Newbie - Motherboard/Graphics Part Advice Help Needed!

Cubbie036 · Oct 14, 2016

Hello,

I'm a newbie to the hackintosh community. While I am a former Mac Genius and 20 yr Apple Certified Tech, I'm afraid the multitude of options for motherboard, processor, graphics cards etc. has me dazed and confused. I have spend the last several days reading through the different forums and blogs and I have some idea of the direction I want to go. But, I need some advice around the motherboard and graphics.

My first build will be a Mac G4 Cube. I am not a gamer or need outrageous over the top speed. However, I do have a few key needs/wants.

Preserve as much of the authentic look and feel of the G4 Cube
- Keep original Touch Power Button
- If possible, be able to use the Cube Power Supply (or at least the external casing and wires)
Video:
- Must have two Thunderbolt ports to hookup to an Apple Thunderbolt Display and also external HDs
  - I do not want the new USB-c form factor see doesn't need to be TB 3
- Must have HDMI to hook to a 55" HDTV. (Would like 4K capable but 1080p would suffice)
Audio:
- Support for headphones with Volume and Mic
- Optical Audio supporting at minimum Dolby Pro Logic II 5.1 surround sound (7.1 would be cool)
Processor:
- Quad Core i7 if possible.
Wireless:
- 802.11ac dual band
- Bluetooth 4 or better
Other:
- USB 3.0 ports - minimum of 2
- Blu-ray Optical Drive
- SATA SSD Drive - Already own (mATA SSD would be okay if I had no choice)

Basically where I'm confused is should I get a motherboard that has everything video integrated or use a PCIe Card. Once I can decide on a motherboard/video solution I think I'll be good to go. Though and other advice with my build in mind will be more than welcome.

Cubbie

Going Bald · Oct 15, 2016

Before launching yourself into a 5 year research project you might want to take a look at https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/a-proposed-skylake-cube-any-interest.197843/ - a suggested G4 Cube mod. There are also others in the same forum that you might want to look at - https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/powermac-g4-cube.138/

Cubbie036 · Oct 20, 2016

Going Bald said:
Before launching yourself into a 5 year research project you might want to take a look at https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/a-proposed-skylake-cube-any-interest.197843/ - a suggested G4 Cube mod. There are also others in the same forum that you might want to look at - https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/powermac-g4-cube.138/

Thanks for the advice. I had read through those and was definitely going to use them as a guide. I've now spent the past week diving deeper into the threads trying to figure out what parts I need. Right now I can not find any motherboards that have built-in Thunderbolt in a mini or micro ATX form factor needed to fit in a G4 Cube. There was one made by Gigabyte (GA-Z87X-UD7-TH) but it they are no longer made and very expensive on eBay. So I turned to PCIe Cards with Thunderbolt 2. There seem to be only a few. Asus has the ThunderboltEX II, ThunderboltEX II/DUAL & ThunderboltEX 3. Then there is ASROCK Thunderbolt 2 AIC.
I do not want Thunderbolt 3 as I have a bunch of TB2 Hard Drives and a Thunderbolt display I'd like to make use of. I snagged a Asus ThunderboltEX II/DUAL off Amazon as it was a good price and the last one available. (I can always return it if I need to follow another path.) My issue is trying to find one of the modern motherboards that the Asus ThunderboltEX II/DUAL will work with. Going off the Spec page (http://www.asus.com/Motherboard-Accessory/ThunderboltEX_II/specifications/) I do not see any small form factor boards on the list; plus it only list Asus motherboards. Also, since the card doesn't seem to be in production anymore I doubt the spec page is update to date.

This forum is amazing and it's been both a learning curve and a blast reading all the different projects. However, I still need some help here. All the current G4 Cube project do not mention thunderbolt 2 and those posts that do are from 2013-14 and the parts are not available. I'm hoping I'm not coming off as a winy Newbie. I really have read up as much as I can and just can't find anything specific to my goal. (G4 Cube, Thunderbolt 2, & 4k Video via HDMI)

Any ideas??

Cubbie

Going Bald · Oct 21, 2016

Cubbie036 said:
Thanks for the advice. I had read through those and was definitely going to use them as a guide. I've now spent the past week diving deeper into the threads trying to figure out what parts I need. Right now I can not find any motherboards that have built-in Thunderbolt in a mini or micro ATX form factor needed to fit in a G4 Cube. There was one made by Gigabyte (GA-Z87X-UD7-TH) but it they are no longer made and very expensive on eBay. So I turned to PCIe Cards with Thunderbolt 2. There seem to be only a few. Asus has the ThunderboltEX II, ThunderboltEX II/DUAL & ThunderboltEX 3. Then there is ASROCK Thunderbolt 2 AIC.
I do not want Thunderbolt 3 as I have a bunch of TB2 Hard Drives and a Thunderbolt display I'd like to make use of. I snagged a Asus ThunderboltEX II/DUAL off Amazon as it was a good price and the last one available. (I can always return it if I need to follow another path.) My issue is trying to find one of the modern motherboards that the Asus ThunderboltEX II/DUAL will work with. Going off the Spec page (http://www.asus.com/Motherboard-Accessory/ThunderboltEX_II/specifications/) I do not see any small form factor boards on the list; plus it only list Asus motherboards. Also, since the card doesn't seem to be in production anymore I doubt the spec page is update to date.

This forum is amazing and it's been both a learning curve and a blast reading all the different projects. However, I still need some help here. All the current G4 Cube project do not mention thunderbolt 2 and those posts that do are from 2013-14 and the parts are not available. I'm hoping I'm not coming off as a winy Newbie. I really have read up as much as I can and just can't find anything specific to my goal. (G4 Cube, Thunderbolt 2, & 4k Video via HDMI)

Any ideas??

Cubbie

You are going to find that there are no mITX boards with TB2 at all. Some mATX boards have the header pins for an add in card, but they were few and far between when they were new. Finding a discontinued board the OEM has made EOL is going to be practically impossible and/or very expensive. Suggest you find a TB3 board that will work and get a TB3-TB2 adapter.

Cubbie036 · Oct 21, 2016

Cubbie036 said:
Thanks for the advice. I had read through those and was definitely going to use them as a guide. I've now spent the past week diving deeper into the threads trying to figure out what parts I need. Right now I can not find any motherboards that have built-in Thunderbolt in a mini or micro ATX form factor needed to fit in a G4 Cube. There was one made by Gigabyte (GA-Z87X-UD7-TH) but it they are no longer made and very expensive on eBay. So I turned to PCIe Cards with Thunderbolt 2. There seem to be only a few. Asus has the ThunderboltEX II, ThunderboltEX II/DUAL & ThunderboltEX 3. Then there is ASROCK Thunderbolt 2 AIC.
I do not want Thunderbolt 3 as I have a bunch of TB2 Hard Drives and a Thunderbolt display I'd like to make use of. I snagged a Asus ThunderboltEX II/DUAL off Amazon as it was a good price and the last one available. (I can always return it if I need to follow another path.) My issue is trying to find one of the modern motherboards that the Asus ThunderboltEX II/DUAL will work with. Going off the Spec page (http://www.asus.com/Motherboard-Accessory/ThunderboltEX_II/specifications/) I do not see any small form factor boards on the list; plus it only list Asus motherboards. Also, since the card doesn't seem to be in production anymore I doubt the spec page is update to date.

This forum is amazing and it's been both a learning curve and a blast reading all the different projects. However, I still need some help here. All the current G4 Cube project do not mention thunderbolt 2 and those posts that do are from 2013-14 and the parts are not available. I'm hoping I'm not coming off as a winy Newbie. I really have read up as much as I can and just can't find anything specific to my goal. (G4 Cube, Thunderbolt 2, & 4k Video via HDMI)

Any ideas??

Cubbie

I think I found my answer, ASUS GRYPHON Z97 mATX Motherboard? Maybe?

Asus-Freak · Oct 21, 2016

^^^ That board works fine.

Cubbie036 · Oct 31, 2016

Asus-Freak said:
^^^ That board works fine.

Sadly, it is the wrong form factor for a G4 Cube build. I'm really bummed because I can't seem to find either a motherboard that will fit in a G4 Cube that has built-in thunderbolt or a motherboard that has PCIe & a thunderbolt header connection. I'm really confused and frustrated. Could really use some guidance or just be told I am living a pipe dream for this build.

Cubbie036 · Oct 31, 2016

Going Bald said:
You are going to find that there are no mITX boards with TB2 at all. Some mATX boards have the header pins for an add in card, but they were few and far between when they were new. Finding a discontinued board the OEM has made EOL is going to be practically impossible and/or very expensive. Suggest you find a TB3 board that will work and get a TB3-TB2 adapter.

Is there a mITX Board that has a TB header connection? mATA is too big for a G4 Cube.

Going Bald · Nov 1, 2016

Cubbie036 said:
Is there a mITX Board that has a TB header connection? mATA is too big for a G4 Cube.

If there is it is not being advertised - I have looked at the specs of all of the OEM mITX Z170 boards and none listed TB3.

Cubbie036 · Nov 1, 2016

Going Bald said:
If there is it is not being advertised - I have looked at the specs of all of the OEM mITX Z170 boards and none listed TB3.

Okay... I'm not losing my mind then because I couldn't find one either. I guess I'll have to rethink my build.

Thank you for taking the time to look for me.

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Newbie - Motherboard/Graphics Part Advice Help Needed!

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