Worklog: Hackintosh in Powermac G5 case Update: FINAL UPDATE!

So hopefully this is okay and it doesn't get deleted, I just started on the Powermac G5 case today, I will be updating this as I go along:











I feel as tho the hard part is done, unfortunately this is as far as I can go, because the motherboard tray uses special motherboard standoffs that I unfortunately did not know until I broke a "normal" brass one off trying to screw it in, anyhow I have them on order from frozencpu.com overnight express so I can get working again tomorrow.

Let me know what you guys think!

EDIT:

This is what it's currently housed in:

Chrysaor said:

Your current case doesn't look that bad, except for the horrible leds.

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No it's not at all, but I'd really like a matching mate for my Mac Pro

Decrepit said:

How much prework did you have to do to that G5 chassis to get that tray in there? Or is that how it worked originally?

Sorry, I've never seen the inside of any Mac Pro in person. Just the pictures of the new one.

That's going to be a fun project though. I have a smaller version of the chassis that you're using for your current model. And I would seriously consider following your lead if you pull it off.

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I ordered an empty case, in order to put the motherboard tray in therei used a Dremel and completely cut out the back to fit it, I also had to modify the hdd / cdrom tray and the harddrive cage, it took me about 2-3 hours to do it. Once I get the motherboard standoffs, I'll be able to start putting everything inside it!

CGremby said:

Oh man! I've got a iMac and a gaming PC. My gaming PC is inside of a:
http://www.pcmegastore.nl/catalog/images/Coolermaster stacker 830 Evo Black.jpg

I so wanna buy a Mac Pro case and put all my hardware inside of it. Is it possible with my hardware? Or would I need to buy some special parts? Where to buy just the case?

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eBay is the best place but beware that a MP can only hold a mATX motherboard while a PM G5 can fit a fullsize ATX motherboard! Not to mention MP cases are way more expensive ($300+).

Just a quick update, the company I bought the motherboard standoffs from took it upon their will to ship Fedex 2Day rather than the Next Day Air I paid for, so tomorrow I should beable to start fitting all of the parts! I'm expecting to get most if not all of this done this week, I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to install the front intake fan, and I also plan to reuse the harddrive fan, tho that requires some soldering, I'm also waiting for the front panel wire to get here so I can solder that into wires that my motherboard can accept!

More pictures tomorrow!

Andrew

So I've basically been working on this all day since I got the motherboard stand offs, it's currently up and running 10.5.8 with no problems at all here's some pictures from along the way:

Mounting the motherboard in place!





Installed everything else:









There's still a bit of work to be done, firstly you'll notice that there is no intake fan, well I had to put on it, unfortunately I'm not proud of how I did it so I didn't take a picture of it in, once I find a proper way to mount it I'll add a picture, secondly you'll notice that there are no wires going to the power button / front panel, I'm still waiting on the cable to arrive I bought one on eBay, once I get it I'll solder the proper wires to it to have a fully working front panel, other than that, it's pretty much done, I need to figure out a way to secure the power supply, I will most likely be using double sided tape for two reasons, one so I can remove it easily, and so I don't have to cut any more holes, and also it will act as anti vibration, currently the computer is just as quiet as the Mac Pro it's sitting next to, maybe just a tad louder, no big deal, overall I'm very happy with the progress!

Also forgot to mention one more thing, I need to put a fan up in the top to cool the WD Velociraptor up there, I don't think it will get that hot but irregardless the lower the temperature the longer it will last!

Let me know what you guys think!

Zaap said:

Nicely done! Looks great!

You're right- I would highly recommend a fan pulling air directly over the hard drive(s), especially at the top of the case where heat tends to collect.

One question: just curious, does that PSU provide for the full 8-pin CPU power connector, or just the 4-pin?

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It has two 4-pin connectors, so yes it has the full 8-pin

fireshot91 said:

I'm not going to quote your entire post, so Yes, you OP.

Wouldn't it make more sense to put the CPU fan on the other side of the heatsink, and have it blow towards the back of the case?

That way, the intake fan on the front will blow cool air into the CPU fan, which will blow that cool air through the heatsink into the fan on the back, and it'll escape.


I think right now, it's either bringing the cold air in through the back (With the back fan blowing out), or making the heat from the heatsink escape.

I'd think that bringing cold air in would be cooler than blowing the hot air out?

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Negative, the fan in the back is blowing cool air into the case, I had to reverse the "normal" flow of things because where the PSU is sitting, it's blowing exhaust out the front, so I didn't want to have everything else going out the back, and the PSU blowing out the front, so I just switched it up from the norm.

Also, I have a *new* PSU coming in the mail, a modular one that is small enough to fit in the top where the harddrive rack currently is, so I may switch it up, I haven't decided yet, but either way, it's up and running and chugging along, I also have 8gb of 1066 ram coming a harddrive fan and some other stuff, I'll keep everyone posted!