Help with upgrading my Power Mac G4

Hello,
I've found many topics in this forum helpful, but they are so spread out that I figured it would be easier to ask for help for my own computer.
I am interested in upgrading a few things on my G4. Here are my specs:
Machine Name: Power Mac G4
Machine Model: PowerMac3,5
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (2.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 867 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 256 KB
L3 Cache (per CPU): 2 MB
Memory: 1.5 GB
Bus Speed: 133 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.2.5f1
1) Upgrading my processor:
I do a lot of graphics work (Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, and Maya) on my computer and it's been really slow lately, even with my RAM maxed out to 1.5 MB. I was thinking of buying the SonnetDUAL G4/1.8GHz 512K L2 Cache Per Processor because I would like as much processing power as possible. What processor(s) would be the best fit for me?
2) Upgrading my graphics card:
I don't know anything about increasing my graphics card capabilities, or if I even need to. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Here are my current graphics stats:
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX:
Chipset Model: GeForce2 MX
Type: Display
Bus: AGP
Slot: SLOT-1
VRAM (Total): 32 MB
Vendor: nVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0110
Revision ID: 0x00b2
ROM Revision: 1055
3) Upgrading to a USB 2.0 PCI card:
Is this necessary? I was interested in purchasing a Firewire/USB hub and that's when I learned of the USB 2.0 thing. I don't know if I need it or not.
4) I just bought a 400GB external FW HD, but is it also recommended to buy a second internal hard drive? I'm leery of buying one because I'm not very computer HW savvy (surprise surprise!) but I'm wondering if it would be good for my computer considering its age and how much I use graphics software on my computer.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Power Mac G4 Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Hi there,
You have a very upgradable computer, one of the best. You didn't tell us your budget. So, I'll just assume you want to be practical.
1. I'd suggest either a Fastmac or OWC CPU. Easy to install, no firmware patches to add, simple and very fast.
2. Stay put for now, see how you like the CPU first.
3. If you need it look here. The sleep issue is one that cannot be remedied, so we live with it. I put my monitor to sleep and set the computer to never.
4. The FW 400 is perfect. If you are worried about the old internal HDD, install a second new one (128GB or less) internally and use it as your startup, the old one for storage of non essentials. No matter what you do, ALWAYS backup important data at regular intervals.
Finally, your Mac has 1.5GB of RAM already installed, you're set!
Regards,
Dave
QS-1.5GHz, ATI 9800/ AGP-1.25 GHz, ATI 9800/ Cube-Dual 1.7 GHz, ATI 9800 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

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Might be easier to get Leo/10.5.x
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old: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9755670&#9755670
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Ah, this is why one should not post late at night with little sleep. Thank you all for the answers and kind responses of help.
Very good suggestion to reinstall the system and I shall do so. I believe this is the MacPro forum, is it not? Should I still repost? I used everymac.com to determine my system BUT posted the results incorrectly (corrected below and yes, it is a 2006). My apologies. I ran the software that THE HATTER suggested and have the results below. I'm not opposed to spending money to either upgrade or purchase a new(er) machine-- simply looking to spend the money necessary wisely for the best possible return. Thank you again for the help.
ETRECHECK:
(I'm only posting part of this-- I don't know if there's a posting limit or protocol on posting). I am running CS5
Hardware Information: ℹ️
Mac Pro (Verified)
Mac Pro - model: MacPro1,1
2 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon CPU: 4-core
6 GB RAM
DIMM Riser A/DIMM 1
2 GB DDR2 FB-DIMM 667 MHz ok
DIMM Riser A/DIMM 2
2 GB DDR2 FB-DIMM 667 MHz ok
DIMM Riser B/DIMM 1
512 MB DDR2 FB-DIMM 667 MHz ok
DIMM Riser B/DIMM 2
512 MB DDR2 FB-DIMM 667 MHz ok
DIMM Riser A/DIMM 3
512 MB DDR2 FB-DIMM 667 MHz ok
DIMM Riser A/DIMM 4
512 MB DDR2 FB-DIMM 667 MHz ok
DIMM Riser B/DIMM 3
empty empty empty empty
DIMM Riser B/DIMM 4
empty empty empty empty
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Video Information: ℹ️
ATY,RadeonX1900 - VRAM: 512 MB
VX2336 SERIES 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz
hp f1703 1280 x 960 @ 75 Hz
System Software: ℹ️
Mac OS X 10.6.8 (10K549) - Uptime: 89 days 2:15:37
Disk Information: ℹ️
WDC WD2500AAJS-41RYA0 disk0 : (232.89 GB)
- (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 249.72 GB (18.35 GB free)
Hitachi HDT725050VLA360 disk2 : (465.76 GB)
- (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
500GB (disk2s2) /Volumes/500GB : 499.76 GB (92.11 GB free)
WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 disk1 : (931.51 GB)
- (disk1s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
1TB Drive (disk1s2) /Volumes/1TB Drive : 999.86 GB (760.73 GB free)

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Machine Model: Power Mac G5
CPU Type: PowerPC 970 (2.2)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.6 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 2.25 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 5.1.5f2
Serial Number: XXXX
GeForce FX 5200:
Type: display
Bus: AGP
Slot: SLOT-1
VRAM (Total): 64 MB
Vendor: nVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0321
Revision ID: 0x00a2
ROM Revision: 2060
Thanks much!

Hi Mobe!
Is the disc the Full Retail Version, of the Tiger Install DVD, that does not say Upgrade, CPU Drop-in DVD, or "This software is part of a hardware bundle purchase - not to be sold seperately." on it?
If not, you can order the correct Tiger 10.4.x installer from Apple Phone Sales 1-800-692-7753, for $129.00.
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The Full Retail Version, of the Leopard Install DVD, can be purchased at The Apple Store (U.S.).
ali b

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Upgrading a Power Mac G5

I have a Power Mac G5 Dual 2.7GHz, L2 Cache 512K per processor, Frontside bus - 1.35GHz, with 8GB of Ram. I was wondering how I could speed up this computer? It is constantly running the processor cores at 50% to 100% when doing the simplest task as just loading a web page. They do go back normal once the task is finished but it sounds like a plane is taking off every time I click some where. Id love to switch out the G5 for an Intel Core 2 Duo as I think this would solve the problem but I do not know if this can be done? Open to any other ideas.. Thanks in advance for the help

How about all the basics?
Check the LCS and any dust.
Clone the system to new faster drive.
Repair the system with Disk Warrior.
Keep the boot drive free of data and media files.
Half the 2.7DPs have a really good solid cooling block (assume you made it this far?) and the other half are scared tomorrow will be the day!
No, you can't do more than trade/sell and invest in a new system.
I'd start with SuperDuper and new hard drives. Cleans out most but not all the temp files, logs, and caches, all of which can just clog and interfere with browsers and should be emptied on quit or weekly.
Pretty wide open what a pair of 10K V-Raptor from WD. Or even SSDs.
I assume though that you are somewhat into CS2/3 or something to have upgraded to 8GB RAM.
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Hi Jen:
See if this helps:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=DiskUtility/10.5/en/duh1018.html
"Disk Utility 10.5 Help
Testing and repairing your startup disk
If you have problems with your startup disk, you can use Disk Utility to test and repair it. To do so, you must start up from another disk, such as your Install Mac OS X disc.
Start up your computer using another disk.
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Open Disk Utility.
In the Mac OS X Installer, choose Utilities > Open Disk Utility.
Select the startup disk you want to repair in the list of disks and volumes, then click First Aid.
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And:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300537
"Troubleshooting: My computer displays no video
If your computer won't display video, here's how to troubleshoot it. Please keep in mind that although your computer may display similar symptoms that prevent it from turning on, this article discusses what to do if the computer won't display video, meaning that when you press the power button:
You may hear a startup chime
You may hear fan or drive noise
You may see the power light on the computer light up
If your computer does not turn on, when you press the power button:
You won't hear a startup chime
You won't hear any fan or drive noise
The power indicator on the computer won't light up at all
If your computer is not responding at all, see the Troubleshooting: My computer won't turn on article instead.
If your computer won't display video but you can hear a startup chime, fans, drive noise, or you see the power light turn on, the first question is whether you have an external display attached (such as a Power Mac G4, Power Mac G5, Mac Pro or Mac mini) or if the display is built-in (such as an iMac, eMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iBook or PowerBook).
For external displays
Try these steps to resolve the issue:
Make sure that the monitor is turned on and has power. Make sure that the display's power cord is plugged into a working wall outlet, and that it's properly connected to the power adapter. (To check if the wall socket is working, plug in a lamp or other electrical device.)
Check that all video cable connections to the computer video port and to the monitor are properly connected.
Examine the pins on the video cable connector to make sure they are not bent or damaged in any way.
Connect a known working display (if you have an extra one available). If you see video after doing so, replace your old display.
Reset the computer's parameter RAM. (Click the link for instructions.)
On a Mac mini, reset the computer's PMU. (Click the link for instructions.) For Power Macintosh G3, Power Mac G4, or Power Mac G5 computers, check your user guide for the location of the PMU reset button on the logic board.
Next we're going to check to see if the computer has video when started up from a disc:
Find the Install or Restore disc that came with the computer. Insert the Software Install and Restore disc into your CD/DVD drive. The disc may look something like the picture below.
Shut down your computer.
Once it's off, hold down the C key on the keyboard and start up your computer. This will start up the computer from the Software Install and Restore disc instead of your hard drive.
If you see video when started up from disc, you may have corrupted software. You can use the Archive and Install feature of the Mac OS X installer to reinstall. This kind of installation gives you a fresh version of Mac OS X, but you don't lose any data from the computer as your old information is all archived.
If you tried all of the steps above and the computer still won't display video, contact Apple technical support (1-800-APL-CARE in the U.S.) or take your computer to your local Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) for diagnosis.
For built-in displays
Try these steps to resolve the issue:
Make sure that the power cord is plugged into a working wall outlet, and that it's properly connected to the power adapter. (To check if the wall socket is working, plug in a lamp or other electrical device.)
Make sure that the power adapter is properly connected to the power port on the back of the computer.
Reset the computer's parameter RAM. (Click the link for instructions.)
On an iBook or PowerBook, reset the computer's PMU. (Click the link for instructions.)
Next we're going to check to see if the computer has video when started up from a disc:
Find the Install or Restore disc that came with the computer. Insert the Software Install and Restore disc into your CD/DVD drive. The disc may look something like the picture below.
Shut down your computer.
Once it's off, hold down the C key on the keyboard and start up your computer. This will start up the computer from the Software Install and Restore disc instead of your hard drive.
If you see video when started up from disc, you may have corrupted software. You can use the Archive and Install feature of the Mac OS X installer to reinstall. This kind of installation gives you a fresh version of Mac OS X, but you don't lose any data from the computer as your old information is all archived.
If you tried all of the steps above and the computer still won't display video, contact Apple technical support (1-800-APL-CARE in the U.S.) or take your computer to your local Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) for diagnosis".
-Robert

Please help! 2.7 Power Mac froze, won't start up past white apple screen!

Hello!
I own a Dual processor 2.7 power mac G5. I only had safari and itunes running when everything came to a freeze without any kind of crash message. Upon force-shutting down the computer, the white screen with the gray apple came up, but would not move past this point! I also did not notice any sounds coming from my machine! I force-shutdown and started it up again and the same occurred. I left the room to jump on this computer (my old, trusty G3 iMac) to try and research while I let it try to start up. When I entered back into the room, I heard the fans going a pretty full-blaze with the white screen w/ apple still starring at me. So I shut it down and came here to post. If it is major issue, at this point, I just want all of my data to be safe. Can someone help me? Any ideas or suggestions? I am not thinking too clearly.

Hi-
Don't give up yet.
There are a few things to try before hauling the machine in for diagnosis.
What I think you should do now, is to follow all the steps (in order) as listed/described in this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2570
Even if you have tried before, please follow the order of troubleshooting.
Each step helps to isolate the problem.
Removing all but keyboard, mouse, and monitor is important.
Try the Safe Mode boot, followed by resetting the PRAM.
In lieu of repairing with Disk Utility, try and start to your DiskWarrior disk.
Remember, booting to Disk warrior can take several minutes, so be patient.
In the "Remove third-party RAM and internal hardware" step, try removing and reseating the RAM, and graphics card, attempting to boot after RAM, and again after graphics card.
Instructions for removal and replacement are here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22565
Also, it wouldn't hurt to try booting the G5 to firewire target disk mode.
but I wonder what my G5 (the fans, in particular) would make of that interaction. hmm . . .
The fans are just noisy. They will insure that overheat damage doesn't occur.
If the firewire boot is successful, it may be wise to copy your files so that you can try a reinstall of the OS, should that be necessary.
Also, again worst case, check for coolant leakage:
http://www.fusina.net/G5coolantleaks/gallery.php
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/G5coolantleaks.html

Problems with iMac G5, power mac, strange effect on icons

i ve got very strange effects on every icon on the display.
like grey error
i did a screenshot... but i do not know if i can upload it on this page...
i have no idea what i can do...
its an old imac 20 inch.
G5 with 2 GHz Power PC G5
2 GB DDR
with Mac OS X, version 10.4.11
you can see the effect in my uploaded photo... in my profil...
if you have any idea...
that would be great
thanks
anke

It appears to be either a bad graphics card, or bad capacitors on the motherboard.
If you have a non-iSight G5 iMac, you can take the back off your iMac and inspect the capacitors visually. There are 28-30 capacitors standing up off the board like tiny little cylinders. Look for dark spots, bulges, or leaks. If they okay, it's probably the graphics card.
I had a similar situation, and mine was a bad graphics card.
Capacitors can be replaced by an experienced electronics repair person for about $250-$350. The capacitors themselves are cheap, it's the labor.
The graphics card could probably be replaced, but it would be a used replacement part and probably similar costs.
Better to use the money on upgrading to a new computer.
Good luck.

Need help with upgrading my browser

I need help to upgrade my window browser, which I use msn 9. I have java 1.5.02 or higher but won't be able to work with.

Start by checking if you can run Snow Leopard:
Requirements for OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard'
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP575
Whilst Apple withdrew Snow Leopard from their stores, you can still get it from Apple by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE (if you are in the USA) and they will supply the SL DVD for $20 for a single user, or $30 for a family pack that covers up to 5 Macs. You can also purchase the code to use to download Lion from the same number (Lion requires an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and 2GB of RAM, running the latest version of Snow Leopard), or you can purchase Mountain Lion from the App Store - if you can run that:
http://www.apple.com/osx/specs/
If you are outside the US call your national Apple Helpline:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
If you're in the UK, use this number: 0871 508 4400
When you have installed it, run Software Update to download and install the latest updates for Snow Leopard.
UPDATE:
OS 10.6 Snow Leopard is once again available from the Apple Store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
and in the UK:
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
but nobody knows for how long it will be available.
To use iCloud you have to upgrade all the way to Mountain Lion:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4759

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