Minimal Mac Pro 4.1 Mod in 4K [updated]

[mad86]

JB Weld is the best thing I get to know this year. I now glue anything together : )

@mad86, Awesome build!, the videos are great too, wish my 6yr old could scoop up the manual and throw it at my head so I could absorb the info!. I pretty much did what you did for my G5 when it came to mounting the motherboard, I didn't use a hammer to remove the standoffs though, just a gentle rocking motion with a pair of pliers did the trick. I also used JB weld and you'll be happy to hear that they're still holding now. Great job and thanks for sharing.

 

[mad86]

I like G5, I actually got a G5 back in 2008 for modding, which never happened, it's still sitting idle : )

I'm wondering if you were able to get the plastic cover back in place?

Fantastic build... I did something very similar with a 3.1 Mac Pro and a 2.5 G5. I have to say it was easier doing the G5, as I could run all the cables I wanted from the bottom of the case where the 1000W psu was supposed to be, and the G5 case was a lot easier to strip out... Never got the front panel of the Mac Pro to work, G5 was just essentially same as a PC, just needed a bit of soldering to make it ATX compatible... Mac Pro never worked for me on same MB. Ended up going red LED and USB3 on the front, not stock at all.

 

[craighazan]

I like G5, I actually got a G5 back in 2008 for modding, which never happened, it's still sitting idle : )

I'm wondering if you were able to get the plastic cover back in place?

I was able to put the plastic cover in place on my G5 with a RX 560. But as I upgraded first to a RX 570, just about close cover. Then Sapphire Pulse RX 580, don’t use plastic cover. The problem is the additional power cable, it interferes with the plastic cover closing. I have thought about heating it up until soft the moulding it to let the power cable fit.

 

[mad86]

I was able to put the plastic cover in place on my G5 with a RX 560. But as I upgraded first to a RX 570, just about close cover. Then Sapphire Pulse RX 580, don’t use plastic cover. The problem is the additional power cable, it interferes with the plastic cover closing. I have thought about heating it up until soft the moulding it to let the power cable fit.

I'm not sure if a low profile graphics card would work for you. The non-official design ones usually come with huge heat sinks and fans which would raise the height.

 

[craighazan]

I'm not sure if a low profile graphics card would work for you. The non-official design ones usually come with huge heat sinks and fans which would raise the height.

It does stay super cool without the cover though!.

 

[Hazzardus]

I like G5, I actually got a G5 back in 2008 for modding, which never happened, it's still sitting idle : )

I'm wondering if you were able to get the plastic cover back in place?

The clear plastic cover never got used... Too much depth lost when putting new stuff in... Mounting it, I used steel putty on all the standoffs, and although it doesn't look great if the MB is off, it is invisible once installed... Was so much easier to get everything lined up at the back with the original ports than the MP was though... Plus bonus, the PSU can sit at the bottom with no mods...

Didn't use the G5 metal panels either, but used the two front fans and just installed 2 invisible (from outside) Arctics in the back. Had it a good few years now and no issues with it...

Same with my MP, but that was a lot harder to do... Less space too...

 

[sopranno]

Very good, I have a mac4.1 too and I took the courage to do it after your tutorial, thanks for the help.

 

[mad86]

Very good, I have a mac4.1 too and I took the courage to do it after your tutorial, thanks for the help.

Superb! I'm glad it helped, happy modding!

 

[mad86]

The clear plastic cover never got used... Too much depth lost when putting new stuff in... Mounting it, I used steel putty on all the standoffs, and although it doesn't look great if the MB is off, it is invisible once installed... Was so much easier to get everything lined up at the back with the original ports than the MP was though... Plus bonus, the PSU can sit at the bottom with no mods...

Didn't use the G5 metal panels either, but used the two front fans and just installed 2 invisible (from outside) Arctics in the back. Had it a good few years now and no issues with it...

Same with my MP, but that was a lot harder to do... Less space too...

The G5 case looks more modern in a way that the PSU sits at the bottom, just like the Mac Pro 2019 and modern PC cases.

I'm wondering if one can reuse the metal plates on the heatsinks with G5 engraved on them.

 

[pit512]

I was able to put the plastic cover in place on my G5 with a RX 560. But as I upgraded first to a RX 570, just about close cover. Then Sapphire Pulse RX 580, don’t use plastic cover. The problem is the additional power cable, it interferes with the plastic cover closing. I have thought about heating it up until soft the moulding it to let the power cable fit.

@craighazan,

Not sure you're talking about the GPU power cables taking up a lot of space, but here's what I found (6 pins and 8 pins) at AliExpress for my own needs...