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Newb in need of conversion help

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joeshark

joeshark

Joined
Jan 23, 2015
Messages
13
Motherboard
Intel DQ77KB
CPU
i3-3245
Mac
  1. 0
Classic Mac
  1. 0
Mobile Phone
  1. 0
Hi Guys, I've been reading as much as I can through the g4cube section for a little while.
I've been out of the computer building game for a long while, so i'm in need of a refresh.

I've got a working cube I've had for years, I want to resurrect it, have been trying to get ubuntu loaded on it recently, but running into so many problems with that :banghead:

I'm looking to set this up as cheap as possible & don't need anything beyond an i3 as I have this in my main pc, running ubuntu and windows dual boot.
I would also like to know keep everything as original as possible including touch switch.
Is it possible to use original keyboard and mouse that came with cube?

from what i've read, seems the DQ77KB is the mb of choice for simplicity?

Can some one point me to a similar build, or give some pointers as to which other components I will have to use that i can't salvage from the cube? The HD I have in there is an 80gb, but works fine, I wouldn't mind using it, probably would need another dvd drive as the cd drive in there, doesn't eject properly.
Also I would like to run the which ever version of apple software would be most stable? & dual boot ubuntu if possible?

Update: I'm thinking of getting the i3 Processor i3-3240 3.4GHz seems like a good mix of performance & price, good choice?

Any advice, suggestions, on any of this greatly appreciated :)

Help me get my Cube into the present,
Joe
 
Last edited:
joeshark said:
Hi Guys, I've been reading as much as I can through the g4cube section for a little while.
I've been out of the computer building game for a long while, so i'm in need of a refresh.

I've got a working cube I've had for years, I want to resurrect it, have been trying to get ubuntu loaded on it recently, but running into so many problems with that :banghead:

I'm looking to set this up as cheap as possible & don't need anything beyond an i3 as I have this in my main pc, running ubuntu and windows dual boot.
I would also like to know keep everything as original as possible including touch switch.
Is it possible to use original keyboard and mouse that came with cube?

from what i've read, seems the DQ77KB is the mb of choice for simplicity?

Can some one point me to a similar build, or give some pointers as to which other components I will have to use that i can't salvage from the cube? The HD I have in there is an 80gb, but works fine, I wouldn't mind using it, probably would need another dvd drive as the cd drive in there, doesn't eject properly.
Also I would like to run the which ever version of apple software would be most stable? & dual boot ubuntu if possible?

Update: I'm thinking of getting the i3 Processor i3-3240 3.4GHz seems like a good mix of performance & price, good choice?

Any advice, suggestions, on any of this greatly appreciated :)

Help me get my Cube into the present,
Joe
Click to expand...

While the Intel DQ77KB is a great motherboard it is out of production and you need to really shop it to get it for a reasonable price. Then you need to understand that it is a "thin" mini-ITX and only has a 4x PCIe slot so most of us used the on-board graphics. Then this brings into question your choice of CPU in that it only supports Intel HD2500. I recommend the i3-3225 in that it has support the Intel HD4000 graphics which is supported in OS X.

Anyway welcome to the forum and good luck with you Cube project. There are many threads to read to see how others have resolved the related cube hack problems.

Good modding,
neil
 
Thanks for the info Neil, I've just bought the DQ77KB for $99, so i'm good on that part.
Thanks for the info on the i3's, glad I didn't rush and buy any one.

So based on what you said about hd4000; I should then be good with an i3-3245 also, because it has hd-4000? Reason being seems easier to get at better price than the 3225.
And yes I plan on just sticking with the onboard graphics, plenty enough for what I will use it for :)

Thanks,
Joe

 
Yes the i3-3245 should work just fine. The i3-3225 is the one that I had used some time ago.

Good modding,
neil
 
Thanks Neil,

Can you please give these parts a quick go over & let me know if they are appropriate.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K67E5DA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=LW3AIH7QHZ09&coliid=I1T2QAJY4LEEWJ&psc=1

As for this drive, figure I can just have the OS installed on here & use one of my large external drives for storage?

[h=1]Gelid Solutions Slim Silence i-Plus 75mm Ball Bearing CPU Cooler for Intel LGA 775/1155/1150/1156 CC-SSILENCE-IPLUS[/h]Or is this not necessary & possible to use stock intel fan which comes cpu?

[h=1]Noctua NF-R8 PWM 4 pin Cooling Fan[/h]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261475662892?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
12V 10A AC-DC Regulated Power Supply Adaptor For Mini ITX Pico PSU 160XT 160-XT


Also should I start out with install of Mac OS X 10.6.3 Snow Leopard and move up from there?

Thanks,
Joe
 
joeshark said:
Thanks Neil,

Can you please give these parts a quick go over & let me know if they are appropriate.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K67E5DA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=LW3AIH7QHZ09&coliid=I1T2QAJY4LEEWJ&psc=1

As for this drive, figure I can just have the OS installed on here & use one of my large external drives for storage?

[h=1]Gelid Solutions Slim Silence i-Plus 75mm Ball Bearing CPU Cooler for Intel LGA 775/1155/1150/1156 CC-SSILENCE-IPLUS[/h]Or is this not necessary & possible to use stock intel fan which comes cpu?

[h=1]Noctua NF-R8 PWM 4 pin Cooling Fan[/h]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261475662892?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
12V 10A AC-DC Regulated Power Supply Adaptor For Mini ITX Pico PSU 160XT 160-XT


Also should I start out with install of Mac OS X 10.6.3 Snow Leopard and move up from there?

Thanks,
Joe
Click to expand...

The mSATA drive should work however it is small and I would suggest that you go for a 120GB or larger.

The Gelid CPU cooler is the same one that I used in my Cube hack: See post # 101 http://www.tonymacx86.com/powermac-...profile-intel-dh61ag-mini-itx-g4-cube-11.html

And the AC to DC adapter is a question. Please check the Intel specs as I seem to recall that the input should be 19VDC.

Good modding,
neil
 
joeshark said:
Thanks for the info Neil, I've just bought the DQ77KB for $99, so i'm good on that part.
Thanks for the info on the i3's, glad I didn't rush and buy any one.

So based on what you said about hd4000; I should then be good with an i3-3245 also, because it has hd-4000? Reason being seems easier to get at better price than the 3225.
And yes I plan on just sticking with the onboard graphics, plenty enough for what I will use it for :)

Thanks,
Joe
Click to expand...
The other processor commonly used, supported by the MB and by OS X is the i7-3770s

http://ark.intel.com/products/65524

It is a 65W processor, so will generate more heat, then the i3 (55w), but performance wise is much better (same graphics) 4 cores not 2. There are plenty of builds that use this combination.

Kiwi
 
G5 Design According to Ive
GA-Z270MX-Gaming 5 |  i7 7700K |  GeForce GTX 650 Ti
G4 Cube Inspired Self Build
DQ77KB |  i3 3225 |  HD 4000
G4 Cube ReInvented
DQ77KB |  i7 3770S |  HD 4000
Kiwis 20" iMac i5
D54250WYK |  i5 4250U |  HD 5000
Thanks Guys,

I would like to say that I have gotten most of the idea for this build from mactesters build, I won't need a lot of what he used in his build, but nevertheless it is what has got me started on the path to resurrecting this little cube :D

So far i've been pretty lucky on the parts list, the prices have just been phenomenal I think.
All new parts list:

Dq77kb board $99

Gelid Solutions Slim Silence i-Plus 75mm Ball Bearing CPU Cooler for Intel LGA 775/1155/1150/1156 CC-SSILENCE-IPLUS

Intel Core i3-3245 3.40GHz 2 LGA 1155 Processor

No​
ctua NF-R8 PWM 4 pin Cooling Fan

Transcend 64 GB SATA III 6Gb/s MSA370 mSATA SSD TS64GMSA370

These two fans, cpu & drive I paid $190 for. Amazon gave me back $60 for signing up for their credit card, ridiculous deal.

Yesterday I was looking through craigslist & came upon a 23" cinema display listed for $50, including dvi adapter. I was thinking the condition was not going to be so great. Was I wrong, excellent excellent condition :)

A friend of mine has Mavericks on a bootable usb drive, will it be possible to use load this onto this machine straightaway ?

I'm getting ahead of my self I know, just trying to get all the ducks in order.

Edit: I think i've found the right psu http://www.ebay.com/itm/231463106126?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Can you guys please confirm

Thanks,
Joe
 
:thumbup: Thanks for the continued help Neil
 
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