- Joined
- Feb 17, 2011
- Messages
- 201
- Motherboard
- Asus > Need full model name > See Rules!
- CPU
- i5-650
- Graphics
- GT 610
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
I have two old Sawtooth G4s just sitting, the first was my fist G4 so I'm not going to touch that one and the other was one someone gave me which turned out to be DOA. So I thought why not build a Hackintosh out of it. I had previously done a basic i5 build in a conventional case which is now my girlfriends computer after threatening to throw her Dell out of the window it was an easy decision. I started by doing the easy stuff which was stripping the case. THe next steps were not so easy and more of an investment. The biggest investment was in a Dremel and proved to be a huge time saver and lifesaver. The metal Apple used to build the cases on the G4s had to be a high quality steel because I burned through at least 7 of the reinforced cutting wheels on the Dremel cutting the back plain out and the notch out of the tray inside so it would close and give the 24 pin connector on the logic board space to close. As follows are pics of the build thus far. It is pretty much complete except for HDD which I am waiting on, a new 120mm case fan to be mounted in the same spot as the factory original, ATX power extensions for the 24pin and 4 pin connectors and a power switch. I am going without a DVD ROM because most everything is now going away from that and if I absolutely need to I will hook an external to it as I have an old Que! Firewire drive I can use when I add the PCI/USB FireWire card.
There will be more pics to come as I finish it off. It's a little rough around the edges as you can see but it's my first build in an Apple case. As I said before I want to keep it as factory looking as possible. If anyone knows of how to wire the front switch to turn it on it would be much appreciated. There are those who have done the reverse with putting a Sawtooth in a PC case and getting that to work but it's totally different from this.
I did find this though which would be a nice addition depending upon how deep it is and how it mounts in the Sawtooth case, called a Multiport that adds card reader and USB to the front of your Mac http://www.geethree.com/multiport/index.html . It is sold out through the vendor but a site called HeadGap store still has them http://stn2.headgap.com/resale/FMPro?-t ... y=g4&-find I'm sure it could be added to a conventional PC style case as well too.
Another concern of mine is cable management. I hate the rats nest that is in most PC cases and for surely be in this one if I do not correctly route cables. If anyone has pics of their case to share and how they did it please share them.
If anyone here has tips or tricks or if you have done a build like this before post up on here or feel free to send me a message.
There will be more pics to come as I finish it off. It's a little rough around the edges as you can see but it's my first build in an Apple case. As I said before I want to keep it as factory looking as possible. If anyone knows of how to wire the front switch to turn it on it would be much appreciated. There are those who have done the reverse with putting a Sawtooth in a PC case and getting that to work but it's totally different from this.
I did find this though which would be a nice addition depending upon how deep it is and how it mounts in the Sawtooth case, called a Multiport that adds card reader and USB to the front of your Mac http://www.geethree.com/multiport/index.html . It is sold out through the vendor but a site called HeadGap store still has them http://stn2.headgap.com/resale/FMPro?-t ... y=g4&-find I'm sure it could be added to a conventional PC style case as well too.
Another concern of mine is cable management. I hate the rats nest that is in most PC cases and for surely be in this one if I do not correctly route cables. If anyone has pics of their case to share and how they did it please share them.
If anyone here has tips or tricks or if you have done a build like this before post up on here or feel free to send me a message.
It's a little rough around the edges and needs a few finishing touches like the custom back plain for the board and some cable management on the inside which might be quite the task considering the case folds and the main power cable is thick and does not allow for much flexibility and binds. 
