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Up to Discussions in Mac 911
14 Replies Last post: May 11, 2005 7:13 PM by Nobody  
Click to view jjwalkers's profile New Member
jjwalkers
8 posts since
Feb 20, 2005
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May 5, 2005 4:46 PM

Dead IMAC G5

Well I don't know if anyone out there besides me is having trouble with an IMac G5 but I am. Since I bought the Mac in Jan05, it has gone down twice. Once in Feb which turned out to be the power supply and now. The computer won't boot up most of the time. The screen stays black and after a minute or two the fan starts running faster. When I do get it to show a blue screen, it can't find my hard drive. Apple sent me a new drive, but that didn't help. Now apple is senting someone to my house with a lot of parts to try and fix this thing. Just info in case someone else is having trouble. I do like tiger for the day I got to look at it before it went down.

John
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Click to view dougster's profile Old Hand
dougster
4,213 posts since
Feb 25, 2001
1. May 6, 2005 9:20 AM in response to: jjwalkers
Re: Dead IMAC G5
-John,

Sorry to hear you are having snags with your iMac. The fan was an issue from the get-GO, but only on some. Our iMac G5 runs 24/7, and (knock on head) NO problems at all which runs very quiet even when burning. Some folks I know also have the G5 iMac with NO snags, so its a hit and miss like other Macs out there, but they are limited from what I've read. Thats great you have a dude coming to repair it 'in house'. While he's there try to think of a few routines you can run the iMac through, ie. burning, log-in---log-out, Shut Down, Restart, run it hard for him before he's gone. Good luck..

-doug
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Click to view jjwalkers's profile New Member
jjwalkers
8 posts since
Feb 20, 2005
2. May 6, 2005 7:58 PM in response to: dougster
Re: Dead IMAC G5
Thanks for the reply. The repair guy will be here Monday with a Mid Plane. From what I read on Apples web site there has been a lot of trouble with the mid planes going out. You would think they would notice that and have a recall.
I hope I get it fixed and don't have any other problems. I am writing this on my Dell which I have had for years with no problems.

John
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Click to view dougster's profile Old Hand
dougster
4,213 posts since
Feb 25, 2001
3. May 7, 2005 12:37 PM in response to: jjwalkers
Re: Dead IMAC G5
In reply to:<hr />
You would think they would notice that and have a recall.

<hr />


But only the Macs with problems seem to show up on the Internet, and we hear nothing about the 1,000's out there with NO problems at all. If it were a higher % maybe there would be notices sent out to the owners of that particular model Mac. Let us know how it goes..

-doug
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Click to view Nobody's profile New Member
Nobody
58,347 posts since
Oct 18, 2007
4. May 7, 2005 4:54 PM in response to: dougster
Re: Dead IMAC G5
doug

I'm one of the thousands who had not a single snag with a G5 iMac from the get-go. This one is a refurb at that. I don't even think the snag I have with the RAM from a memory vendor is a real problem. The Apple RAM would not absolutely run with the memory vendor RAM. I get the Kernel Panic every time. I'm impressed or quite the opposite--very puzzled. The vendor said it is compatible and had replaced the first RAM. Reseat the RAM module. The disk checks out the vendor RAM OK many times. Zapped the PRAM. Chatted with Apple Support without resolve. Absolutely nothing would match the 512MB Apple RAM with the 1GB vendor RAM, both PC 3200 DDR SDRAM. I'm starting to doubt mismatch amount of RAM cannot be installed in the G5 iMac. The other thing I'm thinking about is each RAM have different CL(latency).
The reason I say it is actually not a snag because the vendor RAM is perfectly fine installed by itself on either RAM sockets. The Apple RAM is fine as well. Mystified? I need a clue here too.
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Click to view jjwalkers's profile New Member
jjwalkers
8 posts since
Feb 20, 2005
5. May 8, 2005 5:13 AM in response to: dougster
Re: Dead IMAC G5
Doug
You are right, only things broken get listed. I guess I just got one of the bad ones. Other then this problem, I like the IMac and the Mac operating system. I still have two PC's. When they go, if I can talk my wife into it, they will be replaced with a Mac. Right now she don't even want to try using it.

John
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Click to view dougster's profile Old Hand
dougster
4,213 posts since
Feb 25, 2001
6. May 8, 2005 9:29 AM in response to: Nobody
Re: Dead IMAC G5
Hi -teckman,

I saw this Apple site 'here' before purchasing our iMac, and had the same size put in before receiving it. When I posted this site a member said it really wasn't necessary. Since then many folks with G5 iMacs have mismatched memory and have gotten lucky, but I still think, like you said, a CL 'latency' issue'.

-doug
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Click to view dougster's profile Old Hand
dougster
4,213 posts since
Feb 25, 2001
7. May 8, 2005 9:34 AM in response to: jjwalkers
Re: Dead IMAC G5
-John,

It very well could be a lemmon, and that is a Summer bummer. Not just the iMac G5s though. A girl in our MUG got a G5 desktop (lemmon) finally got it replaced and she has bragging rights again

-doug
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Click to view Nobody's profile New Member
Nobody
58,347 posts since
Oct 18, 2007
8. May 8, 2005 3:38 PM in response to: dougster
Re: Dead IMAC G5
There you go, doug. That's the absolutely truth banging around in my head. The second paragraph in the page from the Apple site :
In reply to:<hr />
"Composition" of your RAM
Composition refers to size, speed and devices on the chips you're using. If you want a 128-bit data path, you need to match composition of the two DIMMs you use. For example, if you have a 256 MB DIMM with latency of PC3200 - 30330 and 8 devices, you'll want to install an additional 256 MB DIMM with the same characteristics.

<hr />


It is the latency difference in the Apple RAM and the vendor RAM. I going to assume the Apple RAM is the better of the two which means it has less latency and cost a bit more and faster as matter of fact. The vendor never mention the issue on latency. Now I have a proof of a link on why there is a Kernel Panic with mismatch latency.

The thing is Apple RAM is a pC3200U-30440, while the vendor RAM is a PC3200U-30330 and there you could see the latency difference. That is all I need now and I get things straight with the vendor when the say there is nothing wrong when there is something is when mismatching CL "latency".

THanks for the link, doug.

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dougster
4,213 posts since
Feb 25, 2001
9. May 9, 2005 9:23 AM in response to: Nobody
Re: Dead IMAC G5
You are welcome -teckman,
And glad it was helpful. I did indeed yank out the 256MB RAM (default) and had 2x 512MB chips installed. Yeah, waste of 256MB, but NOW the new iMacs come with 512MB stock under the hood. Wouldn't ya just know it

-doug
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Click to view Nobody's profile New Member
Nobody
58,347 posts since
Oct 18, 2007
10. May 9, 2005 6:08 PM in response to: dougster
Re: Dead IMAC G5
For what these are worth: I have a 32MB, 64MB, 128MB for my old iMac G3 and now a 512MB PC3200U-30330 Apple RAM for iMac G5. I might ebay the 512MB Apple RAM for $50. I just need to poke around ebay to see how to sell stuff. The RAM still seems worth selling. It might be in ebay this weekend and if I could use teckman for a username they'd see a 512MB being sold by me. This RAM doesn't match the vendor RAM and have no use for it while the 1GB vendor RAM is fine in the iMac G5.
Sorry for the typo on my previous post. The RAM model numbers are switch around. I got it right on this post.
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Click to view dougster's profile Old Hand
dougster
4,213 posts since
Feb 25, 2001
11. May 9, 2005 7:42 PM in response to: Nobody
Re: Dead IMAC G5
I had a clue as to the RAM you mentioned with the order. Here is the added RAM installed in the G5 iMac. And its funny the older Macs aren't as picky as to the RAM installed. I didn't pay that price with the educational discount, but it does run nicely. Maybe try a MUG (Mac user group) to unload your RAM if one is local to save the hassle. Just a thought. I've had good luck using eBay, but haven't checked out Mac EQ for some time. Good luck..

-doug
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Click to view Nobody's profile New Member
Nobody
58,347 posts since
Oct 18, 2007
12. May 10, 2005 5:35 PM in response to: dougster
Re: Dead IMAC G5
Hey doug, the link timed out. I check out Apple Store memory and a module is selling for $125 big buckroos. I might up the price to $75. I feel greedy !!!! That is just over half the price and it is practically unused. The RAM is most used trying diagnostic in my iMac. That is what the hell happen when I added IGB vendor RAM.
I might end the bids at $75. I feel OK with that price.
Anyway, doug, I think John forgot about his post. Hey, he loses posts like I always lost a whole bundle. I don't think that macworld forum email of posts works. i got that check and I didn't get any emails or is that for post starters?
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Click to view dougster's profile Old Hand
dougster
4,213 posts since
Feb 25, 2001
13. May 11, 2005 9:53 AM in response to: Nobody
Re: Dead IMAC G5
-teckman,

I hope -John remembers to come back after his iMac is worked on and posts the repair status. Not sure if the forum email works or not. I disabled it along with Apple's Discussion boards due to waaay too many emails many moons ago Heck, I'd shoot for $75, but there are other chips, like your's, that you can 'Buy-Now' for $50...so that might me high. Funny, I offered the the RAM to a friend at the local Apple Store and he said NO...couldn't use it. Ended up giving it to a good 'poor' surf dude..so he owes me. Good luck on selling the 256MB RAM.

-doug
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Click to view Nobody's profile New Member
Nobody
58,347 posts since
Oct 18, 2007
14. May 11, 2005 7:13 PM in response to: dougster
Re: Dead IMAC G5
doug
it would great if john posted the solution. Although mine hasn't hiccuped since FedEx drop it off you'd never know when things break.
I'm being generous of the 512MB since I bought the G5 iMac spec'd as 256MB RAM from Apple Refurb site , a freebie from the excellent refurb guys at Apple, and the RAM spent quite some time under the micro scope restarting and reseating every which (right) way. The 512MB Apple RAM runs absolutely perfect by itself; but the 1GB vendor seems alot more and runs fine. More RAM does matter. Dual match RAM is even much better. I tend to believed the Apple link you posted, doug.
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