Beginner questions about upgrading G5
I'm buying a stock dual 2GHz G5 (revB) for a friend.
He decided he wants the following upgrades (non-negotiable):
- 4 x 512 MB additional ram (original 2 x 256 not removed)
- 1 x 160 GB additional HD space (original HD not removed)
- Mac Radeon 9600XT AGP card (original nVidia card removed)
- Smart-UPS 700VA (or bigger, if needed, just for auto-shutdown, doesn't need to have long uptime).
My questions:
- Are the video card, hd and RAM easy to install for a first-timer? I probably end up doing it myself. I'm familiar with G3 and G4 innards, but this will be my first G5 to actually open.
- Any problems with memory incompatibilities? Can we just get generic PC3200 RAM and make it work with the RAM that ships with the computer (2 x 256 MB modules)?
- Is 700VA enough to power a 2x2GHz G5 and a 19" TFT (only 2-3 mins of uptime needed)? Does the UPS need to be beefier? I tried most UPS selectors (APC, MGE, PowerWare), but their G5/Apple selectable options are very limited.
- Are there any limitations on which SATA HDs one can use? I'm planning on Samsung SP1614C (Spinpoint SP80 series).
Any other tips about upgrading?
He decided he wants the following upgrades (non-negotiable):
- 4 x 512 MB additional ram (original 2 x 256 not removed)
- 1 x 160 GB additional HD space (original HD not removed)
- Mac Radeon 9600XT AGP card (original nVidia card removed)
- Smart-UPS 700VA (or bigger, if needed, just for auto-shutdown, doesn't need to have long uptime).
My questions:
- Are the video card, hd and RAM easy to install for a first-timer? I probably end up doing it myself. I'm familiar with G3 and G4 innards, but this will be my first G5 to actually open.
- Any problems with memory incompatibilities? Can we just get generic PC3200 RAM and make it work with the RAM that ships with the computer (2 x 256 MB modules)?
- Is 700VA enough to power a 2x2GHz G5 and a 19" TFT (only 2-3 mins of uptime needed)? Does the UPS need to be beefier? I tried most UPS selectors (APC, MGE, PowerWare), but their G5/Apple selectable options are very limited.
- Are there any limitations on which SATA HDs one can use? I'm planning on Samsung SP1614C (Spinpoint SP80 series).
Any other tips about upgrading?
Comments
The 700VA UPS might be cutting it close. As batteries age, they loose capacity. With a slightly bigger UPS, in 2 years, it'll still have enough capacity to serve it's purpose. I'm not dead set on this so more opinions would be good.
As for RAM... The G5 is VERY picky of what kind of ram you use. It has to be Dual channel, at a specific clockrate. Make sure you have G5 certified RAM that will work with your machine. Don't get the cheap stuff at Fry's, as not all Dual channel ram works.