Project: Gattaca

DeadMan

DeadMan

DeadMan

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Cambridge, UK
I am about to embark on a new project, turning and old G5 Apple PowerMac case into a PC, well actually a Mac Pro.

Parts List:

Case(s):
G5 PowerMac Case: (Ebay)
Donor Case: Coolermaster ATC-201
Parts: Antec 900

Components:
CPU: Intel Q6600 @3ghz

Motherboard: Asus Blitz Formula SE
RAM: 8GB Kingston DDR2 800
HDD: WD Raptor 150GB
GFX: Nvidia 9400GT 512MB
PSU: X-Power 500w
DVD/RW: Samsung 20x SATA DVD/RW
Soundcard: Asus SupremeFX II

OS:
Retail OSX 10.6.3 Snow Leopard
 
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Chop Shop:

First thing to do is strip out everything from the case that is getting in the way, a nice blank canvas.
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Use a jigsaw of a Dremel (I prefer a Dremel with a disc cutter) to cut out the hole for the motherboard tray, also remove all the old motherboard stand offs apart from 2 which you will need to fix the new tray to the side panel.
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I am using an aluminium removable tray from a donor case.
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Test fit the tray and make sure it sits square in the case and look for possible fixing options
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Stand back and view your handy work :)
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Reference shot.
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Another reference shot.
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Shake it baby!
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And one more for good luck.
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Assembly:

The upper panel of a G5 powermac (when hdd bays and fans are removed) is exactly the right size for mounting the PSU. I used 5 double sided sticky pads on the bottom of the PSU to stick it to the bottom of the panel so it would not slip around. Make sure the power switch is set to "on" and plug in a power cable and route it down the back of the panel.
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Fit a normal DVD drive and make sure there is a power plug ready for it. Route the rest of the power cables / ATX plugs through a convenient hole at the rear of the DVD drive.
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As the cable is routed behind the motherboard tray all you need to do now is re-attach the door latching mechanism and fix back the top tray to the chassis.
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Fix back the clear perspex latch to the top tray and make sure it fits properly. Now the chassis resembles a PC more and rest is pretty much as a normal PC build.
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Drill and fix the motherboard tray to the internal 2 stand offs we left and screw the back panel to the chassis making sure nothing moves around.

Cut out and fit a chassis plug to the rear panel and fix it in place.
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Wire up the chassis plug to the PSU plug cable and make sure its covered with insulation or a purpose made rubber boot which will stop you getting electrocuted, it is the most dangerous part in the case so pay special attention here!
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I wired the front panel connectors USB/Firewire/Audio/Power button and LED up to several accessory cables I had around which had normal PC fittings to attach to the motherboard, shrink rapped them and covered the bundle in black braiding.

Fit the motherboard/processor/ram/graphics etc.. and find a good place to fix down a HDD (I used a 3.5" adapter tray from an Antec 900)

I replaced the Apple rear fan with a MUCH quieter YS-tech 80mm fan which also moved a lot more air.
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Next up is cooling, I used the front fan inserts from an Antec 900 and attached Scythe HDD stabalizer rubber mounts to them and then drilled and fixed them to the perspex cover.
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Braided the fan cables which are nice and long and plugged them into the the motherboard.
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Attached the perspex cover back to the case and forget about cooling problems :)
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Welcome to the wind tunnel :) The fans are controlled by the motherboard temperature sensors.
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Case side back on and locked into place.
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Plug it in a test everything works!
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Thanks guys! pulling inspiration from several different G5 mods across the web it seems to have worked well :)

The mod has taken about 2 weeks in total from start to finish although no mod is really ever finished so its probably going to be watercooled soon :)
 
Yeah I was very happy with the drop :) seems its a bit more now.

Idle temps:
Intel H/S: 50 51 50 54 idle
Evo 120: 33 33 34 36 idle

Load temps:
Intel H/S: 70 71 74 75 (Prime95 OSX)
Evo: 60 61 60 61 (Prime95 OSX)

Looks like the thermal paste has cured now.

Temperature taken using istat for OSX

Making one of these is good fun and challenging, the end result is a very capable machine.
 
frozennova said:
I'd suggest removing the reference's to os x on pc hardware especially the links and mods will get unleashing their whips soon as its against the license agreement
Click to expand...

There is a part in the EULA about not being allowed to run OSX on non stamped Apple hardware but I think I have that covered.

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And just in case you were wondering its a bought retail copy of OSX Snow Leopard 10.6.0.
 
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square_nothing said:
awesome build man, im hoping mod a G5 case for a pc.
was wondering what moddle of G5 was the case from? and do you know if the cases change in the different generations of G5?
may be a little of a cheeky question but how much did you pay for the G5 case from the bay?
mint condition ones seem to be over £150

thanks.
Click to expand...

Thanks! :)

It was a dual G5 2Ghz system originally, I picked it for £66 + delivery from the bay which was pretty cheap.
 
Time to add a splash of water :)

I have a few water cooling parts hanging around which I will be re-using for the refresh.

I am also upgrading the 9500GT 512mb with an 8800GTX 768mb graphics card.

Water cooling parts list:

EK Supreme
EK X-Res 140 + DDC Ultra 18w
EK 8800GTX Acetal

Only problem is I don't have a rad for this one, any recommendations?
 
1LANCS said:
This is brilliant wish i had the modding skills to do something like this.

Shame the cases go for £200 on ebay bit expensive to potentially screw up with dremels.

But ive saved the pictures and text of your build log for future reference in case i can find a cheap case, great job.

*edit* ive been looking for a few hours but i cant seem to find the lead to extend the PSU with the port you can mount on the back of the case, i dont solder so i dont trust my skills is there any readymade ones?
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

The power lead is a normal PC lead cut to the required length and then terminated to the chassis plug via crimped spade terminals which are very tight and will not pull off.

The chassis plug is then covered by a thick insulating rubber boot.

All the parts can be bought from good electronics shops.
 
1LANCS said:
Yeah thanks ive seen the chassis plug im just inept at soldering i didnt fancy electrifying the case and myself. Spade connectors sound good though. Would it be worth getting a fused one, it wont set on fire if something goes wrong or will the kettle lead plug and psu fuses be more than enough?

*edit* Sorry for the 20 questions, what type of spade connector should i get
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Something like that, then a chassis plug with rubber insulation boot?

One last question, how much space is there between the fans and the case, would you say there is enough room for two 140mm fans instead of the 120s you did?
Click to expand...

Fused or not fused its up to you really, take measuments and make sure the fused one fits before you buy it though.

Those spade connectors are perfect, just make sure they can accept 2.5mm flex.

I used 120mm fans as I wanted to be able to remove them easily for cleaning as they pop out of the antec plastic cages.

You could use 140mm fans but not with the cages.
 
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