PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0 fan problem

I just bought a Powermac G5 dual 2.0 (June 2004) with 4GB (aftermarket) RAM on eBay that has the 'constant on' fan problem. I have run every series of tests and tricks that I found on the internet and it is still stuck. The machine runs flawlessly, all benchmark tests that I have performed have been completed successfully. In addition, I have done the following:
The door/deflector sensors are working properly, no red LED on the board
I ran all of the OF and OSX ASD 2.5.7 tests on it and they came back clean.
I reset the PRAM, the SMU, PMU and did the NVRAM resets in OF.
I repaired the disk permissions
I reseated the video card
The machine is spotlessly clean inside
All temperature sensors are functioning properly, and the Dashboard thermal readouts I downloaded show the temps are well within normal parameters.
I zeroed the HD and installed a fresh copy of OSX10.5
Nothing I have done has affected the problem at all... Does anyone have any suggestions on what else I can try to solve this problem?
Thanks,
Joe

I'm sorry nothing worked. I should have known you would have tried those things. The thing about tiger and fan issues I heard about just a few days ago. You saw which versions were fixed and unfixed though right? Right. Reduced power does nothing too I guess. And turning off sleep. It just doesn't sound like the Jet Sounds that other users have reported regarding their fans and sleep or where the fans go into Panic mode to cool the CPU Temps. Speaking of which I recommend Temperature Monitor to see just what temps you're running at. If they are too high that might be the one explanation.
And one wise Mac forum guru from Japan said something to the effect that most fan issues had something to do with USB problems. I hope he'll chime in, he's very good.
What else... false sensor readings? I have no clue as to where they really are to fix.
I sympathize because I've had fan problems of my own since I bought this mac used about two years ago. Loud revving up and down on Highest power setting... sounds like a demented banshee. Luckily I can just run on reduced power and it keeps the worst at bay.
The Mac I had before this one was a Dual 2.0 like yours. It was a rock solid performer for several years before I put leopard on it. Within a week it was dead as a doornail.
Well I think I've exhausted my ideas on this one. I'll keep thinking about it though. Oh, two more. The first, some kind of cool enclosure that muffles the sound without killing your Mac. The second, and what would be my preferred method if I was rich, would involve a very large hammer and...
Anyway, I really hope you solve this, Joe. If you do, post back and let me know how you did it.
Ack, looking back at your original post I see you already did some of the things above. Sorry, it's late and I'm too tired to edit.
Ok, one last thing I don't think you said but just occurred to me. Have you looked under the cpu cover to see if anything is amiss there?
That's it, I'm spent for now.
Good luck.
Steve

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Power mac G5 dual, startup and fan problem

Dear macpeople,
I have a Power mac G5 dual, 1.8 ghz, ramm 4.5GB. I guess from 2004. Only added more Ram three years ago. Never had any serious problem till a week ago. I have read a lot of similar questions and responses on my problem in this forum but till so far i have not been able to solve it.
Since a couple of weeks my mac sometimes did,nt recover from sleep. Starting up gave me some trouble because the fans were racing like **** and i had to restart several times to be able to boot normally. In the beginning just the upper fan next to de CD player ran fast and loud but now all of them get crazy at start up. Very rare times G5 is able to recover this (fans slowing down) and boot up, but this only in the safe mode.
I have cleaned the mac
i have resetted PRAM
i have used utility disk, all ok
i have unplugged for 40 min, reset in the machine, safe start up.
Checked memory
The only way to boot is in the safe mode. The fans start blowing fast but after 4 min. they slow down then the blue screen appears and mac builds up normally. But when i leave it for more than 1 hour in the sleep mode it will not recover, although i hear the normal sound of awaking/ accelerating disc. The screen keeps black and after a few minutes fans start blowing at full speed. Pushing 4 sec. the on/off button pulls it off.
I hope that someone can help me to solve this problem (me not being a tecnician at all) or that someone can give me a kind of diagnostic so that i can check the costs of profesional reparation. And start saving money for a new machine.
Any one any clue? Help would be very apreciated
Thnks

See if the Disk is issuing any S.M.A.R.T errors in Disk Utility...
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH7029
Open console in Applications>Utilities, check the system log for the date/time of the last problem & the Startup right after that for clues.
Get Temperature Monitor to see if it's heat related...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12381/temperature-monitor
iStat Menus...
http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/
And/or iStat Pro...
http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/
If you have any temps in the 70°C/160°F range, that's likely it.
One way to test is to Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, Test for problem in Safe Mode...
PS. Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive
Reboot, test again.
If it only does it in Regular Boot, then it could be some hardware problem like Video card, (Quartz is turned off in Safe Mode), or Airport, or some USB or Firewire device, or 3rd party add-on, Check System Preferences>Accounts>Login Items window to see if it or something relevant is listed.
Check the System Preferences>Other Row, for 3rd party Pref Panes.
Also look in these if they exist, some are invisible...
/private/var/run/StartupItems
/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/StartupItems
/System/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Powermac g5 dual 2.0 fans run too slow, overheats the freezes.

My G5 processor fans seem to always run at the same speed, 300-345 rpm. I know this deviates from the common fan over- revving issue with powermacs but recently it now will freeze up and I get the grayed out curtain telling me to power off with the power button. I've monitored the temps and noticed that when running multiple apps or just one like Aperture the temps begin to increase and when they reach 145-148ºF it freezes up. I've repaired permissions, reset PMU but nothing. Is there any way to adjust or rest fan control in console or is there an aftermarket auxiliary fan I can use to provide better cooling? Oh, yes I've vacuumed and blew out any dust on the processors.
Thanks
Pete

Robbert,
Thanks for your reply. I decided to try a fix to cool the processor temps and it seems to have worked albeit rather unconventional and honestly after dealing for over a year with an out of control dual 2.7 (my previous computer) until it just self destructed, I really had nothing to lose. I went to Walmart, bought a $15.00 3 speed fan which interestingly is same color as the powermac and is a cylinder type with two exhaust outlets that cover the entire motherboard height. Removed the clear plastic air deflector but covered a piece of paper with aluminum foil and inserted it into the tab slot to fool the computer. Opened CS3, Aperture & Corel paint. Temps quickly went to 137+. Turned on the fan to high and saw temps drop to 120º. Opened several more apps to try to cook the processor but highest temp was 125, Kept running all apps for hours and no shut down. When just running Aperture I turn fan to low. I have not been able to run Aperture for more than a few minutes fro months so this to me is great. I also noticed that when I just removed the air deflector temps went down about 4º. As I said I had nothing to lose and I think it's an accepted fact that a majority of powermacs had/have serious cooling issues. I'm happy.

PowerMac G5 Dual 2.7ghz FAN Noise

Hello,
I'm starting to get tired of the fan noise in my Dual 2.7ghz.
It simply goes up and down........like waves.
It spools up then calms down, I don't know what to do: I reset the PMU, NVRAM, cleaned with compressed air(DUSTER) all the fans, heatsink/radiator on CPU's and still the same annoying noise.
I also installed the latest CHUD but then the spooling of the fans was more frequent so I removed it.
It is sad because, the G5 is quiet besides that but becomes unbearable when the fans kick in.
I browse the net.....the start spooling!!!
At the moment I write this the G5 is quiet but if I'll move to another task they'll start the up and down music
Is there something I missed here...Firmware, etc......
Thank you very much.

Flocarino-
Mine does the same thing. Especially when surfing the web. Best thing to do is set processor speed to highest or lowest in the Energy Saver preference panel. It isn't elegant, but lowest is sufficient for web surfing and keeps the fans from ramping. I guess this is the reason that Apple migrated away from the G5 processor.
You do not indicate how much RAM you have, but increasing it to 2MB will help, 3 or 4MB will help even more.
I tried to mask the noise with iTunes, but the latest version is the worst yet at causing the effect.
Luck-
-DaddyPaycheck

PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5 - Only Boots with Side Cover and Fan Guard OFF!!

I have the strangest problem with my PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5. This has been my Pro Tools rig forEVER.
At some point early last year, my Mac wouldn't boot. It would not see the hard drive, and would show that dreaded alternating icon in the middle of the screen indicating as much. I tried resetting, tried power off/on, tried resetting PRAM. Nothing. I took the cover off, and fan guard off to get at the hard drive. Verified the data and power cable were seated in hard drive. Cover still off, I booted up the system. Voila!!! Booted right up like nothing was ever wrong. I put the cover back on, and went about my business, passing it off as a one-off power glitch (the power in my house ***** rocks). Next time I rebooted the Mac, the exact same thing happened.
I can repeat this at will. If I leave the cover on, the system will not ever, ever boot. The minute I take the cover and fan guard off, causing the fans to spin at max speed when turned on, the system boots without issue. So, I reset PRAM and PMU. I even tried replacing that green/white cylindrical battery on the motherboard. Reseated power/data cable on hard drive. ****, I even tried a different hard drive and memory (explained below). No change.
Since then, I have relegated this system to the emergency backup system, and procured Dual 2.7 G5 PowerMac. I transferred the pro tools cards, hard drive (without formatting it) and memory (8 GB) to this new 2.7, and have not had a single, solitary issue with it. So, I know it's not the hard drive, memory, OS install, or Pro Tools cards.
What in the name of the Apple Gods could be causing this issue? Any ideas at all?

Hi Chris,
Good info & work so far, but indeed strange, only thing I can think of is something to do with that little switch for the fan cover... near the bottom as I recall, but it may be some kind of short in it's circuit.

Fans only run slow, not fast on PowerMac G5 Dual 2.3

I've noticed recently that some occasional kernal panics seem related to the fact that under a heavy load my processor fans are not revving up. This is on my olde PowerMac Dual 2.3 from some time ago. We have the same model at one of our workstations at work and the fans kick in and out as we render, so I know what a healthy PowerMac G5 Dual 2.3 should sound like.
I've checked inside the case... the two fans in front of the processors are running, just really slow. The same with the two rear fans. I can't get them to spin up faster when doing anything processor intensive. Seems like it's been like this for a while, though it was definitely not always like this as I recall a few mornings where I found it in jet engine mode.
The white tab on the clear plastic internal cover is seated correctly... I don't know where any other sensors might be.
I ran the Apple Hardware Test from my original gray install disc... upon booting into the test I was surprised to hear the fans revving up to full speed. On the first run the computer had no problems. After a reboot into the OS and then another reboot back into the test disc, the full speed fans just locked up the OS choice screen and I couldn't get past it.
I see plenty of posts here regarding loud, fast fans that won't spin down... but I don't find too many with this problem.
Can anyone shed any light on this?
Thanks,
Dave

I run BOINC on my Power G5 and it places a full load on the processors for as long as the application is up. I find the fans are not very loud if you have done a proper dust cleaning of the computer. This includes cleaning out the power supply that's located in the very bottom of the case. If you think you have a problem I suggest you look into Istat Pro from http://bjango.com/. This will allow you to look at the fan speed to determine if you have a problem or if things are running normal. Under full load, my fan data looks something like this.
Drive bay 1000 rpm
Backside 1100 rpm
CPU A intake Around 800 rpm
CPU B intake Same as CPU A
CPU A exhaust About 30 RPMs higer that CPU A intake
CPU B exhaust Same as CPU A exaust
Slots Intake 1560 RPM
The only fans that seem to change much based on load are the CPU fans and with no load they may drop to about 500 RPM. Under full load on a warm day and the system in need of having the dust clean out I have seen the fans go up to 950 RPM. The fans that made the most noise were the Power Supply fans when I missed blowing out the power supply for a while.
The G5 processor is able to run at temperatures up to the boiling point of water but it truth I have never seen mine get above 164 degrees fahrenheit.
If you have just done a good cleaning of the system, it's possible you have just returned the system to normal operation and extended it's life instead of having a problem.

PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8GHz Booting Up Problem, HELP!

*I have an Apple PowerMac G5 Dual CPU 1.8 GHz.*
*This machine has a problem where it will not always boot up. Basically when the machine is cold, it will powerer up, but then give 3 flashes of the power LED, which signifies a memory error. If you leave the machine on, after warming up for 15~30 minutes, this machine will often be able to be reset and then will boot up normally and work fine. This doesn't work 100% of the time but it does sometimes.*

Hi Kompefx, and a warm welcome to the forums!
How Much RAM do you have, can you pull 2 stick & try it?
See if you can Boot off your Install Disk while holding down the *d key*, (not c key), then run the extended Apple Hardware Test. Some disks require you to use the Option key at bootup to select AHT. Some models have a separate AHT CD.

Powermac G5 Dual 2.0 thermal calibration issue - Fans on full blast!

Hello, I need to do thermal calibration on powermac G5 dual 2.0. Does anyone know where to get ASD dual 2.5.8 discs? I'm afraid to run the computer with fans on full blast. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi, ASD has never been available to the public, but even if somebody had any clues or other suggestions, you & Apple are the only ones that can see your eMail in your profile.

Thermal issues with PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0 Processor

I've been having issues with my fans running super loud for no apparent reason. I have been told that my thermal meter for one of my processors has gone bad and that I have to replace both my processors at a cost of over $800! I am simply wondering if there has been any other issues even similar to this one or if anyone can tell me if I really do have to have both processors replaced for this situation. Also, I am wondering if anyone knows how to run the processor diagnostic where I can view my computers feedback for myself.
I am a starving designer and desperate to fix my biggest tool. Please let me know of any possible suggestions or cheap fixxes. If there is no way around replacing both processors, please let me know of any good mac processor retailers! Thanx all!
-Aron
Powermac G5 Dual 2.0 Processor Mac OS X (10.4.5)

You can check the temps and fans with
http://www.bresink.de/osx/HardwareMonitor.html
or
http://www.kezer.net/thermographx.html
Who has told you what the problem is? Has the G5 been in the shop?
Is there a pattern to the loud fan noise?
Is there a red light on inside?
How warm is the room?
Is there a dust build-up inside the G5?
A simple thing, but is Energy Saver - Processor Performance set to 'Automatic'?

AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band is reporting problems?

Hi.
I can not find an answer for my error-problem:
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band is reporting problems!
I have an optimum on line cable modem connected to my AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band.
Ethernet cables connect it 1. into my new Nehalem Mac Pro, 2. into my back-up Quicksilver PowerMac. I also have 2nd gen. iPod touch works on WiFi.
This set-up has been working well but now I daily get the above error. Sometimes it says also: You have different locations set-up and it asks me to go through the set-up procedure. May be I did the initial set-up incorrect. I don't quite understand "locations" and it's purpose.
Also the Airport runs very hot so I put a small fan in front of it. A few times I had to disconnect the cable mains to reset and get back my service. Please help.
W.W.

Walter Wedler wrote:
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band is reporting problems!
I have an optimum on line cable modem connected to my AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band.
Ethernet cables connect it 1. into my new Nehalem Mac Pro, 2. into my back-up Quicksilver PowerMac. I also have 2nd gen. iPod touch works on WiFi.
This set-up has been working well but now I daily get the above error. Sometimes it says also: You have different locations set-up and it asks me to go through the set-up procedure. May be I did the initial set-up incorrect. I don't quite understand "locations" and it's purpose.
Can you tell what's telling you about those locations? An Apple AirPort unit can maintain different "configurations" so that it could be used in different locations without a complete reconfiguration. However, I don't believe they're ever referred to as "locations". On the other hand, a Mac can have multiple "locations" defined in the Network panel of System Preferences. Those can be useful if the Mac is used in different places with different arrangements.
If your AirPort Extreme is having problems the status light on the front will probably be amber. If you launch AirPort Utility and double-click on the AirPort Extreme item on the left, you should be able to see more details about the problem.

Power supply fan problem?

My G5 has been making this noise intermittantly - but more often - and it seems to be coming from the area near the bottom of the computer, underneath the main compartment where the processors, HD, etc are. It sounds like a dying fan or the like to me. What do you think? Is there anything I can do, or should I bring it in to Apple?
http://www.nd.edu/~jcolman/noise.aif
PowerMac G5 (Dual 2.3) Mac OS X (10.4.4)

I had a similar problem. You can try cleaning the fans first, but you may have a bad bearing in one of the fans. I ended up having the PS replaced.
Cleaning a Power Mac G5's Power Supply Fans >>
To troubleshoot the problem, put the computer to sleep, stick the plastic nozzle from a can of compressed air though the front grill on the lower right as the red arrows indicate to block one of the PS fan blades from going around. Wake the computer back up and see if the noise is still there. Mine wasn't, so I pulled the nozzle out while the computer was running and the noise started up when the fan started running. I knew I had a bad fan motor then and had the PS replaced. There are two PS fans as you can see in the picture, so you can test each one this way. Good luck!
-Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
Join Us @ MacOSG.com
 An Apple User Group 
MacOSG Podcast >>
Disclaimer required by Apple Discussions Terms of Use: MacOSG - a non-profit Apple User Group - may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

PowerMac G5 Dual 2GHz freezes any time, boots sometimes with one processor

Since two weeks I experience freezes at different up-and-runnng time. It could happen at grey startup screen (after a while fan goes wild), could be after some minutes working in a full booted user environment.
I run AHT several times, no error reported. When I took out all RAM except for Apple RAM, it still freezes at some time.
Now, by random, my machine starts sometime with only one processor and is stable for hours (only the fan runs higher and cpu load is most of the time near 100 percent). Activity shows one bar only, System Info says: Number of CPUs=1. I have no idea which processor runs and which "sleeps" deadly. iStat tells only about CPU A as having a temperature, the fans of CPU A run higher, but the fans of CPU B run also on a lower level.
The "U3 Heatsink" reads 65-70 degree Celsius. Is that (too) high?
Only once I got a kernel panic during verbose startup. It read:
"System failure: cpu=1; code =00000001 (corrupt stack)
unalined fram address: 0x00000001"
I am tempted to shut down one CPU with Open Firmware command, but will it be the defect one? At least the machine is doing something regular then, but is slow...
Any help is much welcome!
Yours, Whoopy

My PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0 also has this problem.
It all started one sad afternoon a month or so ago. I noticed that my computer was on and the fans were on full speed. As soon as I moved the mouse to shut it down, I got the wheel of death!
I had no choice but to do a force shutdown.
The next day, I turn my computer on and it just stayed on the gray screen with the dark gray apple, and no spinning thingy.
So once again, I had to force shutdown.
Pressing the 'Option' key did gave me the screen where one can select where to boot from; the main HD, booting CD, etc. but none of the worked.
When I chose to boot from my internal HD or from the restore CD it would just get stuck on the gray screen with the apple logo.
I pressed the PMU button = no change
I did a PRAM reset = it brought my G5 to life but then a few minutes later it froze and history repeated itself.
Did a PRAM reset again and this time didn't work.
Tried booting from my PowerBook G4 HD via firewire = frozen gray screen
When I pressed the 'T', i get the FireWire logo and I'm able to boot my G5's HD using my PowerBook G4. But when I put my G4 on firewire mode and try to boot my G5 by selecting the OS of the G4, I still get the frozen screen, so the problem is not with the HD.
One time I was able to boot my G5 from the 'Restoration CD' and I used the Utilities to Fix permisions, and repair the HD but still the computer would freeze and same old story.
Since I got this problem, It has work normal only 3 occasions but no longer than an hour until the fans go crazy and freezes.
I tried different memory sticks and no improvement.
My AppleCare expired on May, and my G5 went down 2 or 3 months after that.
This feels part of an strategy called "Get a(nother) Mac". Where comps are design to last just a little after AppleCare expires and then BOOM! no choice but to spend some serious cash on fixing it or use that money plus more to get one of the resent mac which have had some changes since one bought the mac that just went to apple heaven.
Anyways, I feel that the problem will be solved by replacing the two processors, heatsinks, or whatever they called it.
I took apart my G5 today and I'm not sure but it seems that the heatsinks might use some kind of gas to cools the CPUs or Chips and I think that gas is over.
Has anyone swap the heatsink units and noticed any difference?
Here's of the heatsink for the PPC G5 2.0
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2642/g5heatsinksw5.jpg

Powermac G5 dual 2.5 issues!

I purchased a pre-owned Powermac G5 Dual 2.5 ghz. It has 4gb ram and is running Mac OSX 10.5.8. Very shortly after I purchased the computer I had a crash and couldn't get it to start back up. I tried to re-install software and it would go part of the way thru and crash on the install every time. I started the machine in target mode and hooked it to my old trusty G4. I was able to install the software that way with no issues. I then went back to the G5 and tried installing updates, but part of the way thru the updates it would crash saying the update was possibly corrupt, ( these were straight from apple so I doubt that ) thus leaving my g5 unable to restart because of the partial software update. I did the target mode again, this time installing all of the updates using my G4. After all was said and done, I was back to where i had started when i bought it. I now keep to be getting freeze issue with the machine. I can be online using safari and all of a sudden I get the spinning color wheel. When this happens I can not even force quit the app, it will just sit there spinning away. Tonight i tried opening firefox and it started up and ran for a few minutes before freezing also. A few days ago I had tried to burn a dvd using toast, and that app also froze up and would not let me force quit. I have not had any issues like this from my G4, and after trying resetting the SMU, PRAM and many many hard restarts, I am no closer to knowing what the issue could be. Any help or ideas for me to try would be much appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Have you blown the dust out of it since you got it?
Possibly a temperature problem or bad RAM/RAM slots.
Get Temperature Monitor to see if it's heat related...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12381/temperature-monitor
iStat Menus...
http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/
And/or iStat Pro...
http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/
If you have any temps in the 70°C/160°F range, that's likely it.
The Memory test can really only be trusted if it finds a problem, not if it doesn't find a problem.
Memtest OS X...
http://www.memtestosx.org/joomla/index.php
Rember is a freeware GUI for the memtest ...
http://tech.kateva.org/2005/10/rember-freeware-memory-test-utility.html

PowerMac G5 dual core resolution

I'm having problems reaching the native resolution on a 26" Dell W2607C LCD-TV.
Should the factory fitted nvidia 6600LE (PCI Express) be able to support 1366x768 pixels? I've read that the single-link DVI port supports up to 1920x1200.
PowerMac G5 Dual Core 2.0GHz Mac OS X (10.4.3)

been a bit foolish here...
installed switchresx, unable to make custom resolution 1366x768 active. Then realised monitor was connected to DVI-2 so moved it over to DVI-1 and restarted G5. Voila I have a host of new resolutions that fit the bill perfectly.
Just not sure whether it would of worked without switchresx!
Thanks for the advise.

Dual 2Ghz G5 Fans Ramp Up with Final Cut Pro 5

Hey all,
Somewhere amidst the release of OS X 10.4.3 and Final Cut Pro 5.0.4, our first generation Powermac Dual 2Ghz G5's fans will occasionally ramp up for 30-60 seconds, then die back down, several times a day. And when I say ramp up, I mean they go from as quiet as they can, to as loud as they can, and then slowly idle back down. On days I don't use Final Cut, the Powermac stays quiet. There's probably not a solution to this that Apple themselves won't have to fix with an update, but I was just curious if I'm the only one experiencing this. Thanks.

Hi Fathertime,
Thanks for your response. I'm rather late returning, but I wanted to follow-up on this. My Dual 2Ghz's fans didn't used to ramp up so obnoxiously like this, except when there was actually good reason to. As it is now, merely opening or playing back a simple DV video timeline causes the fans to ramp up to warp speed, and then slowly die back down multiple times throughout a workday. Needless to say, it makes audio tweaks and adjustments quite difficult when trying to listen closely and the computer keeps getting louder and louder...
I'd wager that this issue arrived for me with a Software Update, although I have no idea which one. I'm currently running the most recent versions of everything Apple-related. Motion 2.0.1 is now endlessly crashing on me too, so maybe it's time to wipe this noisy monster clean.

PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0 fan problem

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