G5 Running Slow :S

Joined
Oct 30, 2010
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Leeds, UK
Your Mac's Specs
G5 PowerPC 2.3GHz Dual Core 10GB RAM 250GB HD OS X 10.5.8
Hi guys

So recently my late 2005 G5 has been running slow! i mean even everyday tasks like internet and loading finder i see the god awful rainbow wheel

I understand its not intel but surely it shouldnt be this slow??

Specs:
OS X 10.5.8
Dual 2.3GHz
10GB Ram
Software wise i don't have any large programs its just a clean install with spotify transmission firefox and iLife

Any help appreciated!
 
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
3,612
Reaction score
95
Points
48
Location
Amberley, Canterbury, New Zealand
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini 14.3, 8.1 & 4.1, OS 13.5, 10.14, & 10.11 & 10.6; Macbook Pro 8.2, OS 10.12.
Boot from the Install disk (hold the C key on startup). Open Disk Utility > First Aid > Verify Disk. If faults are found, do necessary repairs as much as possible.

If no hardware faults are found, you can then try Repair Permissions from Disk Utility, but OnyX Titanium's Software • Download does a better job.
 
OP
C
Joined
Oct 30, 2010
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Leeds, UK
Your Mac's Specs
G5 PowerPC 2.3GHz Dual Core 10GB RAM 250GB HD OS X 10.5.8
Everything is fine, i don't know what this could be?

Anyone?
 
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
3,612
Reaction score
95
Points
48
Location
Amberley, Canterbury, New Zealand
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini 14.3, 8.1 & 4.1, OS 13.5, 10.14, & 10.11 & 10.6; Macbook Pro 8.2, OS 10.12.
The slowing down may - and I hope I'm wrong - be the logic board failing. Disk Utilities may not be able to detect that.

With one or two of the "slow" applications running, open Activity Monitor from Utilities and observe where all the processing power is going. Report back.

An example: using Camino, which is a lightweight browser, my eMac slows down terribly on a website called issuu, which hosts images and flash animation. When loading pages from that site, processor usage climbs to the 90+% level, and everything else slows to a crawl. Eventually the browser gives up and force-quit is required.
 
OP
C
Joined
Oct 30, 2010
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Leeds, UK
Your Mac's Specs
G5 PowerPC 2.3GHz Dual Core 10GB RAM 250GB HD OS X 10.5.8
Okay so with Finder Safari and iTunes open it seems to still have 95% idle, on youtube streaming it dips the lowest to 70% idle with iTunes taking up 5%

If it is logic board failure it may be time to say goodbye!!

Could it be bad RAM??
 
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
3,612
Reaction score
95
Points
48
Location
Amberley, Canterbury, New Zealand
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini 14.3, 8.1 & 4.1, OS 13.5, 10.14, & 10.11 & 10.6; Macbook Pro 8.2, OS 10.12.
OP
C
Joined
Oct 30, 2010
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Leeds, UK
Your Mac's Specs
G5 PowerPC 2.3GHz Dual Core 10GB RAM 250GB HD OS X 10.5.8
So you think its possibly starting to fail as a pose to software issues?

Thanks for all your help!
 
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
3,612
Reaction score
95
Points
48
Location
Amberley, Canterbury, New Zealand
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini 14.3, 8.1 & 4.1, OS 13.5, 10.14, & 10.11 & 10.6; Macbook Pro 8.2, OS 10.12.
What you've described in your initial post suggests hardware issues. If Permissions have been repaired, and the slowing down is still noticeable, then the three most likely suspects are hardware items, from least to worst: RAM, hard drive, logic board.

In your situation I would have the G5 analysed by your nearest Mac shop. If necessary, invest in another SATA hard drive and transfer as much of your valued material to it a.s.a.p.

If another HD is required, you needn't buy an external enclosure meantime, but an adaptor kit, like this Amazon.com: Sabrent USB-DSC5 Serial ATA or IDE 2.5-/3.5-Inch to USB 2.0 Cable Converter Adapter with Power Supply: Electronics (or UK equivalent); or this Newer Technology Universal Drive Adapter -... (U2NV2SPATA) at OWC (from the US).

Alternatively, if the amount of software on the G5 is not great, consider burning it to dvds for transfer to a new HD later. Not an ideal way, because there are always issues with libraries etc. You're better to clone the present drive contents, while they're still accessible, to another drive. SuperDuper or CarbonCopyCloner will do the job.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2010
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I dont think it is a hardware issue. I think it is either a) Apple playing games or b) a poor build of Safari 5.0.3.

I have a similar PM G5 and had no issues with slow websites/spinning pizza of death until 5.0.3 came out. Everything runs the same as it used too except internet applications (Safari, and iTunes Store... Mail seems unaffected).

So either Apple is trying to get me to buy a new mac since mine is 5+ years old (but does everything I need it too... sucks for them, they built such a good box). Or they messes up this build... suppose it could be the new JAVA drop too, but I suspect software.
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
Messages
1,428
Reaction score
39
Points
48
Your Mac's Specs
Black MacBook 2.2GHz C2D, 4GB Ram - iMac G4 700MHz, 512MB Ram
Hmm, How full is your Hard Drive? Mac OS X uses a lot of virtual memory, along with real memory (10 GB is still A LOT) if your Hard Drive is over 90% full, it could explain this slow down. You mentioned software but I just don't see it, it would take a lot to bring that Machine to a crawl, I don't even have a full gig and I very rarely ever have the rainbow wheel.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
Could also just be the hard drive starting to fail -- I'm quite surprised not to have seen this possibility mentioned up till now. Much more likely than the logic board.
 
OP
C
Joined
Oct 30, 2010
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Leeds, UK
Your Mac's Specs
G5 PowerPC 2.3GHz Dual Core 10GB RAM 250GB HD OS X 10.5.8
Hmm, How full is your Hard Drive? Mac OS X uses a lot of virtual memory, along with real memory (10 GB is still A LOT) if your Hard Drive is over 90% full, it could explain this slow down. You mentioned software but I just don't see it, it would take a lot to bring that Machine to a crawl, I don't even have a full gig and I very rarely ever have the rainbow wheel.

203GB available :S
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top