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Fly Like A G3

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Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
103
Motherboard
Z77X-UD5H
CPU
i5-3570k
Graphics
GTX 760 SC
Mac
  1. iMac
Classic Mac
  1. Power Mac
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
Apple Pi

I'd rather not start a build post off without some pics, but I need to lay out my plan and see if anyone has some advice. Obviously I'm building a G3 and I would like to keep it as stock and clean from the outside as possible. I'll be using this mostly for Photoshop, design work, and basic day to day stuff. My basic parts list is below. I'm trying to stay budget minded and haven't even added a video card to my list yet.

G3 B&W case
i5 3570K (I don't initially plan to do any overclocking)
GA-Z77X-UD5H
CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB for now. I'll do 32GB later)
Seagate Barracuda 1TB HDD
Power Supply 600W or better. Currently looking at a Cougar DX600. Not much info on this unit, but it looks like it will fit the space well. Any advice?
CORSAIR Hydro Series H60. I'm also looking at the Swiftech H220 that's coming out. I think I'll need some good cooling, as the G3 doesn't have much airflow.
Blutooth Dongle
Magic Mouse
Wireless keyboard
Optical Drive? Not really wanting one, and I think they may not be too useful.
23" Monitor? Still looking at moderately priced brands.
Front Port Interface
Misc Parts (rear IO plate etc)

Let me know what else you think I should be looking at. I'll keep searching this site and others for ideas and reviews of parts and setups.
 
Case should be here Thursday and the motherboard is ordered from Newegg. I played with some paint this weekend and chose "stainless steel" as my color. It's a bit darker than I thought I would want, but think it will work well. I also bought some standoffs for the mobo, and will need to be trimmed. I plan to weld the standoffs to the case and fill all unnecessary holes. I don't think I'll keep the G3 stickers on the case, but don't have a complete plan yet. Can't wait for this stuff to come in and get started. Anyone have any advice for this project? I'll keep searching builds and the forums for ideas.
 
Receiving my G3 case today on 3/14, I'm renaming this project "Apple Pi". Seems fitting even if it's a little lame. The case I received from Wegener Media was in good condition. One small crack on the outer shell at the bolt holes which seems common and one broken tab on the closing mechanism. It even came with a dual Firewire port device that I've never seen before.

I've torn down the case and cleaned everything. Anyone have advice for getting rid of the yellowing of the old plastics? My plan is to wet sand with 1500 grit paper and then lay down a coat of flat clear. The yellowing isn't extensive or really that bad, but as long as it's apart, I might as well make it look nice.

The Z77X-UD5H board looks like it is a near perfect fit. The lower corner will need to be trimmed just like other full ATX builds, but the IO ports look like it's an easy job. I lucked out and had an old HP tower laying around that has an ATX-like board that I can use for measurements and test fitting without hurting my shiny new Gigabyte board. All in all, this seems like a fairly straight forward build. My only concerns are the wiring being long enough with the swinging door and heat management. I'll likely go with liquid cooling at some point, but with the way the door opens, it will need to be semi custom. I'll post some progress pics tomorrow when I make some changes. Looking at pics of torn down case doesn't seem appealing to me, so I won't waste your time.

Other than that, I'm moving forward with the build even though I'm waiting on parts advice. Mainly, the PSU. I have my eye on a Cougar DX600 that no one seems to sell. I might settle for the DX500 since I won't be running a video card or water cooling at this point in the build. Any other build advice you guys have?
 
Decided to pull the trigger and order the remainder of my parts from Newegg. Got the 3570K, Cougar DX500, 1TB drive, and PCI case fan. Hopefully it ships as fast as the mobo did. Might have a running system by Monday if that's the case. I'll be attempting to mount the board to the case tonight. I'll take pics of the progress.
 
I'd love to post some pics of my project, but of course I can't find my usb cable for my camera. Guess I'll be picking one of those up tomorrow when I buy a new monitor.

Decided to use my iPhone to upload a couple of pics:
IMG_0748.jpgIMG_0749.jpg

The system is loosely installed and powers up. I need to trim the PSU tray to make room for the RAM slots. Everything seems to fit pretty well, but I'm not entirely happy with my board placement. I will need to mount the hard drive in another location, as the mobo will touch when the case is closed. It's also ever so slightly too high in the case and will make mounting the IO shield slightly more difficult. It's the least of my concerns right now. I'm happy with my first effort and look forward to powering this thing up for real in the next day or so.
 
Near success. I installed ML on my hard drive and began setting up Multibeast. However, I was not successful in getting the unit to start up after that. I probably spent 45 minutes restarting and reading threads on Multibeast. I'll try again tomorrow. So close. More pics to come.
 
Finally success. I had issues upon start up apparently due to using a VGA cable. I have not heard of anyone having issues with this, but simply switching from VGA to DVI-D solved my issues. I have transferred my hard drive files over from my iMac using Migration Assistant and I'm currently sending this from my new Apple Pi Hackintosh. Here is a screenshot of my computer info:

Screen Shot 2013-03-24 at 6.09.34 PM.png

Here are my Multibeast settings for now. I will be adding and changing a few as I get this thing going. (sorry about the iPhone pic)
IMG_0763.jpg

I'm content with the unit for now. I'll be adding a media bay in the stock DVD drawer. I have moved my HDD to the old Zip disk area using a modified bracket I had left from an old HP desktop. I'll update this thread as I make some minor changes and reflect on what issues others should look out for.
IMG_0764.jpg
No cable management as of yet.
IMG_0765.jpg
Front panel has since been placed on. This is just a shot of how the HDD fits in the Zip drive space.
IMG_0766.jpg
Stupid ugly cables everywhere.
IMG_0752.jpg
Rear IO still needs adjusting and I'll fill the original ethernet hole. But I would like to keep the lower section of the sticker that says "1999 Apple Computer Inc..."
IMG_0753.jpg
Side door sticks a bit, but functions. I will figure out how to use the stock locking mechanism when I go through it again.
IMG_0754.jpg
Rear panel. I will get some vented slots for the PCI slots. The PSU fits perfectly. Just wish it was a higher wattage unit. I think 500W will not be enough when I start adding a video card and liquid cooling. But for now the HD4000 graphics work and it runs cool.
 
Bought a Targus Bluetooth 4.0 Micro USB adapter to hook up a Magic Mouse and bluetooth keyboard. Works without issue in the USB 2.0 rear slot. Though I'm severely disappointed in the apple-like keyboard I bought. I'll take it back and get an Apple unit. Nothing is better than the Apple keyboard in my opinion.

Next up will be a front media bay in the original CD/DVD bay. It can wait if I can find my old USB adapter. But I'd really like to upload pics from my camera. Decisions.

I'm also going to work on getting some sound from the unit. I don't have any speakers hooked up and have not tried any of the outputs yet. I'll also tackle the front power button and speaker at some point.

My running total for those wondering is $965. This includes my LG 24" display. Not a bad price for a Mac.
 
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