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My Power Mac G5 To ATX Hackintosh Mod

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Joined
Feb 28, 2015
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131
Motherboard
MSI Z97M Gaming
CPU
i7 4790K
Graphics
GTX960
Mac
  1. MacBook Pro
  2. Mac Pro
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
I already run a Hackintosh installation as a dual boot with Windows 7 in my main PC but had always wanted a standalone Mac so I decided to gut and modify a Power Mac G5 I had lying around in my workshop.

Components:

Asrock H97 Pro4
Intel Core i5 4460
8Gb Corsair 1600mhz RAM
Nvidia Geforce 8800 GTI
Crucial MX200 250Gb SSD
Seagate Barracuda 1Tb HDD
DVD RW
Yosemite 10.10.3 (tonymacx86.com)

I wanted the finished machine to be as stock looking as possible, I also wanted to re-use some of the removed parts. I did all of the front panel switch / LED / USB cable modifications myself using information found on this site.

So I gutted the G5 case until it looked like this:

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As I have had a few Lian Li products in the past and liked the quality I decided to go with their full ATX motherboard tray which was fixed to the case with some of the original case stand-off's.

Here is the case rear with the first rough cut-out. This was later modified for a good clean fit for the motherboard tray.

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The tray is now fitted and ready for the motherboard. I had to cut the top divider to allow a full size ATX motherboard to pass behind.

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Enough clearance for the stock PSU to be retained after modification to ATX. This was done to preserve the original electrical socket on the rear of the case, also because I believe this was easier than trying to shoe-horn in a standard ATX PSU into the case. Re-using the two original 60mm fans provide more than adequate cooling for the PSU.

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This is the modified PSU. The apple components have been removed (apart from the fans and mains input socket) and replaced by the circuit board from a new standard 500w ATX PSU, insulated, and custom fitted in the original case. There is clearance for the new board to fit comfortably inside the case and the two 60mm fans deliver cold air from the front to cool the board and then exit the air at the rear. I decided to try the fans at 7v which worked well and helped to make the two fans run quietly.

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Because or the use of a full ATX motherboard I had to re-site the hard drive cage and fit it between the top and centre divider which I had cut in half to accommodate the motherboard. I was also able to re-use the centre Apple fan mount which has had the apple fans replaced with two 92mm quiet fans and wired to the original plug-in connector so that this mount can still be removed like it was intended. There was also a handy shelf next to the hard drive cage for another 92mm quiet fan to cool the hard drives.

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Now to fit all of the new components, firstly the two centre 92mm fans, motherboard, hard drive and graphics card.

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Then everything else.

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I re-used the old Apple chipset cooler (running at 7v) to remove any hot air present in the top compartment and blow it out of the rear.

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I cloaked off the upper compartment with a scrap piece of sheet Aluminium I had lying around in the workshop.

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I wanted to retain the clear plastic insert but it had to be modified to fit around the hard drive cage. I tidied up the hole with an old 120mm fan grille.

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Rear.

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I like an indication of hard drive activity so I added a White nano LED in the grille just above the front switch.

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That's about it, the machine runs great while mostly keeping the appearance of a genuine Mac. I also added some custom icons for the SSD, HDD and 'About this Mac' G5 icon and added the Apple start-up chime.

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I hope you have enjoyed my build log.
 
I don't know why the photos are not showing, maybe an administrator can look into this.

***Edit***

Thumbnails now working
 
Looks great, very clean inside. Can I ask how you did the start up chime? I've seen some people install a (I think) USB powered speaker with a recording of the chime.
 
Looks great, very clean inside. Can I ask how you did the start up chime? I've seen some people install a (I think) USB powered speaker with a recording of the chime.

Hi

I got the idea from http://www.tonymacx86.com/customization/25684-hackintosh-startup-chime.html

Unfortunately the chime only happens just after the OS loads and not before, I believe this sound is built into Apple hardware so it can't be incorporated into a Hackintosh system without hardware modification. It's a very authentic sound but it does not happen as soon as a real Mac does.
 
im thinking of copying this build bro if its ok for you, this is much easier compared to some other builds
 
im thinking of copying this build bro if its ok for you, this is much easier compared to some other builds

Be my guest. I'll be happy to help if I can :thumbup:
 
Ahh nice to see those freking PSU unboxed.
I has so much trouble with its freaking loud fans and 'chirp' noises :thumbdown: once I had a G5.

Great Work !

:headbang:
 
Ahh nice to see those freking PSU unboxed.
I has so much trouble with its freaking loud fans and 'chirp' noises :thumbdown: once I had a G5.

Great Work !

:headbang:

Thanks.

I think this is the best solution to the 'what shall I do / where to position my PSU in the case'

The space inside the gutted Apple / ACBell PSU is large enough to take the internals of a regular ATX PSU. Also the design allows cold air to be pulled in from the front and exit at the back in a sealed unit, the hot air generated inside the modified PSU does not contribute to the heat inside the case and the origional mains input socket remains in place and does not require mechanical modification.

I did not replace the two 60mm fans in my build as they were in good condition I slowed them down by running them at 7v. Quiet 60mm fans are available if the fans are noisy due to faulty bearings ETC

Here's a quick warning:

If you are going to modify an ATX PSU in this way a certain level of electrical knowledge is required. Soldering skills may be required and dangerous voltages exist inside the PSU so electrical separation between the circuit board and the PSU case must be maintained.
 
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