I'd like to give away for free (plus shipping costs) a PowerMac G5 that recently stopped working completely (after increasingly showing (re)start problems for the 2 years I've been owning it). The cause of the complete failure to switch-on may be the PSU, or whatever. I don't know and don't want to investigate further.
The machine comes without MorphOS license, as I've requested it to be transferred to a replacement machine (thank you in advance, MorphOS team).

Specs:
- defective, pressing power button yields no reaction
- Dual-CPU 2.3 GHz PowerMac7,3 / Early 2005 / M9748LL/A / A1047
- Radeon 9650 256 MiB VRAM
- 3.5 GiB RAM
- 2x SATA HDD (250 GB + 120 GB)
- optical PATA drive
- PCI-X FireWire card Sonnet Allegro FW800
- PCI FireWire card Centos CI-6500TF4

Edit: sold

[ Edited by Andreas_Wolf 22.12.2018 - 12:48 ]

Sorry to hear that your system has "bit-the-dust", but the 2.3GHz DP systems do seem to have overall quite poor / short lifespan.

Do you have the original Apple Restore/Install Disc 1 with the Apple Hardware Test on it ( Disk Code 2Z691-5348-A), (and just for info Disc 2's code is 2Z691-5535-A - these codes have specific software that only functions, in the main, with the 2.3GHz Dual Processor (DP) PowerMac G5).

With that disk if there is a glimmer of hope that the system can be assessed, without an actual Apple engineer being available to work out the hardware failure, then that is the best way, that I am aware of, though from what you have said - if there's no startup whatsoever, no power light, then even that idea would be a non-starter.

I'd be interested in it for spares if it wasn't for having recently acquired a failed system, and being in the process of buying a working system of the same spec as you have, as I already have a working system of this spec anyway.

If you don't find anyone interested in the whole system, then I'd be interested in some of the components like the GFX card, and probably some RAM, unless you're going to be keeping those? Does it have either, or both, a Bluetooth card (A1044) and Airport card (A1026 or A1027) fitted?

What would be the cost of shipping to the UK from Germany anyway, by basic insured postal service/courier?

> from what you have said [...] there's no startup whatsoever,
> no power light

Exactly.

> If you don't find anyone interested in the whole system,
> then I'd be interested in some of the components like the
> GFX card, and probably some RAM

Thanks for your interest. I might try to sell the whole system via eBay before considering selling or giving away components, though.

> Does it have either, or both, a Bluetooth card (A1044)
> and Airport card (A1026 or A1027) fitted?

No, none of those.

> What would be the cost of shipping to the UK from Germany
> anyway, by basic insured postal service/courier?

45 EUR for the whole system, 9 EUR for components like graphics card and/or RAM.

Quote:

Try to replace power ribbon cable that connects power switch to motherboard. In the past, I had similar problem, and that ribbon cable was the problem :) .

> Try to replace power ribbon cable that connects power switch to motherboard.
> In the past, I had similar problem, and that ribbon cable was the problem :) .

Thanks. That's a good hint for the new potential owner to try :-)

Have you had anyone interested in the PowerMac as a whole, or listed it on ebay as yet. Or would you consider my interest in some of the parts. As I previously stated I am interested in the GFX card, and maybe even the Sonnet card. However, what use have you managed to get out of a Firewire card with MorphOS, as the Firewire operation, through Helios, seems quite primitive?

Did you ever fit, &/or do you know if a multi-port PCI USB card will be recognised and work OK in the PowerMac PCI slots?

As the standard 3 USB slots seems very limited, though I realise I could add a couple of hubs on to bypass this issue, if the PCI card option won't work as I hope.

I've bought, but it's not arrived as yet, a Belkin 5 port USB card, which has NEC chipset, like many USB cards, and know it works in a Mac OSX PowerMac G5 system, but just wondered if you knew one way or the other, if it does function correctly under MorphOS?

There is already fitted in the PowerMac G5 an Atto 0201 PCBX Express Stripe 2-channel dual-SCSI controller PCI-X card, which is recognised under Mac OSX, but I'd be doubtful that it would be recognised under MorphOS. (PwrMac not registered as yet)

I ask as there doesn't seem to be much mention of what PCI hardware works correctly in the PowerMac G5 in the library on this forum section of MorphOS?

[ Edited by NewSense 25.12.2018 - 04:45 ]

> Have you had anyone interested in the PowerMac as a whole

Yes, see my edit in the initial posting. I found a fellow German taker via morphos-forum.de.

> what use have you managed to get out of a Firewire card with MorphOS [...]?

I never tried FireWire with MorphOS, neither via onboard FireWire nor via expansion cards (which the machine was equipped with as I bought it and I never pulled).

> Did you ever fit, &/or do you know if a multi-port PCI USB card will be recognised
> and work OK in the PowerMac PCI slots?

No and no, but as using PCI USB2 cards (esp. with NEC/Renesas chipset) has been common with Pegasos boards, I guess they would work on PowerMacs as well, at least from the driver side. It would have to be a 3.3V-compatible card for the PowerMac G5, though. However, there seem to be reports to the contrary:

https://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12016&forum=11

> there doesn't seem to be much mention of what PCI hardware works correctly
> in the PowerMac G5 in the library on this forum section of MorphOS?

Normally, there shouldn't be anything special with the PCI card compatibility of MorphOS on the PowerMac G5 as long as the card is electrically compatible (3.3V vs. 5V), so what is supported by MorphOS on the PowerMac G4 or the Pegasos should be supported by MorphOS on the PowerMac G5 as well. That's the theory at least ;-)

I can confirm the G5 is a bit picky when it comes to PCI USB cards. From what I've tested NEC is the way to go, but not all NEC based cards work (I can recommend Belkin F5U220CW). On the other hand - there are some cards that cause conflict with onboard USB ports, or even make the computer refuse to power up.

@ Andreas_Wolf - Thanks for your reply, and Merry Christmas / Fröhliche Weihnachten as well

@ Koszer - I've ordered the Belkin F5U220 cards, if they are the "CW" models then I'll have to wait until it gets here to know, but thanks for your reply as well, and to you too, I wish you a very Merry Christmas / Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia.

cheap-o via usb card works fine on mine: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-2-0-4-Port-Card-Adapter-480Mbps-High-Speed-VIA-HUB-PCI-Controller-Adapter-UK/283018790752?epid=1687887909&hash=item41e53c0760:g:NokAAOSwVwRa~Wse:rk:20:pf:0

My m-audio 410 FW works also fine on built-in FW ports under MacOS X and Debian, but not MorphOS (obviously), ditto for my external WD 1tb hdd, much much faster than any usb disk.

@ vulture

OK thanks for that info about the VIA USB card, I'll bear that in mind, but I don't think/see they have as many electronic components on the board, so they probably aren't quite as controlled as the Belkin models, and I may buy one in due course, out of necessity or otherwise, but I'm glad they're working for you anyway.

Regarding your comments about the M-Audio 410 Firewire (Review - Sound on Sound), and the WD HDD, I have to say that it would be nice to be able to utilise more of the Firewire systems built-into the old Apple hardware many of us utilise for MorphOS. It really is a shame that more hasn't, as yet, been achieved with Helios or some alternative/improved built-in system software to be able to utilise the Firewire hardware in the devices we all enjoy using.

[ Edited by NewSense 26.12.2018 - 00:37 ]