How to Upgrade Ram Memory in a Power Mac G5

Old hot rodders had a saying: "The only substitute for cubic inches is more cubic inches." That may be true for hot rods, but in the computer world...the only substitute for ram memory is more ram memory.

Make no mistake, the most leading thing you can do to improve the execution of your Power Mac G5 is add more ram. Unless the ram slots of your G5 are already maxed out, no other add-on will supply as much execution improvement as a ram increase.

1gb

Don't assume just any memory will work, however. Separate versions of the G5 apply Separate ram chips, and even chips that meet the published specifications have been known to cause problems. To avoid frustration, only ram designed to meet Apple's strict guidelines should be used. That doesn't mean you have to buy ram from Apple -- Oem ram chips are generally more costly than third-party modules. Just make sure you buy from a vendor who guarantees that their ram chips will work correctly in a Power Mac G5.

You could pay a technician to setup new memory, but the task of adding Dimm (Dual In-line Memory Module) chips to a G5 is quite simple. Generally, it only takes a few minutes, even if you take your time.

The customary Power Mac G5 units shipped with a meager 512Mb ram, barely enough to run Os X, let alone get some work done. Time to fix that with a ram upgrade.

Make sure you are well grounded

Start by turning off the motor and disconnecting all cables except the power cord. Before you disconnect the power cable, touch the Pci entrance covers on the back of the case to dissipate any static electricity.

Some vendors consist of a grounding strap with new memory orders. If you don't have entrance to a ground strap, you have to be very cautious about static electricity. A static payment can do bad things to your new memory chips, as well as internal computer components. You should be safe by following the advice to touch the metal chassis with the power off and the computer plugged in.

Opening the Power Mac G5 case

Unplug the power cord before proceeding. Open the case by lifting the lever on the back of the machine. This allows you to lift off the aluminum side panel from the computer enclosure.

Once you take off the side panel, you can take off the clear plastic air deflector. Note: the deflector is essential to properly cool the G5, so don't misplace it.

The attractiveness of the G5 case is that no tools are required to entrance most of the components. The ram sockets are settled behind the processor fan assembly. To gain entrance the sockets, plainly grasp the handle on the fan assembly and slide it toward you until it comes free.

With the fans removed, you have full entrance to the motherboard mounted sockets. Some G5 models highlight 8 sockets, while others have only 4. The basic G5 512Mb ram configuration shipped with two 256Mb chips installed.

The late 2005 Power Mac G5 towers can recognize ram chips as large as 2Gb and highlight 8 sockets, providing a maximum of 16Gb memory. All other models of the G5 towers only recognize memory modules of 1Gb, 512Mb or 246Mb. If you own an early model with 8 slots, this means you can setup a maximum of 8Gb of memory, while the 4 socket models will restrict you to 4Gb.

Memory must be installed in pairs

On all versions of the Power Mac G5, you must setup memory in pairs. There is a top bank of sockets and a lower bank. When you setup a ram module in the top bank, you must setup the exact same size memory chip in the corresponding socket of the lower bank.

If there are empty slots on the mom board, you can populate these with your new ram chips. In cases where all the sockets are filled with smaller capacity chips, these will need to be removed in order to setup larger modules. With the current low price of memory, it makes small sense to setup anything but the largest capacity chips: 2Gb modules for the late 2005 models, 1Gb modules for all others.

If you are removing smaller chips, unclip the locking tabs and press downward on the tabs. This will force the old Dimms out of the socket. To setup new chips, line up the notches with the corresponding pins in the socket and push the chip right down. The Dimm modules are engineered to fit into the memory slots in only one direction.

Lock your new ram chips in place

If the chip is inserted correctly, pushing the chip down will force the locking tabs to swing up and derive the module in place. It is good convention to manually push on the tabs to make sure they are in the fully locked position.

Repeat this process for the lower bank and the basic factory is complete. Reinstall the fan assembly, the air deflector and the aluminum side plate. Reinstall the cables and power cord.

When you press the power button, if everything is installed correctly, you should hear the well-known Macintosh start up chime. Wait for the motor to halt the start up process and then click on the "About this Mac" under the Apple Logo in the menu bar. The Memory field should reflect the newly installed memory.

How to Upgrade Ram Memory in a Power Mac G5

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