Power Mac G5
The RISC-based powerhouse
Introduced in 2003 as the successor to the widely successful Power Mac G4, the G5 was the first Apple computer to break the 2GHz barrier and bring a 1GHz system bus to the table. First available in 1.6, 1.8, Dual 1.8 and Dual 2.0GHz models, the G5s were the first 64-bit native Macs on the market. With some models being able to hold up to 16GB of RAM, these are hailed as the most powerful PowerPC machine Apple ever made. The earliest machines shipped with Mac OS X v10.2.7 "Jaguar" and are considered the best Leopard machines. All models contained 3 PCI slots (most 2005 models have PCI-X slots) and the early 2005 and prior machines use an AGP slot for graphics. The late 2005 model was the only G5 to use PCI-X for its graphics card.
All this power came at cost, both literally and figuratively. The original 1.6GHz model cost $2,399 new with prices going as high as $3,299 in late 2005 for the Dual Processor - Dual Core ("Quad-Core") 2.5GHz G5.
The G5's, while machines of amazing power, also had faults. Early machines have reported issues of the memory controller becoming disconnected from its BGA (Ball Grid Array) socket on the backside logic board. Many have reported success of baking the board in an oven allowing the solder to reflow and reconnect, however there is a chance of ruining the board in different ways if done improperly. People have also reported power supply problems with all models, ranging from buzzing, to fan issues, to just down-right dead power supplies.
The most common problem comes into play with the 2004 and 2005 G5s which used a Liquid Cooling System to cool the very hot processors. The rubber O-rings that seals the actual heat sink to the LCS is the real fault. Due to these bad o-rings, the cooling liquid in the system itself can leak out and corrode the inside of the machine, in some cases killing the logic board and processors. The early revisions are typically the worst, although the final revision found in the late 2005 G5s is still susceptible to leaking issues. The affected models include: Mid 2004 2.5GHz, Early 2005 2.7GHz, and Late 2005 Quad-Core 2.5GHz.
In August 2006, Apple released the Mac Pro based on the Intel Xeon processors, which is the Intel replacement for the Power Mac G5. Externally, the machines are almost identical minus a few aspects. Even though the machine was discontinued in August, Apple kept selling the Power Mac G5 alongside the Mac Pro until September when it official ceased sales.
The G5's, while machines of amazing power, also had faults. Early machines have reported issues of the memory controller becoming disconnected from its BGA (Ball Grid Array) socket on the backside logic board. Many have reported success of baking the board in an oven allowing the solder to reflow and reconnect, however there is a chance of ruining the board in different ways if done improperly. People have also reported power supply problems with all models, ranging from buzzing, to fan issues, to just down-right dead power supplies.
The most common problem comes into play with the 2004 and 2005 G5s which used a Liquid Cooling System to cool the very hot processors. The rubber O-rings that seals the actual heat sink to the LCS is the real fault. Due to these bad o-rings, the cooling liquid in the system itself can leak out and corrode the inside of the machine, in some cases killing the logic board and processors. The early revisions are typically the worst, although the final revision found in the late 2005 G5s is still susceptible to leaking issues. The affected models include: Mid 2004 2.5GHz, Early 2005 2.7GHz, and Late 2005 Quad-Core 2.5GHz.
In August 2006, Apple released the Mac Pro based on the Intel Xeon processors, which is the Intel replacement for the Power Mac G5. Externally, the machines are almost identical minus a few aspects. Even though the machine was discontinued in August, Apple kept selling the Power Mac G5 alongside the Mac Pro until September when it official ceased sales.
