randombrain's Power Mac i7

[randombrain]

(Well, it'll be an i7 eventually. For the moment I'm sticking with my i5-4590.)


So, here I am. Trying my hand at the beautiful Power Mac G5 case mod. I'm going to be basing this build heavily on kiwisincebirth's "Design According to Ive" mod, particularly with the backplate idea—I'm not sure I totally trust gluing standoffs to the case. I'm also not certain whether I'm going to use a hot-swap hard drive cage yet. First of all I don't have the money at the moment, second my current build only has two 3.5" drives (I also have a 2.5" boot SSD and a 2.5" Windows laptop drive, which I'm okay with just taping down temporarily).Like kiwi, the G5 I got (for free!) is a Late 2005 model, which makes the front I/O panel less straightforward. Eventually I'll probably just slap a couple USB3 type-A in there (inspiration from this seemingly dead project) and probably ignore the audio, as I have a USB headset anyway.


I don't want to cut into the existing HDD cage space at the top of the case, so I'll have to move from my ATX Asus Z97-K/CSM to an mATX board. I'm getting a Gigabyte H97M-D3H in the mail from someone on /r/hardwareswap for $75 for the moment, but eventually I'll move to an Asus Maximus VIII Gene with an i7-6700.The power supply will be an ATX model, stripped and put in the space where the G5 PSU was.


Some pics, though I haven't taken many yet:


Before gutting

After gutting



1/11/2016
It's mostly-done, for now. Still to do:

1. Cut out the back so I can access rear I/O (I'm waiting on slow-shipping Dremel blades; I can access two or three USB3.0 ports, which is enough for now because both my monitors have USB hubs, and I have a wifi card)
2. Mount front-panel USB3.0
3. Replace TP-LINK wifi card with Apple/Broadcom card (perhaps reuse original antennae, or buy thin ones to place in original location?)
4. Make Apple boot chime
5. UPDATE! Skylake. i7-6700(k). When prices come down. So in three years or so, I guess.

Components:

• Motherboard: Gigabyte H97M-D3H
• CPU: i5-4590
• RAM: 4x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600MHz
• PSU: Corsair AX760
• OS X boot drive: 120GB SanDisk
• OS X /Users drive: 1TB WD Blue
• Backup drive: 2TB Seagate somethingorother
• Scratch drive: 500GB Seagate laptop drive (from an external USB3 thing)
• Optical drive: Lite-On DVD/CD drive I got for cheap on Amazon
• Wireless: TP-LINK WN881ND (300Mbps, 2.4GHz only)
• Fans:

1. 2x Noctua NF-A6x25 FLX
2. 1x Delta 60mm
3. 2x Noctua NF-A8 PWM
4. 2x Noctua NF-A9 PWM
5. 1x Arctic Freezer Pro 7 rev 2

...wow, that's a lot of fans.

Pics:
Most components in, except front fans and CPU cover. Wire management was a problem (I should've stuck with my semi-modular PSU, instead of a fully-modular one where the ATX 24-pin connector was split between two rows), but it's not as terrible as it might be. For the original hard drive cage, I reused the original SATA power connectors and spliced the cable onto a Molex run. The optical drive and SSD/laptop drive at the front of the case are all on one SATA power run.


With the fans in and CPU cover on! The mess is a little hidden now. I managed to slip the SSD into the the #1 PCIe slot holder, just in front of the GPU. With luck it'll get a little air.


Early 2016!

 

[randombrain]

PSU



I purchased a Corsair AX760 from Newegg. Overkill, but that's intentional, because I really don't want to stress it too much—I want this to be a rock-solid build that will last a long time. It's semi-silent, and I've heard the fan doesn't kick on until 70% load or something crazy like that. Supposedly you can change it so the fan is on, though, and I'm going to do that. Gonna replace the Apple 60mm fans with Noctua, too.

The PSU is fully modular, and if possible I'd like to set the connectors in the top of the Apple PSU case, so I can plug in and out easily. I've heard that some PSUs have the connectors fixed on, and some have them on a separate board that can move around. Here's hoping!



1/6/2016

The PSU is proving difficult. Manageable, but difficult.

First off, the Noctua 60mm fans I purchased apparently have a much higher starting voltage than the 120mm fan supplied. They didn't turn on at all when I connected them to the PSU's fan connector. So I'm stealing 12V from one of the PCIe power connections (there are a lot of them!) and running it through Noctua's "Low Noise Adapter" cable, which I assume is just a resistor wired in line with the power. Can't actually test resistance or output voltage because I left my multimeter at college.

I have connected the Apple power socket to the original PSU, using a plug-in connector so as not to destroy the PSU any more than I already have. Two layers of EMI filtering is better than one, right? No problems so far, though I did shock myself a couple times when I was running the system ungrounded. I can be an idiot.

Now the main problem—mounting the modular connector. I am sticking with the AX760, though I really should have kept the semi-modular I had or bought another one. Oh well. I'm planning on using two of the Apple standoffs, and putting Apple screws in the other holes upside-down as makeshift standoffs. I'm mounting it toward the front of the case, so there's room for the power connection at the back. And this is where I run into some trouble. The top row of connectors, on the daughtercard, is going to be facing up out of the top of the enclosure, and I need to make sure it doesn't conflict with the front fan bracket. After breaking off a corner of the daughtercard to avoid a large capacitor, I think I've managed to find a location where it will work. Now it's just a question of making the correct holes in the correct locations in the enclosure's "lid" and in the plate on top of the lid.

Oh, and another annoying thing: the 24-pin ATX connector is split (!!) between the top and bottom rows. I had to undo Corsair's zip tie and sleeving at the PSU end of the cable. Gonna have to be careful about how I do things.

Pictures tomorrow, perhaps, as the PSU enclosure is buried under screws and things at the moment.


1/11/2016
PSU IS DONE! This was the last big thing. Still have to cut out the rear I/O ports and find a way to mount the front USB3.0.

I put one of the original Apple/Delta 60mm fans in, connected to the PSU's original fan header. More details in the "Fans" post.

With lots of help from my wonderful mother, I was able to use a jigsaw to cut out a slot for the daughtercard connectors in both the PSU enclosure "lid" and the top piece that supports the front fan holder and CPU cover. I used two leftover motherboard standoffs to hold the daughtercard to the PSU lid, and also used the original center standoff (with one of the two original holes where the top-cover attached to the PSU lid). Some electrical tape on the inside and edges and HUZZAH!

PSU internals (silver rectangle is original AC socket/EMI filter, black rectangle is Delta fan)


Daughtercard all screwed in! Then took it out and put in electrical tape. And cutting the slot in the top-piece.


All set to go!

 

[randombrain]

Motherboard Tray

I'm gonna be following kiwi here, though I'll avoid cutting the media tray sheet if I can. More to follow.



Mockup/template for the aluminum sheet. The pizza box was the exact dimensions of the sheet I'm buying on Amazon: 12"x12", and probably close to the 1.6mm thickness! I don't have the mATX motherboard in hand to trace out the mounting holes yet.




1/6/2016
IT FITS! I am very happy.

Got the 12"x12" aluminum sheet today. I made a complete mess of the holes for mounting it to the case:


But the mounting screws are (slightly) forgiving, and there's plenty of grip:


And I was much more careful with the holes for mounting the standoffs/motherboard, so IT FITS GREAT, including the PCIe cards! (Guest appearances by the GT 98xx that came with the Power Mac and the Radeon X1900XT that came with a 2006 Mac Pro.)

The Gigabyte board is narrower than a standard 9.6"x9.6" mATX board, so there are one or two screw locations that are different from the spec. I did drill the holes to spec (though I'm a bit off on one of them, oops) so I can, with luck, simply drop in another board when I upgrade.

 

[randombrain]

Fans



With the possible exception of the media tray blower, I'm not planning on reusing any of the Apple fans.

Starting from the top of the case:

• I'll probably keep the media tray blower, to seal off the airflow for the fan next to it, but not power it up. I'll see.
• The 80mm media tray fan will be replaced with a PWM fan. For the moment (money is tight!) I'll use an Arctic fan from my current build, but eventually I'll replace it with a Noctua and a dust filter.
• The 80mm PCIe fan will be replaced by an Arctic, then a Noctua.
• The two 92mm front fans will be removed, and not replaced unless I do add a drive cage. Maybe not even then. I will keep the plastic holder for them, and put dust filters in the holes.
• My current CPU cooler is an Arctic Freezer 7 Pro rev 2. No complaints.
• The two 92mm back fans will be replaced with Noctua fans.
• The two 60mm PSU fans will be replaced with Noctua fans, and will have dust covers. The PSU is designed to not use the fan at all at low loads, so I'm hoping a gentle breeze will be enough to move warmth out the back of the case and avoid heat buildup.

1/6/2016
As described above, the 60mm PSU fans are now running at a steady voltage, not controlled by the PSU. Oh well. I haven't put the filters on, and I'm hoping they'll fit vertically. As I'm discovering, Apple tolerances are very small.

I haven't touched the 92mm fans yet, but I know the rear mounting bracket will have to be cut out very slightly to accommodate the audio-jack riser on the motherboard.

Haven't done anything with the PCIe fan yet. Looks like things should fit okay.

I replaced the media bay blower, but didn't connect it. I put a Nocuta in the media bay fan holder, with some squeezing. The holder has a big thick bottom on it, and Apple's original fan is consequently not square—it's a bit shorter than a regular fan, so the holes still line up right. I didn't want to shave height off the Noctua, because I want to keep the silicone bumpers at the corners, so I just used the silicone mounts and tugged hard. It's a bit higher than it should be, but all the connectors are as they should be and I'm not going to worry about it. However, there's no way the fan filter would fit on the front. It extends past the width/height of the fan by just a few millimeters, which is too much. (See comment about tolerances above.) I just won't worry. It's at the top of the case anyway.




1/8/2016
Put in the PCIe bay fan. I'm going to have to do some serious thinking about the plastic air deflection cover—first off it can't close all the way because of the graphics card's power connector, but also I'm using an EVGA GTX 960. In this card, air is drawn in from the top and vented to the sides. That'll work at the rear of the case, where the air deflector widens out again, but not so much toward the front. The card is able to operate fanless below ~70ºC, but I don't want to stifle it when it does need the fans.

I've decided to have a sort of "diagonal" fan orientation for the CPU section of the case. For the front fan holder, I have a fan in the top slot with a filter and a filter (no fan) on the bottom slot. Then there's the CPU cooler and its fan, a bit lower. Finally I have a fan in the bottom slot of the rear fan holder. That one is not 100% secure in its position, because I couldn't get at the silicone standoffs to pull them through—there's a very annoying divider between the two fan slots. I could try again, or try pulling out the divider, but I may decide not to care. It's off-kilter, but it is in the "right" direction according to my diagonal scheme.

I'm running my PSU open-air for the moment, as I haven't made the mounting holes in the lid yet, and I've noticed that the AC side gets very hot (transistors and inductors mostly). Again, it's designed to run fanless up to a point, but it worries me. Ideally I'd have it rotated 180º so the AC side gets air running over it, but that would mean the power cord would have to stretch around to the front... I really would rather not. I'll see whether the airflow improves when I actually have the lid on. I may have to remove the low-noise adapters, though the fans do get pretty noticeable when I do that.



As a side note, Gigabyte's fan control—at least on this H97 board—is a serious letdown coming from Asus' Q-Fan control. There seems to be only one temperature sensor on the board, and all fans are controlled based on that. There is some customization you can do, but not a lot. I'll be glad to go back to Asus.


1/11/2016
On a whim, I attached one of the original Apple/Delta 60mm fans to the PSU's fan header—turns out it starts just fine at the lower voltage! Makes me feel a bit silly for using the Noctuas, but I ended up putting the Delta fan just behind the actual ATX PSU (more toward the rear of the case) to suck air past the AC side of the PSU. I don't have a way to access the temps inside there (perhaps when I get a fancy Asus board with external thermal sensors!) but putting the extra fan in made me comfortable enough to replace the Noctua "Low-Noise Adapters" with their "Ultra-Low Noise Adapters." Especially because the Delta fan is controlled by the PSU, so it will get faster if necessary.

I decided not to use the plastic air deflector, because my graphics card vents to the side instead of out the back. If I ever get a reference/blower card in the future I may use it, but I'd still need to cut a hole for the power connector.

In other news, I did manage to pull one more of the silicone standoffs into position for the one 92mm exhaust fan.

The fans do make some noise, but it's not a huge amount. Honestly I think the two loudest components are 1) the CPU fan and 2) the spinning HDDs. The pie-in-the-sky Skylake upgrade would ideally see mechanical drives relegated to internal backup disks that I'd only plug in occasionally.

 

[NZRichard]

Yes, you're on the right track following "Kiwi".

I will watch your next posts with interest. You are starting with the the tough bits that I have put off on my G5 mod.

Regarding the PSU: don't rush into this - hope is not a good strategy!

Before you unscrew the lid and void the warranty on your Corsair AX 760 take a close look at some online reviews that show the interior of this PSU. Take a look at:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/corsair-ax760i-power-supply-review/2/

Figure 8 - Rear quarter view shows the modular connector board - might be a clue for you here.

Best'

NZRichard

 

[randombrain]

Regarding the PSU: don't rush into this - hope is not a good strategy!

Yeah, I looked carefully and it seems on this model, one line of connectors is soldered to the PCB and the other line is on a daughtercard. And I need the lower one for part of the ATX24 connection and for the CPU/PCIe. I won't open up the PSU quite yet—I want to see if I can slip the wires in the right places on the case. I got a good deal (with discount and rebate it was only $100) so I'd like to use it if I can.

 

[NZRichard]

Normally the guys who install an ATX PSU inside a G5 PSU case do it by removing the fan and have the new heat sinks and cables fit snugly inside the G5 PSU case.

When you study the modular board of the AX760 shown in this photo: https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/AX760i/images/in_modular_front.jpg

and the placement of the case screws that attach to the standoffs on the modular board in this photo:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/AX760i/images/psu_standby2.jpg

it seems like the modular board and heat sinks of the AX760 may be about 80 mm (3") in height and simply be too large for a G5 PSU case where the height inside the case is limited to approx. 60 mm (2-5/16").

There's got to be another way.

Best'

NZRichard

 

[NZRichard]

My mistake!

It's the modular connector board of the AX760 that is too high to fit a G5 PSU case.

The heat sinks fit below the fan in the AX760 and would almost certainly fit the G5 PSU case.

So, the question is what to do with the modular board?

NZRichard

 

[randombrain]

So, the question is what to do with the modular board?

A very good question. I'm going to try to mount it the way I was thinking originally—up out of the PSU enclosure. See PSU post update above. Thanks for the tips!

 

[randombrain]

Front Panel



Top priority: Wire in the power switch and LED. Should probably happen BEFORE I put the motherboard in for good, as the button seems to be glued to the case and I don't want to undo that.

I have a USB 3.0-header-to-dual-A-female coming from China. I'll probably use the original Apple board, take out the USB2 and FireWire sockets, and glue the USB3 into their places.

I'm not planning on using front panel audio—at least not in the front panel. I have USB headphones. What I do want to do is re-use the Apple built-in speaker (on the same mounting hardware as the PCIe fan) and wire the front audio speaker to that. One thing I really like about Apple desktops is that they all have built-in speakers, and I want to make that a reality for my build. Of course, this means that OS X sees the built-in speaker as "headphones" and the rear-panel Line Out as "internal speakers", but I can live with that. Larger problem is audio routing in Windows, but that's probably just a question for Google.

I did try to wire the motherboard POST-speaker header to the Apple speaker, but it didn't seem to work. For the moment I'll use the internal beeper that came with my old El Cheapo case (also where I'll get the power button/LED cables and front-audio header), and think about implementing the Apple boot chime later.




1/7/2016
I tried to attach header wires to the little socket on the front panel PCB, but in the soldering process I jostled the wires in the socket and it wouldn't plug correctly. So I just stripped off the wires coming off the button and soldered my wires in.


Problem is, if the power-switch header is put in the right way the computer constantly restarts, and if the header is flipped the LED is on all the time.




1/8/2016
On a helpful tip from stiligFox, I enabled ErP in the BIOS. The LED behaves as expected now (except it doesn't flash during sleep, one more reason I'll be glad to go back to Asus eventually).