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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Just got a 17" iMac G5 - no airport

Just got a 17" iMac G5 - no airport
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nickw311
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Jul 2, 2009, 09:16 PM
 
I just got a 17" iMac off of craigslist expecting that my USB Linksys Wireless card woudl work but there is no Mac support - now I am looking into getting an Airport card on ebay but am wondering which ones will work.

Are all iMac airport cards the same - like will an Intel iMac airport card work in here? Will a 20" G5 card work in this one? Is WiFi and Bluetooth built into the same card (I have a bluetooth mouse & keyboard).

Thanks - I'm looking forward to getting on the internet on the new computer!
27" iMac C2D
     
AKcrab
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Jul 2, 2009, 11:10 PM
 
We need more info. iSight camera? Maybe post the processor speed?
     
nickw311  (op)
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Jul 2, 2009, 11:28 PM
 
1.8 GHZ G5, No iSight.
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AKcrab
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Jul 2, 2009, 11:34 PM
 
You need the regular old Airport Extreme Card (802.11/b/g).

I don't know how you'll find a bluetooth card for that machine.. It's the same card used in the following machines:
eMac (2005), iMac (USB 2.0), iMac (17-inch Flat Panel, 1GHz), Mac mini, iMac G5 (17-inch), eMac (USB 2.0), ~VIN,Power Mac G5, Power Mac G5 (Late 2004), iMac G5 (20-inch), Power Mac G5 (June 2004), ~VIN,Power Mac G4 (FW 800).
     
P
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Jul 3, 2009, 05:18 AM
 
There is no Bluetooth card for that model - some iMacs had Bluetooth, but that was a different motherboard revision. USB Bluetooth adapaters work out of the box, though - at least the D-link one I have did, and I seem to remember that they all do.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
ghporter
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Jul 3, 2009, 08:15 AM
 
Generic BT adapters seem to work with OS X-at least from Tiger on-as well. I put a $10 USB adapter in my wife's iBook USB port and she immediately had Bluetooth.

If you want small, Targus has one for about $25 (at Target!) that's about 3/16" longer than the USB connector alone.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
nickw311  (op)
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Jul 3, 2009, 10:24 AM
 
It actually already has bluetooth - what I'm concerned about is that the bluetooth and wifi use the same airport slot and that if I want to put in wifi I'll have to take out the bluetooth adaptor - am I completely mistaken or will that slot be open when I open up the case?
Thanks
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CharlesS
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Jul 3, 2009, 12:57 PM
 
I don't think so - IIRC, the AirPort card was user-installable on that model.

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nickw311  (op)
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Jul 3, 2009, 03:45 PM
 
Thanks for all your help - if anyone else has something to contribute, chime in.
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ghporter
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Jul 3, 2009, 04:58 PM
 
Can you find the model or EMC number? I've been looking at those models and some had non-removable AirPort cards...so it's kind of confusing. It looks like CharlesS is right, but knowing which model would be a definite plus. Apple makes it easier to figure this out (if you have the machine in front of you) with this knowledge base article.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
CharlesS
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Jul 3, 2009, 05:25 PM
 
Some had non-removable AirPort cards, but those were ones that came with AirPort in the first place. The ones that didn't come with AirPort had it as a user-installable part. Once it was standard equipment, it wasn't necessary for the user to be able to install it manually anymore, but if the OP had one of those machines, he wouldn't be needing to install an AirPort card in the first place.

Ticking sound coming from a .pkg package? Don't let the .bom go off! Inspect it first with Pacifist. Macworld - five mice!
     
nickw311  (op)
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Jul 3, 2009, 06:44 PM
 
I actually used this Apple Support Doc:
iMac: AirPort- and AirPort Extreme-Ready Models

And bought this Airport Extreme:
Apple Airport Extreme Card G5 G4 Powerbook iMac eMac - eBay (item 190316665901 end time Jul-03-09 14:49:23 PDT)

Hope it all works! Thanks for all the help!
27" iMac C2D
     
ghporter
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Jul 3, 2009, 06:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by nickw311 View Post
I actually used this Apple Support Doc:
iMac: AirPort- and AirPort Extreme-Ready Models

And bought this Airport Extreme:
Apple Airport Extreme Card G5 G4 Powerbook iMac eMac - eBay (item 190316665901 end time Jul-03-09 14:49:23 PDT)

Hope it all works! Thanks for all the help!
I'm glad you got it figured out. And that's a really good price for the card, too.
Originally Posted by CharlesS View Post
Some had non-removable AirPort cards, but those were ones that came with AirPort in the first place. The ones that didn't come with AirPort had it as a user-installable part. Once it was standard equipment, it wasn't necessary for the user to be able to install it manually anymore, but if the OP had one of those machines, he wouldn't be needing to install an AirPort card in the first place.
That makes sense. Apple's listing of models by year and interface/accessory is what was confusing.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
nickw311  (op)
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Jul 4, 2009, 12:03 AM
 
Thanks for all the help - next step is upgrading the RAM, it only has 1 gig.

I usually buy from MacSales but 2 gigs for this iMac seems kind of pricey ($75+).

Any other suggestions or is that a pretty fair price?
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0157988944
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Jul 4, 2009, 12:27 AM
 
That's a pretty average price for that type of RAM. I had to do almost theses exact upgrades on almost the same G5. It's really easy, it's great how the whole back just comes right off.
     
CharlesS
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Jul 4, 2009, 01:50 AM
 
Originally Posted by nickw311 View Post
Thanks for all the help - next step is upgrading the RAM, it only has 1 gig.

I usually buy from MacSales but 2 gigs for this iMac seems kind of pricey ($75+).

Any other suggestions or is that a pretty fair price?
Newegg has Kingston for $71.

Ticking sound coming from a .pkg package? Don't let the .bom go off! Inspect it first with Pacifist. Macworld - five mice!
     
P
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Jul 6, 2009, 08:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by CharlesS View Post
Some had non-removable AirPort cards, but those were ones that came with AirPort in the first place. The ones that didn't come with AirPort had it as a user-installable part. Once it was standard equipment, it wasn't necessary for the user to be able to install it manually anymore, but if the OP had one of those machines, he wouldn't be needing to install an AirPort card in the first place.
Not quite. The 1st gen iMac G5 had two different motherboard versions - with and without Bluetooth. If it had airport, then it was an expansion card. The 2nd gen - the one with the ambient light sensor and a Radeon 9600 - had both Bluetooth and Airport on the motherboard all the time.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
CharlesS
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Jul 6, 2009, 05:29 PM
 
How does that contradict what I said?

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nickw311  (op)
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Jul 8, 2009, 01:43 AM
 
Originally Posted by CharlesS View Post
Is the iMac really sensitive to brands of RAM? Would it be worth it to get Kingston rather than the mushkin that is a little cheaper?
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P
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Jul 8, 2009, 05:32 AM
 
Originally Posted by CharlesS View Post
How does that contradict what I said?
Your post implies that all iMacs that had Airport on delivery had it on the motherboard. That is not true - 1st gen iMacs delivered with Airport had it installed in the slot, and the card might be removed at a later date.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
P
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Jul 8, 2009, 05:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by nickw311 View Post
Is the iMac really sensitive to brands of RAM? Would it be worth it to get Kingston rather than the mushkin that is a little cheaper?
Macs are not really more sensitive, but any non-name brand on the market will have been tested on the most common Intel chipsets and known to work with them. They may not have been tested to work on the obscure chipset of a five year old Mac. If they follow the standard, they work anyway, but they might not. Brandname RAM is usually tested in more configurations and tends to work reliably.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
ghporter
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Jul 8, 2009, 08:11 AM
 
Originally Posted by nickw311 View Post
Is the iMac really sensitive to brands of RAM? Would it be worth it to get Kingston rather than the mushkin that is a little cheaper?
Mushkin isn't as "off brand" as many others I've seen, but if it's only "a little cheaper" then I wouldn't hesitate to go with the Kingston parts. I'd also check Crucial's price on the same parts. Kingston sells "their own" RAM, but they don't actually make it, while Crucial IS the manufacturer of their own RAM. If Crucial's price isn't significantly higher, I'd go with them.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
CharlesS
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Jul 8, 2009, 01:22 PM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
Your post implies that all iMacs that had Airport on delivery had it on the motherboard.
What I said was:

1. that all the iMacs with non-installable AirPort cards were ones that had it on the motherboard, and

2. that any iMac that didn't already have AirPort thus had it as an installable part.

The idea of the post was that if the guy has reason to install an AirPort card, then it's an installable part on his machine. I think you're taking the converse of one of these statements, which is certainly neither what I said nor what I intended.

Ticking sound coming from a .pkg package? Don't let the .bom go off! Inspect it first with Pacifist. Macworld - five mice!
     
nickw311  (op)
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Jul 13, 2009, 12:46 PM
 
Thanks for all the help, the wireless card is working flawlessly.

Now if you could answer my next round of questions I'd greatly appreciate it :-p

http://forums.macnn.com/58/imac-emac...ve-quiet-cool/
27" iMac C2D
     
   
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