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What Component is causing my iMac G5 to whine?
Posted by: Mars478 on 2009-10-11 18:06:12
Hi, does anyone know which component is causing my iMac G5 to whine like a cat?

As it does more processor intensive tasks it gets louder, and it sounds like a fan, but I tried running it open and holding all the visible fans and the noise was still there. Power Supply?

What component in the power supply could it be? and how do I fix it?

Arhh this Mac has power supply AND cap issues... :simasimac: :disapprove:

Posted by: Mike Richardson on 2009-10-11 18:39:20
High pitched noises are usually the power supply. The processor needs more power, places more stress on the PSU causing it to be louder.

Posted by: QuadSix50 on 2009-10-12 08:21:31
Yes, I was going to mention the issue with the caps on all of the iMac G5 models, but I see that you've come to that conclusion. Might be a cap either in the PSU or the logic board that might be ready to die. Hopefully not, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was.

I've had both the logic board and PSU replaced twice in 2008.

Posted by: phreakout on 2009-10-16 00:09:42
Hey Mars,

What vintage is that iMac G5? If it's some of the early models prior to mid-2005, it may be the internal power supply unit. If so, check to see if Apple still covers it under the Repair Extension Program for iMac G5. I don't know when the expiration date was for that.

I remember back when I was a bench technician for a mom and pop Apple Retail and Service provider, I would get an awful lot of these in with the same symptoms or worse; the PSU literally burned up (scorch/smoke marks on the outside metal casing, with an odor that something inside was burning). I replaced more PSUs and logic boards on those than any other model.

73s de Phreakout. :rambo:

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