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Powermac G4 Hackintosh advice?

Q

Qwertyfish11

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 11, 2010
14
0
Hi, so I've been in the market for a new computer lately. After some googling, I have a few options I could go with.
I need the computer to handle video editing. I've been using Cs5.5 on my pc and it's just not cutting it. It's too old to upgrade and honestly I want to stay away from windows. So I've made up my mind on converting an old G4 into a dual core intel hackintosh. Preferably i5 based. However all the articles I've stumbled upon are relatively old.
Right now im deciding upon the g4 model and the base motherboard. Anyone have any tips/ advice?
 
I am a little confused by what you intend to do, one one hand you say you want to build a hackintosh based on an Intel i5 CPU, but then you talk about a G4 and its motherboard....

If you want to build a hackintosh then one of the most helpful sites to visit is this one: http://www.tonymacx86.com/

I wouldn't waste my money on a G4 or G5 at this point, they are stuck at 10.5.8 and won't be able to use Lion.
 
ashman70 said:
I am a little confused by what you intend to do, one one hand you say you want to build a hackintosh based on an Intel i5 CPU, but then you talk about a G4 and its motherboard....

If you want to build a hackintosh then one of the most helpful sites to visit is this one: http://www.tonymacx86.com/

I wouldn't waste my money on a G4 or G5 at this point, they are stuck at 10.5.8 and won't be able to use Lion.
Click to expand...

Sorry..just re read my post. Let me clarify, I'm going to strip out a G4 Powermac and replace the innards with Modern-day components. But I'm stumped as to which Motherboard I should buy for the swap and also which powermac g4 to get to be the "host". (ie; Graphite, quicksilver, mirror drive door)
 
Its going to be difficult if not impossible to find a board that will fit in a PowerMac G4. None of the posts will line up, nor will the rear ports fit.
 
Intell said:
Its going to be difficult if not impossible to find a board that will fit in a PowerMac G4. None of the posts will line up, nor will the rear ports fit.
Click to expand...

I found a few posts from people doing the same, but all from 2007 lol. All of the motherboards are no longer in production.
 
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if it is in your price range i would get a g5 case, allot more room, a g4 is going to be difficult due to the fact the cd drive tray and psu are going to obscure big components like the cpu and ram
 
This PowerPC forum is not to discuss how to remove PowerPC hardware and replace it with Intel. It's to discuss the use and issues with PowerPC hardware.
 
Your insane, Like the others have said removing a power pc board and replacing it with a intel one is crazy. Try the G5 idea. It's more upgradable.
 
codman1004 said:
Your insane, Like the others have said removing a power pc board and replacing it with a intel one is crazy. Try the G5 idea. It's more upgradable.
Click to expand...

Removing a G4/G5s guts and installing something else isn't that crazy. Im very tempted to install an older Pentium III system into a PowerMac Case to run x86 OpenSTEP for instance, just to make it match the rest of my Mac Collection. (Although I will only do this on a machine that is beyond reasonable repair - ie dead Logicboard).
 
I'll be doing a hackintosh soon, once I get CPU/Ram ordered.

Gutting a G4 Mac is not THAT hard. It just takes time. Don't let the haters hate on you. :rolleyes:

This will help:
http://www.overclock.net/case-mod-work-logs/660371-macbane-apple-powermac-g4-modding-fun.html

http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/85...acbane-converting-my-powermac-g4-core-i7.html

There was a 3rd that was a black and white "lightning" mod. I cannot find it no matter how hard I search.

Anyways, don't let people get you down or say you can't do something. If you understand it's a lot of work to mod a G3/G4, go for it.

Like others have said, tonymacx86 is a good forum to go to.

Good luck!
 
Thank you for all the helpful links. I got the case yesterday, and it was a disappointment to say the least. The shipper had no protection, so it was loose in the box. :mad: It was also sent with a loose hard drive, and a bent Drive tray. I suppose it's nothing I can't fix myself, but it will just slow down the process. Anyways I've decided to go with this http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=41046&CatId=7162 motherboard. It only has 2 RAM slots, but will I really need more?
 
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