Temerature-wise, the G5 is quite cool. The 2.5ghz 970fx's rated maximum power load is 50 watts, while a mobile Athlon 64 on the 90nm process runs at at least 60 watts. Compare this to the 3.8GHz Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition running at over 120 watts, and the G5 suddenly looks cold. The next revision of the G5 (both gx and mp) are designed to be even cooler running, with the gx at 14 watts at 1.8ghz.
I'm just trying to get people to see that their computers don't have complicated cooling systems controlled by more computers inside of itself and custom water cooling because their processors are flaming death-bombs of silicon, but because Apple didn't want to make an inelegant case.
you hit it right on the nose, the G5 is quite cool. however, i get the feeling that these people suck up every last word uttered from apple's mouth.
and apple is certainly trying to make the G5 look like a hot potato, prolly not only so that they can make the pb release a huge surprize, but also cause if its something thats so powerfull it needs watercooling, then its truly must be something to behold (OMFG watercooling?!?!.... please...). the truth is, apple wants to look good, and if they cram a hot cpu, that otherwise has to be watercooled, into an flat screen imac, letalone a powerbook they will look like engineering geniuses. i mean cmon, they said the imac was very difficult, and almost impossible 2 weeks before it was set to ship. (of course the release date got pushed back a little further)
but whatever the case may be, the G5 is not a hot cpu. especially when staked against a "top of the line" intel desktop cpu, which can be squeezed into a laptop. and while those laptops are huge mothers, the CPU puts out well voer 100 watts. (funny story though, the dothan (pentium M) is intel's fastest CPU at 2.3+ ghz, at which it can be cooled passively will a rather small HS)