General question about powermac G4 CPU temp

pokeman89 · Oct 7, 2009

I have a Power Mac G4 with an 867MHz Dual Processor, and I was wondering what normal operating temperature would be. I have an app loaded that tells me the temp of the HD and CPU, it lists the HD as 104F and the CPU as 130F playing music on iTunes and browsing the web (About 50% CPU utilization). Would that be about normal in a room with a temp of about 80F? I'm wonderign because I notice that sometimes the fans slow down, and that was a problem with my PC that was caused by a bad fan motor, and it eventually led to a fried CPU.

Basically what I am asking is what is the safe temperature range before the CPU could become damaged? I know these temps are not dangerous, probably even a bit cooler, but when should I become worried? 150F? 175F?

harryb2448 · Oct 7, 2009

First up MDD are magnificent dust catchers and reduced air flow makes them run hot. Open her up and give a real good clean out, paying particular attention to the front air inlet which is behind the front lower leg. These can become nearly blocked up. Also clean fan blades with a small paint brush or similar.

If still records that high temperature after cleaning, consider whacking in a PCI fan unit which are quite cheap, and you can also mount a fan unit on the hard drive and connecting it up to a spare molex plug. There are many sellers who list these items on eBay.

Chris H. · Oct 7, 2009

I have a SMART HDD sitting in the bottom of a Sawtooth G4. In a warm room (particularly during the summer) it peaks nearly 114, and during the cooler months it hits about 104 to 108, depending on the tasks I do on it. On a busy warm day, I've seen it as high as 120, forcing me to plug in a small RadioShack fan to pump the hot air coming out of the power supply fan vent upwards, and maybe even turn on the ceiling fan.

pokeman89 · Oct 9, 2009

harryb2448 said:
First up MDD are magnificent dust catchers and reduced air flow makes them run hot. Open her up and give a real good clean out, paying particular attention to the front air inlet which is behind the front lower leg. These can become nearly blocked up. Also clean fan blades with a small paint brush or similar.

If still records that high temperature after cleaning, consider whacking in a PCI fan unit which are quite cheap, and you can also mount a fan unit on the hard drive and connecting it up to a spare molex plug. There are many sellers who list these items on eBay.

So 130 Fahrenheit is a high temp? I didn't think it was. 130F is about 54C. There currently almost no dust, just a very thin layer on a few hard to reach areas of the case. Fans are almost completely dust-free, nothing that would hinder performance in any way. There are about 5 fans inside this unit, one large one for the CPU, three for the power supply, and one for the superdrive.

harryb2448 · Oct 9, 2009

Did not like to see my G4 run as hot as 54 C. Download CHUD Tools version 4 and see if that helps.

MDD owner Feedback on CHUD Tools Nap mode for cooler CPUs

pokeman89 · Oct 9, 2009

harryb2448 said:
Did not like to see my G4 run as hot as 54 C. Download CHUD Tools version 4 and see if that helps.

MDD owner Feedback on CHUD Tools Nap mode for cooler CPUs

What will this app do? Does it monitor the system temp or actually control it? What is the optimal temp if I am going to use the mac multitasking for several hours on end?

ntvinh986 · Oct 12, 2009

pokeman89 said:
I have a Power Mac G4 with an 867MHz Dual Processor, and I was wondering what normal operating temperature would be. I have an app loaded that tells me the temp of the HD and CPU, it lists the HD as 104F and the CPU as 130F playing music on iTunes and browsing the web (About 50% CPU utilization). Would that be about normal in a room with a temp of about 80F? I'm wonderign because I notice that sometimes the fans slow down, and that was a problem with my PC that was caused by a bad fan motor, and it eventually led to a fried CPU.

Basically what I am asking is what is the safe temperature range before the CPU could become damaged? I know these temps are not dangerous, probably even a bit cooler, but when should I become worried? 150F? 175F?

Hi all!
I've just visited this forum. Happy to get acquainted with you. Thanks.

harryb2448 · Oct 12, 2009

Download a utility called Temperature Monitor and this will display temperatures in Menu Var. Download Apple CHUD Tools version 3.5.2 and install. This shows up in the System Preferences Panes.

Boot up and get to operating temperature. Go into the preferences pane and enable. Watch and see if the temperature of your machine starts to cool.