Powermac G5 randomly freezes

I am a first time buyer of Apple, but I have been working on them at work for sometime. I never had any problems at work so when I saved enough money I decided to go it my own and buy a powermac G5. I bought it back in Nov. 05
I have $5,000 invested in this computer and now it is causing me all kinds of problems.
It randomly freezes. I could be working it at its full capacity or hardly at all and it will lock up. When it freezes the mouse stops moving and the key board stop working. The computer doesn't make a sound. If I have music running the song will skip until I shut it down. A red light behind the grid in the front comes on, and if I wait a few minutes before shuting it down the fans kick into high gear.
After a month or so of batteling these random freezes my computer would not turn on at all. On startup the red light would turn on and no video would ever each the monitor. I finally took it into an Apple certified repair shop, they were able to reset the logic board and preform updates and they gave it back to me, but once again the computer is freezing.
I am taking it back to the repair guys today. Based on other issues I have read I believe it is a power supply issue, or at least I would hope so. The repair guys told me that they are going to replace the power supply and then see what happens.
Is anyone else having problems like this? How do I get things resovled? And how long is it going to be before Apple says 'we screwed up with your computer' and send me a new one?

Posted on May 23, 2006 8:16 AM

42 replies

May 26, 2006 11:26 AM in response to Jack_Burton

and then you have to wonder will it last AFTER the warranty has expired??

The point is, it is very disappointing to have such a crappy experience from a company that has such a good OS and reputation.

May 26, 2006 11:51 AM in response to steven558

Computer parts sometimes fail - that's normal, if inconvenient. The trick is troubleshooting which part is the culprit. And the parts that don't fail early typically last a long time. This is true for Windows PC's, too.

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

May 26, 2006 12:01 PM in response to steven558

Buy and extended Apple Care. That is what it is for. Same with software licenses.

And CPUs do go out.

Take a look at what "workstations" use to sell for, what they go for today. Pro-consumers which is what Apple sells to, should look at IBM's POWER and IntelliStations.

Use to be workstation meant the $10-25K and up RS/6000 or something. for $2k buy two and use one for testing parts.

Or don't 😉

May 26, 2006 12:28 PM in response to The hatter

True, true.
On the other hand, a little more burn-in and testing by Apple might be a good idea...

but we have no way of knowing, since this site is definitely where people go when there's a problem. No way for us to judge how many people have a totally trouble-free Mac experience.

May 26, 2006 1:13 PM in response to Jack_Burton

My tech is currently replacing the logic board. Pls keep us informed. If the processor replacement solved your problems maybe I can get my tech to take that step also. Based on what I have read in the threads so far, logic board replacement has not been the answer.

May 26, 2006 1:34 PM in response to TheRodman

All flaky problems are not the same. Sometimes it's the logic board, sometimes the CPU, sometimes the RAM, etc. All can produce similar symptoms.

May 26, 2006 11:59 PM in response to tele_player

Maybe I should have mentioned that the symptoms described in Jacks' first post are exactly the same as I am experiencing.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=478909

I hate to date myself, but after over 19 years of using Mac and PCs I think I know that "all flaky problems are not the same". I am sorry but I have to give you a double DUH......... for that one.

May 27, 2006 6:36 AM in response to TheRodman

That wasn't apparent from what you wrote above.

May 27, 2006 11:05 AM in response to Jack_Burton

I told everyone at work the problem with my computer.
The engineer here doesn't think it is my power
supply. When he was fishing around on the internet
he found this site
ttp://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/inside_wi
re the_666chip/

which describes my symptoms to a T.
The problem only happens to Power Mac G5 2GHz bought
after June. However my computer doesn't fit in the
cereal code range of computers with this problem.

I have the same issue. My machine has been freezing like this (about
once a month to once a week... I leave my machine powered on 24/7)
since the day I got it. It fails just enough to be annoying. I'd like the
problem to be fixed before my Apple Care runs out. My serial number
is just outside the range for the Apple IC Program Utility described
in the link above (mine is G83473JKPXD). I am frustrated because the
problem described fits my machine's behavior very well. But because
my serial is outside the range specified in the ReadMe with the program,
I don't think I should try to run it. Does anyone have any thoughts
on this?

G5 Dual 2.0GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Jack_Burton Author

Level 1

0 points

May 27, 2006 10:56 PM in response to gcalvarez

If your serial number is outside this range than there is something else wrong with your computer.
I too thought that I had this mysterious bug with my G5, but when the repair guy ran the software downloaded from the site and it didn't work.

There was something else wrong with my computer

Once he replaced my processor I have yet to have a problem. But if I were you I would take it into a apple repair store near you and tell him everything you know about your problem and what you read here. If you are still under the apple care they should pay for it 100%.

Jun 2, 2006 7:16 AM in response to Jack_Burton

Jack:

CompUSA has just replaced my logic board with no positive result. They will try the processor next. I was wondering if your system is still stable after your processor replacement.

Dual-core 2.3GHz PowerPC G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6) 2.5G RAM, HP 23" Display, Logitech Z-5500 Digital Speaker System

Jun 2, 2006 7:42 AM in response to TheRodman

Add another lemon to your list. I sure wish I had read this forum before going out to buy one of those things. Has Apple made any kind of statement at all regarding this issue?

Omega, Jack, Rodman - your problem and mine is exactly what is happening to Swami, in the next post down, and another guy posting here ("What a piece of junk"). Does anyone working for Apple actually read these forums, and if so, do they really believe that this is a problem that can be solved by re-installing the OS??

I think these computers need to be replaced, end of story, and in the long run, it's got to be cheaper for Apple than replacing thousands of processors and logic boards.

G5 Quad Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Jun 2, 2006 8:45 AM in response to The Micah

Welcome to the club Micah!

See my last post on this thread......

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=478909&tstart=0

Dual-core 2.3GHz PowerPC G5 Mac OS X (10.4.6) 2.5G RAM, HP 23" Display, Logitech Z-5500 Digital Speaker System

Jun 2, 2006 8:52 AM in response to TheRodman

Just read it. I really think that a load of us on here should get together and forward our case histories and posts to someone at Apple that can make a responsible decision. The idea of going through module swaps for 2 months while my business withers is unbearable, and I truly do think that they must be aware of some sort of defect.

Md Terps

Level 1

0 points

Jun 3, 2006 3:00 PM in response to Jack_Burton

My Powermac G5 was freezing randomly for about 4 weeks then it would not start up at all.

Applecare reps had me do steps 1 - 4, with mixed results the first 2 weeks before it died.

1. reseated all the memory(even bought new Apple memory)
2. reset PRAM
3. reset PMU
4. reseated video card
5. replaced power supply and temp. sensor
6. reseated processors
7. replaced logic board

Took one week at the apple store for items 5 - 7. It is working fine now.

It was under Applecare otherwise the costs would have been $ 900.00

Good Luck

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Powermac G5 randomly freezes