Jump to content

[Discussion] Fit a PC in a G5 PowerMac Enclosure!


TribesMan
 Share

1,074 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

I'd like to introduce the result of many months of hard work.

 

Here's my case mod. Very soon I'll open a thread with all the process.

 

As you can see all the ports have been kept with full functionality. Even the Airport antenna. And I think it looks good in the inside too :P

 

I hope you guys like it. Soon a full review.

post-64487-1208771135_thumb.jpg

post-64487-1208771174_thumb.jpg

post-64487-1208771205_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to introduce the result of many months of hard work.

 

Here's my case mod. Very soon I'll open a thread with all the process.

 

As you can see all the ports have been kept with full functionality. Even the Airport antenna. And I think it looks good in the inside too :)

 

I hope you guys like it. Soon a full review.

 

You real nailed it man this is good man.

I guess most ppl always have problems with the back, you did it nice there, keep it up!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You got some nice photoshop skills

 

dude that is nice didnt know if it was a G5 or PC

 

:D Sorry to disappoint but no Photoshop involved here :P

 

Here's an internal shot of the connectors.

 

As you see it is possible, you just need to pick really this receptacles.

post-64487-1208803704_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Add another G5 case to the list. My mod is underway!

 

I only wish I had bought a motherboard that was mATX, but thanks to all the modders that have gone before me, I've seen it can be done with a full ATX.

 

I'm still undecided on the "to cut (the back panel) or not to cut" debate. I'm going to work on adapting the front panel connections in the meantime.

 

Thanks again to everyone who has made this an invaluable resource to modding these cases!

 

g5gutsoutpu5.jpg

g5gutsoutpu5.b77b766841.jpg

 

I guess order is your middle name, you should see my work place, At time I spend have of the time looking for my tools hk hk hk hk hk. This is neat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess order is your middle name, you should see my work place, At time I spend have of the time looking for my tools hk hk hk hk hk. This is neat

 

Haha, trust me, it was mostly just for that photo! My bedroom looks like I'm building a bomb now that I'm redoing my wiring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, I have to say that I was absolutely mesmerized by all of the beautiful G5 case mods. I have yet to build a hackintosh as I am busy doing research. The more I read the more I am inspired to go further to reach the pinnacle of hackintoshism. This is obviously the holy grail of hackintosh builds. I especially appreciate all of the work that went into using a G5 case without having to cut it up. Now I wonder if it is possible to use the original hard drive mounts to achieve the same type of slide in and out functionality? If i am able to pull something like that off I might just be able to get my wife to kiss me after I am done instead of curse me. You see she is a bit of an absolute mac purist and doesn't really care for the hackintosh concept. I have been considering using an Asus P5K3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP motherboard. It seems to provide great functionality right out of the box. It includes built in wifi, dual gigabit lan, and a built in hardware raid controller that works like a charm. It is on the HCL as being one of the most compatible boards available. The only thing is that it is a full size ATX board. Do you all think it is worth doing a G5 case hackintosh if I want to get it as nice as possible? What are the possibilities here? Thanks for all of your input. BTW, I have read through this entire thread, so all of the information is swimming in my head and I probably need a bit of time to calm down and gather my thoughts. Any pointers would be very helpful and appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

sure im using a full case in my G5 hack and its all good look at nervous chimp he has used a full atx and his G5 hack and kept the original port really impressive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm, well I have been looking around and the only G5 case I found was one on ebay that was totally trashed to hell. Does you all know where I can pick one up for under $200? Also, I have seen the amazing work you all have done, but what kind of tools are being used? Obviously a dremel, pliers, perhaps a hacksaw, and glue are used, but how did you guys bend the metal of those custom parts so nicely?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, thanks for the links. After I found the part numbers for the enclosures of the Mac Pro and the G5 Powermac I did some searching. I least expensive G5 case I was able to find was a refurbished one from welovemacs for $200. I was able to find a really good deal on a mac pro case here.http://www.dvwarehouse.com/Apple-Case-for-...EW-p-35381.htmlThat is right, dvwarehouse.com is selling brand new Mac Pro cases for $199! So I have to ask, why settle for a G5 case when you can buy a Mac Pro case for less? The Mac Pro case is more versatile, so that seems to be the direction I am heading in unless I find a much better deal on a case somewhere else. I wonder if it is easier to fit a non Apple powersupply in a Mac Pro enclosure? I will be doing some research to find out. I am sure I can find some good diagrams and take apart pictures around.Ok, I looked around and the Mac Pro case is WAY better than the G5 case. The internal layout has a much better plan. The mounting design for the SATA drives is way cool. I don't think it would be too difficult to actually set up a hackintosh similarly to the way the internals on a Mac Pro are set up. Now, wouldn't that just be a hell of a twist. It would be rad if someone opened up your hackintosh and thought, wow that is a different looking Mac Pro, but a Mac Pro none the less. This possibility is quite fascinating. I think it deserves a try. So, what do you all think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's up and and running. Don't mind the mess.

 

insideparts1.jpg

 

My Q6600 went to 3.2 straight away on stock voltages, but the temps concern me a little. It idles at 45C. I thought I did a good job of seating the heat sink. This seems a bit high. Kaly 10.2 install was very smooth, and I think only the audio is not working out of the box.

 

My initial xbench score was 217.

 

I have already decided I like being able to reach under the bottom to switch off the PSU before playing with the internals.

 

nervouschimp did you ever get your wiring and your G5 finished.

 

I want to see some pics lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

nervouschimp did you ever get your wiring and your G5 finished.

 

I want to see some pics lol

 

 

Not yet.... tons of crazy real-life stuff lately keeping me too busy. I hate the motherboard I chose for this hack. It's unstable with DDR2 1066 at 1600fsb. The onboard audio has a recurring loud ringing sound that is the right pitch to melt human brains. I am currently running @ 400fsb X 8 for 3.2 with ram @ 800 for stability.

 

Need a few new cables, a better board, and some spare time to get this finished.

 

Looking for an X38/X48 board with support for 1600fsb, DDR2 1066, ICH9R, fully working audio in/out (mic, line, optical, front panel), firewire.... I'm willing to pay for X48 if it will give me stability.... but I must have decent onboard working sound! Any suggestions?!?!?!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Well, I've experimenting with my ws pro board some more, trying to make it work for me. It looks like 8gigs of 1066 can be a challenge on a lot of boards, as its really hard on the memory controller to run 4 banks @ 2gigs each at such high speeds. Dropping the ram to 800 has allowed me to go back up 9X400fsb to run @ 3.6 24/7 rock solid. I was having random KPs, and it looks like it was the memory controller crapping-out.

 

As for the onboard audio, I reinstalled my patched appleHDA kext, and before I even rebooted the high-pitched ringing returned. Leaving my headphones plugged in, I plugged a second pair of headphones into the line-out port in the back and the ringing cut out. I have rebooted 10-times so far with headphones on the front and back, and the problem is gone for now. I'm not an audio engineer, so I have no idea what's wrong with the audio implementation on this board, but if this continues to work (I'll just keep a speaker system on the line out), then I'm not going to shell out for another X38/X48 board.

 

I have faith that in the next year we will see some affordable pcie sound cards with intel drivers, and I might also get a really nice firewire audio solution in the future.

 

I can live with 8gigs running @ DDR2 800, now that my board is stable. I can also live with the onboard audio bug, as long as I can keep it away.

 

This is a quirky lil board, but I think I'll keep it. It geekbenches in the 700s, and that's not bad. I just need to find something to put in the pci-x slot.... that's what makes this board unique.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

im using the creative sound blaster external sound card and it all works never bothered to connect the audio on the front panel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sat up till 5 in the morning reading this whole topic, word for word.

I thought i was the only one doing this mod and thought i was being original but decided to google it before i did it.

I am going to go with the idea of not chopping my G5 case to bits and have got a list of all the things i intend to use help me do that:

 

dell inspiron 530 slim = £483.99

PowerMac G5 Case = £50.00

big firewire to mini firewire x2 = $5.80 = £2.94

dvi to dvi+vga splitter x2 = £21.98

3.5 extension cable x4 = £3.96

ethernet extension cable = $4.18 = £2.12

graphics card 2x dvi = £106.93

wi-fi adapter = £14.00

bluetooth adapter = £12.00

usb hub = £14.99

usb extension cable x4 = £3.06

mighty mouse & keyboard = £64.00

kalyway 10.5.2 = £0.00

 

Total = £779.97

 

still need a few things like a firewire hub and/or a firewire express card thing for the back

 

thanks for posting all the pictures, they all look the {censored} and thanks for all the info in the last 27 pages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Guys,

Here is my G5 Worklog, the last few pages probably the most interesting.

 

I am fitting the newly released Asus "Skulltrail" derivative, with 8gigs ram, 2x Xeons, SAS harddrives etc.

 

If there's someone here that's keen, I can open a worklog here too.

 

I am currently bidding on a MacPro case on ebay, and that will be used for a second project.

 

Enjoy.

 

Kind regards,

MrBean

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...