PowerMac G5 case - ATX retrofit kit

[bofors]

The main reason why I am probably going to go with a Lian Li V1000 series case instead of modding a PowerMac G5 case, is the lack of availibilty of the special parts needed to do it "right".

 

However, I am finding very good potential parts anyways, so I started this thread to post them in and to discuss the need for a PowerMac G5 case - ATX retrofit kit and what exactly this would be.

 

This is a Lian Li aluminum replacement motherboard tray for their PC-6X series. It would seem largely solve the major problem with moding PowerMac G5 case to fit ATX boards, it deals completely with the back side of the case in a very clean manner. Furthermore, this is only $24.95 at Performance-PCs.com:

 

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ind...roducts_id=3387

 

[bofors]

This is the back of Thermaltake Armor VA8000SWA ATX:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811133155

 

 

This case is covertable to BTX with a $12.99 kit which includes the a rear aluminum BTX plate:

 

 

http://www.xoxide.com/thermaltake-a9358-btx-upgrade-kit.html

 

Essentially what is needed is the ATX version (which could be taken off the original case) of the this plate with perhaps some molding. With such a kit, one could the back of the G5 case and place the plate over the hole to cover the rough edges. Alternatively it might possible to work the BTX plate simply using it backwards (inside facing out).

[CZ*DarkLight]

Hi bofors. Well, as I said, I am not follower of this kit, anyway, I will try help as much as I can. These backsides are good stuff, but I think you forgot for major "problem" of G5s contruction - reversed sides. When you want to use this LianLi MB tray, you have to turn it just by 180° and put it inside of G5 case to preserve mounting on backside, not on the removable doors, hehe. In fact it is not a big problem, just turn it, but it will not make a good look, I mean, seven card slots on the top doesnt look really professional.

 

If you really want to do this kind of kit, my idea about back of chassis is to preserve original and make some kind of backpanel. Just mount it inside, plug connectors to females sides on the MB and thats it. I am making this backpanel right now. Hand-manufacturing is difficult and slow, but really cheap to make. When somebody put it to firm to make it professionaly (photo-style of making PCB, holes for pins drilled by PC-controlled machine etc, it will not cost so much when you will do that in tens of pieces, and it is professional with preserved backside look. Hm?

[bofors]

These backsides are good stuff... but it will not make a good look, I mean, seven card slots on the top doesnt look really professional.

 

I want repost most of a post by Dafut here, so people can see the problems:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you really want to do this kind of kit, my idea about back of chassis is to preserve original and make some kind of backpanel. Just mount it inside, plug connectors to females sides on the MB and thats it. I am making this backpanel right now.

 

I agree that preserving the original case would the ideal way to go.

 

Hand-manufacturing is difficult and slow, but really cheap to make. When somebody put it to firm to make it professionaly (photo-style of making PCB, holes for pins drilled by PC-controlled machine etc, it will not cost so much when you will do that in tens of pieces, and it is professional with preserved backside look. Hm?

 

Again, I agree and this is exactly why somebody should make and a kit.

 

Let's talk about what the ideal kit would be:

 

(1) a rear panel adapter with female ports and male leads to plug into the ATX motherboard (as you described):

 

 

(2) dual DVI female ports on PCI bracket with male leads to reroute the main PCIe 16x video output (which will be blocked in the first PCI slot on full size ATX boards) through one of the last four open PCI slots.

 

(3) a similiar female port / male lead adapter for AC power input:

 

 

(4) any electronic adapters necessary to use the front IO panel:

 

 

(5) a metal PSU box with fans to house the internals of an ATX PSU:

 

 

(6) any electronic adapters necessary to use the original top and rear fans:

 

 

(7) somekind of front rack to mount intake fans and at least two additional hard drives:

 

 

 

The Intel D975XBX (aka Bad Axe) might be very good for a PowerMac G5 case because the top four PCI slots include two PCIe 16x ports:

 

[CZ*DarkLight]

Yep. I am fan of this community, so, if it will be really popular, I can get a job on backpanel. I will talk to you about this just when I finish my own, I have to wait weeks for special parts like IEEE1394 females, 90° USB females etc. So, if my hand-made backpanel will work, I can accept orders and do it profesionally. Hehe

[sandwer]

Yep. I am fan of this community, so, if it will be really popular, I can get a job on backpanel. I will talk to you about this just when I finish my own, I have to wait weeks for special parts like IEEE1394 females, 90° USB females etc. So, if my hand-made backpanel will work, I can accept orders and do it profesionally. Hehe

 

Seriously, this is the way to do it if you can. I don't have a G5 case to study, but the back panel looks better laid out than a quicksilver. And you have a front panel to consider as well...

 

Thats the same approch I took with my quicksilver case - I couldn't stop the CPU cooler and memory interfering with the DVD and PSU when the door was closed - so I mounted it further across and down 'inside' the case, and built a bunch of extender cables onto a stripboard that holds the USB, Ethernet, firewire (x2) and audio. Old broken motherboards are your friend if you can't find some of the components (dual USB ports in my case) and a useful source of parts are these front panel port extenders that go for not much money....

 

My only real drawback I found - and showstopper if I'm honest - was not being able to find Male and Female DVI sockets to build an extender from the ADD2 Card. I can buy the M/F cable extenders in 2m lengths, but thats just not right, 2m of cable to go 6 inches! Oh and screen the VGA cables. You'd be amazed at the degradation of the quality - I ended up cutting up a SCART cable and using that.

 

Lots of fun though....

 

//R

[bofors]

My only real drawback I found - and showstopper if I'm honest - was not being able to find Male and Female DVI sockets...

 

Hmm... those half to be availible somewhere perhaps in bulk, but they are not absolutely necessary.

 

I am starting to think about a larger business opportunity here. More generally retrofitting and perhaps painting or anodizing Apple products. It seems like the demand is huge. Lot's of people seem to be interested in using G4 Cube and G4 PowerMac cases as well as G5's.

 

But what about the original iMac:

 

 

There must be millions of these going to scrap. People loved the colors and I bet someone could sell tons of them retrofitted with low end components.

 

 

Then of course, is the G4 iMac:

 

 

Here the issue is not only the unique design but also value of 15", 17" and 20" displays. In short, the G4 and motherboard are junk now, but the case and screen certainly have some value. Then of course, we have the iMac G5's, which look the same as the new Core 2 Duo iMacs.

 

I think it could be reasonable to retrofiting laptops too, but much more difficult. Nonetheless, Apple's titanium and aluminum laptop cases with up to 17" displays certainly have value. Even the aluminum 12" PowerBook has a loyal following who are demanding an Intel version.

 

Finally, one could deal with refitting old iPods with larger hard drives and new batteries, just like these guys do:

 

http://podswap.com/

[bofors]

My only real drawback I found - and showstopper if I'm honest - was not being able to find Male and Female DVI sockets ...

 

You might have to order these, again which is why some needs to make a bunch of this kits and sell them. This Taiwanese wholesaler has them:

 

 

http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/DVI-co.../1001292774.htm

 

http://www.globalsources.com/gsol/I/DVI-co...80788/22665.htm

[DiaboliK]

wow bofors you have the same idea as i do with the retofitting the old imacs. i kinda want to take a g3 imac and *revive* it with some newer internals and a nice lcd. maybe shed some of its 39lbs.

[Harrypotter2k5]

This post might be of some relevance:

 

http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?show...17&hl=apple

[Nykwil]

feel free to search for aquamac on google or even my thread on this page for some inspiration.

 

i think using the mobo tray for the rear is a very clean solution vs. just using the default g5 rear.

 

a lot of people tend to put the PSU on the bottom of the case but with some special parts i place my psu up top and routed the power adapter to the bottom...it makes for a nice clean solution.

 

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=43287

 

wow this thread is old...why the hell was it bumped?

 

i shoulda paid attention to the dates

[darkpoint1]

Wow, great ideas you have there.

[yoda75]

Hmm... those half to be availible somewhere perhaps in bulk, but they are not absolutely necessary.

 

I am starting to think about a larger business opportunity here. More generally retrofitting and perhaps painting or anodizing Apple products. It seems like the demand is huge. Lot's of people seem to be interested in using G4 Cube and G4 PowerMac cases as well as G5's.

 

But what about the original iMac:

 

 

There must be millions of these going to scrap. People loved the colors and I bet someone could sell tons of them retrofitted with low end components.

 

 

Then of course, is the G4 iMac:

 

 

Here the issue is not only the unique design but also value of 15", 17" and 20" displays. In short, the G4 and motherboard are junk now, but the case and screen certainly have some value. Then of course, we have the iMac G5's, which look the same as the new Core 2 Duo iMacs.

 

I think it could be reasonable to retrofiting laptops too, but much more difficult. Nonetheless, Apple's titanium and aluminum laptop cases with up to 17" displays certainly have value. Even the aluminum 12" PowerBook has a loyal following who are demanding an Intel version.

 

Finally, one could deal with refitting old iPods with larger hard drives and new batteries, just like these guys do:

 

http://podswap.com/

 

I already have all my hackintosh parts up and running. How much would you charge for a premodded powermac G3 (B&W)/G4/G5/Mac Pro case. My board is a Micro ATX. From the hackintosh community at least, you would probably get the most business for just the premodded cases somewhere in the <$150 price range. Do you have your own cases or would people have to send you their own? I might be interested in this kind of a service if you are offering it.

[dark4181]

feel free to search for aquamac on google or even my thread on this page for some inspiration.

 

i think using the mobo tray for the rear is a very clean solution vs. just using the default g5 rear.

 

a lot of people tend to put the PSU on the bottom of the case but with some special parts i place my psu up top and routed the power adapter to the bottom...it makes for a nice clean solution.

 

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=43287

 

wow this thread is old...why the hell was it bumped?

 

i shoulda paid attention to the dates

 

may i ask how tight a fit the PSU was? did you have to alter it, or use a low profile model? personally, i'd like to put my PSU at the top also

[kernalzero]

diabolik and bofors-

 

retrofitting an old G3 would be awesome! ever think about snagging a refurb mini for the inside? it would be a legitimate mac and with a new LCD it would look fantastic... I might have to start shopping ebay for something new now!

 

Just a question...what is the screen size for the CRT on an imac g3???? not pixels but the physical size

[Nykwil]

may i ask how tight a fit the PSU was? did you have to alter it, or use a low profile model? personally, i'd like to put my PSU at the top also

 

the psu i used was a modular one by seasonic @ 600w only used the power cables i needed at it was a real tight fit but it is a default sized psu.

[dark4181]

that's awesome, as that's the psu i've intended to use all along. thanks very much nykwil

 

i'm guessing you still needed to remove the metal tray beneath to cut a hole for the fan. how did you fasten the psu into place?

[Soündless]

diabolik and bofors-

 

retrofitting an old G3 would be awesome! ever think about snagging a refurb mini for the inside? it would be a legitimate mac and with a new LCD it would look fantastic... I might have to start shopping ebay for something new now!

 

Just a question...what is the screen size for the CRT on an imac g3???? not pixels but the physical size

i might try the mac mini idea.

the screen is 15" 1024X768

[Nykwil]

that's awesome, as that's the psu i've intended to use all along. thanks very much nykwil

 

i'm guessing you still needed to remove the metal tray beneath to cut a hole for the fan. how did you fasten the psu into place?

 

 

 

yeah cutting a hole would assure ventilation

 

i secured the psu by lining up the screwholes on the psu that holds the 120mm fan in place to the metal tray and just screwed it in.

[dark4181]

did you place vibration dampening materials between psu and tray? or your fans/rad or fans/case?

 

sorry for all the questions, i'm just trying to list all the materials i'm likely to need, so i can buy them

 

thanks much for your time

[Nykwil]

did you place vibration dampening materials between psu and tray? or your fans/rad or fans/case?

 

sorry for all the questions, i'm just trying to list all the materials i'm likely to need, so i can buy them

 

thanks much for your time

 

no vibration dampening needed, the fan on the psu is so quiet you cant hear it.

 

loudest thing in my rig would be the hard drive accessing data thats pretty much it.

[dark4181]

no vibration dampening needed, the fan on the psu is so quiet you cant hear it.

 

loudest thing in my rig would be the hard drive accessing data thats pretty much it.

 

sweet. alright, a couple last things and i'll leave you alone haha. for your wc setup. are the fans pulling air into or out of, the case? my guess would be pulling air in, but i really don't know

 

last, your swiftech res, does it have to be mounted so high, or could i place my res further toward the bottom of the case? i hope to stick a thermaltake icage, or something similar in that area. i run a 3 hd system

 

thanks again for your time and your answers

 

p.s - i'm either gonna duplicate your swiftech res and pump combo, or else get the asetek res/pump-in-one hardware and mount it on the bottom of the case

[Nykwil]

sweet. alright, a couple last things and i'll leave you alone haha. for your wc setup. are the fans pulling air into or out of, the case? my guess would be pulling air in, but i really don't know

 

last, your swiftech res, does it have to be mounted so high, or could i place my res further toward the bottom of the case? i hope to stick a thermaltake icage, or something similar in that area. i run a 3 hd system

 

thanks again for your time and your answers

 

p.s - i'm either gonna duplicate your swiftech res and pump combo, or else get the asetek res/pump-in-one hardware and mount it on the bottom of the case

 

the setup pulls cool air in from outside into the system.

as for the res i think you can pretty much go without a resovoir if you wanted to save space...all you would need is a tube for the fillport. It might be a bit harder to place the resovoir any lower, but you probably could. I had a hard time getting all the tubing to fit properly without kinking. If space is an issue u can skip the resovoir completely and just go with a simple fillport. It saves space.

 

I placed the resovoir there because of how the loop was setup...it goes pump -> radiator -> cpu -> gpu -> res. -> pump

 

it used the shortest and simplest amount of tubing as possible.

[Cliffton Beach]

Then of course, is the G4 iMac:

 

 

Here the issue is not only the unique design but also value of 15", 17" and 20" displays. In short, the G4 and motherboard are junk now, but the case and screen certainly have some value. Then of course, we have the iMac G5's, which look the same as the new Core 2 Duo iMacs.

I'd love to see something like this. A mini in a g4 case, or just a random mini-itx in a g4 case. Something intel in a g4

 

It would be very hard though. The connector to the monitor is rather weird. There is apparently no onboard image processor in the LCD; a lot of stuff is handled on the g4 mainboard. Some links:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=237409

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php...4698&page=2

http://www.macmod.com/content/view/19/2/

They seemed to get closer to figuring out the connection, and where to possibly get a controller to replicate what the g4 mainboard did for video.

 

And some guy who mounted a new monitor on the arm (which may end up being easier):

http://www.123macmini.com/forums/viewtopic...0e9ec1abef56949

 

I don't have the time or expertise to do this, but I'd consider paying someone who did and I wouldn't be the only one.