Like many of you, when I get a new computer, I typically toss the documentation back into the box, no matter how compelling it looks. I’ve met people who read it front to back, and sometimes, there is helpful information therein. But I’m reckless and prefer to dive right in, figuring things out on my own.
On cold nights though, it can be fun to dive back in to the technical information available to you with a cursory search in Apple’s support section of their website. To get started, go here:
https://support.apple.com/manuals/powermac
I decided to dig back in case I had missed something before per the oddities that happen between our G5s and certain Solid State Drives (SSD). Was there a particular feature to the Serial-ATA implementation that could be a clue? Was there something special about either drive bay?
Here are the three documents I picked through:
I’m not saying this stuff is riveting reading, but it might be worth tracking down these documents for your particular G5 for a quick browse. For example, I found at least a couple of things that I did not know.
On Additional PCI Cards
When you install additional cards, install the highest bandwidth card in slot 3. Follow these guidelines: Install a second PCI Express card in slot 3, a third in slot 4, and a fourth in slot 2. This takes advantage of the bus bandwidth of each slot.
If you have a 30-inch Cinema Display or two 20/23-inch displays
You can connect a 20-, 23-, or 30-inch Apple Cinema Display to DVI port 1 and a 20- or 23-inch Apple Cinema Display to DVI port 2.
On Additional Video Cards
Important: Combined maximum power consumption for all four PCI Express slots must not exceed 200 watts (W). The total combined maximum video random access memory (VRAM) for all graphics cards is 1 GB (for example, you can install one 512 MB VRAM card and two 256 MB VRAM cards for a total of 1 GB of VRAM).
Unfortunately, I did not find anything helpful around the Serial-ATA implementation, other than a reminder to use the original SATA cables that came with your G5. That’s not so helpful though. Have fun doing your own search for the important questions you need answered!
— Nathan