beachycove
Well-known member
There are a handful of us who like the G5, and want to keep the machines running. The rest of you can ignore this post!
The following link could be of use to someone trying to quieten a Quad G5, and to prolong its life: http://www.saunalahti.fi/~holindho/g5-quad-v1-lcs-repair.html . Notice the graphs at the foot of the page, as 10ºC lower CPU temperatures at idle and 40ºC lower under load would make all the difference in dealing with fan noise. There are some further links re. cooling systems in the G5 at the bottom.
I have serviced three air cooled units (essentially just thermal grease renewal and cleaning out dust, followed by recalibration) with excellent results, and these are very easily done (contrary to what some people think), but the liquid cooled systems especially make people shudder. The writeup takes much of the complexity out of the whole question.
I believe that there were two LCS systems in the Quad G5, so be aware of that — your LCS may differ. All the same, the author has documented not only the basic plumbing and mechanicals, but crucially, the presence of sediments in the radiator fluid used after several years, leading to clogged filters. There will be a related need to clean out the radiator and clean or renew the hoses.
As in your car's cooling system, the lifespan of radiator fluids is limited, and when sedimentation occurs, the works are bound to get gummed up. The key thing in the LCS is to keep it running optimally, as the temperature thresholds are really rather slender, so this is good to know about.
My "new" Quad G5 is still working well, but it could still afford to run at slightly lower temps, so methinks I'm going to service it sometime over the coming months.
The following link could be of use to someone trying to quieten a Quad G5, and to prolong its life: http://www.saunalahti.fi/~holindho/g5-quad-v1-lcs-repair.html . Notice the graphs at the foot of the page, as 10ºC lower CPU temperatures at idle and 40ºC lower under load would make all the difference in dealing with fan noise. There are some further links re. cooling systems in the G5 at the bottom.
I have serviced three air cooled units (essentially just thermal grease renewal and cleaning out dust, followed by recalibration) with excellent results, and these are very easily done (contrary to what some people think), but the liquid cooled systems especially make people shudder. The writeup takes much of the complexity out of the whole question.
I believe that there were two LCS systems in the Quad G5, so be aware of that — your LCS may differ. All the same, the author has documented not only the basic plumbing and mechanicals, but crucially, the presence of sediments in the radiator fluid used after several years, leading to clogged filters. There will be a related need to clean out the radiator and clean or renew the hoses.
As in your car's cooling system, the lifespan of radiator fluids is limited, and when sedimentation occurs, the works are bound to get gummed up. The key thing in the LCS is to keep it running optimally, as the temperature thresholds are really rather slender, so this is good to know about.
My "new" Quad G5 is still working well, but it could still afford to run at slightly lower temps, so methinks I'm going to service it sometime over the coming months.