[NDBounce]

I just purchased an iMac G4, mostly because I view it as a piece of art.

I am looking to use this as a photo frame, and maybe to play music from time to time via iTunes.

I am going to run OS 10.4.11 on this machine, which is a 1.0Ghz G4, 17" Mac, with 512MB Ram.

The machine I purchased had a loud fan. So I disassembled the machine to replace it, and came up with a new thought.

Since I don't need the DVD-Rom, I was thinking of removing the DVD drive all together, and then instead of using a 3.5" hard drive, using a 2.5" hard drive. This would free up a lot of space in the unit. If I do this, I was wondering if I even need a fan in the unit, as the heat should be able to rise and exit the housing at the top through the holes.

Also, I am wondering if simply having the screen saver on will cause the G4 Processor to generate less heat (I don't know if the heat is generated by processor-intensive tasks, or simply by the fact that it is left on).

So my question is, given how I intend to use the iMac, if I pull the DVD Drive as well as the 3.5" HD, and replace it with a laptop drive, can I get away without using a fan, thus giving me a virtually silent 17" photo frame Mac?

Thank you,

O
B unce!

[Waragainstsleep]

Interesting questions.

Your biggest heat producers are all on the logic board or in the power supply. Changing out the drive for a smaller form factor will save you a few watts, maybe 10 or so but as you point out, you are going to get much better airflow through the case.

The PSU is right at the top of the dome so its heat is going out fairly quick anyway. Its the CPU and sometimes the GPU which will be making the most heat. Strangely, the screensaver typically causes a lot more heat. Apple likes pretty screen savers, the standard one, Flurry is actually quite hard word, especially for older machines but of course you can change this easily and presumably your intention is to use the screensaver to display photos which will require no 3D work at all so generate very little heat.

The only way to really be sure is to try it out. When you make your internal modifications, make sure the vents near the base are all clear of dust and maybe consider enlarging some of the ventilation holes at the top of the dome while your in there for even better airflow. You could also think about providing some extra ventilation where the DVD slot is/was.

As long as you only use it for showing photos, I don't see you'll have any issues. Just keep a close eye on the temps if you suddenly get tempted to re-encode video or play a game of Unreal Tournament.

If silence and low heat is your goal, you might consider using a 2.5" SSD to boot from. You won't get any speed benefit from it, but it will extend its life and reduce noise to virtually nothing at all.
If you plan to store the photos elsewhere and stream them, then you can get a tiny SSD for fairly cheap.10GB would be more than you need.

Would you be using this unit wireless or wired? If its wired, you can pull the Airport card too. That will also generate some heat.

[P]

Originally Posted by NDBounce 

Since I don't need the DVD-Rom, I was thinking of removing the DVD drive all together, and then instead of using a 3.5" hard drive, using a 2.5" hard drive. This would free up a lot of space in the unit. If I do this, I was wondering if I even need a fan in the unit, as the heat should be able to rise and exit the housing at the top through the holes.

The only way to know is to try it. I think that a better idea is to to buy a big, slower fan (120mm or 140mm) and try to fit that. A big, slow fan will make essentially zero noise by itself, only the "whoosh" of air being moved. If that's hard, just replace the current fan. Fans wear out as the grease in them evaporates, which causes them to become noisier. Search for good, silent fans online - silentpcreview.com is a good place to start.

Originally Posted by NDBounce 

Also, I am wondering if simply having the screen saver on will cause the G4 Processor to generate less heat (I don't know if the heat is generated by processor-intensive tasks, or simply by the fact that it is left on).

Less heat compared to what? Your best bet may be to use a Kill-A-Watt or something to try it out.