becks87

Q: 7200 RPM

hello people,

 

so i have a G3 (PowerPC 750) iMac that i found... upgraded the ram and the firmware so i could update the OS..

i wanted to know if upgrading the hard drive to a 7200rpm would be a bad idea??

i know there are no fans so i was wondering if i could upgrade to a 7200RPM drive or should i stick with a 5400RPM?

suggestions are welcome

iMac, Mac OS X (10.3.x), 1GB ram,

Posted on Aug 15, 2014 10:58 AM

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Q: 7200 RPM

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  • by becks87,

    becks87 becks87 Aug 22, 2014 10:20 AM in response to One Brain Cell
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 22, 2014 10:20 AM in response to One Brain Cell

    can i somehow cool down the imac with some sort of internal fan?? cooling pad? or removing the transparent handle at the top??

  • by One Brain Cell,

    One Brain Cell One Brain Cell Aug 22, 2014 10:27 AM in response to becks87
    Level 4 (2,165 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 22, 2014 10:27 AM in response to becks87

    Honestly, it shouldn't be anything to worry about in your air conditioned environment. They're supposed to get hot at the temperature is monitored and regulated by the machine. It'll be fine

  • by becks87,

    becks87 becks87 Aug 22, 2014 10:28 AM in response to One Brain Cell
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 22, 2014 10:28 AM in response to One Brain Cell

    even tho this 7200rpm makes the plastic casing hot???

    and also do u think i can run 10.4?

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Aug 22, 2014 10:31 AM in response to becks87
    Level 9 (79,451 points)
    iPhone
    Aug 22, 2014 10:31 AM in response to becks87

    becks87 wrote:

    can i somehow cool down the imac with some sort of internal fan??

    It already has a fan.

    Why do you think, it needs cooling down?

    or removing the transparent handle at the top??

    What handle?

     

    Which iMac?

  • by becks87,

    becks87 becks87 Aug 22, 2014 10:48 AM in response to Chris CA
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 22, 2014 10:48 AM in response to Chris CA

    the handle at the top to carry the imac...

    its a power pc 750, g3 (indigo)

     

    i think it get very warm since i put the new 7200rpm hard drive in.... so can i run 10.4 you think???

     

    i wanted to use my old SSD (128GB) for the heat problem.... but not sure of which specific accessories to get (hard drive caddy 2.5 to 3.5, and adapter from data to IDE i guess should do it) but i don't know if to do it

  • by One Brain Cell,Helpful

    One Brain Cell One Brain Cell Aug 22, 2014 11:21 AM in response to becks87
    Level 4 (2,165 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 22, 2014 11:21 AM in response to becks87

    I believe the cut off point for OSX.4 Tiger was a G3 Macintosh with Firewire ports. As your iMac does not have Firewire ports that would technically rule it out of being able to run OSX.4 Tiger.

     

    However, I think it may still work. Tiger came on a DVD (I’m not sure if it was ever released on CD-ROM). Does your iMac have a built-in DVD drive? I’ve got a feeling it doesn’t, as my sister used to own a similar iMac to yours (her’s was a 500MHz G3 iMac that was geared more towards educational markets).

     

    As regards the heat. I think you should just test it. Try out the iMac and see what happens. If it gets too hot it will shut itself down to protect its components.

     

    Again, all you should need to do is make sure all the little ventilation holes on the bottom and top of your iMac are clear of obstruction. If you’re really worried, then point a fan at the bottom of the iMac so it can draw in more cool air.

     

    Its a shame about OSX.4 Tiger, without Firewire ports and only USB1 on your iMac you may be out of luck. Unless you can get an old DVD drive from another vintage iMac. I did that with a 500MHz G3 Snow iMac that had a CD-ROM drive. I transplanted the DVD unit out of a G3 Strawberry DV 400MHz that was about to die. It was a good swap!

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM Aug 22, 2014 2:19 PM in response to One Brain Cell
    Level 6 (13,653 points)
    iPad
    Aug 22, 2014 2:19 PM in response to One Brain Cell

    One Brain Cell,

    I believe you are mistaken about many points about the OP's iMac.

    iMacs after the first "five flavors" models all had (2) FireWire 400 ports.

    The OP's iMac is an Indigo iMac. If it is, at least, a 400 MHz or higher  CPU Indigo iMac, the OP can install up to OS X 10.4.11 Tiger.

    There is a CD install disc set of OS X 10.4 Tiger for Macs that didn't have a Combo or SuperDrive optical drive.

    These are even harder to find and even more expensive to obtain.

    The issue is that the to get OS X 10.4 Tiger for those G3 iMacs, the OP would need the CD discs retail  install discs for OS X 10.4 Tiger.

    OR the OP can find and purchase the standard OS X 10.4 Tiger retail DVD install discs, but will have to purchase an external FireWire CD/DVD optical drive to install OS X Tiger from DVD

    If the OP's iMac has a CPU less than 400 MHz, then that iMac model can only have OS X 10.3.9 Panther installed.

    Keep in mind that finding and purchasing older retail versions of  OS X will be much more expensive to obtain since these are rarer to find, now.

    Also, for later G3 iMacs, you need to install, at least, Mac OS 9.- also, to install this firmware update.

     

    iMac Firmware Update 4.1.9

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1283

  • by One Brain Cell,

    One Brain Cell One Brain Cell Aug 23, 2014 2:16 AM in response to MichelPM
    Level 4 (2,165 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Aug 23, 2014 2:16 AM in response to MichelPM

    The OP stated back near the beginning of this thread that their iMac doesn’t have Firewire ports. There were a couple of DV models released that were heavily compromised Macs in that they didn’t feature Firewire ports, and they may also not have had Airport capability either. These reduced spec machines were produced for schools and colleges I think (and in limited markets, they were certainly sold here in the UK).

     

    I was handling an iMac of this vintage a few weeks ago (it had a blueberry case, but a slot load drive, which may date it as a Rev. D 1999 or early 2000 slot-load iMac DV), and it did not feature Firewire ports on the side. I didn’t check to see whether it had an Airport cable and fixture by the ram slots).

     

    So I think it is possible to have an Indigo iMac with no Firewire or Airport.

  • by MichelPM,

    MichelPM MichelPM Aug 23, 2014 10:00 AM in response to One Brain Cell
    Level 6 (13,653 points)
    iPad
    Aug 23, 2014 10:00 AM in response to One Brain Cell

    Found the OP's reply about FireWire.

    There must have been an Indigo iMac model that didn't have FireWire.

    Well, I'll be...

  • by Jeff,

    Jeff Jeff Aug 23, 2014 11:59 AM in response to MichelPM
    Level 6 (11,559 points)
    Aug 23, 2014 11:59 AM in response to MichelPM

    The summer 2000 indigo iMac 350 MHz model had no FireWire ports or support for an AirPort card.  The absence of FireWire ports is the easiest identifier as to the processor speed of an indigo iMac.  A faster model with a 400 MHz processor was released in early 2001, which did have FireWire ports and support for the AirPort card.  Either model does not have an internal cooling fan, as the tray-loading iMacs did.  The heat that the O.P. mentions is undoubtedly typical of a CRT display, and not generated by the 7,200 RPM hard drive, which may contribute minimally to the overall heat exhausted from the top of the housing.  Mounting a 120mm cooling fan on top of the iMac's housing will assist in drawing the heat out and away from the case.

  • by becks87,

    becks87 becks87 Aug 24, 2014 10:03 AM in response to Jeff
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 24, 2014 10:03 AM in response to Jeff

    so yes, my iMac is the one without firewire ports and no support for airport card.... do you think i would be able to install a fan like this to take some of the heat out of the top holes http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-SickleFlow-120-Radiators/dp/B0026ZPFDE/ref=s r_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1408899532&sr=1-1&keywords=12mm+fan?

  • by Jeff,

    Jeff Jeff Aug 24, 2014 11:49 PM in response to becks87
    Level 6 (11,559 points)
    Aug 24, 2014 11:49 PM in response to becks87

    While these iMacs were intended to be convection-cooled, at the time they were designed, there was no reliable method of in-lab testing that could duplicate the condition of the internal components after 14 years of usage.  For that reason, an externally-positioned fan might help prolong the service life of the unit.  Those iMacs have a history of P-A-V board failure, brought on by prolonged use/heat.  When that part goes, many users retire the computer because of the experience level required for removal, which involves the potential for serious electrical shock.  Additionally, there are no new P-A-V boards available (unless someone has new "old stock" stashed away), so installing a used one leaves you with uncertainty as to when it will fail.  As for selecting a fan, the one you linked is a 12V DC fan, so I assume you'd find a 12V DC power supply with low-current output for it.  You could consider a 120V AC cooling fan (check this page), which would plug into a standard electrical outlet.  There are two considerations when selecting the fan: (1) You don't want a noisy fan parked on top of the iMac.  Check the RPM and the noise level (measured in dBA).  (2)  The electromagnetic field produced by the cooling fan's motor — if strong enough — could  cause screen anomalies, when situated so close to the top of the CRT.  In this scenario, an AC-powered fan might be more problematic than a DC-powered one.  Some sellers may have "AC" fans that are just a DC fan with a power supply to plug into a 120V outlet, as opposed to a fan that's truly AC-powered.  Some time ago, another poster indicated that he had placed a fan on top of his iMac and he didn't report any problems.  I don't remember what type he used.

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