Choosing Case: G5 or Mac Pro

[flowitt]

Choosing Components

Hi @all,

first - beeing the new one here - I want to say hello to all of you and nice greetings from Germany.

I need a new Mac - and it should be a Hackintosh. Holidays are close and I want to use them to build it up!
I've read a few post and guides here and made some decisions:
1) Design is everything ! I want a nice looking one(G5 oder Mac Pro)
2) If possible I want to use a PSU out of the box - not putting it into the psu - chassis from apple
3) It must be quiet

Now I ask you experts in Hack Mods to help me:
should I buy a g5 oder a mac pro case ?

Most of the Mods here use the g5 - is it the better one ?
Is one easier to build a hack into ?
I' ve read something, that If I mount the PSU out of the box on the top of a G5 - I've to be carefull with the size of the mainboard ...
Is it easier in a Mac Pro case ?

Have I forgotten something ?

Greetings & many thanks for your replies.

flo

PS: I haven'd made dicisions about mainboard an prosessor yet

 

[Jeffinslaw]

There are pros and cons to both cases:

Mac Pro

Pros:

- Newer design case
- Easier to hide stuff (with the covers)

Cons:

- can only use mATX if you want to keep hot-swap
- lot of wiring to be done
- modding of PSU
- cutting back panel

G5

Pros:

- Easier to mod
- can mount PSU up top with little to no modding
- can use mATX or ATX if PSU is up top
- little wiring to be done

Cons:

- cutting back panel

That's really the only cons I can think of for the G5. I would say go G5. The cases are usually cheaper and they don't require as much work to look nice.

Jeffinslaw

 

[shingletoon]

I can't say much for the mac pro case as i have not used one, but i do know that when i built my hackintosh out of an early G5 case (dual 2.0), that I was able to make use of 2 important g5 mod resources. mountain mod motherboard tray (which i think they actually make one for the mac pro case as well) but more importantly i was able to buy a custom made front panel wiring kit from user "alohacab" off of the insanely mac forums. If this guy didnt exist i would not have attempted to build a g5 hackintosh as i didnt want to get that nitty-gritty with the wiring. good luck with your future build as it was SO worth it to bring alive my old G5.

 

[flowitt]

Wow thanks for your replies ...

@jeffinslaw: thank your for that list - that ist exactly what i need.
cutting the back panel is the only con at a g5 and i can buy a new back panal in the internet ...
so my hack will be a g5 !

@shingletoon: thank s for your answer - did I get your right: are there different versions of g5 cases ?

greetings

flo

 

[minihack]

Wow thanks for your replies ...

@jeffinslaw: thank your for that list - that ist exactly what i need.
cutting the back panel is the only con at a g5 and i can buy a new back panal in the internet ...
so my hack will be a g5 !

@shingletoon: thank s for your answer - did I get your right: are there different versions of g5 cases ?

greetings

flo

Hi, there are 2 basic versions of G5 case. Pre October 2005 (vast majority) + October 2005 onwards (smaller number). Both can be modded, but the later case is slightly harder as the front panel connector is not as easy to re-wire and the back panel is recognisable by the long plastic cover for the wifi antennae.

If given the choice I would go with the earlier model......

Also, one thing to add to the Jeffsinlaw list is actually that the G5 can have an ATX conversion with either the PSU high up or down low. Generally it is the view that a G5 conversion is easier than a Mac Pro conversion, they also give a bit more room for personal expression - lots of room and possibility to make a really personalised conversion.

 

[kmmm]

If you really want to use it fast, IMO, go with mac pro case. I just cut the back panel I/O, JB weld stand off, put the mATX board, wired the front panel switch, and that it.

Noom.

 

[flowitt]

Hi,

I got a case at ebay
I hope it will arrive soon

next thing is to get a power supply.
I want to mount it in the top corner !
I've seen some nice sollutions here - cuttet a hole for the fan ...
this will be the way im going to follow
but I've 2 questions for you again:

1) I've choosen a BE quiet PSU - You all have Corsair - is there a special thing about corsair I don't know or can I go with a Be quiet one in this mod
2) how did you fix the PSU on the plate

thank again for your help

 

[minihack]

Hi,

Choice of PSU is of course personal. However, when checking out the reviews (which I do always before making a purchase), Corsair PSUs generally get good remarks for their regulation (how close the PSU can keep to the particular voltage under different load conditions), quality and noise. Remember if a power supply does go faulty it can take out other components at the same time. A poor power supply can also be responsible for other system faults too.

I'm not saying don't buy the "Be Quiet", just check out the reviews for the models you are considering and then make the decision.
" EDIT: 24 November. Actually just been reading reviews myself to choose a PSU and went with a Be Quiet! as it looked the best for what I wanted to do....so there you go"

Also remember when choosing a PSU that headline power numbers are not everything so check out too what power needs you really have and then add a margin for headroom. There are websites with calculator tools on them that'll help you get a realistic feel for how many Watts you really need.

A modular PSU may be a good idea if you can find one that suits your needs - keeps wiring tidy. Personally I hate clutter.

Last but not least, if you are going to fit it up top be realistic about choosing a power supply that will fit in there, remembering that the back of the G5 and the Pro are curved and you may also need to have room for an external power socket feeding power to the PSU socket....

As for question (2) it is such a tight fit on the shelf you probably need nothing to fix it in place, beyond some strong double sided sticky or by using fixings for the fan through the shelf.