I really don’t get the hate for the G5 within this group. All our old machines have limitations, geez!
Looking at the pics, these particular machines were all reliable models, they all run quietly, they look good, they can all run Classic, they can take large RAM complements, they can take sata drives, and in this instance, they are apparently going for free. The graphics cards are all pretty crappy, but there is a fix for that if you really need it fixed….
Everyone wants the fastest examples, of course, which generally means something liquid-cooled. Steer away from the liquid-cooled experiments, is my advice — unless you are a real zealot — as they are a true pita, especially at this stage of the game. The mid-range air-cooled machines have distinct advantages, in that they tend to be far less troublesome. With an air-cooled model like one of the dual 2.0s pictured, mind, a little routine maintenance goes a long way. Be sure in particular to install some new heatsink grease, and you’ll find that you’ve got a stable, powerful vintage machine (now ~20 years old, remember, which is roughly what the original Macintosh was when the G5s were introduced).
My favourite, I think, is the dual 2.3, from the penultimate iteration of the G5 towers. Even at 100% load, over protracted periods, my example is more or less silent. It’s also got a decent graphics card, so it can be used for period gaming. I have a quad G5 too, and a far better graphics card in it, but you’ve got to be dedicated to the care and feeding of the beast where those things are concerned. It’s also far from being silent under any significant load.
