4 replies to this topic

[dolan]

Modding of the G5 for the first time

For ATX Motherboard

Aim

-To create a G5 mod with little hassle and cuts as possible, and make it 'authentic'. Hassle came , was forced to make contingency plans along the way.
-Dual Boot OS X and Windows
-ATX Mod
-To feed something back to the community

Step 1: Purchasing the case

I found a nice one for only £20 on gumtree, but it has a massive scratch down the side lol
Heres an image:
 IMG_0245.JPG   662.68K   71 downloads

Step 2: Purchasing the parts

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R rev 2.0 £142.14
Processor: Intel Core i7 950 £180
Graphics Card: XFX HD 6870 £139
RAM: Corsair 4GB £37.18
PSU: Arctic Power 700W PSU £43.98

EXTRA RANDOM STUFF:
Zammykoo's Rear I/O: £49.87
SATA Cables: £11.50
Front I/O Wiring (Gus.Carrie): £15.50
Motherboard Tray: £32.69
DVI Extension Cable: £5.99

In total the Hackintosh costed £677.89.

Step 3: Sawing the Motherboard Tray

I bought a motherboard tray so that the heavy graphics card and other PCI things is secure.
I didn't want to create custom shelves or drill into my cards or anything lol
Here's a pic:
 IMG_0246.JPG   728.15K   72 downloads

Step 4: Case Fan

I wanted to keep the original location of the case fan. By using a spare fan I found in an old Dell Inspiron, I decided to drill into the original Mac case fan support and added my own.
Here's a pic:
 IMG_0248.JPG   745.8K   59 downloads
(I had to extend the wires too because it was too short)

Step 5: ZAMMYKOOOO!

I used Zammykoo's rear I/O to not cut the original back of the G5
I mounted it to the original standoffs and glued it down in place with expoy
I had some trouble at first because it kept on coming off, and it wasn't aligned but after removing the grey plastic lining, it was fine.
Here's a pic:
 IMG_0258.JPG   671.17K   73 downloads

Step 6: The Graphics port

I made a cut as shown in the picture and placed a DVI-VGA converter as my monitor is VGA
 IMG_0283.JPG   791.42K   71 downloads  IMG_0280.JPG   841.82K   69 downloads

Step 7: POWER

I made an odd connector for the power using scrap metal, power cable and an old PSU (took the plug out)
 IMG_0279.JPG   685.31K   64 downloads

Step 8: Cables and Tidying

I removed the default black wires from the case (shown in the first picture), and replaced them with 2 SATA cables as I intend to use the default drive bays to store the HDDs
I also plugged in the Front I/O wires and CD drive.
Oh yes, I had to remove the front plate of the CD drive or else it won't come through the slot.
 IMG_0278.JPG   686.71K   74 downloads

Step 9: Final Assembled Result

This is how it looks like so far. I've used Epoxy resin to hold the Mobo tray in place and screwed the motherboard into place, inserted the graphics cards etc. As you can see the PSU is in an awkward position, but I couldn't think of an alternative position to place it.

 IMG_0322.JPG   812.57K   110 downloads  IMG_0323.JPG   748.08K   95 downloads

Problems

I "THINK" the two hard drives over heat in the top shelf, because after a while I get stuck at bios... It works fine when I take the hard drives out and run it outside of the case. I tried connecting the HDD fan/blower to the MOBO, but I can't seem to get it to work... Any ideas guys?

FIXED: I added two fans. One blower (original case fan), and one fan from an old PC (it has blue lights I wanted it to not emit anything, oh wells).

Step X: Installing the X

This is truly a d*ck in the ass. If anyone can help it would save me.
Bios settings: ACHI for drives
Used a DSDT found somewhere in the Forums, I'll provide a link if requested.
Methods I have tried:
Kakewalk 4.0 (Lion) FAILED
Reason: Memory stick fails to complete, haven't got a spare memory stick.

iDeneb 10.5.7 (Leopard) FAILED
Reason: Waiting for root device error? Doesn't get past the DVD

iAtkos s3 v2 (Leopard) FAILED
Reason: Waiting for root device error? Doesn't get past the DVD. Restarts randomly.

iBoot/MultiBeast (Snow Leopard) SEMI-WORK
Reason: iBoot works with

-x -v GraphicsEnabler=no PCIRootUID=1

This installs. 1024x768 resolution with OOB internet. Great.
Note: Graphics Card fan spins very loud and scary unless GraphicsEnabler=no is used at every restart.
Did Combo Update to 10.6.8.
Upon using MultiBeast, it fails.
Using GraphicsEnabler=no causes the GFX Card to run normally, but however I get a grey screen

Any other options guys?

UPDATE: Oh my god. It works! I don't fully understand it, but I'll give it a shot at my understanding, ok here goes:

I installed Windows just after assembling my computer, so at least I have an OS to work on, and do every day tasks etc. I used EasyBCD and created a Dual Boot of Windows and OS X (I couldn't specify the location of OS X because it didn't exist).
Then after installing Snow Leopard with iBoot/MultiBeast, with no hope left...I plugged both HDDs in to boot into windows. I then took my chances once again and selected OS X from the windows Boot loader, and BAMM, it worked :S
God knows why Chameleon RC5 or the iBoot boot loader didn't work

Special Thanks:

This Forum for advice and tips
Zammykoo for the rear I/O, or else I would've done a cut mod
Dad, for his amazing metal work skills

[zammykoo]

Hey dolan,

Good to see you are starting on your project. If you need any assistance/pointers I'll be around to help.

Cheers!

[cheeky]

Looks awesome matey, looking into building my own rig using a G5 case, and pretty much to the same spec as yours, so I'll be keeping a watchful eye on this thread for any hints and tips you can give!

[dolan]

Updated it just now.
I'm having serious difficulties with OS X
If anyone can help it me out it would be excellent.

EDIT: Works!! check the first post

[dolan]

Just wondering...
Can I just use the G5 original blower to cool the hard drives?
It's awfully loud having 3 fans