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- Oct 16, 2010
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After lurking for several months and browsing several different forums for ideas, I have decided to start my own g5 mod.
I picked up a Dual CPU 2.7ghz G5 a couple of months ago for the bargain price of 100NZD. The computer had suffered from the dreaded coolant leakage that has plagued this model. The logic board, psu and cpu's were completely trashed. However, the case itself had very minor damage. I was also able to salvage 4.5GB of DDR RAM and the GPU which have been re-purposed.
So far I have completely emptied the case and cleaned it up (also had a bit of fun with the corroded PSU and a sledgehammer
). I am currently in the planning stages of the build and am keen for suggestions.
I have seen several mods which have sacrificed functionality to maintain the stock rear of the G5. Although they are amazing mods I would prefer to fully utilize my motherboard and also not have to deal with cable extenders. In saying that I still want it to look as stock as possible. Because of this I am planning to base it on MrBean_Oz's Project Bad Apple mod http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1074089. However, I will simplify his design and not include a hot-swappable drive bay.
I plan to use a micro-ATX motherboard tray from an old...shudder.... Dell.
I know that most people would try to use an aluminium motherboard tray; however, they are impossible to buy in New Zealand and I really can't justify the cost of buying a whole donor case. Because of this I plan to use automobile metallic spray paint to repaint the motherboard tray. This will hopefully make it somewhat resemble aluminium and blend in with the rest of the case.
I also plan to use some of the existing g5 standoffs to mount my motherboard tray. Like MrBean_Oz, I will fabricate my own aluminium backplate. Unlike him however, I will make mine from a piece of 1.5mm alu sheet that I purchased from a sheet metal supplier. I will brush the aluminium myself using a fine grit sandpaper (I have tried this method of making brushed aluminium before on a friend's PC mod and it worked surprisingly well). I was originally planning to get it water-jet cut, however, it worked out to be too expensive. Instead I plan to use my neighbour's table saw, a dremel and a jigsaw with a fine toothed blade to cut the backplate.
I plan to maintain the current layout of the upper shelf. I will reuse the DVD drive that came with the case and the existing HDD brackets. I have rewired the fan module with a molex plug and lowered the voltage. I am planning on mounting the PSU at the bottom of my case and fabricating a bracket for it. I will also make an extension cable that goe to the rear of the case.
I really want to reuse the existing rear fan grills in my mod, however, I am unsure whether to have 1 or 2 rear fans. What do you guys think?
I will post some picture of the things I have done so far later.
Any feedback on my plans would be most appreciated
I picked up a Dual CPU 2.7ghz G5 a couple of months ago for the bargain price of 100NZD. The computer had suffered from the dreaded coolant leakage that has plagued this model. The logic board, psu and cpu's were completely trashed. However, the case itself had very minor damage. I was also able to salvage 4.5GB of DDR RAM and the GPU which have been re-purposed.
So far I have completely emptied the case and cleaned it up (also had a bit of fun with the corroded PSU and a sledgehammer
). I am currently in the planning stages of the build and am keen for suggestions. I have seen several mods which have sacrificed functionality to maintain the stock rear of the G5. Although they are amazing mods I would prefer to fully utilize my motherboard and also not have to deal with cable extenders. In saying that I still want it to look as stock as possible. Because of this I am planning to base it on MrBean_Oz's Project Bad Apple mod http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1074089. However, I will simplify his design and not include a hot-swappable drive bay.
I plan to use a micro-ATX motherboard tray from an old...shudder.... Dell.
I know that most people would try to use an aluminium motherboard tray; however, they are impossible to buy in New Zealand and I really can't justify the cost of buying a whole donor case. Because of this I plan to use automobile metallic spray paint to repaint the motherboard tray. This will hopefully make it somewhat resemble aluminium and blend in with the rest of the case.
I also plan to use some of the existing g5 standoffs to mount my motherboard tray. Like MrBean_Oz, I will fabricate my own aluminium backplate. Unlike him however, I will make mine from a piece of 1.5mm alu sheet that I purchased from a sheet metal supplier. I will brush the aluminium myself using a fine grit sandpaper (I have tried this method of making brushed aluminium before on a friend's PC mod and it worked surprisingly well). I was originally planning to get it water-jet cut, however, it worked out to be too expensive. Instead I plan to use my neighbour's table saw, a dremel and a jigsaw with a fine toothed blade to cut the backplate.
I plan to maintain the current layout of the upper shelf. I will reuse the DVD drive that came with the case and the existing HDD brackets. I have rewired the fan module with a molex plug and lowered the voltage. I am planning on mounting the PSU at the bottom of my case and fabricating a bracket for it. I will also make an extension cable that goe to the rear of the case.
I really want to reuse the existing rear fan grills in my mod, however, I am unsure whether to have 1 or 2 rear fans. What do you guys think?
I will post some picture of the things I have done so far later.
Any feedback on my plans would be most appreciated
.The guy I bought the g5 from had one spare and is happy to sell it to me for 150NZD. I know its kinda old and I could get a brand new LCD monitor for about $250 but it just wouldn't be the same.