Is it true that iMac G5 have an over heating problem?

Question

Level 1

62 points

Is it true that iMac G5 have an over heating problem?

Greetings.

I currently own an eMac G4, and have just ordered my first iMac. (!7 inch, 2GHZ G5 with superdrive). I was extremely excited about it, but while browsing the Internet, I found to my dismay that a large portion of the computers are failing due to over-heating issues. from what I can gather, some people are suspecting that this is due to a design flaw. (the G5 may be too hot to cram into an iMac.) I have read several horror stories with peoples computers nearly burning their house down as they go up in smoke, boiling hard-drives, exploding capacitors, melting power-suplles, oh my! i am now very concerned may cancel my order, but then again, maybe not.

that's why i came here, to see if my worried are unfounded or not.

any replies will be most appreciated.

regards.

jf

Posted on Sep 26, 2005 7:20 PM

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Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

85,302 points

Sep 26, 2005 7:26 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

Welcome to Apple Discussions!

I've read about the same problem, and just have to say, not all of them have the problem. Remember, you are mainly going to hear about those who have the problem, since those that have none rarely ever report in. So don't let the plethora of reports dissuade from thinking this is not a great machine. It is a great machine. All machines have potential problems, even the early eMacs I saw reports of power supply failures. So just because there are many reports of a problem, don't let it make you think it is an overall problem.

Good luck, and enjoy your new iMac!

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Answer 2

Sep 26, 2005 7:30 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

Yes, you should be very concerned.
When your new iMac arrives, box it up and ship it to me. I will test it for you. Shouldn't take me more than 3 or 4 years :o)

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Answer 3

Sep 26, 2005 7:33 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

I got my daughter a iMac G5 17" about four months ago. She and her friends flog that poor system mercilessly with browsers, games, IM, iTunes, GarageBand, etc. Sometimes they run them all at once. I've heard the fan spin up occasionally but there's never been an overheat problem. Oh yeah, the ambient temperature here usually hovers in the upper 80s.

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Answer 4

Sep 26, 2005 7:37 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

I think its more of a problem in the 1st Gen Imac....Like you I read all the problems and went a head and bought one....I got the 17 1.6 and Now 7 months in I now am having Power supply Problems....The Machine would automatically shut down every 4 to 5 min....Then since i had reboot after power failure. After another 4 min the machine would reboot...I did smell a burning smell .Like burning Plastic...I talked to apple via the live chat and he gave me a case number and told me to take it to an apple repair shop...so being in atlanta I took it to the genious area in the apple store..they looked at it and sure enough bad power supply..so i now have a new power supply on order..I thought at first my machine was gonna be one of the good ones cause this is the first ever problem....Even though i did not need it this time I am glad i bought apple care. So its a darn good machine but the eairler one had their falts..Just cant wait until I get it back...thank God i have an i book to get by until then...the people at the apple store are great. and easy to deal with....

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Answer 5

Sep 26, 2005 8:08 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

Dont buy an iMac. I have had nothing but problems with 2 of them. I bought my first one last november and had constant crashes etc. I'm no amateur mac user, I've been a mac user since around 1982. I've never been a PC fan and even with my problems I wouldnt switch. However, I sold the first one after it was in for repairs for 6 weeks. Yes, you read that right, and so I bought another when, and sold that when it came back from the repair shop. For the most part all has been well for about 6 months with this one until yesterday when we smelled smoke. Today it would not start. We live in an Air conditioned clean house. My wife is a photographer and needs a stable machine. This thing has been nothing but a pain in the butt. It too crashed but not as bad as the first., I've done clean installs, repaired permission, cleaned the cash, and have done parameter resets.

Stay far away from this machine if you are a heavy user. Pay the extra for a tower, I've had my dual 2ghz for about 2 1/2 years without any problems. Best machine I've ever owned.

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Answer 6

JF_Rebel__ Author

Level 1

62 points

Sep 26, 2005 8:09 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

thanks for the replies thus far! keep 'em coming! 🙂

to the guy wanting to "test" my new computer, i think I'll pass on your offer! LOL!

I think I'll add a question to the original.

I know that the CPU can be in "auto" and highest" mode. is it safe to leave it in "highest"?

Thanks for the input so far!

jf

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Answer 7

JF_Rebel__ Author

Level 1

62 points

Sep 26, 2005 8:13 PM in response to Bob Carpenter

bob carpenter,

Were those iMacs the old models or the new ones? The reason I ask, is that another poster stated, the new ones didn't have the problems the old ones did.

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Answer 8

Sep 26, 2005 8:16 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

I am a graphics guy..and do it for a living..I keep mine on auto..and when i needed the extra power the machine automatically boosted up the power... I use Photo shop indesign illustrator quarkxpress etc... and often have to use all at the same time. and I have never had any problem by keeping mine at automatic.

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Answer 9

Sep 26, 2005 10:08 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

Yes, the iMac G5 overheats if you overwork it. Mine does not overheat simply because I only use it to surf the Internet (like I am doing now), to write/send a few e-mail, to write documents with MS Office, Appleworks, etc., to enhance some photos with Photoshop, burn a couple of CD's every now and then, etc., and because I use it in a room with a constant temperature of 67 degrees.

But if I would use my iMac to do heavy work such as home movies, it would overheat after using it for awhile. The fans will keep it cool enough for approximately 45 minutes of heavy work, but they will be spinning pretty fast.

Again, I haven't experienced any of the problems you have talked about, but I watch the temperature carefully with Hardware Monitor. When the CPU reaches 160 degrees, I put it to sleep to allow it to cool. I also installed a 12 VDC exhaust fan (Radio Shack), right on the CPU exhaust port on the back cover, and this seems to help.

Now, some of the stories you have heard are true, but considering the number of people using the iMac G5 vs. those who are having problems, there is not a huge number of malfunctioning iMacs.

If the CPU would incorporate a liquid cooler on the fan, as well as liquid cooler on the hard drive and the CD drive fans, the iMac would run much cooler.

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Answer 10

JF_Rebel__ Author

Level 1

62 points

Sep 26, 2005 10:33 PM in response to JF_Rebel__

I am a moderate user. the eMac i have now is wonderful for average stuff such as browsing the internet and email. the main reason i am going for the iMac is due to the faster speeds, which really aren't relevant except for heavy duty stuff. can you browse the net faster with 2 ghz then 1.25 ghz? i doubt it. when i load a page with my eMac the speed is instant. what would it be with the iMac except instant? where the speed becomes useful is for things like iMovie and such. i plan to get an eyetv200 and use the iMac as a PVR. the reason i won't go for the power-macs is that they cost too much for my blood. the reason i want the iMac is for the speed. but what good is speed if the computer burns my house down? LOL! I wish i could see some statistics on this. (how many iMacs crash and burn after six to eight months of use) and I'd like to perhaps find a website or other source that shows what apple has done with the new iMacs to enhance the cooling system, and/or otherwise fix the problemm that seems to so wide spread.

I don't have the mooney to waste on a lemon, but if this computer will be up to the task it would be a dream come true. i have wanted the iMac for a year now, I mean, really wishing to have one, they look sexy, and they're fast, and they're much easier to carry then my eMac is. so i have been dyiing to get the Imac. i finally get to have one, and now i find out it may flare up in flames after six months, or at least in a puff of smoke. this is not good at all. 😟

any statistics or other such non biased source, that someone could give me so as i can get to the bottom of this would be most appreciated

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Answer 11

Bob Gold

Level 4

1,397 points

Sep 27, 2005 1:17 AM in response to JF_Rebel__

I do a lot of iMovie editing (slide shows and video), and my Rev A iMac G-5 works great! Never had a problem with overheating. I think the warmest I've ever been able to get it is about 160 degrees F...was holding the mouse button down to activate a microsoft function, if I recollect. Had to hold that button down for at least three minutes. When the temp leveled off at 160 I finally gave up...

I keep my cpu at Automatic.

Bob

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Answer 12

Optimus

Level 2

206 points

Sep 27, 2005 2:17 AM in response to Bob Gold

I find myself in the fortunate position that in Glasgow, we get about two weeks of summer, another two or three weeks at most of humid weather, then it's nice and cool ... then freezing, then raining, then baltic, lol.

The air temperature isn't as humid as some of you folks in say, the US or Australia, so in the UK I think our Macs are ok in that respect, unless you use it in a greenhouse!

🙂

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Answer 13

JF_Rebel__ Author

Level 1

62 points

Sep 28, 2005 2:43 AM in response to JF_Rebel__

Greetings once again!

Thanks for the replies thus far. I am still wanting more information.

Can anyone provide me with some statistics on this? (from a non-biased source) What percentage of the imacs are failing after 6 to 8 months?

Has apple modified the new iMacs, to fix the overheating problem? Is there a link you can provide?

I am torn, because part of me is excited about the iMac for obvious reasons, but part of me is also scared to death that i will get the computer and it will fry in about 8 months. i would like to either put this fear to rest by either sadly returning the iMac when it arrives, or by links you provide that show i have little to fear. I very much hope the iMac woes have been dealt with, and that i can enjoy my new computer with confidence when it arrives.

jf

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Answer 14

Sep 28, 2005 3:51 AM in response to JF_Rebel__

JF, here is an unofficial reliability survey on rev A and rev B Imacs. http://www.macintouch.com/reliability/index.html This should help in your decision making process.

Dick

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Answer 15

Rod Hagen

Level 7

32,000 points

Sep 28, 2005 4:37 AM in response to JF_Rebel__

JF,

The current iMac has only been available since May, 2005, so it is impossible to provide any real information about failure rates after 6 to 8 months.

THe problem with the first model wasn't really overheating, but faulty capaictors which ravaged a number of computer manufacturers at that time. See Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

I have had absolutely no problems with my imac G5 "second edition", purchased in May 2005, and I've seen very, very few hardware problems indicated here by other users of the current model.

Cheers

Rod

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