Hi crazy insane mac modders,

This is my first message on insanelymac, and first of all i would like to send huge props to all of you guys who put so much effort on sharing your knowledge here. Great job.

I am currently starting my mac pro hackintosh mod, based on a gigabyte ex58-ud5 mobo and a mac pro case that i bought from scrumpymacs UK ebay shop. The motherboard is probably not the best choice for the mac pro case, as it is a full atx motherboard and for sure i'll have to make some cutting in the top shelf, but i will go for it no matter what it takes.

I just removed all the original wires and started to research how i could remove the top shelf, and ran into my first problem. The top shelf is made of two pieces along with the opening system, and i just don't know how to remove the metal plates without making any damage to the plastic tabs. I removed every screw i found (lots of them, it's amazing how well is this case done) and found myself in this dead end.

I'll put a pic from macbookJoe's hack pro to illustrate this shelf i can't remove:



Could someone please give me some input on how could i remove this shelf without doing any damage?

Thanks in advance, you guys rock!

HI,

I'm guessing your read my thread? as you've clearly found my photo of the shelf.. With your choice of Motherboard (in fact any ATX X58 board) cutting the shelf isnt the best way forward if you intending on a stock MacPro finish.

You see.. the first expansion slot on the X48 board i use is the PCIX slot.. as such the graphics card sits upon the RAM cage just like a real MacPro. You'll find that if you were to cut the shelf the first two slots will be left empty before you get to your GPU. Aqua-Mac tackled this by cutting out a thin strip from the base of the case allowing the board to fit lower lining up the expansion slots you'd still however have the GPU in the second (case) PCI slot.

I'm in the middle of moving my MOD to the i7 platform and have gone with the ASUS GENE II M-ATX to retain the aspect of original design.

the Aqua-Mac forums cover almost every part the MacPro mod process. Go take a look around.

There is a guide there to removing the shelf.. one here too i think... I wrote it.


Quickly... you have to remove the locking handle first, then you remove all the screws around the edges. once there all out you can just left it out i think *rattles his brain* or maybe you have to unscrew ALL the screws holding the two plates together then you can remove the top and bottom parts separately.

Which plastic tabs are you referring too? if its the one (1) shown in the photo above they are simply stuck on and do nothing without the Apple Motherboard.


Good luck.


J.

Cheers MacbookJoe,

Thanks for your reply.

I got inspired by your work and aquamac's to make this build, but i know my limits (i had the mobo before i got the case) and actually i'm not looking for a perfect stock look like yours or aquamacs, but i want it to make it as neat as possible with this configuration

I carefully read aquamac's thread and i managed to get the top shelf out, now it's ready for cutting. I'm sorry for asking before gathering all the information available.

I'll keep you posted about my project, thanks again.

Cool beans, Thanks for the kind words.. I'll keep an eye on your Thread, just holla if you have any questions. Mines in bits again... I'm working on something a little different..

J.