m-itx G4 Sawtooth build - H60 cooled

[ovb1]

Hello, I've been slowly converting a mint G4 I picked up on ebay for 99p It was mint and actually booted up! Any I've stripped it all out and have been prepping the case to run a GA-Z77N-WIFI, Intel Core i5-3570K, Corsair H60.

The case is mint so I can't decide whether to strip the paint off and paint the insides my own colours or leave it as Apple intended? To strip the paint seems a hassle using either isopropyl alcohol or brake fluid? Not sure which would work best? Need a lot of iso to soak the sides? Brake fluid is possible too harsh?

I'm thinking of mounting the H60 radiator on the bottom with an other 120mm fan next to it sucking air in? then the power supply would be blowing air out? Do you think that is sufficient cooling? Any advice would be gratefully received?

Anyway here are pictures of how far I've got? The case will be fully rubbed down and painted a flat black once fully ready.

m-itx board looks too small in here but I'll have lots of room for RAM and DVD burner with none of the hassles experienced by other G4 hacks!
You can see the two circles cut in the bottom for the H60 and a 120mm intake fan. The power supply is taking hot air in from the case? I am thinking of turning it round and sucking in cooler air from under the side cover but that would mean cutting a substantial whole in the side of the case? Not sure about that?

I'm not very pleased with the hack job on the rear plastics but I've only got a jigsaw which makes the whole process a little rough and ready!

 

[v33]

wow ... that's too extreme a rear hack for me.

with that mobo, it seems like you'll be doing a lot of rewiring and sleeving. the position of the power and sata connectors are way too far from the psu and the drives you'll be installing (i'm assuming it'll be in the default bay).

thanks for sharing the build, I was stuck as to how to go about installing my mobo. your pics pointed me to the right direction to go. btw, with the size of your mobo ... would it fit under the psu? your pics are really opening ideas and possibilites.

 

[jmpa]

Looking good

 

[dirtwegy]

Nice move ovb1.

 

[ovb1]

Thanks

Update - trial fitting of hardware. power supply screwed in, H60 mounted and cold air inlet fan. thankfully the H60 water pipes are just long enough to allow the case door to open! i will need to extend the ATX cables. Hard Drive is mounted in the 3.5" bay and there is room under the whole tray for the SSD which will be tidy. Not sure if the hard drive will be to noisy in the 3.5" bay?
Back plate and plastic look a little better now and once the case is painted a graphite grey (i think?) the wobbly lines should be less noticeable. If not I'll have to straighten out the worst wobbles!
Case has had all the holes filled with JB weld and sanded ready for paint. Decided not to bother with the plastic tray latch as one of the catches has snapped off so have used the reverse spring method on the locking latch.

Anyway pic's

 

[grg3]

Looks Good! I do not think your mods were too extreme given that cpu you are installing. G4 cases have historically been difficult to cool. It look as though you have that in hand. I will be very interested to see the temperature readings after you have built it.

I just finished my G4. Once I had the motherboard mounted, everything else was fairly easy. I had to use power extension cables and longer sata cables.

I was surprised to find how easy the power button was to wire. I simply used an extra 1394 cable with 10 pin block on each end and rearranged the connectors. It was actually easier than on a PC! Minihack did all the work here. No cutting or soldering required. I left two wires for the HD LED out of the switch end of the connector and hooked an LED up that displays in the Apple logo.

My system runs cool enough (Pentium Dual Core 6500) but the fans are a bit noisy. I am considering different options to help cooling and reduce fan noise. Maybe a fan in the floor.

 

[ovb1]

I was surprised to find how easy the power button was to wire. I simply used an extra 1394 cable with 10 pin block on each end and rearranged the connectors. It was actually easier than on a PC! Minihack did all the work here. No cutting or soldering required. I left two wires for the HD LED out of the switch end of the connector and hooked an LED up that displays in the Apple logo.

Thanks I have followed that Minihack guide to! It was very useful. I gutted an old PC case at work for the connectors and like you am using an LED behind the Apple logo for hardrive activity. Great minds eh...

 

[ovb1]

@minihack - I'm liking you rear panel design
I've been making a bit of a hack job on my rear panels to save money!

 

[ovb1]

Update time! Been busy; case painted, components fitted. So far found extension cables a pain so just used the ATX cables but that means i can't open the case totally so at some point I'll need to sort that! anyway it all works, very close fit with the RAM on the DVD drive case but it just misses! I've installed OSX. Could not install ML 10.8.3 for some reason had to install 10.8.2 so will need to update. i think it might have been and issue with creating unibeast installer on my macbook air using a usb 3.0 pen drive ? seemed fine using the same pen drive on usb 2 ports on my old hac?

So far seems to run very cool…. i've actually unplugged my second fan as it was making more noise than needed and the case seems ok? that said theHW monitor ambient temperature reads at 205 degrees? so something wrong there!

the immediate bug bear for me is no sleep? the system powers down fine but the monitor will not wake upon wake up? any links folks?

finally my hardwire of the G4 power switch does not work? i followed minihack's guide but my power board has an extra chip? i am simply going to cut the traces and solder the wires direct to the switches for an easy life! currently I'm just touching the wires to start the system! is that very dodgy!?

pics here feedback gratefully received!

 

[jmpa]

Nice painting and mod.

Enjoyed a lot how "Gskill Ares" looks.