSU and other essential components form dust would be a good start, but anything else?
• Are there any easy replacements for a quads cooling system? Hacking a 2.3 DC heatsink to work on both processors is the only option I know of besides completely rebuilding the LCS, something I know nothing about. Any modern air cooling solutions/hacks that can be done?
• Is there any essential software that should be acquired immediately for these macs? I have iStat Pro widget on both, which reads me the temps and fan/pump speeds (and the northbridge temp I think), but is there anything else? Any alternatives that are better or otherwise key software?
• Any hardware that is highly recommended?

I know about many of the upgrades that can be done to the system, such as video or expansion cards, etc. and I tried to avoid asking the same questions about them since they seem very well documented. I'm more asking about what is required to keep these silver monoliths running as smoothly as possible for as long as possible.

Thanks for the help.

As far as I know g5 systems apart from the liquid cooling issues appear to be pretty reliable, also considering the capacitor issues of many computers of the era.

• Common practice with old machines is as always to clean any dust present (mine was caked after being left unused since 2012 by the owner in its garage) to avoid straining the aging components, repasting should also be done, especially if temps seem to be higher than normal.
• You shouldn't worry about killing systems if you use non-conductive thermal paste or particularly abrasive ones (old reliable arctic mx4 is the safest option probably), you're dealing with an open die after all that could easily be damaged if scratched in any way. Just be careful while you're tearing it down to not damage or short anything (antistatic bracelets and proper work conditions are highly recommended). If you have a liquid cooled one be sure to check the model and condition, any possible leaks or corrosion around the machines. The original liquid used is GM Dexcool (corrosive and conductive) so if you see anything damaged or wet DO NOT TURN ON the machine, clean the components and check damage on them, especially the psu. Maybe lubricate the fans? Do not really know if this is or anything else is really necessary.
• Regarding air cooling mods to the quad, this is the only thing I can remember, I don't think anything was ever done to these systems other than maintenance to the seals and the replacement of the liquid with non conductive liquid used in water loops today.
• Personally I don't really like iStat's ui too much, for basic checking of ram and cpu load (it can do more) I use MenuMeters. Software wise it should be enough, but additional useful programs can be found in the threads of each os via the SuperWikiPost. Remember that g5 computers are pretty much set in stone, unlike g4 systems that can be overclocked with a bit of effort. Fan speeds iirc should also be controlled exclusively by the computer itself (only mod doable by the user is the power setting in the preference pane).
• I haven't really bought anything special for mine, only exception being a different keyboard (the dell one I used before used to like to eject the dvd drive at every boot). Nice mods are usually ram expansions, ssds or newer hdds (check compatibility before on the various threads in the forum, the sata 1 bus is incredibly picky) that improve user experience with little expense. Bluetooth/wifi cards are also nice (older models used powerbook wifi cards and external antennas, newer ones a rarer card with a riser that is often not worth it for the price), if you can't get them be sure to try usb dongles for wifi and bluetooth, but remember that compatiblity with osx is often reduced and relegated to older standards.

 

[mustagcoupe]

The G5s were sort of known for problems with cracked solder around the ram slots and u3 memory controller chip made worse by heat. You should replace the thermal paste on the U3 chip on the back side of the logic board especially if you have one of the faster models. To do this you have to remove the logic board so you might as well do the processors as well. Its a very annoying process as you have to take the entire computer apart. Try not to flex the board to much when doing that. If you really really dont want to pull the board to do that install a temp monitoring program and make sure the u3 chip doesnt get crazy hot and stop using it if it does. When you put the memory in you should put the capacity you need in and leave it alone so you dont risk cracking the solder on the memory slots. Make a note of which processor goes in which spot or you will have to redo the thermal calibration. I recommend doing a thermal calibration if you replace the thermal paste anyway, it should help keep it quieter. Definitely clean the power supply out, Remove the screws holding the top cover of the power supply and blow all of the dust out and check for bulged capacitors, just dont touch any of the electronics if you dont know what your doing, you can get hurt even if its unplugged. If either one of them has the Geforce fx5200 in it you might as well go ahead and replace it with something that isnt an abortion, It makes osx feel much more fluid. G5s are picky about newer model hard drives and ssd's, the backwards compatability stuff doesnt always work and it just wont work with some. Those cheap pny and sandisk ssd's you can get on bestbuys website have always worked well for me, its like 30 dollars for a 250gb ssd last time i checked and is a very worthwhile upgrade.