- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 104
- Motherboard
- P67A-UD4-B3
- CPU
- 2600K
- Graphics
- Sapphire HD6850
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
It's probably easier to fit an ATX board in G5 case instead of a Mac Pro case, but it's tough to find G5 cases in good condition (at least when I was searching), and you can find new Mac Pro cases on ebay for around $100 sometimes with or without shipping (ebay search term "mac pro chassis")
Only thing I did was cut up the divider rack thing to allow the board to fit, remove the mobo stand offs (they come off easy with a vise grip), secure those standoffs on the case with JB weld, and cut holes in the rear for power supply/rear IO mobo connections.
From ptmays hac pro mAtx mod (viewtopic.php?f=76&t=9457&start=0), I got the idea on how to easily secure the standoffs with JB weld. Just screw those standoffs on to a motherboard, put some mixed JB weld on the bottom of the stand offs, and secure the motherboard in and align in correct position with a graphics card secured to the case.
Toughest part is cutting up the divider shelf. It's a very tough metal, may be steel instead of aluminum. I had some saw thing laying about to cut it (at the time I did not have a dremel like rotary tool).
The case from ebay had no front panel IO board or drive carriers, so it's not 100% done.
On the to do list: disk drive carrier, front IO board with power button, some kind of decent solution for the rear mobo connections (right now, remains an open hole), better looking washers for the power supply screws.
For a really elegant way of doing this, this guy's method is the best I've seen for ATX on a Mac Pro case: http://aquamac.proboards.com/index.cgi? ... hread=1163
But I did not want to spend too much time or thinking, and I'm not too bothered by the hole in the back for the mobo connections.
One last thing, the power supply rests upside down on the shelf with the fan facing up. 2 inches or so of space above it is OK, plus there is already part of the rear top of the case vented allowing air in to the fan. And when the board is secured in with the standoffs that are taken out, it rests a few millimeters higher than normal, so expansion/gpu cards don't rest firmly on the area where they are screwed on the case, but can still be secured with the bar thing that comes with the case.
Only thing I did was cut up the divider rack thing to allow the board to fit, remove the mobo stand offs (they come off easy with a vise grip), secure those standoffs on the case with JB weld, and cut holes in the rear for power supply/rear IO mobo connections.
From ptmays hac pro mAtx mod (viewtopic.php?f=76&t=9457&start=0), I got the idea on how to easily secure the standoffs with JB weld. Just screw those standoffs on to a motherboard, put some mixed JB weld on the bottom of the stand offs, and secure the motherboard in and align in correct position with a graphics card secured to the case.
Toughest part is cutting up the divider shelf. It's a very tough metal, may be steel instead of aluminum. I had some saw thing laying about to cut it (at the time I did not have a dremel like rotary tool).
The case from ebay had no front panel IO board or drive carriers, so it's not 100% done.
On the to do list: disk drive carrier, front IO board with power button, some kind of decent solution for the rear mobo connections (right now, remains an open hole), better looking washers for the power supply screws.
For a really elegant way of doing this, this guy's method is the best I've seen for ATX on a Mac Pro case: http://aquamac.proboards.com/index.cgi? ... hread=1163
But I did not want to spend too much time or thinking, and I'm not too bothered by the hole in the back for the mobo connections.
One last thing, the power supply rests upside down on the shelf with the fan facing up. 2 inches or so of space above it is OK, plus there is already part of the rear top of the case vented allowing air in to the fan. And when the board is secured in with the standoffs that are taken out, it rests a few millimeters higher than normal, so expansion/gpu cards don't rest firmly on the area where they are screwed on the case, but can still be secured with the bar thing that comes with the case.
