Newbie question...

[SpiderMonkey]

Hi there,

 

Just joined the forum and loving the posts.  So many different ideas....

 

Would anyone help with my query:

 

Got a Power mac G5 with all the insides and would like to do a G5 case mod with it - gut it all out and fit with up-to-date motherboard, CPU, etc.  Looks not important, functionality and price are.

 

The problem is, as mentioned before, I am a complete newbie.  Where do I start?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

[Mr.D.]

Welcome!!

 

I believe a good place to start is with a decision: Do you want to keep the stock G5 look, or do you want to replace the back with an ATX kit, like those available from The Lazer HIve? This is all a matter of personal preference. I like the look of the case as-is and didn't want to change it. Both require some work to get what you want, but each has its own rewards and challenges.

 

Once you have that figured out, build from the inside out - by that I mean get the Motherboard, CPU, PSU, GPU, HDD/SSD, etc. that you want. Again, a choice needs to be made here: Go Gigabyte and nVidia for run-ability out of the box, or go with the system that you want and try to make it work with OSX. Some people will tell you to go the easy way... and that's fine. I can, however, tell you that its only easy because someone else did it first, and found out how to do it, and then shared it with the community. I went with an ASRock board and an ATI video card. Some things didn't work right away and I had to tinker - but that was part of the fun for me.

 

There is a guy who built a hackintosh in 90 minutes and posted the video on YouTube. And there are people like me who are still tinkering with their system after more than a year.

 

This site is a great reference for both the hardware and the software aspect of getting your hackintosh running. Check out the mods here in this forum, and when you're ready, move to the top of the page for software help.

 

As always, don't be afraid to ask...

 

... and don't be afraid to start modding your system!

[SpiderMonkey]

Thanks for the answer Mr.D.

 

Keeping it as original as possible sounds very appealing.  Going with Gigabite and nVidia is also a good as I'll be installing MacOS on it.

 

Is there a post somewere with your case mod?

 

And one more question - did you manage to reuse any of the parts from the G5, like the power unit or the fans?

 

Thanks

[Mr.D.]

Here is mine. Don't hold mine up on a pedestal though, plenty of mistakes made along the way... Look thru the forum for others mods to give you some more ideas.

 

And not only do I have OSX running, I have it running in a Virtual Machine - just goes to show that it can be done, if you have the time, energy, and resources. I have 10.6.8 and 10.8.2 running in 2 different virtual machines.

 

I reused none of the actual electrical parts. Others have reused the fans, or modified them in various ways. I replaced them because the old ones draw a lot of power, make a lot of noise, and don't cool as well as cheap 5 dollar fans. you just cant reuse the PSU. I tried and tried, but it just doesn't have the right voltages, amps, and distribution to run an modern ATX motherboard. I did reuse the fan mounts and the PSU case. Cosmetically, the G5 looks the same... I upgraded all the good bits to new stuff though.

[MiniHack]

Thanks for the answer Mr.D.

 

Keeping it as original as possible sounds very appealing.  Going with Gigabite and nVidia is also a good as I'll be installing MacOS on it.

 

Is there a post somewere with your case mod?

 

And one more question - did you manage to reuse any of the parts from the G5, like the power unit or the fans?

 

Thanks

 

To be honest modern replacement fans are preferred for a number of reasons: G5 fans have their own custom wiring, so you need to re-wire them (at least); they consume more current than modern fans; they are noisy as hell…..

 

The power unit is generally not re-used as a unit (reasons: need to be re-wired as they are to a different standard; usually the G5 PSUs are not as highly rated -i.e. powerful - on the 12 volt line; re-using an 8 to 10 year old PSU is generally considered not such a great idea as component failure is more likely the older the PSU gets). However, it is common to do a "conversion" job and many people take their new ATX PSUs and re-body them into the original G5 PSU case.

 

Often re-used and things to keep: The 4 screws for the DVD drive; The HDD caddy; The front switch panel and the small length of wire going to it (for re-wiring if you are into that).

 

Sometimes re-used/re-purposed in pursuit of original looks: the original motherboard rear ports (for people who are dead set on not cutting the back, keen modders have been known to make the ports into a conversion panel by re-wiring them and attaching wires from their own USB ports, audio ports, LAN etc); the plastic air deflector; the CPU cover shield.

 

Have fun!

[SpiderMonkey]

After spending a few nights reading the posts and contacting The Laser Hive (is this you Minihack?), I've decided to cut the case.  This is mostly due to my unexperience with building G5s, or as a matter of fact - any other PC. Another factor is time, as I need a working computer sooner than later.

 

So, I placed an order for an ATX 120 low version tray and backplate + front panel conversion.  The later one mostly due to the fact that I often felt that I need 2xUSB ports at the front panel.

 

The next rather difficult choice will be the motherboard.  As Mr.D suggested, it will be a Gigabyte, mostly for proven compatability.  But here the nightmare begins - where do I start? I'll need something with USB3, ethernet, HDMI and maybe WiFi. I'm on a tight budget, so cannot splash out too much.

[Baudouin]

To be honest modern replacement fans are preferred for a number of reasons: G5 fans have their own custom wiring, so you need to re-wire them (at least); they consume more current than modern fans; they are noisy as hell…..

 

The power unit is generally not re-used as a unit (reasons: need to be re-wired as they are to a different standard; usually the G5 PSUs are not as highly rated -i.e. powerful - on the 12 volt line; re-using an 8 to 10 year old PSU is generally considered not such a great idea as component failure is more likely the older the PSU gets). However, it is common to do a "conversion" job and many people take their new ATX PSUs and re-body them into the original G5 PSU case.

 

Often re-used and things to keep: The 4 screws for the DVD drive; The HDD caddy; The front switch panel and the small length of wire going to it (for re-wiring if you are into that).

 

Sometimes re-used/re-purposed in pursuit of original looks: the original motherboard rear ports (for people who are dead set on not cutting the back, keen modders have been known to make the ports into a conversion panel by re-wiring them and attaching wires from their own USB ports, audio ports, LAN etc); the plastic air deflector; the CPU cover shield.

 

Have fun!

This the best "what-to-reuse" list I have ever read. All parts included, easy to read (I got to complicated sometimes), and eveything is said. MiniHack Pro has spoken.