Power Mac Gi5 'Hackintosh'

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Hi All!

First of all, I am new to the Overclockers forum and this is my first logged build. I have done many computer builds in the past but this is my first attempt of making a fully blown 'Hackintosh'.

My choice of case was the Power Mac G5, which I had to choose as I have always loved the Power and Pro cases, but wanted it with a personalised touch. My plan is to keep it looking clean, custom water-cooling and have a side window.

So, here is the Power Mac G5 Dual 1.86GHz 2004 that i picked up in fully working order and in pretty much perfect condition (the reason i bought it). It came in its battered box and i picked it up from York for £90.

I had a little bit of a mess on with it before dismantling it ready for modification, but then got right to work stripping it out.

Now it sat there for a few months as i was waiting to finish my university term, but whilst i was waiting i ordered the Mountain Mods motherboard tray as i had heard it was very well made.

So my plan was to utilise the original PSU and modify the cables, but having been there before, modding PSUs is not the easiest thing to do. I decided that it would be best to take the easier route and build a new PSU into it. So i removed and prepped it ready for a Corsair CX750M.

It was rotten inside that PSU! but anyways... im planning to replace the PSU cover with a new bit of aluminium as it will get rid of all the notches that were used for holding bits in its original state.

So the other day came a large bag of goodies, 2 Arctic F8 fans, 2 Arctic F12 Fans, White cable braiding and some metal adhesive.

So i got straight onto carrying out the modification to the case...

After lots and lots of measuring, then checking again just before i got my dremel to hand, i started to cut the case.

The cut turned out even better than i had hoped, so i started fitting the modified parts such as the modified optical drive mount i did earlier.

 

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But when it came to fitting the mountain mods motherboard tray, it was the real test of my cutting! and i was truly amazed at how close i managed to get the cut!

PLEASE NOTE THE LITTLE CURVE IS FROM THE FAN, NOT MY BAD CUTTING

So i went ahead and fitted the tray etc together, and i was extremely happy with its results

Those edges make the inside of the case look much much better as its butt to butt. I will be using the original motherboard standoffs after they have been adhered to the case in the correct location.

Just after i had finished this work, the courier dropped off my new PSU and window perspex!

So i then got straight to work on it

As you will see on one of the photos, i had to bend the top as it was hitting the heat sink inside.

First i had to modify the fans so that they were wired together. This allowed them to clip into the standard connector. i also had to extend the cable.



Then i had to measure, drill and glue some standoffs into place. I then had to wait overnight for them to set.



Whilst i was bored, i thought i would 'reutilise' the stickers from the Corsair PSU



Anyway i fitted the PSU in place and did a minor cut to allow the extra cables to come through.




Okay, so my motherboard tray standoffs are busy being glued down, so i then went ahead and got the window ready.

here is a picture of the perspex covering where i would like it to be. i needed to cut out a section whilst rounding off the edges



i realised the back was removable, and that it would make a great template!



so after measuring, cutting and polishing the edges. i had my window! unfortunately i chipped an edge but it wont be visible as that will be where it is stuck down.



Quite impressed with the tint and what it looks like, but the next big question is what design window should i choose? Do i just do a big window or add a little shape to it?

Any comments?

 

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Wow dude, very nice

Thanks very much

Ive just had a little go with the braiding. I needed both exhaust fans to fit into one header, so i wired them into one and braided it in the process. I think this stuff will look awesome with the Aluminium!

 

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This is really cool! Your cuts are really clean

Thanks very much

Very nice indeed, a project I'd like to do someday

+1

Yeah they are a decent project to take on, I just want mine looking tidy as most you see look terrible inside

 

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Very nice indeed, a project I'd like to do someday

Just so you know, actual "hackintosh" talk isn't allowed on the forums (as in installing a certain OS on normal PCs), so if that is your plan, don't discuss it here.

Okay thanks, didn't see that on projects rule thread

 

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It's here in the Apple Software sub-forum

Thanks, i will reference to this thread when i install the software.

 

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Right, i have a shopping basket of gear to order from OCUK today...

The first piece of hardware being the RAM as i fell in love with it when i visited the store and its on offer so why the heck not!

Avexir Core Blue Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-21000C11 2666MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U26661104G-2CI) - Blue Light

the next bits being water-cooling bits as i need to build them in early so i can work around them. Also ordering my SATA cables so they can be fitted early.

EK-D5 X-RES 140 CSQ - Acetal
XSPC D5 Vario (Body + Screwring)
Hardware Labs Black ICE Radiator SR1 240
XSPC HighFlex Hose 1/2" ID, 3/4" OD, 19/12.7mm, 2m, Clear
NZXT Sleeved 30cm black HSG SATA cable - White (CBW-SATA-11D)

Im struggling to decide on fittings atm, this is how i plan to fit the setup but i am going to need some blocks of aluminium bonded to the side of the case to offset its positions.

I am going to use Mayhems Pastel - Raspberry Purple Coolant in my loop as i think it will best suit it.

 

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I really like the idea of this but would be reluctant to disassemble my power supply. Could you drop the M/tray and fit it above? Also how are you planning to handle cable management?

Really good work so far, will watch with interest!

Yes you can, but I don't like the idea of doing that as its not as... Original. But yes it does prevent the need to hack up your PSU

 

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thanks for the positive comments guys

JonJ678, those fans were on the outside originally, they will be hidden under a... sort of floor covering inside the case. I thought about moving them inside but it would not make any difference so thought leaving them where they were would be best.

Im awaiting my watercooling bits to turn up today from OCUK and then i think ive decided to not bother with Haswell and just go with Ivybridge.

so this is what im thinking for its specs.

KFA2 GeForce GTX 660TI EX OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
OCZ Vertex 4 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (VTX4-25SAT3-256G)
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail
Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

+

Avexir Core Blue Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-21000C11 2666MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U26661104G-2CI) - Blue Light

that i have already purchased.

But there is still much more work required so dont know if i should order this week or next yet.

 

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the gigabyte motherboard i have chosen is also available with thunderbolt and i was very tempted! but i thought, its not really worth it as i wont use it. so chose the board with extra sata-3 and heat piped north and south bridges.

I will deffo take a look at your build! i wanted to get a custom cut window but i just decided to do it myself to cut costs lol. as for custom anodizing, i might have to get my new lower cover anodised to make it match. as for the PSU, i really wanted it the other way, but unfortunatly it would cut the cable length and cause a lot of hassle! so i had no other choice

Watercooling bits turned up today so should have some updates tomorrow!

 

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just a quick update for the time being...

I opened the watercooling bits and put the pump and reservoir together. heres a picture of it all.

I have been measuring up to make an aluminium bracket for the radiator, but i wanted to make the cables more suitable first. So i braided them and replaced the white/clear connectors with black. i also cut the link cable to make it a suitable size for the motherboard.

That looks better!!

I am going to get an aluminium block machined so that it can be adhered to the rear of the case and then the resavoir mount can screw into it. i think this will be a better idea than just adhering the bracket to the case... at least this way its removable!.

Not sure on the lead time for that but shouldnt take too long

 

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Wow that is amazing work there

Thanks very much

 

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Thanks to OCUK's 7.5% discount this weekend, i have decided to order the rest of the components and new monitor for my build.

The new monitor i have chosen is the Asus PB278Q 27" PLS LED, which will be a change from my glossy glass iMac display. I was planning on the thunderbolt display but i realised its a large sum of money for no real gains. I did love the inbuilt speakers and apparently these aren't great... so i will be in the market for a set after.

As for the components...

Intel Core i5 2570K
Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H
Asus GeForce GTX660 Ti-DC2-2GD5
OCZ Vertex 4 256GB

And the remaining parts for the water cooling

EK Supremacy Clean CSQ
Mayhems Pastel - Raspberry Purple
EK PSC Compression Fitting 13mm 3/8" - G1/4 - Nickel x 2
EK-PSC Adapter Rotary 90° G1/4 Nickel x 4

I am quite looking forward to getting the parts! i have 6 days off next weekend so i am hoping to get it polished off

 

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Thanks for the great comments guys

Last night I made the mounting brackets for the radiator, and a caddy for the SSD but it still needs some finishing touches yet.

Here are the mounts beside the radiator in their approximate mounting locations

Here are the mounts fitted between the fans and the radiator. I also fitted a foam gasket and cut the pieces out where the brackets are located, this is useful for relocating the screws when removing and refitting the radiator.

I taped round the bracket points so I knew where I needed to rough up and apply the adhesive

Then went ahead and roughed it up

Now i applied the adhesive and placed the radiator in its location onto the adhesive. I then removed the masking tape which removed excess adhesive. This is what it looks like

Now it takes 24 hours to fully cure so I will get a photo of it freestanding once its cured.

Thanks for looking

 

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Along with mITX, Hackintosh builds are easily my favourite projects to follow. They never seem to disappoint either...

No pressure.

The only thing that worries me are the 40mm screamers on the PSU, but 'tis only a minor quibble.

Yeah I'm worried about them too, I've never actualy had them running yet as the PSU runs so cool and efficiently. The are temperature controlled so hopefully they should be reasonably quiet unless they are really required

 

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Update...

All the hardware has turned up, but not the out of stock water-cooling. i am quite impressed by the motherboards matt black finish!

But ive been quite busy doing numerous bits to my build as you will see below.

First of all, here is the reservoir adhered in place, it holds very well and looks brilliant!

Next is a picture of the motherboard sitting on its standoffs to check for any unseen issues... happily there wasn't any and i think it looks awesome apart from the gigabyte sign being backwards -.-

Here is a tease of the work i have been doing on my PSU, unfortunately i used 11 meters of braiding so far so its not finished and its holding me up... more should be here tomorrow. Still it looks great!

Now... heres the flagship modification, and i must say i am proud of how good it looks...

First of all i measured and sketched where i wanted the window to be.

I then painfully cut out the window... seriously when i say painfully it really was! i expected it to be soft but no way was it soft! it was a nightmare!!!

Then after another hour of filing, sanding and checking i removed the mass of masking tape, cleaned it and fitted it (without the window).

Very impressed with how it looked, i wanted to get the window fitted, so presently i have it gluing on the floor ^.^

Nicely using the old G5 heat sinks as weights ^.^
Hope you guys are liking the progress! please comment

 

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Forgot to add, that bit i cut out for the window would make either an epic clock or an epic mouse mat!

 

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YES.

YES

For the windowed side panel you made, please sand blast the Apple logo on

NO!

My initial thoughts were to get the apple logo laser inscribed with an apple logo, but tbh i thought it would look cheap, tacky and really spoil the look of it. I do understand the reason for wanting it and i will be honest, it was my plan all along to get it done, but i simply chose not to in the end.

Anyways, i must have been a little exited this morning as i got up at quite early and had to check on the window. I am EXTREMELY HAPPY with the results!!!

I will be working on the computer today so will have a better update later

 

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Well i spent all day yesterday working on this and i have some impressive results!

First of all, the Blu-Ray drive turned up so i quickly swapped the parts off the CD drive to make it fit.

After that quick job, i spent hours finishing the cables on my PSU! i just took the one photo as i think it says enough

Once the PSU was complete i fitted it to the case, but had to make a minor adjustment to the motherboard tray to allow the cables to fit under it. I cut out a 25mm section of the reinforcement (no picture to see).

Now i was anxious to get the parts in and fire it up. so i went right ahead ^.^

Now of course this is not the final product. As you can see the PSU cables are a little too short and the pins aren't great, so I'm going to buy an extension for it. Also i have major fan control issues, and finally the SATA cables i bought are extension, so i had to use other cables to get them to fit -.-

then after those issues are fixed, i need to get the water-cooling installed!

 

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Nice! The window is excellent

Nicely cut window, having done one in my TJ07 I know how hard it is to do a good job.

Thanks very much im quite enjoying it, the noise is a bit much but im sure i will fix that in time. i did notice that with the fans removed the heat build up was enough to bow the perspex window xD

dam GPU heatpipes!

looking forward to add the watercooling though.

Do you think my setup will be enough to add a GPU water block??