so...

Its like 32 degs in my abode, and my g4, is playing up. Konfabulator says its around 45 degrees cpu temp, which from memory is a tad warm for a mac. My question is two part,

1. How can i make the internal fans spin up at lower temps (i tried atoms howto, i think its missing bits as it really doesn't work)

2. is there any other cooling system on the market, that will bolt into a mac, or, i'm handy so i can modify its internal junk as its out of warranty.


Ta guys.
Jim

you have a fair way to go until you get to dangerous temps

45º CPU temp shouldn't cause problems? Unless some G4's have a much different tolerance to heat than others. :/

the G4 in my powerbook regularly sits at 60 or more degrees, with no problems. (other than me getting a warm lap. :lol

It is quite hot. My cube got powered down for the first time in a month and a half on the weekend because i don't want my baby overheating.

Check some products from here: http://www.coolpc.com.au - they may fit into the powermac. Sorry, i've never owned one, so i can't add much advice.

there is always the option of runing it with the door down and have a small fan pointing at it.

Maybe somethings wrong with it? I've been outside using mine (PB 12") for the past couple of hours.. working fine. (37 degrees outside in canberra atm)

That wouldn't help, as a 120mm fan inside the G4 casing is already located directly next to the CPU's heatsink.

I wouldn't be concerned about a G4 running at 45 deg. in hot weather - most modern computer CPUs can handle running at ~ 60 - 70 deg or even more. Pentium 4 CPUs will throttle their CPU clock speed down if it goes above a level such as this. Furthermore, if your machine isn't crashing or doing anything weird, there is nothing to worry about.

I've a Wallstreet Powerbook 233mhz that has a missing heatshield - and it runs at 70 deg when under load. I've also seen iBooks and Titanium Powerbooks running on average of 50 - 60 deg. Portable machines usually have higher heat thresholds than desktop machines, and again there is no problem there either.

JB

maybe i neglected to mention that bit, it is, crashing and having bizzare problems, like freezing under heavy network traffic.

It could be that your HD is heating up a bit javascript:emoticon('')
Either way, seems like our weather from Melbourne has gone up

My iBook is currently at 51.2 C and it seems to be operating quite normally.

laptops are designed to run friggin hot, powermacs are'nt, can i be more specific in saying there are no, i repeat NO problems when its below 40 in the computer, 40 - 43 it hang occasionly, and then 43 - 50 it freezes. right now, its on 46 and the music in itunes is clicking and popping (with my delta audio card it uses more cpu power)

but yeah.

My G4 iBook (1.33GHz) is sitting on 43*C

and its 35 outside at 20:30

pipsqeek

Without voiding the warranty of your G4 with dodgy mods, try ...

- Install a PCI slot cooler inside
- See how how your graphics card GPU gets (which usually get much hotter than CPUs) - if unbearably hot too touch, consider getting an aftermarket fan for it.
- Position a small desk fan at the side of the case (one of those $10 ones from a cheapo shop)

JB

ok, i'm beginning to think that too byrd, the graphics cpu does get hot, but...

last summer in this heat it was fine, but that was before my cpu died and the machine has never been the same again... its really bad now, i get some sort of error about every two weeks, be it a crash, a brown screen with "you need to restart your computuer" or a full kernel panic where it tells you a crapload of memory contents and other junk.

it doesn't seem to do it until the cpu gets over 40 degrees

Removing the plastic panel from the side of my G4 exposed the vents through which the 12" fan sucks air and greatly reduced its internal temperature. Also, removing the blank PCI slot covers further increases airflow through the case. It is also a good idea to fill your PCI slots from the bottom thereby providing as much space as possible to your GPU's piddly little fan. These simple steps eliminated any instability in my overclocked G4.