G5 Fan speed

Hi I'm new to Mac's and I just bought a used power mac g5
My question is the fans are running really loud and they don't power down at all, I have reset the pram etc...and have done everything to do that I could find to fix this issue but with no luck. I am really interested in getting into using a Mac, and I am slowly learning...but this fan sounds like I have a jet on my desk...lol....I am not a newby to computers just newby to the Mac, so any info you could give me wont be hard for me to understand. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I did try doing a search on this topic in the forums but I couldn't find anything, maybe I just wasn't typing the right search criteria so I am sorry if this has already been answered.
Model Name: Power Mac G5
Model Identifier: PowerMac7,2
Processor Name: PowerPC 970 (2.2)
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of CPUs: 2
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 1 GHz
Boot ROM Version: 5.1.4f0
Serial Number (system): XB33929HNVB
Hardware UUID: 00000000-0000-1000-8000-000A95C44E4A
Thank you

iownahemi said:

Hi I'm new to Mac's and I just bought a used power mac g5
My question is the fans are running really loud and they don't power down at all, I have reset the pram etc...and have done everything to do that I could find to fix this issue but with no luck. I am really interested in getting into using a Mac, and I am slowly learning...but this fan sounds like I have a jet on my desk...lol....I am not a newby to computers just newby to the Mac, so any info you could give me wont be hard for me to understand.

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Hello...and welcome to Mac-Forums!

The Powermac G5 computers generate a lot of heat...they have a lots of fans...and the fans are well-known to be loud. The temperature of the room it is in...and where it is located (in a confined space or open space)...can effect how much cooling air it gets as well (and ability to expel the hot air from inside the box).

Since you just purchased this computer...and since it's at least 8 years old...one thing I would suggest is opening it up...and checking for any build-up of dirt/fuzz (and removing it if there).

DEFINITELY check the fan blades themselves...as well as the cooling fins of the heatsinks.

Otherwise...if the computer is clean & operating normally...then the fan noise is probably normal.

- Nick

G5

Thanks Nick for your quick response.
The inside of this Mac is spotless like new, and it's sitting on top of the desk. but everywhere I have googled says this is not normal so I'm a little baffled, other users are fixing it with resetting the pram etc... but it's not working for me. but thank you for answering I'll just keep plugging.

iownahemi said:

The inside of this Mac is spotless like new, and it's sitting on top of the desk.

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On top of your desk is probably a good place for ventilation. But being on top of your desk also probably makes the fan noise seem that much louder...since it may not be very far from your head/ears.

iownahemi said:

but everywhere I have googled says this is not normal so I'm a little baffled...

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You gotta be careful with what you find when Googling. You can always find folks complying about problems...but rarely will folks post positive experiences.

Since I am not in front of your computer...to see & hear it...I cannot say 100% what you are experiencing is normal or not. All I can say is...if the computer is clean inside, all fans are operational, and the computer is operating normally...then I would say things are normal.

As I mentioned...the dual-cpu Powermac G5's are well known to generate a lot of heat...I think that they have something like 9 cooling fans inside (which can operate at different speeds). And if the room the computer is is warm...that doesn't help. Thus a Powermac G5 in a non-airconditioned room in the Summer will run a lot louder (fans)...than the same Powermac G5 in a cooler room during the Winter.

As far as the cleanliness of the computer...make sure you look thru the vents/grill at the fan exits on the back of the computer. This is a hard place to access to clean...and it is the end of the cooling process...so lint/fuzz can definitely buildup there.

Even though the computer looks clean inside...I would suggest spraying some compressed/canned air in there...just to be 100% sure. Sometimes dirt/fuzz/lint can be trapped in places not easily seen by the eye.

Again. If the computer is clean inside, all fans are operational, and the computer is operating normally...then I would say things are normal.

- Nick

In addition to Nick's suggestions, tell us a little about what you have running on it (OS version and software that is usually running).

If you could download something like iStat Pro and set it so you can read the fan speeds and temperatures and report those back to us, that would probably help us judge if what you're hearing is normal or not.

I have to say that it was probably unwise to pick an eight-plus year old Mac to be your introduction to the platform. Apart from the exterior appearance, it bears no resemblance at all to anything made this decade, and can't run any modern software. Unless you have some specific, older-software purpose you want to run on it, I can't recommend it as being anything like modern Macs (even if it was working perfectly). That's a machine for people "trapped" on older software only these days.

G5

Yes I did run a can of air through it and pulled some fans out to get at it better, and I had it on the floor before and it wasn't much quieter down there. I will try the i Stat pro and see what it gives me for read outs.
As far as buying an 8 year old Mac for my first time, well it only cost me $50.00 so I figured what the hey I wont be out much if it doesn't work out, about the only thing I'm going to do with it is video editing and music. I guess I can always wear head phones!!
Thanks again guys for the help.

Your model PowerMac G5 was released in June 2003 so they are getting long in the tooth as chas m points out. Hwre are some tips including disconnecting all USB devices other than keyboard and mouse and signs of a failed CPU. Any chance you got nthe original discs which came with the machine to run Apple Hardware Test?

http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/powermacg5/topic2215.html

iownahemi said:

Yes I did run a can of air through it and pulled some fans out to get at it better...

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Sounds like you did a pretty good job of blowing the dirt/fuzz out.

iownahemi said:

As far as buying an 8 year old Mac for my first time, well it only cost me $50.00 so I figured what the hey I wont be out much if it doesn't work out...

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That's a very good price...assuming nothing is wrong with it. And to be honest...you could probably very easily sell it for more than $50 just for parts.

When you purchased this computer...was it supposed to be 100% operational?

Also...what is the temp. of the room the computer is in?

- Nick

Thermal calibration

Hi again
I just ran the asd 2.5.8 diagnostic disk on my Mac G5 leopard and both cpu's passed but my question is... is that the only thing it test when you do the thermal calibration, because the calibrate unit button is still grayed out...does it calibrate the fans and other stuff as well?
My fans are running full speed, and according to other Mac G5 owners its not suppose to do this, and they say running the thermal might help it, but I don't dare stop it because I'm not sure if that's all it test.
Thanks for any help
Kim

UPDATE: I just ran the thermal calibration and a complete test and now the thing is silent....yahoo no more jet engines!!!

Fixed it

harryb2448 said:

Your model PowerMac G5 was released in June 2003 so they are getting long in the tooth as chas m points out. Hwre are some tips including disconnecting all USB devices other than keyboard and mouse and signs of a failed CPU. Any chance you got nthe original discs which came with the machine to run Apple Hardware Test?

Power Mac G5: Fans At Full Speed

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I ran the thermal calibration and all the other test and now it's silent...no more jet engines...
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions