UNDER CONSTRUCTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Now, here is a computer I never thought I would get my hands on... and yet I did, at a bargain price too (Around $50 if I recall correctly). This is a Power Macintosh G5, a late 2005 model with a single dual-core G5 CPU running at 2.3Ghz. I never got a chance to experience one of these myself until shortly after I got it, and I must say. I am impressed with what it can do.
The back of the G5
For one thing, the case itself is made of pure aluminum when compared to previous Macs like the biege boxes or even the color coded G3s and G4s of the time. That alone is well worth a good time since I can really appreciate computers being built out of thick materials for durability and such things. Plus, it just looks really cool upon further inspection. Unfortunately, this one appeared to have suffered a bent area on the rear aluminum stand in the lower right portion on the right side of the computer. And I've tried hammering it back in to straighten it out with no success. Aside from that, the computer works just fine regardless.
The right side of the G5, with its trademark Apple logo of the time
And just like the G4, it's just as simple when accessing the insides of this computer. Pulling the latch on the rear left side of the Mac opens up the cover on its right side revealing the internal components. From there, the fixed disks and the optical drive can be easily accessed. Getting further inside requires removing the translucent plastic which comes off pretty easily. Even the fan compartments beside the CPU and the PCIe slots, and the G5 faceplate covering the heatsink is easily removable. As far as RAM, it originally came with 2GB of non-ECC RAM, but I was able to secure an upgrade to its maximum 16GB of ECC RAM, which, for 2005, is really crazy.
The G5 opened up, with the translucent plastic panel still in place
About the only other thing that I was hoping to upgrade was the GPU. Unfortunately, it not as easy as it sounds. As far as I know, there are specific GPUs that would only work with the G5. At the time, the computer was originally shipped with either a Geforce 6600, a 7800 GT, or a Quadro FX 4500, the latter of which was top of the line for the G5. So, until I can figure this out, I'm pretty much stuck with its stock GPU in order to have a functioning computer.
So, what can it do? Well, this computer was made for Mac OS X in mind. Unfortunately, as far as I'm concerned, there were almost no exclusive Mac titles that I know of that would be perfect for this machine. Beside which, by 2005, cross-platforming was becoming a thing where you can play any game on either a PC or a Mac. And practically every game that I could find for the G5, I could also run on my Windows XP machine. So, it's kind of a bummer in that regard. Still though, as far as productivity, aside from video editing in today's world, this is exactly what the Mac was designed for. And it would be a great backup in case I run into issues with my XP build.
A close up of the inside of the G5, with the translucent plastic oover removed
So to sum it up, the Power Mac G5 is really cool, even if I couldn't get as much use out of it as I hoped I would. The fact that it's made of aluminum gets a thumbs up in my book. Plus, the fact that Apple kept it simple to maintain is always a good thing. And because this system now has ECC RAM installed, I might have ideas for the future with regards to server use, but that'll be something to really think about. For now, the G5 will be a great backup computer for productivity and hopefully some more gaming. Plus, it'll be perfect to house backups for my older Macs in case they go south.