15 years I've been waiting to mod a G5

[Figaro]

Well I meant to publish that last post a few days ago.... Look a squirrel...

Last night and today I decided to snag the USB 3.0 ports from a spare CoolerMaster case I've got here that I'm turning into a test-bed or maybe a mining rig.. either way, having front USB ports on that is less important than this guy and what it had was perfect for what I really wanted to do here.

as you can see the USB ports were surface mounted cable heads, not part of the PCB circuit, so with very little persuasion they were no longer attached and ready to be filed down to fit.

In another post here I saw someone do basically exactly what I did, after removing the USB 2 and Firewire port I modified the little bracket/shield, filed down and sanded the PCB, and then it was ready for the next step.

For this I headed out to the scrap pile in the garage to snag the port trim from the back of the case that was cut out earlier. Then with the vacuum going, and some paper taped inside (while the system was on and mining) I filed the Firewire opening to fit the USB trim and port.

Then it was time to break out the JB Weld. The picture speak for them selves. This was one of the smoothest operations I've ever done. I used a couple spare dongles to hold the port on the outside while I finagled the JB Weld into place. Once the first had partially set I used a twist tie to hold it at the back while I prepped the other end. I did have to shut down the system to rout the cable and get it plugged in. I like how it turned out, I do wish I had some jewelers files. I think the filing job could have been a bit cleaner. But I'm probably the only one that will ever care. LOL

I think that was me. I'm glad others are doing the front panel mod with the dual USB. I first found this method on a Russian website 5 years ago, really smart idea. Your case project looks great, thank you for sharing.

Can you share some photos of the back of the case, for me that is the most interesting part.

 

[JWalk9000]

I think that was me. I'm glad others are doing the front panel mod with the dual USB. I first found this method on a Russian website 5 years ago, really smart idea. Your case project looks great, thank you for sharing.

Can you share some photos of the back of the case, for me that is the most interesting part.

Thanks, and yeah I'm pretty sure it was your post.

I'll get some a little later this spring. Right now getting good pics of the back is a bit difficult.

 

[JWalk9000]

Got a bit of an update,

I have been able to snag a reference 6900XT, and after using it for a couple months, have realized that the original PCIE area just doesn't have enough fresh intake with just one fan in the front.

My ideas are to either make an adapter to hold 2x 90mm fans that sits right against the front of the chassis, or, using the existing intake fan bracket, make an adapter that can hold 2x 80mm fans in the original position.

Those options would still keep a lot of the stock look, but I have also been toying with the idea of removing the GPU/CPU divider and the original intake fan plastics, and just going with a dual 140mm intake setup.

What are your thoughts and experiences?

 

[Figaro]

I have kept it simple. I don't even make a bracket, I gorilla glue 2 x 140mm fans or 3 x 120mm fans together. The 2 x 140mm fans is quieter and moves more air but sometimes you already have 3 x 120mm on hand. The gorilla glue is strong enough to hold them, but weak enough that you can easily snap the fans apart if you need to. Then I'd take a thick piece of rubber around 3/4" x 3/4" or so and epoxy that to the case. Then epoxy the connected fans to the block of rubber. The rubber kills all the vibrations and the fans look like they are floating which is "cool". The piece is very light and will stay attached easily.

I've also made a bracket out of angled aluminum but it took a lot more time and was a lot heavier and I don' think its worth it. Attaching aluminum to the aluminum case with epoxy is not very strong. Attaching a brick of rubber to the case with epoxy is surprisingly very strong. You need pliers and violent rip to tear it off. I'll get some photos and share them later.

This case is designed to move air, it's all holes. You just need to put some fans about 1 inch (or so) away from the front holes. Don't attach the fans directly to the front, you will move more air with them placed slightly back. Plus it looks nicer from the outside. No matter how hot the 6900XT get this set up will sort it out.

I do want to add that I do not try to maintain the stock look of the mac pro or powermac on the inside of the case. On the outside, yes but not inside. I don't use the plastics or any of the original stuff unless it's actually handy. So basically I will reuse the G5 hard drive cages and the screws and thats it. So I end up having a lot of space in my builds, thats why i was able to attach a small block of rubber with these fans set slightly back from the front of the case. It would not be possible to do this with all the existing shrouds. The result is it's a wind tunnel and better than any case on the market. The existing fan brackets are for fans that are way way too small unfortunately. The stock look, I understand why people like it but for me it makes zero sense to compromise the computer in any way for that sort of thing. And it's so much more difficult! 2 x 80 mm fans I've tried it and it's just too noisy and not that much air for modern parts. Even 90mm fans it's just not enough. You have a $2k video card let that baby get some 140mm fans. You might not have any choice given how hot it runs.

 

[JWalk9000]

I think that was me. I'm glad others are doing the front panel mod with the dual USB. I first found this method on a Russian website 5 years ago, really smart idea. Your case project looks great, thank you for sharing.

Can you share some photos of the back of the case, for me that is the most interesting part.

I Just realized that I never did get you a good pic of the back. Sorry about that, Here you go.
View attachment IMG_20210221_121507.jpg