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GA-G31M-ES2L vs GA-41M-ES2L


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I intend to build a Power Mac G4 Hackintosh with one of these motherboards, the question is, which one?

 

There appear to be more guides and perfect builds with the G31M but the G41M is newer.

 

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Mother...uctID=3134,3261 << Comparison sheet

 

The integrated graphics is better on the G41M and it has a PCI Express x16 as opposed to x8, but will I really notice the difference? At first I will be using an Nvidia 6800 until I can buy (and they are fully supported) something around a GTX260.

 

I hope to try to install with Empire EFI and if that doesnt work then I will use one of the guides that I find around the net.

 

So, hat would you do? Take the G41M and have a faster PCI Express Slot (at least I think thats what it is!), higher max ram (8gb vs 4gb ddr2) and better integrated gfx or take the (slightly) cheaper G31M and have an easy osx86 install?

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

Vostro15

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They both have PCIe 16x graphic card slots- however, the G41 has a PCIe 2.0 slot. In my experience, there's not a whit of real world performance difference when it comes to OSX. It probably makes a difference with higher end gaming cards in Windows, I don't know for sure.

 

The onboard graphics don't work properly in OSX in either case, so it's moot. You'll need to use a compatible PCIe graphics card with either. If you eventually want to use the machine for something else (IE: like an HTPC) using the onboard graphics, then the G41 has the better GMA X4500.

 

The 8GB RAM advantage of the G41 is effectively made moot by the high expense of 4GB DDR2 sticks. If you can even find it, 8GB would probably set you back over $300.

 

The newer G31 board has the disadvantage of a non-compatible (for OSX) LAN controller. They switched the chip from Realtek to Atheros, so right off you need a PCI gigabit card for LAN.

 

So personally (and I have a G41 based system, and have owned + built several G31 based systems) I'd go for the G41 board. I've got SL running on mine and it's still rock stable for several months now. I actually used the LifeHacker 'no hacking required' guide --it's for the EP45 UD3P-- to boot and install SL, and for the most part it worked great. As I recall, I just had to hack the audio, and my graphic string.

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Thanks a lot Zaap, as you point out I wouldn't ever use the 8gb of DDR2, I would have upgraded motherboard by the time I need that much. I also have no intention of using it on anything other than this so I suppose the extra onboard graphics is irrelevant for me.

 

Thanks for warning me about the rev2 LAN, that would've confused me!

 

I think what I'm going to do is order the G31, if it's a Rev2, send it back and get a G41.

 

Thanks again!

 

Vostro15

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Thanks for warning me about the rev2 LAN, that would've confused me!

 

I think what I'm going to do is order the G31, if it's a Rev2, send it back and get a G41.

 

Thanks again!

 

Vostro15

 

At this point, pretty much all you are going to find, new in the box, are going to be rev2 versions of the G31 board. Might get lucky and get a rev1, but not very likely.

 

Might want to just save yourself the trouble and just order the G41 board. Its less than $20 more.

 

Or just order the G31 board and get a NIC card. Something like this Trendnet:

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833156139

 

or this Encore card:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16833180026

 

 

Both these cards use the Realtek 8169 chipset and work 100% out of the box with OS X requiring no modified kext files or anything.

 

I use the Trendnet cards in both my Hacks and they are great. Full gigabit speeds, bonjour networking and everything. Completely painless.

 

Just something else to consider.

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Thanks, I've ordered a G41.

 

Could anyone tell me what Mac this is - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

Looking at the photo it looks like a white PowerMac G4 but I can't find any other info about a White G3 :/ Maybe it's just the photo or rubbish use of google from me!

 

Thanks!

 

 

Its a Mirror drive door Power Mac G4. Nice machine. I had one of the dual 1.25GHz models back in the day. Was loud and power hungry but fast.

 

And no, its not white. Its silver. That eBay photo looks over exposed.

 

http://lowendmac.com/ppc/mdd-power-mac-g4-dual.html

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You don't want to use the G4 MDD for a hackintosh, the PCI slots are in an unconventional spot, you would have to do some major case modifications to get it to work. Personally, I would go for a regular G4 or a Quicksilver, or even a G3. Also, I noticed that a lot of people have cut holes in the top of their G4s for cooling, this is totally unnecessary. I get cooler CPU temps than the people that done such things, and I only have a 120mm fan in the original place and a 90mm temporarily mounted next to two open PCI slots (plan to cut a hole in the bottom to allow for more room).

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Thanks booger_sniffer5000, I think I'm going to buy a PowerMac G3 tear out the innards and put the G41M in.

 

Could you tell me how long did it took you to mount your motherboard (and how you mounted it) and which motherboard are you using?

 

Thanks,

Vostro15

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hi guys,

 

i join you in this quest of building a G41 G4/3 case SL machine.

i've just owned a P5G41-M LE Asus mobo and i've a G4 quicksilver case.

so this topic is interesting me cause i think our mobo (G41 chipset) are quite similar.

i've try to build one with a GA-G33-S2L but noway to go for 10.6.2 only 10.6.1 or KP

so now i'll go for the G41 based mobo.

remeber to get a very short DVD drive if you plane to close the case because of the memory modules.

i've got all the ingredient but no recipe. i'll improvise ;-) and give feedback ...

i hope X4500 will work OOB because it is the reason i've baught it (G31 = 3100 not working well)

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i hope X4500 will work OOB because it is the reason i've baught it (G31 = 3100 not working well)

 

Well, my friend, I have some bad news then...

 

 

Seriously, that x4500 ain't gonna work either. Your gonna need a supported video card.

 

 

 

If you want to build an inexpensive Hack, there are only two motherboards that anyone should buy:

 

Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L

 

Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L

 

If you get a Revision 1.x of either board, the on board NIC chipset is a Realtek based and can use the R1000 kext. If your board is a Revision 2.x, then you will need to purchase a seperate NIC card as the NIC chipset was changed to Atheros and isn't supported at all under OS X. There are a couple reports on Newegg of there being a rev 2 of the G41 board with Atheros NIC.

 

 

Unless those two boards just aren't available, you shouldn't even waste your time on other G31 or G41 boards unless you already have them and don't want to spend any more cash. The Gigabyte boards are tried and trued and there are a ton of guides and support for them.

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ok so i 've owned a GA-G31M-ES2L rev2 and after couple of problems i finaly get a working 32bit 10.6.2.

but KP when trying in 64bit so i'm near a perect install without Lan Sound, 64bit and onboard GMA 3100 ...

 

as i've got the P5G41-M LE i'll try to make it working too and i'll sale the worth one.

 

at this point i must sadely say that SL is more hard to install than Leopard was on my P5K.

 

and to finish, i don't know what to prefer between 7500EN, 7900GT, 8500GT, supposing there is noway to get a working X4500 ou GMA 3100 under SL (i would much more prefer due to the room it takes)

 

here's a screenshot of the KP if anyone as an idea ? (maybe the Ge-Force 7500EN)

 

Kernel Panic

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here's a screenshot of the KP if anyone as an idea ? (maybe the Ge-Force 7500EN)

 

Kernel Panic

 

 

Snow Leopard is known to have some issues with the Nvidia 7xxx series cards.

 

Here is a thread talking about the issue:

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=196874

 

 

 

 

Unless you have another card already on hand that you intend to use, I would go for an inexpensive 9400 card.

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thanks BROKEN for your answer.

 

ok i'll try my 8500GT to see if it makes the job in 64bit and if not i'll go for a passive 9X00 Geforce.

 

I've used DSDT patcher but forgot to make the trick with UUID and it works well (in 32bit)

is this really important to put UUID ? (i plan to CarbonCopyClone the system drive on a usb one for backup)

 

the GA-G31M-ES2L rev 2 is not a very good choice for OC .

my limit for a E2140 is 2,2 Ghz against 3,2 on the P5K (due to the RAM multiplier with 667 modules)...

i've done a few search for Lan and sound driver but each time it seems to be for the rev 1.

 

if someone should post a bios screen shot of a fully working G31M-ES2L rev 2 under SL 10.6.2, it will be kind of him.

 

tomorow i'll sale my G4 quicksilver case because finaly i've not enough time to build it ...

and that takes room too !

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Count me in too for the g41m, going to order it today. here's my setup:

 

- Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Cache - OEM Caviar Blue

- Crucial 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Ballistix Memory CL4 2.0V

- Intel Pentium Dual Core E5300 2.6GHz Socket 775 800FSB 2MB L2 Cache Retail Boxed Processor

- Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L G41 Socket 775 VGA 8 Channel Audio MATX Motherboard

- Nvidia GeForce 8400GS

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The 8GB RAM advantage of the G41 is effectively made moot by the high expense of 4GB DDR2 sticks. If you can even find it, 8GB would probably set you back over $300.

 

In a years time that ram will be pretty cheap though.

 

Thanks for the life hacker guide, did you burn it to a dual layer DVD or use a single 4GB one?

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In a years time that ram will be pretty cheap though.

 

 

You sure about that?

 

 

DDR2 prices have sky rocketed since summer. You could typically find 4GB kits (2x2) for around $50. Now they are about twice the price.

Since DDR3 is now the standard being used on all new motherboards being made, prices on DDR2 ram (and original DDR) will continue to rise

in price.

 

Plus its not like even then single 4 GB modules were cheap. They were pricey earlier last year too.

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In a years time that ram will be pretty cheap though.

 

Thanks for the life hacker guide, did you burn it to a dual layer DVD or use a single 4GB one?

Like Broken said, DDR2 in 4GB sticks will likely never be cheap as it's never really been widely produced like 2GB sticks, and likely won't ever be as DDR3 takes over. In isolated cases, such as on ebay, it may be possible to find it cheap as more and more people migrate to DDR3 and sell their old gear.

 

As for the lifehacker guide, it requires the retail DVD from Apple and an 8GB or better USB flash drive. I bought a dedicated 8GB flash drive for Snow Leopard as it's cost-effective and great to always have it ready to install from.

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As for the lifehacker guide, it requires the retail DVD from Apple and an 8GB or better USB flash drive. I bought a dedicated 8GB flash drive for Snow Leopard as it's cost-effective and great to always have it ready to install from.

 

So I can purchase a full copy of Snow Leopard from apple website and have the activation key?

 

I'm surprised Apple isn't able to distinguish their hardware from PC hardware, and if they are able to - why aren't they doing it?

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So I can purchase a full copy of Snow Leopard from apple website and have the activation key?

 

 

 

Mac OS has never used any kind of activation key or serial number. OS X Server does, but there consumer desktop

OS has not.

 

They just trust that you aren't going to install it on like a dozen machines.

 

I'm surprised Apple isn't able to distinguish their hardware from PC hardware, and if they are able to - why aren't they doing it?

 

Well, that what the EFI emulation stuff does. It fakes OS X out into thinking its on a real Mac. If you just throw a regular OS X dvd in your drive and try to boot off it, you aren't going to get very far. EFI emulation stuff like boot-132, Chameleon and others fake out the OS so it thinks its legit hardware with EFI available.

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Well, that what the EFI emulation stuff does. It fakes OS X out into thinking its on a real Mac. If you just throw a regular OS X dvd in your drive and try to boot off it, you aren't going to get very far. EFI emulation stuff like boot-132, Chameleon and others fake out the OS so it thinks its legit hardware with EFI available.
I'm surprised Apple doesn't request Intel to make some kind of digital cryptography to distinguish between the real and fake (mass manufactured chips for ordinary PC's). Xbox 360 seemed to have been able to make it very hard to hack (so hard it's basically pointless). Perhaps Apple doesn't mind too much, otherwise they would be spending more on the protection rather than just some of their budget on the EFI method
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I'm surprised Apple doesn't request Intel to make some kind of digital cryptography to distinguish between the real and fake (mass manufactured chips for ordinary PC's). Xbox 360 seemed to have been able to make it very hard to hack (so hard it's basically pointless). Perhaps Apple doesn't mind too much, otherwise they would be spending more on the protection rather than just some of their budget on the EFI method

 

Do you really mean Xbox 360? If so, then you are very wrong... the Xbox 360 as a console is extremely easy to hack (compared to the PS3)! Homebrew on the console is accelerating now!

 

I bought 4 x 2gb sticks of ram at the beggining of the summer so when I came to buy this machine I thought I was going mad! I couldn't believe that prices had gone up that much so I checked through my Amazon orders three times! Why have the prices gone up? Perhaps people can no longer afford to buy a new computer so maybe they upgrade the old one... looks like those Crucial adverts worked!

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I'm surprised Apple doesn't request Intel to make some kind of digital cryptography to distinguish between the real and fake (mass manufactured chips for ordinary PC's). Xbox 360 seemed to have been able to make it very hard to hack (so hard it's basically pointless). Perhaps Apple doesn't mind too much, otherwise they would be spending more on the protection rather than just some of their budget on the EFI method

Apple's been very smart not to bother wasting enormous amounts of money on blocking people from becoming OSX users- because at the end of the day, that's all they'd be doing.

 

Bottom line- many people who have bothered to build a Hackintosh would never have settled for a prebuilt system from Apple that didn't fit their real needs anyway.

 

Once they're running OSX, even if not on Apple's hardware, they've hopefully bought the OS (put some money in Apple's pocket) and will buy some Mac applications (putting more money in Apple's pocket, and supporting the platform and developers). Many will eventually buy hardware from Apple; maybe a laptop to go with their desktop, maybe a full desktop once Apple finally makes one that's worth it for them.

 

Also, another dirty little secret that Apple never wants people to focus too much on: "real" Macs are themselves so full of what are actually off the shelf parts the same as any other PC (personal computer) that trying to specifically hardware-target and foil Hackintoshes would also mean foiling countless existing Macs that are (big surprise!) made up of the same components. And I seriously doubt Intel is interested in shooting their own feet in order to support Apple's wished-for monopoly. Intel actually DOES make hardware, unlike, for the most part, Apple, who buy -repackage in spiffy case designs- and sell other people's hardware.

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All my parts have arrived except the RAM and 9800GT, could someone reccomend an install method for me please.... Snow Leopard retail prefered - I already have the disc.

 

I also needs to be compatible for now with the 6800 Ultra and 512mb (!!!) ram that I will be using for now, until I get the 4GB around a week later.

 

Thanks,

 

Vostro15

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