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powermac g4 or g5 into a g3 case?

supernova777

supernova777

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 22, 2007
75
10
anyone know if its possible for me to buy a powermac g4 or g5 motherboard + cpu and swap them into my yosemite B&W mac case?..
obviously i can figure out if its agp graphics vs pci im going to need a 128RAGE agp card for video etc.. but im wonderng.. is the form factor identical? would it work with the same Power supply? because i've seen a few on ebay for cheap and id rather have a g4 g5 sitting on a shelf then a g3... even though i keep it mostly for novely.. and using for vintage audio apps on os9 + the like..
at present its just barey useful to even surf the web im sure i could at least browse effectively as well as get GIGABIT ethernet... if i upgraded the motherboard + cpu.. just wondering if this is possible. has anyone tried it ?

just for kicks as these computers are obviously LEGACY
 
Intell

Intell

macrumors P6
Jan 24, 2010
18,955
509
Inside
I think they are they same inside as the earlier PowerMac G4s. The later ones and G5s will be hard to cram into a B&W G3 case.
 
C

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
supernova777 said:
anyone know if its possible for me to buy a powermac g4 or g5 motherboard + cpu and swap them into my yosemite B&W mac case?..
obviously i can figure out if its agp graphics vs pci im going to need a 128RAGE agp card for video etc.. but im wonderng.. is the form factor identical? would it work with the same Power supply? because i've seen a few on ebay for cheap and id rather have a g4 g5 sitting on a shelf then a g3... even though i keep it mostly for novely.. and using for vintage audio apps on os9 + the like..
at present its just barey useful to even surf the web im sure i could at least browse effectively as well as get GIGABIT ethernet... if i upgraded the motherboard + cpu.. just wondering if this is possible. has anyone tried it ?

just for kicks as these computers are obviously LEGACY
Click to expand...

Fitting a G5 is completely out of the question - wrong size logic board, massive cooling issues and a lack of space. A G4 would be possible, however its easier to keep the G4 in its original case, as I dont think the Motherboard mounts are the same except possibly the PCI G4, which isnt worth getting (Its a B&W G3 with a G4 CPU in a Grey Case pretty much). It also needs to be said any G4 that is Digital Audio or Newer has too many slots for them all to be used in a G3, it doesnt have enough "Space" in the case (4 PCI slots over 3). If you want Gigabit Ethernet, your looking for a G4 Gigabit Ethernet as its the only one that would fit, and getting it in its original case is easier and probably cheaper.
 
supernova777

supernova777

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 22, 2007
75
10
what about getting a g4 400mhz CPU and just swapping that into the b&w motherboard.. and getting a gigabit ethernet pci card???

would that work for me then?
 
C

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
supernova777 said:
what about getting a g4 400mhz CPU and just swapping that into the b&w motherboard.. and getting a gigabit ethernet pci card???

would that work for me then?
Click to expand...

If your G3 has had its firmware updated to the latest version it wont work - Apple Disabled the ability of the G3 to have the G4 ZIF from a Yikes swapped in. It should still be possible, but you probably need to change the firmware to support a G4. It probably costs the same as the G4 tower itself.
 
Rodus

Rodus

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2008
679
0
Midlands, UK
You can put a sawtooth motherboard into a B&W G3 case, I've done it. The only problems you'll have is connecting the psu power cable to the board as the connectors are totally different and the back plate (with the USB holes etc) are also not compatible.
 
C

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
Rodus said:
You can put a sawtooth motherboard into a B&W G3 case, I've done it. The only problems you'll have is connecting the psu power cable to the board as the connectors are totally different and the back plate (with the USB holes etc) are also not compatible.
Click to expand...

Its definitely easier and cheaper if you value your time just to snag a cheap G4 locally - they can generally be got for $10 - $20, and in most cases the board and CPU will cost more.
 
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