iMac G5 (#3): Fan noise; System install disks do not work on other Macs; more

Fan noise We are beginning to receive several reports of excessive fan noise from some iMac G5 units, which are advertised as "whisper quiet" by Apple.

MacFixIt reader Tom P writes "I have had it come on when I first plugged it in for the first time. It almost seems there is a test that it does to see if the fans work right off the bat. I then ran the hardware test disc that comes with it and during the whole test the fans run wide open. It's like a jet engine! Very loud."

Some users on the Apple Discussion Boards are reporting that 20" models are less susceptible to the excessive noise, and as such are replacing their 17" models with the larger-screen units:

One poster writes "Woohoo - I went back to The Apple Store and they had only 20" models available and were more than helpful and gracious to get me into one and out of my troublesome 17" that made all the noise. It was the 1.6 - Combo; now I am on a 20" Super and this one is flawless it whispers and is night and day difference between the other one. I am much happier and also find myself with 3 extra inches of screen space :) If I were considering it all over again having sen and used both, whether the noise issue or not, I would go 20" al the way. What a deal and an excellent machine!"

Despite the reports of excessive noise (which number in the dozens), it appears that most shipping iMac G5s live up to Apple's claims, as users testing multiple systems have often found relatively quiet operation from each:

"I've had a chance now to run eight G5 iMacs (two 20" models, six 17" models with all but one of those being the 1.8GHz version), and I have to say that every one of them was extremely quiet, so quiet I could hardly hear them and in most cases I couldn't. I tested them in quiet environments, playing games and DVDs, running video and Photoshop filters, anything to get the processors fired up so as to try and engage the fans--nada. And the exterior on these iMacs never got more than mildly warm to the touch, no warmer I would say than the housing on Apple's 20" or 23" Cinema Displays.

System install disks do not work on other Macs MacFixIt reader Greg Neutra notes that unlike most other recently shipping Macs, the system install disks included with the iMac G5 -- which contain Mac OS X 10.3.5 -- will not work with other Mac models:

"Since Apple only upgrades their retail 'generic' OS install disks occasionally, I have been using disks that come with specific Macs to install a more recent version of Panther on various machines. My current favorite is a eMac Restore DVD that installs 10.3.4, QuickTime 6.5.1 and other fairly current system software. Imagine my excitement when I noticed that the new iMacs are shipping with 10.3.5 install disks. No go though; if you try and run the install on any other Mac than the new iMac you get a message that says 'Bundled software cannot be installed on this computer.' There is no opportunity to go ahead without the bundled software (Office 2004 Tryout, etc.) The only choice is to end the install."

Display issues Michael Kartchner reports a (likely isolated) display issue for which we are seeking confirmation:

"Just recently my friend received his 20" model and within the first 15 minutes of turning it on the top 2 inches of the screen went darker than the bottom part of the screen, any one else with this issue."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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