43 replies to this topic

[nikkokick]

UPDATE 28/3


Hi everyone!

Sorry for the long wait! Different reasons for me not being able to update until now, some of them you can read about in this update!

I also welcome my new sponsors! Antec (I have now received their package), Quiet PC and Djungelapa.se!
You can read about these new sponsors in the first post of this thread! I have updated that post.


http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/


http://www.quietpc.com/


http://www.djungelapa.se/

Enjoy the latest update!


This update will be about how I solved the "problem" with getting the motherboard in place as the PowerMac G5 has a different standard on how the distances are set. Also, I'm updating with new partners!
Please check at the top of the page for partners / sponsors.
I welcome Antec (now that I have received the product), Quiet PC and Djungelapa as my new partners.

Originally I was going to use my motherboard plate I got from Mountain Mods. With this motherboard plate, I would cut the back of the case to replace the PCI slots and the I/O. Unfortunately, I discovered while the package was already on it's way to Swedent that the 120mm plate is too wide to fit on the back of the PowerMac G5. I immediately realized that this would be a decent obstacle but I knew I could tackle it in some way.
With that said, if you are going to order a motherboard plate from Mountain Mods order the plate with 2 x 80mm fan instead! This plate fits easily in the back, it's only the 120mm version that is too wide.
Other than that, Mountain Mods do have outstanding customer support. Replies quick and they do offer friendly service, exactly what you expect and want from a online-store! In addition to radiate their motherboard plate quality at a high level and to have the opportunity to screw together and apart for yourself how you want is a huge plus in the edge. The beautiful finish on the plate fits in with everything and looks to belong in the case originally, just because it fits so good, both geometrically and with the looks.



I had been able to solve the problem (that the PCI plate was too wide) by not using the plate at all, but instead use only the plate motherboard would sit on that basis in the chassis, and then let the whole back to stay original and unmodified. It looks better because it will remain as the original, but the downside is that only 4x PCI slots will be available.

However, if I would have done so had nothing would fit in the PCI-slots, because as you probably can see the plate is approx 1cm wider than it should be, if I want to use any PCI-slots.


This can be tackled in two ways. I could cut the plate to the part of the plate that stands out and thus get the plate PCI-holes and the case PCI hole to lie in the same place, or I could move the motherboard approx 1cm so that it just ends up outside so that the motherboard tray and the case PCI-slots line up.
I chose to move the motherboard sideways to make it fit.

Here we can see when I've moved the motherboard and I measuring where the new spaces will sit.


Approximately 1cm to the side and a few millimeters down.


Out with the drill and lets drill! Drilling holes where I put markers and spacers to fit.


Here we see a non-screwed down spacer in its new hole, looking good!


Did the same for the remaining eight holes. Here we see all the spacers in their new holes. They were a little tough to get down but now they are sitting there!


The modified motherboard plate positioned in the case for a test of how it will look like. Now you should understand what I meant when I said that you had to move the motherboard about 1 cm to enable the usage of PCI ports


How would I attach the motherboard plate in the case? It must surely be attached good if it is to keep holding all components 24/7 when there is a motherboard, video card, coolers, etc.

Motherboard plate has the screw holes where the plate with the PCI ports must be bolted, but since I would not use the PCI plate these holes where empty and available for me. I thought I could get myself a pair of 6-32 screws (standard computer screws that even the hole is)with a lenght of 3cm stuck in. This had meant that I had to drill holes in back of the case and then put them threw, the current holes in the mesh are too small.
I found out pretty quickly that there was no further idea as it had destroyed the back a little if you had 4pcs screw heads that appeared.
I came up with another solution.

Motherboard plate that the motherboard is on I've drilled new spacers to, which means that the original holes are empty.


The brilliant idea struck me to take a pair of spacers, but to attach the in original holes but to the back of the plate! In this way, this had become like little "legs" which you then could glue it to the case. 9pcs small "legs" should hold up the plate, especially if you pull on with an extra strong glue.
I was lucky that the distances were just as long as the edge of the motherboard plate, ie the motherboard plate had not been raised further by the new "legs", but only got a better grip! Wonderful!



I thought I had finally come to my final solution, and thus was ready to attach the spacers / legs. I measured several times and I never got it directly straight, at certain points on the plate, it was unbalanced, some "legs" where touching the case while others were floating.. It turned out that it was the chassis bottom that was not plain sailing. This disturbed me tremendously and since I am careful to do the very best of this project I didn't attach the motherboard tray this way. I would rather take more time on me and get it exactly as I want!


As a result, I decided to dump the idea that I have been doing for 4 weeks planning, measuring and testing. Now I just had to start from scratch with the planning of how I should attach the motherboard.

Here I stopped using Mountain Mods motherboard tray because of the above reasons. But they are obviously still my partners and I thank them very much for that!
Remember! Buy their motherboard plate with 2x 80mm fans so it will fit perfectly!



Since I still wanted to keep the original look of my chassis so I went all that way. I decided to take the original spacers  were the PowerMac G5 motherboard had been and move them to new places, so it would be a normal ATX standard.


So I started to take these spacers off from the bottom of the chassis with a pair of pliers, came off fairly easily.



I measured out where the motherboard would sit with the video card installed. When I found the place where it should be so I took out a pen and marked where the spacers were to be attached.


Filled in with a green pen to clarify.


How should I mount these spacers? Well, I glue them with some strong glue! However, we all know that the glue does not stick very well on smooth surfaces but adheres better on rough and uneven.
It was just pulling out a screwdriver and start to scratch the metal!


The first time I scratched metal without feeling bad about it: P Now the spacers should be able to attach properly.


I purchased myself a brand UHU glue. I was in love with this glue at first smell. The hardener was a smell of something wonderful, but I could not figure out what. After an hour, then I came to mind the smell of gingerbread, and I was convinced of this. However, a number of days after that I smelled on the curing agent again, and came up with the smell of "degestivekex"! So wonderfully good crackers, especially with butter and cheese (The crackers are from Sweden).
In addition, the glue should be able to hold up to 300kg/cm2, okay, I thought! If it dries at room temperature it will "only" be able to hold 120kg/cm2, still pretty overkill for just attaching a motherboard. Each spacer is a little less than 1cm in diameter, so it'll hold it with no problems.


I mixed up the two different parts of the glue and since I had bought the version of the glue that is long-hardening (12 hours) so I did not feel any stress to smear on it.
I smeared the glue on all 9pcs distances while the motherboard was upside down and distances pointing upward.




How would I get motherboard spacers to stay in place and allow the adhesive to cure? I could not just place the motherboard into the chassis and leave it because all 9pcs spacers did not touch the chassis at the same time, some hovered 2mm above the bottom of the case while others came in contact.
One option was to take the motherboard with the spacers attached, then put it in the case with glue and finally put a lot of weights (in the form of tools, flour bag, candle holders, etc.) to drive down the spacers against the case so that they would sit.
Since the motherboard is borrowed from my friend I did not want to do this, and that if I had done in that way I could accidentally move  the motherboard out of position when I put on all weights.

How did I do this without using me of weights as described above?

I took the motherboard with spacers screwed and glue to the bottom of them and placed the motherboard in the chassis where I wanted it. But then we are back to the problem, some distances are floating in the air and others are making contact.



This was where you had to grab the surgeon hands and be careful!

I did so I gently gently unscrewed the screws that were in the spacers and did not touch the motherboard at all. This meant that the motherboard was resting on the spacers, but without that they were screwed. Since the spacers had glue underneath so they are less sensitive to being disturbed out of position than if they had not had glue which resulted in that I could do in this way.
As we see in the pictures the spacers are in position even after I removed the screws!


I lifted the motherboard very very gently and assured me that I wasn't touching anything that could get spacers to move. I did this, and leaving only the distances of glue underneath. Since the distances are now not set screwed to the motherboard so there was no "floating" in the air, but all had contact with the case!
Wonderful! Problems solved:



The next day I looked to the case that had been left to dry over the night.
I put back the motherboard with some of the spacers screwed just to see if they were still good, and yes! All distances set as they were, no had moved, they had all been kind and not moved from the spot


Now I could finally see how the motherboard sits when the chassis is up! Looks good, I think, nice and easy.


Here we see the power supply in place with the motherboard. Handsome worse I think! 8pin cable is perfect, is barely visible.
24pin cable is slightly longer, resulting in that it can be seen more. However, this will be remedied by I hide it in some handsome manner, or that I just shorten it by shortening all 24 cords. We shall see later on!


And here we have the video card in place. PCI cables are a little in the way and not very discreet, but this will obviously be fixed so they are seen as little as possible and will be neatly placed there!


The back of the chassis in the PCI slots. The graphics card sits perfect!.


Here we see the I / O in the back. Here, using Apple own standard, resulting in a modding required. How do I go about this is still planned, but it is inclined to cut a large hole and make the edges neat. Although it is not completely original then, but it becomes practical. Can not always have it both stylish and practical, sometimes you have to choose one of the things.
But there might be a chance I'll connect the ports to the motherboard in some way, gotta do some planning!


Hope you find this interesting!

More to come,
Best Regards
Nikkop

[Jack Donker]

I just started A G5 Mod as well. But I won't cut of the back of the case. I hate that. I love your project though. Really nice pictures. But I will put my motherboard more to the left and use extension cables to put them right the the original G5 input place. So I will keep it Vanilla looking. But because I need more Audio ports I got myself an old Soundcard. Cutted of the aluminium and putted it in an empty bay on the G5 and used extension audio cables to add them right to place. I will post pictures later.

[nikkokick]

Jack Donker, on 01 April 2012 - 07:29 PM, said:

I just started A G5 Mod as well. But I won't cut of the back of the case. I hate that. I love your project though. Really nice pictures. But I will put my motherboard more to the left and use extension cables to put them right the the original G5 input place. So I will keep it Vanilla looking. But because I need more Audio ports I got myself an old Soundcard. Cutted of the aluminium and putted it in an empty bay on the G5 and used extension audio cables to add them right to place. I will post pictures later.

Thanks mate.

I'm also trying to avoid cutting the back now after not using the motherboard tray from Mountain Mods.

Yea your idea is also a solution, however I did not do that because I wanted mine to have a standard and to fit like it should and not use extension cables. However, it's a good solution if you chose to go that way I have seen a couple do that with their G5's so you should see if you find any of them to see how they did theirs, in case you would need some help on your way!

/nikkokick

[nikkokick]

UPDATE 17/4 2012


Hello!

Here's a small update in before the next update. I have some time ago received my package from Djungelapa, which consisted of the following parts:

• 50m Paracord sleeve NARROW - Solid White - http://djungelapa.se/product.php?id_product=235
  
• 5m Black Heat Shrink - http://djungelapa.se/category.php?id_category=3
  
• Black Sleeve for self-made cable - http://djungelapa.se/category.php?id_category=2
  
• Tool to 6, 8, 24pins connectors - http://djungelapa.se/product.php?id_product=70
  
• "El Cheapo" - 2pcs Molexverktyg - http://djungelapa.se/product.php?id_product=47

Lets start by saying that Djungelapa / Stefan (owner) has a fairly wide range of sleeve of different varieties and sizes, and any other peripherals that may be needed such as shrink tubing, etc. Other stuff that pin connectors, contacts, crimp tools, tools to get the pins out etc. Very nice support and he's more than happy to help with questions.

Here is how the package looked like when I got it. The package was small enough to get delivered directly to my mailbox which was very impressive! A big plus for it so you do not wait a whole day to get the paper to pick the package up.


Here begins the "unboxing" of the goods and the package I received. Exciting!

Looks like a noose Haha, tried to make the picture a bit "spooky"
50m Paracord sleeve NARROW - Solid White


Shrink tubing to be used!
5m Black Heat Shrink


Black Sleeved and shrink tubing for my self-made cable that will be made.



The tool that you can get all the pins out of the contacts.
Tools to 6, 8, 24pins connectors


The small tools that will help us take out the molex pins! Very small and simple but they do their job perfectly!
"El Cheapo" - 2pcs Molexverktyg



These are the products I've been supplied with from Djungelapa and now remains work in the form of SLEEVING!

The pictures that will come is a bit of "on the fly" some quick pictures I took with my girlfriend's iPhone while I was trying it out. I did this because I did not want to wait any longer with an update even tho I'm not really finished with this part of the project - the sleeving.
So it will come more and more detailed pictures in the next update when I've sleeved it all, but so far it only gets as I said, "on the fly" pictures taken a little quickly.

Here I start by sleeving cables from Fractal Design within their power supplie Fractal Design Newton R2 1000w.

This is the PCI cable that consists of a total of 8 wires inside but is tucked into a big plastic sleeve.


I used a knife to cut the shrink tube and the small cable tie that hide underneath that keeps the cables together.


Here I use scissors to cut the current cable sleeve. The type of sleeve I will use are "Paracord", a kind of fabric used for parachutes and the military for its strength.
When we cut sleeve we see how the cables look like naked.


When the cables are "naked" and all the old sleeve is removed, so it's time to make use of the tool that lets take out the pins from the contacts so that the cable is removable from the connector.


Here we see how to use the tool. You should insert the tool so it's tips are being placed outside of the square pin.
Push the tool until it stops, however care that you don't press in with violence, it should be fairly painless and easy.
When you are sure that the tool is secured and in position you should be pulling the cable. If you can not you can  wiggle back and forth. Also, cables may need some force to get out sometimes.


The first picture here is the same as the last one on the last picture but it is for me to demostrera how it works.
When I managed to pull out the cable (may take a while), it looks like this.


If we do so on both sides of the connector, we get the cable altogether and can separate it from the others. Do not forget where you took it from! Will be good to know where to put it back haha.


Now we bring up the sleeve we will make use of. Measure how much you need to cover the cable.


When you have measured the length you need, it's time to cut the sleeve-piece from the remaining sleeve-lengths.
As we see it Paracord consists of 2 "fabrics", a cover (sleeve to use) and "guts" (which is discarded). In order to not allow  "cover" to fray at the edges you have cut will take you quickly and easily with a lighter and melt a little easily. This will stop the sleeve from fraying.
Once that's done you can pull out the "guts".


Now the sleeve and cable are both ready. To stop the pin from tearing up the sleeve (which is easy because the pin is made of metal) I would recommend putting a bit of tape around it.


When completed, simply start pushing the cable into the sleeve and start pushing it out. This is pretty simple, just press and follow it and finally it comes out the other side
When it comes out we will take the tape off. Here I got a tip from a guy that if you wanted you could use a lighter to make the edge of the sleeve melt and attach to the cable. Then you can skip having a heat shrink at all. But it is up to each one if you want a heat-shrink tubing or not


Here I cut off a piece of shrink tubing that I have measured up. I've done a number of markers in an ordinary piece of paper which means that if I follow the markings and cut my shrink tubing so it becomes 1cm long.
I then put the shrink tube about where it should sit. It may look weird but it is for display purposes now


We take the lighter again to now get the shrink tubing to shrink, hence the name! When it is heated by the flame underneath it starts to shrink and tighten, which means that it will "hug" the sleeve and the cable. If done right it should have the sleeve and shrink tube to be stuck on the wire. One suggestion is also that while the shrink tube is still a bit warm is to insert the cable into the connector, this makes it easier than doing it when it has set and is cold.


Here we can see when I replaced the cord with sleeve on!
And we also see how it looks when almost all the wires are sleeved. What is not sleeved is the extra 2pin cord. This will be sleeved however, obviously.

And yes the sleeve is far from perfect That said, this was just a quick way to try it out! Will hone everything when the rest of the sleeve is done. Waiting for the new pins from Djungelapa so I can cut my PSU cables and shorten them!


My girlfriend also thought it looked interesting, so she wanted to try it out.


A woman with fire in hand, watch out! Jokes aside, her shrink was really good, even better than mine, lol.


I went on to sleeve the cable from Fractal Design Silent 92mm fan which will fit the exhaust in the rear of the chassis.
Here we see a fan whose cable is sleeved and the other black is the original cable.


Here we see them again. The fan on the left is the original and fan on the right is the one I have sleeved.
It was pretty tough to get through all three cables into a single sleeve.
The results, I was quite pleased!



So here we had a small update that was "on the fly." The next update will probably be when I've sleeved all the cables and can thus show how the final will look like inside the case. White sleeve in this case will probably be so hot, I can imagine, and I look forward to seeing the end result. My girlfriend has gone to Australia now for three months, so now I have all the time in the world (almost) working with school work, including this project. There remains a lot to do but as I said we'll have more time now to work with

Until next time, take care mates!
Enjoy and don't hesitate to ask questions or write something!

Best Regards
Nikkop

[PookyMacMan]

Nik, I am liking this mod more and more. IMO, when you're done you should post in MacMod of the Month.

[nikkokick]

PookyMacMan, on 17 April 2012 - 09:07 PM, said:

Nik, I am liking this mod more and more. IMO, when you're done you should post in MacMod of the Month.

Thanks Pooky! Means even more when it's from a staff member too Hehe.

I may do that! The project is estimated to be finished in May.
I have a lot left to do but hopefully I'll be able to pull it off, I've got a lot of other school work so I'll have to finish them all!

I'm also waiting for another package from Djungelapa with pins for the 24pin and 8pin so I can shorten them, they're too long now

Thanks
Best Regards
Nikkokick

[nikkokick]

UPDATE 5/1 2012!


Here comes an update that has been a pain to do!. It has taken quite a long time and it has been a lot of trial and errors, so to speak, but eventually I finished it and was happy with the results!

Here you read about and see pictures of how I shortened and sleeved the 24pin and 8pin cables!

I begin with showing additional products I got for this update from Djungelapa. I got pins for cables and a crimp tool.



What I started to do was to check how long the cables were and how long I wanted them. As we see in the pictures, they are relatively much longer than is really necessary, and since the cables will be stored inside the power supply so I would like them to be as short as possible.



Then it was time to start cutting up the existing cable sleeving.


Heheh I have a pet snake, that have shed his skin off


Here, I measure about how to shorten the cables.
What I did not think about with this was that where the 24pin connector is not a standard but it can sit either higher up or lower down on the motherboard, and since the motherboard that is mounted in the chassis is intended to only be tested with as I happened to measure after that. Luckily, after the initials of the cables so it worked even on my own motherboard, even though its 24pin connector is a bit further away. It gets a little tighter but it works.


The next step is to just shorten the cables, but there is a full 24 pieces of wires into the connector so they can be easy to accidentally mix them together, and that's no fun when the power supply will then be used

So I started to write down what it looked like.
The figures indicate the number of cables that are combined to serve on that particular pin, and the color of the text shows what color the wires are.
eg so in the second box, so is there a blue cable, while in the final on the same line, it's 2x red wires that go together in a pin.


So to avoid mixing the cable sup I started to mark each cable! A little tape (although electrical tape when I could not find anything else) and a fine silver pen
[IMG] [url]http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8364/82775491.jpg[/url] [/ IMG] There, now are all the wires are numbered according the order in which they are placed in the contact, so you do not make a mistake and mix them accidently. [IMG]http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/616/93232170.jpg [/IMG]

Then it was just to bring the tools to get the pins out of the connectors, and after all cables were out and a couple of sore fingers.


Pulls up the scissors and cut where I put the highlight of the short cables will be (mark I made using a tape-bit).
I cut one cord at a time because I want to be on the safe side and not make any mistakes.


When the cable is cut, we have to get the contents out of it and get rid of the casing itself, and it is done with this kind of tool. I have no idea what it's called, maybe a wire stripper?
At any rate, do you stop the cable into a hole that fits and pinch to it, then you and coaxes a bit and finally to release the cover but the content remains, parts for conducting current.


Here we see how the cable looks like when it is stripped at the top, but we also need to have pins to attach the connector. So I take a pin that I had been provided with by Djungelapa.


Insert the stripped cable into the pin and then insert it in the crimping tool (looks like a crococile who are hungry for meatballs)


After placing the cable and plug correctly, press and the tool will push the pin so that it surrounds the tiny wires that cable is composed of, and finally we have a new cable with a new pin! (Note this was the first I had made it looks so ugly)


Now do this on all the cables. It takes time!
Note that I put the cables back in the connector because I wanted to see that the length was OK before I started to sleeve it



Here we see how it looks inside the chassis, looking good if I may say so myself!


Now the sleeving! I do what I did in my last update where I had a little "guide" on how to. However, I skipped the heat shrink altogether! Thought it was better looking without and that Paracord has the ability to adhere without heat shrink tubing as it melts and hugs on the cable, a very big plus for it!


All cables sleeved and like this was the result, looking good!


Then it was time to do the same on the 8pin cable and it's the same thing again.
Here we have the little picture I made to keep track of leads, but so are all the yellow wires the same and all black alike, so making an error here isn't really possible


Here we see the cut 8pin cable. As we see it is a hefty piece that has been cut, leading to less wiring inside the power supply = more space and less heat and better looking.


I do the same with 8pin as I did with 24pin cable, no funny business.


The sleeving goes on as usual as well. However, there was something very annoying here! The cable would not go in if it had sleeve on it, probably because it gets a little thicker then. I kept this up for literally hours! It turned out that you had to be right on the nanometer thickness to enable it to run in, sometimes I had to take out a knife and scale by the precise non-existent piece of molten Paracord and then got the place. Troubled frustrating and strange! But eventually I got it.


Here are the pieces that I had to do to 8pin cable just because they were too thick on one end. Were many of the experiments and frustration rose slightly sick a lot! These were the pieces that I later threw away.


PSU with 24pin and 8pin cables, became good result I think!


And this is how it teaches look when it is located inside the chassis.




That's it for tonight folks! What do you think? I'm satisfied with the PSU-sleeving and it will look great later on with all components in place!

Also this week I will solve the rear I/O port. I have to decide if I want to keep it good looking (original but then lack a bunch of ports, only 2x USB etc.etc) or make a hole and have all the ports available (doesn't look as good but practically better!)

So expect an update this week again!

What do you think so far?

Best Regards
/Nikkop

[PookyMacMan]

My golly, this is awesome!!! Kudos to you!

[hakan gulenc]

can I see that womens face i was just wonder

[nikkokick]

PookyMacMan, on 01 May 2012 - 11:47 PM, said:

My golly, this is awesome!!! Kudos to you!

Thanks a bunch!

hakan gulenc, on 03 May 2012 - 03:03 PM, said:

can I see that womens face i was just wonder

No you can't! She's all mine


Also! Here I come with a new update!
Actually this was made last week but I've just been to a school trip to Berlin and I arrived home this morning.
However, enjoy the update!


Update 6/5 2012

Hey!

This update is about how I solved the problem with the I/O ports at the back!
I've seen a number of different solutions and many are good, but one must always compromise.
Either you get it totally original and unmodified, but then there's not many ports to be used (max 2USB, 2 audio outputs, etc.) or you can modify it, such as cutting holes, and in that way have many more contacts to choose from.
The whole thing is what to prioritize, functionality or appearance.

Although my goal for this case is to keep the clean and tidy I decided to go the other way when it came to I/O plate. I actually prioritated functionality and not appearance.

Here is a picture of how I/O looks original.


I tried from the beginning to push the contacts I will be using to see if a modification was necessary.
So I started to push a 3.5mm jack for audio / microphone.


But as we see here, it is not the correct length or in the right latitude.


I thought I'd see if the ethernet-cable would fit or not. It showed that the cable/head was approx 1-2mm too wide.


But so is the plastic "shield" on the I/O that can be removed. Removing this will yield a little more space to but the contacts through.
Remove the plastic and the cable will pass!


Looked like this, not the most beautiful but it works!


I found out that the ethernet works, however the audio connectors and the USB had no chance to fit, so I decided to mod the back I could have bought PCI plates with USB and Ethernet-port, however I didn't want to do that.

So I brought my beloved box to a woodworking where it would modified a little!


This is my first marker I did. Note that I have chosen not to cut off the entire I/O panel, but only where the holes are. The entire hole will be as wide as the widest hole original (USB-hole). In this way I get to keep the icons and markings, which is neat, even if they did not correlate with the output connector that sits there.


I wanted to get it completely straight before cutting so I sawed up a piece of wood that was as wide as the widest USB hole was from the chassis edge. If I recall it correctly it was about 36mm.
So I created a small piece of wood that reached at the widest aperture start. Now, I will definitely get straight lines that are as wide as the widest aperture.
Perfect, now we can mark!



And this is what lines up with masking tape.


Let's bring out the big guns!
I originally planned to use a dremel but the aluminum was 1 mm thick, which is quite thick. So it had to be another tool.
Out with the jigsaw tool and time to drive on!


The hole is done! As we see, I kept all the icons, it's pretty neat I think.
However, the hole is quite rugged and it needs some work of course.


So I got a couple of files! Aliminium filed away faster than I thought actually.


For fun I did put a small piece of toilet paper in the chassis to see how much dust/splinters that came off, and there was a lot! What I got on the paper was only a fraction.
For your own good, do not breathe this! >


I filed around 22:00 at night and my dear mother was finally tired of the noise that arise when one files aliminium. I was also anxious to wake sleeping neighbors when it literally sounded like some kind of monster who suffered. So it's not entirely clear and smooth, but it begins to take shape and you can definitely see the improvements.

Here we have the chassis and its I/O with the motherboard and a number of contacts inserted.
As we can see, all place without problems and even more ports can be used.


A small comparisment picture of the I/O where one part is rought and the other one is filed.
As we see, they have the potential to become straight and beautiful!


That was what I had to offer at this time!
This project needs to be finished within a week!!! So I have a very very very tight schedule and hopefully there will be a couple of updates coming up very soon!

Until next time,
Ciao!
/ Nikkop

[nikkokick]

UPDATE 16/5 2012

Hi!

Here's a tiny update on how I solved a very big problem, but is very easy to solve
Indeed, it is plate where the original DVD-ROM drive is mounted and hard drive cage as well. This plate also serves as a locking mechanism for the side door.

If you have a mATX motherboard you won't have to do this mod because the motherboard is short enough. If you like myself (and most) has an ATX you'll have to perform this mod to be able to use the plate.

Here we have an ATX motherboard.


And this is the plate I was talking about. We can see immediately that this plate is in the way of the motherboard, you can not have both of them at the same time.
Also notice the blue marking I did with a marker which marks where it will be cut.


Once in the workshop I wiped away the blue marker and drew a new, finer line.
I have also chosen to make the hole as wide as the widest hole, best to get it nice and symmetrical.


Clamping plate for it not to fly rounds when it's getting cut.
Piece of wood serves two functions:
Support for the clip and that it will be used as a wall pretending you from going out of track.


And then we saw! As straight as possible, the piece of wood sure does help!



That's it, finished. Was actually pleasantly surprised how good it was.
But how it looks like in the case is the question!


In the case!
Must say I was pleased with the results. Such a small mod that enabled ATX motherboards to fit.


Here we see how much actually "stands out".
The lowermost PCI / E ports are of course not usable, but it's quite given when the casehas only 4x slots


That was what I had for this little while!
Tomorrow is a red day and the same week that the project will be finished, so it will come up a number of updates one after another. Tomorrow it will be at least one, maybe two, otherwise they fall in on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the project will be done!

Looking forward to it!

Best Regards
Nikkop

[PookyMacMan]

Again, nice!

[nikkokick]

PookyMacMan, on 16 May 2012 - 11:23 PM, said:

Again, nice!

Thanks a bunch!

Here's an update for you!

Quote

I'm not usually a fan of Macs but I've always liked the design of the G5 case. Good job so far, looks like you;ve managed to improve your sleeving skills vastly! I won't suggest you modify the back IO too much (Ruining the fan positions) but I would suggest you make a tiny IO shield for the hole you've made mostly cause it'd look awesome I think.

Thanks a bunch

Oh no I won't touch the I/O anymore, I'm satisfied as it is. As you say I might make an shield some day, however that's not a priority now


Here comes an update tho!

UPDATAE 18/5 201

Hey hey, here comes a small update which I solved two things, I placed the HDD cage and modded the fan mounts in the rear of the chassis so you could get where ordinary fans were I also introduce and showcase the products that I have been provided with by Crucial.

Here we go!



Here is the SSD which will take place in the chassis.
It is a Crucial M4 128GB with the following specs:

• Sustained Sequential Read: Up to 500 MB / s (SATA 6Gb / s)
  
• Sustained Sequential Write: Up to 175 MB / s (SATA 6Gb / s)
  
• 4KB Random Read: Up to 45.000 IOPS
  
• 4KB Random Write: Up to 35.000 IOPS

Package Contents, adapter so that SSDn can be used by USB, installation CD and manual. And of course the SSD!


A very nice looking SSD if I do say so myself.


Test and performance of this SSD will of course be done!

Here comes product number two that I was provided with by Crucial.

It's RAM named "Crucial Ballistix Elite".
Specifications below:

• Module Size: 8GB Kit (4GBx2)
  
• Package: Ballistix 240-pin DIMM
  
• Feature: DDR3 PC3-12800
  
• Specs: DDR3 PC3-12800 • 8-8-8-24 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1600 • 1.5V • 512Meg x 64 •
  
• Thermal sensor allows real-time temperature monitoring
  
• Custom Ballistix M.O.D. Utility - temperature monitoring and history

This is how they look. I was very impressed over the look of these RAMs. Corsair Vengeance can roll over and give up to be honest honest.
These look much better in every way, even the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is black!


Pictures of how they look with the computer, and their performance will be at a later date!


Here we go on with the modding!

Here is the hard drive cage that is sat on the plate I sawed the last update (which also acts as a lock for the side-door).
I thought it was nice sitting here.


However, it doesn't fit between these "hills" on the plate. If they would be a few millimeters wider between each other there wouldn't be a problem.
So I decided to fix this problem.


Out with a dremel!


Now I have as you see sanded away some so that the cage hopefully will fit.


And here it is! Sits good!


I also made sure to screw the cage plate so that it is secure, and it seems to do


When seated in the chassis. Discreet but functional, I like it!
And for you who are wondering, I am boycotting the optical drives, so I will not have a DVD drive I'm doing very well without one!


Someone said hotswap?


When it was fixed so we head for the next thing, namely, how to get the 92mm fan from Fractal Design to fit in the back
PowerMac G5 has a kind of fan-mounting in the butt, but also to the fans' holes are running Apple own standard.
As you can see in the picture it does not fit the holes at all but must be modified.


It was then to seek out a drill that was about the size of the fan hole on the fans, and I found indeed at the first attempt
I was just putting down the fan to the desired location and drill. Because of the drill length so you can drill through the hole to hit exactly the right where you want, without having to make any markings.


So there, in place. Sleek and stylish, does not even look modified !


And this is how it looks when both are in place, inside and out.
Streamlined and functional, just as you want it


I have done some stuff for today but I will wait to do it updaten until I have finished them all!

Until then,
Take care and enjoy my updates!

/nikkop

[nickjf20]

You can just replace the G5 fans that are in the plastic harness rather than cutting into the fan grill.

You just need to get the rubber connections out of the originals and into the fractal design fans.

[nikkokick]

Hi,

Here's an update.

Sorry for the long wait. I've had the update ready for a good while, but haven't had time to translate it. However, now school's over and I have had time to translate it. However, I'm leaving for Hong Kong this sunday so next update will be in a while


UPDATE 15/6 2012

Hello old men and ladies. Today I present my final two sponsors, namely,Antec and QuietPC!



A package has arrived! I wonder where it's from? Jokes aide, not very hard to see!


We pack up the goodies and look around on the package (I always do, always nice!)

Specifications Kühler H2o 920

Features:

• CPU Socket Compatibility:
  Intel LGA 775/1155/1156/1366, AMD AM2 / AM3 / AM2 + / AM3 +
  
• Included Software Provides essential tools to control and monitor the Kuhler H ₂ O 920
  
• Non-corrugated easy-bend tubes for maximum flexibility in radiator positioning
  
• Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) radiator fans generation rate the quietest high-performance cooling
  
• Customizable RGB LED creates brilliant illumination
  
• Cooling Liquid - Safe, Environmentally-friendly, anti-corrosive
  
• Fan Speed: 700 - 2400 RPM (PWM controlled)
  
• Tubing Length: 13.0 "/ 330 mm
  
• Radiator Dimensions:
  - 5.6 "(H) x 4.7" (W) x 1.9 "(D) /
  - 151 mm (H) x 120mm (W) x 49mm (D)
  
• Fan Dimensions: 4.7 "x 1.0" / 120 mm x 25 mm
  
• Air Flow: 110.0 CFM
  
• Noise Level: 27.4 dBA
  
• Cold Plate + Pump Height: 1.1 "/ 29 mm
  
• Net weight: 1.6 lbs / 0.7 kg
  
• AQ3 - Antec Quality 3 year limited warranty on parts and labor

Unboxing time! Always fun and exciting Almost all of the pleasure of getting a package is to get out there and opening it, the content is just a bonus!


The contents. CPU cooler, fans, brackets and manuals and accompanying CD for the included software.


The fans, 2x 120mm


CPU Block & Pump, LED, so you can choose the color of the logo within the software.


Radiator and hoses.



That's what I had from Antec, and now the products of QuietPC to get down the volume on the system and other small things!

Even soft packages can be fun!


Here we have soundproofing mat!


Silicone Rings which is set between different things, such as fan screws or hard drive screws to reduce vibration and sound!



Silicone frames for 92mm fans, to reduce vibration and noise.


1-4 PWM Fan Splitter. Sounds to me to have 4 pc fans on a fan site.


A small neat label to paste, may be well down the silence part also hoped!



Now that I have presented stuff, it's time to use them!


Here are silencing carpet, as we see, it is large enough to cover the entire inside.


But why should I cover behind the motherboard for instance? Will only create unnecessary heat and reduce chance of wiring, so I will not do. Instead, we pull the scissors, pencil and ruler to cut the bits you need!
We also see that I made the little cabling for SATA power supply that will fit behind the motherboard.


I chose to cover part of the chassis bottom of the motherboard will not lie against. The reason was primarily that it would be looking a lot nicer, but as well as to absorb sound and vibration for stuff that is nearby.
I will also put soundproofing mat on the part of the side door that will stay up.


Here are silicone rings. Words, it uses 2x rings per screw holes. It is sold in 8pack, i.e. enough to secure a fan or a hard disk.
Here we see the installation instructions.


The ring is mounted on a screw.


Here is the picture of where it should be installed. "Metal bit" is "frame" and therefore is the one call on one side of the piece and the second ring on the other side.
As we then look at the picture, he is the one calling the hood from the "chassis", and the second bit of "chassis" and screw head.


It was then that the demonstration of silicone rings, but since I also got Silicone frames for 92mm fans think I used them instead.
So here we see the silicone frame placed where the fan to be installed.


It came with screws and silicone rings to these frameworks.


Assembled for you! The screws are a little bigger than the previous but still fits snugly against the rear of the chassis so it does not matter at all.


You see how the silicone frame looks like and how it fits.


As I have mounted the most on the inside of the chassis. As these steps are easy and nothing special, I have not documented it, it meant screwing the motherboard and some of that stuff.
Note that this is not a definitive assembly! Some stuff is not where they should and all the cables are not installed or installed properly. This is temporary to get some idea of ​​what the final would be and I'll post new pictures then when all is done as it should

Here we see the fans in the rear that is 2x Silent Series 92mm from Fractal Design.
Although the power supply (Newton R 2 1000w 80 +) is from Fractal Design, the picture is only visible cables. These cables are of course however in a Paracord-sleeve that I was provided with by Djungelapa!


Here is also the cables to the graphics card, even those sleevade with Paracord-sleeve from Djungelapa.


SSD Crucial M4 128GB
Thought it was a neat way to highlight the SSD, it is visible and it looks great, I personally think


Kühler H2o 920
Puts it in front when it was good and steady there, and it will then get cold air, which favors the CPU temperature.
The fan is upside down I know,it was a quick picture and I forgot to change the direction of the fan when I turned the radiator


Here we see the CPU block from the cooler where the logo can light up in any color.


And here we have a full view of the inside of the chassis!
That said, not entirely clear (some cables should be routed and installed correctly, etc.
But definitely an idea of ​​how it looks and it looks very good I think!
All colors are matched and there is a harmony in the chassis!


That said, at a later time so we put up more pictures and other good-things.

Namely, testing and execution of the Crucial Ballistix Elite Crucial M4 128GB and Kühler H2o 920

The reason why I can not do this just yet is because my motherboard decided to give up and leave me in the **** But when it's fixed (if I get new or buy new one) so the results are obviously up . Having said that, the project is not finished yet, but some remains!
The actual modding back of the chassis is done!

So that was what I had to offer tonight!

More to come when I get the computer to work again, so to speak!

[Treegjansen]

I like the way you worked on the psu. Unfortunally i can't find the latest pictures where you use the new fans .
The last one i see is the test of the osu outside yhe case.

Please help

[MightyMackinac]

Love this project! Been using it as inspiration for my build. Love the use of the paracord for sleeving instead of the plastic sleeving everyone else uses. I'll post up a link to my build once i get more pictures and such!

[pukujuhla]

Looking good Nik - Any updates?

I'm about to start my second G5 - it's amazing how many times I had to change my strategy in designing everything.

[nikkokick]

So now I'm finally on the right tracks again!
I've been without a motherboard for months but now I've completed my rig and can continue this project and end it!

My last motherboard decided to die while I had a lot of study to do before graduation. After graduation I went to Hong Kong for two weeks, where I enjoyed the Chinese technology! (And other things too, of course).
After HongKong I continued my half-time job I've had since April, while I was looking at a new apartment to move up and start studying at the university in a town far away from where I lived. I moved to a city named "Trollhättan", which stands for "Troll Cap". Very strange name indeed.

Of course school started really hard and it is difficult to find free time now that you are studying full time at the university and just recently began to live with your partner But I try as best as I can to get some free time!

Anyway, I sent my motherboard on the warranty issue and would get one back, instead I could put money in between and get a more expensive motherboard.
Thank you Inet so much letting me do that.
Anyway, sent my Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 and chose an Asus Maximus V GENE Z77. As you can imagine, so this also meant that I switched from AMD to Intel.

Why? I loved my AMD more than anything else (excluding non-technical stuff, heh), but I wanted to change to m-ATX (something they are short on at AMD) at the same time I felt I wanted to dump my video card and run GPU loose! (running the Intel HD 4000). I'm not an AMD nor Intel fanboy, so the change wasn't hard.

Enough about me and my little time I have been away from this project! Let's get down to business.
So I thought I would update my dear project which is near its end!



Would like to introduce and thank Dustin and their customer ombudsman who has just become my partners.
They provide me with an Intel i7 3770K which I shall use for this project and it is something I thank them very much for!
Dustin have been phenomenal and the support and contacts in general, I can only give top ratings!
Dustin has proven to be fast in terms of business and even their customer service over the phone was very helpful.
Dustin is a sweden-based re-seller of electronics, still I want to include them on the international forums to show my appreciation.
This is my personal experience and not something I invented so I thank Dustin enormously and is happy to have another partner.


So I thought we start gently with some pictures! Other than that the chassis is basically finished, what remains is the assembly, installation of OS / Theme and testing of the products I have been provided with.

Let's go!

Here's a package I've been looking forward to!


Let's explore what is found inside.



And here we see the stately Intel Core i7 3770k from Dustin!
The delivery went very quickly, had it the next day.
Dustin - Simply Faster


Inside the package contains the standard processor and its matching processor fan. (And paper and sticker).


Front and back of the processor - Looking good!


Because it is Dustin that provides me with this processor and not Intel itself, I will not put too much focus on the product itself, but instead I thank them for their awesome support, web-store and great prices!

As I said before I got me a new motherboard. It became an Asus Maximus GENE V Z77.
I'm not a big fan of "ROG theme" as I prefer colors other than red, but apart from that it seems to be a very nice and competent motherboard!




So I wanted to show something that I did not show with my previous motherboard, and that is how to mount  the Antec Kühler H20 920th
While it comes with an instruction booklet, it's always easier to understand when there are real pictures taken where they're demonstrated


These pictures will show you how to assemble for an Intel system. To install on an AMD system, the differences themselves is the  "bracket" around the CPU and the one to sit in the back of the motherboard is different, but the basic principle is the same:.

Here we have the assembly for which the CPU block will sit clamped and the bit that should sit in the back of the motherboard.
Insert the blue plastic bits (green for AMD) so the "catch" pointing inwards.
Insert the "nuts" in the right hole for the socket you use (it is marked with numbers).

As you can see now I have assembled these nuts, and they seem to sit askew.
This is how it should look on a 1155 system, so do not worry about it!
PS! Do not forget the double-sided tape to sit there.


The processor that I have been provided with by Dustin mounted!


When you put it onto the back of the motherboard, you take the round circle with the blue plastic pieces and insert the screws in the plastic pieces.
Seen it down over motherboard socket so that the screws poking through the hole where the nuts are.
PS! In this picture I have the CPU plastic-protection left where the CPU should sit, you should of course do this after the CPU is in place!


Now you take a suited screwdriver and screws in these screws. You should not tighten them down all the way down, but just a little bit so they are in place.
PS! CPU cooler (Antec Kühler H2o 920) has preapplied thermal paste, but because I prefer to frame my own so I have removed it and then apply my own. You do what you want!


Now we need to get the block in place. Since that "bracket" is not completely screwed down you are able to put the block in.
Once you have done that, you should make sure that "bracket" is above the block's edges, then you should turn the block so that it attaches itself (much easier to understand when you see it in front of you.) Turn the block until you can see it will be able to catch with the bracket.
Once that is done then you screw in the screws so that they are good and hard!


Here we can see now how it looks when the motherboard is in place.
Since I originally had an ATX (now m-ATX) then the chassis designed for an ATX.
However, this is no problem because an m-ATX fits just as well. The only difference is there is one more distance to use.
I have also traded GPU (GTX 460) for a XBOX, so I'm on the integrated HD4000 in the processor.
Must say I am very impressed by its capabilities! Played Team Fortress 2 and Dota2 without any problems, floating on without any FPS dips on 1680*1050.

The motherboard in the chassis


Here we see the cooler as I just installed!


Here we see the products that I have been provided with the Crucial and which I will review in the next update when I try  the products!
Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz
Crucial M4 128GB

Finally for this update, I will show how I use a 1-to-4 Splitter for fans ! This I have been provided with by QuietPC!
As you can see, it has 4pcs places for fans, 1 molex for power and a plug for connection to the motherboard.


Connect all fans to the splitter and then you suddenly more opportunities to get a better air flow in the chassis and a cooler computer!



That's what I had for now. A small "come back" for me.
What remains now is to make the benchmarks and reviews on the products I've been provided with and install "Ubuntu" and the theme "Macbuntu".
Of course, to fix the inside of the computer so it looks great too!

So it's not that much left on this project, but I have a new one in mind and that will begin when this is finished! Hope you are interested for what it is, because I think it might be a little "revolutionary", if you are allowed to express it that way

Thanks hello and have a nice day!
Next update will coming soon.

Best Regards
Nikkop

Treegjansen, on 26 July 2012 - 09:12 AM, said:

I like the way you worked on the psu. Unfortunally i can't find the latest pictures where you use the new fans .
The last one i see is the test of the osu outside yhe case.

Please help

Hello and thanks.
Sorry for the long wait, but I don't understand your question.
I have 2 fans outside of the case for the moment, I can also put another 2 fans inside the case in the other end of the case, however that takes some fan-modification (it won't fit on the height otherwise).

MightyMackinac, on 27 August 2012 - 04:23 AM, said:

Love this project! Been using it as inspiration for my build. Love the use of the paracord for sleeving instead of the plastic sleeving everyone else uses. I'll post up a link to my build once i get more pictures and such!

Thanks!
Yeah I love the feeling of paracord, feels so smooth compared to the plastic ones.
Just post your link! Curious

pukujuhla, on 18 October 2012 - 12:28 AM, said:

Looking good Nik - Any updates?

I'm about to start my second G5 - it's amazing how many times I had to change my strategy in designing everything.

Just made an update in the post before this reply, check it out!
Im soon done with the project, just some tiny stuff left.
Hows it going with yours? Please link it to me.

Take care all!
/Nikko

[nikkokick]

Update: 29/10

Benchmark and Test of Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz CL8

Hello there!
Here I am with a small update with tests and benchmarks done on products that I received from my partners.

Crucial
_______________________________________________________________________

Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz CL8


I figured I would start by testing the Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz RAM.



These RAM modules are the nicest I've seen, hands down. Black PCB with black, tall and good-looking heatsinks they make into something unique that no other manufacturer offers. They fit extremely well to a motherboard with black design or black parts. The RAM has black PCB (printed circuit board = board) which actually does a lot  on the looks as the PCB on other RAM modules often is green, which doesn't look as good. If you choose to water cool your RAM modules, black PCB is a big plus.



Info:

• Module Size: 8GB Kit (4GBx2)
  
• Package: Ballistix 240-pin DIMMs
  
• Feature: DDR3 PC3-12800
  
• Specs: DDR3 PC3-12800 • 8-8-8-24 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1600 • 1.5V • 512Meg x 64 •
  
• Thermal Sensor Allows real-time temperature monitoring
  
• Custom Ballistix M.O.D. Utility - temperature monitor and history

The free ware application HWMonitor reads and displays temperature values ​​for these RAM thanks to the built-in built in temperature sensors in the Crucial Ballistix Elite. I stress-tested using Prime95 on Blend (Lots of RAM tested) and got the following results.

It turns out that the temperatures maintains the same value, probably because the RAM is rarely warm/changing temperature. However, it is a nice feature for us who love to keep track and fiddle with our systems and this is a plus!

I took tested and RAM memories performance using two programs, AIDA64 and MaxxMEM2.
Results are following:

AIDA64


The test shows us that the Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz CL8 results in my test in AIDA64 are:

• Read: 18,472 MB/s
  
• Write: 19,439 MB/s
  
• Copy: 21,368 MB/s
  
• Latency: 42.4 ns

MaxxMem2


The test shows us that the Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz CL8 results in my test in MaxxMEM2 are:

• Copy: 22,063 MB/s
  
• Read: 20,145 MB/s
  
• Write: 19,028 MB/s
  
• Latency: 56.2 ns

As we see the different programs gives us different results. This is something you should always predict as various benchmark program tests in different ways.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz is running at the baseclock of 1600MHz (note that in some/many motherboards you must set the 1600MHz yourself as 1333MHz is a standard, often on Intel).

But the question is, how much impact on the results does a higher clock do?
I test by changing from 1600Mhz to 1866Mhz in the BIOS, without touching any other RAM settings such as volts or timings. This is very easily done and can be done by anyone knowing how to enter BIOS.
An increase from 1600Mhz to 1866Mhz is an increase of 16.6% in the frequency.
Will the results increase?

Let's see!

AIDA 64


The test shows us that the Crucial Ballistix Elite CL8 at 1866Mhz (1600MHz stock) results in my test in AIDA64 are:

• Read: 20,458 MB/s
  
• Write: 20,005 MB/s
  
• Copy: 22,791 MB/s
  
• Latency: 38 ns

The difference in percentage between 1600MHz and 1866Mhz in AIDA64:

• Read: ~ +11%
  
• Write: ~ +3%
  
• Copy: ~ +7%
  
• Latency: ~ 11%

The results show us that by raising the clock will raise the performance in AIDA64, everything between 3-11% [/ B] in this case. For some, this small difference mean something, for others not. We see the big difference in read and decrease in latency (which is good).

How do the results change in MaxxMEM2?

MaxxMem2


The test shows us that the Crucial Ballistix Elite CL8 1866Mhz (1600MHz stock) results in my test in MaxxMEM2 are:

• Copy: 23,263 MB/s
  
• Read: 22,261 MB/s
  
• Write: 19,495 MB/s
  
• Latency: 50.7 ns

The difference in percentage between 1600MHz and 1866Mhz in MaxxMEM2:

• Copy: ~ +5.5%
  
• Read: ~ +10.5%
  
• Write: ~ +2.5%
  
• Latency: ~ 11%

The results show us that by raising the clock will raise the performance in MaxxMEM2 , everything between 2.5% -11% in this case. For some, this small difference mean something, for others not. We see the big difference in read and decrease in latency (which is good).
Test programs increase the clock speed of the RAM one (1600Mhz to 1866Mhz) gets the same results, an increase up to 11% [/ B].
The increase from the baseclock was just over 16%, and the results are increased by up to 11% in these tests. Overclocking the RAM modules increases performance of the RAM. No question about it.
______________________________________________________________________

My review for the Crucial Ballistix Elite 1600MHz CL8:
Positive:

• Appearance - Black PCB, Black sleek, tall and stately heatsinks. Have not personally seen any prettier RAM.
  
• The low timings - CL8 is low (default seem to be at CL9 and up).
  
• Built-in temperature sensors - Good and useful for us who love to keep tabs on our hardware.
  
• Stable - Not had any problems with them, ever (have used them for half a year).
  
• Low price - 660kr (cheapest on-hunting) for the 16GB (4x4GB).
  
• Affordable!

Negative:

• Ballistix logo is only on one side of the RAM module. Some motherboards have the RAM slots so that this log that case pointing outwards from the motherboard and therefore not visible logo in a chassis. However, this is dependent on the motherboard. (On the Intel logo pointing "outwards" and AMD "inwards".

Results :

I give Crucial Ballistix 1600MHz CL8 [B] 5/5 cookies .

They are stable, fast, looks good and are cheap (check your local dealer, but in Sweden they are cheap). Additional functions such as temperature sensors increases the feeling of the quality and the RAM modules feels solid and sturdy. Being able to improve performance by changing one little thing in the BIOS is good for beginners, but for us with a little bit more experienced, there is sure  a lot more juice to get out of these RAMs. (by increasing the clock, changing timings and voltage). The Ballistix logo that is only on one side of the RAM is not a deal-breaker, and it's not something you think about. Some might even think it's prettier without the logo? However, not anything that bothers me.
________________________________________________________________________

Next test and review of a product is the Crucial M4 128GB and it will come in any day!
Keep yourself updated!

Best Regards
Nikko