Resolved Possible G4 Hackintosh build: How would I attach the main fan assembly to new PSU?

Hey everyone,

So I have just had ideas swarming around in my head of putting the components from a Windows PC into a G4 case, for the Hackintosh my brother and I had been working on. Once Mac OSX is up and running, a better casing would be nice.

I have a few questions though, and hopefully they can be answered:

Firstly, do I need new motherboard mounts (would want to do this either in a G4 graphite or G4 QS) for the motherboard I am taking out of a Dell Vostro 230? Are the stock ones generally out of place and need to be customized? I am hoping it will be a direct fit.

The other thing I am concerned about is the main fan assembly (large fan for the CPU). Can I use the stock one from the G4 or do I need a newer one? Whichever one I use, where does this fan connect to? It seems like the motherboard is too far away when the case door is opened. Does it attach to the PSU? I know the G4 has its own special PSU, but how would I attach this fan to the PSU from the Dell? I looked into it and it seems like it attached to a cable on the PSU, but I am afraid that the PSU from the Dell does not have that fan connection, as, I believe, the main fans in the Dell are connected to the motherboard.

Anyone have other advice about this? I kinda want to do this, and certain things don't seem too bad, but the motherboard and fan deal has me tripped-up.

weckart said:

Apple motherboards are custom - right down to the spacer locations. Dell also tends to have proprietary components. Chances are, you are going to have to work around differences in layouts - this might include rear ports. If the Dell fans attach to the motherboard, chances are that speeds are regulated based on motherboard readings. If you attach directly to the psu cables with a suitable adapter then the fans will run at full speed all the time.

It is difficult to give hard and fast advice without concrete information on both parts. Most hackintoshes gut the Mac host to leave a shell and use the PC innards, including fans, psus and optical drives; cutting and adjusting the Mac housing to fit. I would proceed in that direction as long as you are handy with tools and a bit of imagination.

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I think I should do this with the case from my temperamental Quad-G5. However, it would probably just be better to buy some brand new components that are recommended for Hackintosh builds. I have researched the extent of creating a Hackintosh G5, and it does involve custom risers/motherboard mounts and other things of that degree. However, with some extra help from others, I think we could maybe pull it off... I'll be sure to log it or at least make a thread about this if I do it.

The scary parts are: Disassembling a Quad-G5 Mac, making permanent/intricate modifications to it, and spending money on the new computer parts... pretty much everything! xD

ToroidalZeus said:

The easiest option is a motherboard tray from mountain mods or lian-li.

My Build:

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/227069-former-peasant-first-build-x99-hackintosh/#entry3110195

You need to scrap everything from the G4; even the CD drive won't work because it's IDE.

The Delta fans can be made to work BUT they are insanely powerful and thus noisy even on the lowest setting in the BIOS.



open-source hates tony so half of the good info is on insanelymac

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This is going to be a bit of work. I was considering getting whole new components, but I just stumbled upon a 50-dollar 2007 Mac Pro and now I'm set!