Question about mobo tray and back.

[sarge21rvb]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a crap case off newegg (like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-192-289) and just cut out the mobo tray and back and JB weld it to the g5 case? I was thinking of doing that with my current case, but I don't want to cannabalize it if I don't have to. Thanks!

 

[samisnake]

yeah it would be cheaper, and a small number of people (at least those that post up their builds) have done it, but it looks terrible imo.

some people use part of an old case for the mobo to go on which is not an issue as it gets covered up by the board, but ive yet to see a case mod that looks good using the rear i/o of a regular cheapo case

 

[sarge21rvb]

Do you have any links to people who have done it? I couldn't find any. I dont think it'll look too bad. I was gonna buy some of that plastic edge stuff to get a cleaner look and I'm pretty handy with a dremel. Do you know of any glaring issues that would be a problem with doing that?

 

[Jeffinslaw]

Do you have any links to people who have done it? I couldn't find any. I dont think it'll look too bad. I was gonna buy some of that plastic edge stuff to get a cleaner look and I'm pretty handy with a dremel. Do you know of any glaring issues that would be a problem with doing that?

It looks bad... just get the Mountain Mods, thelaserhive, or the Lian Li backplate and be done with it. Those three are your best bet. Plus you aren't wasting all the other parts to the case you just destroyed.

Jeffinslaw

 

[bstrang6]

I canabalized a very nice thermaltake case for my mod. It was old and tired and now being used, so it was perfect for the job. I believe that it looks just as good as any mod out there, done with a lay and rivet/screw method. You could also flush mount it with JB weld like others have done, see http://pmg5.dozuki.com/Guide/Mike7060's+PowerMac+G5+Mod/1/12

My case is posted recently in this forum as well.

You can also leave the back stock, and glue the mobo tray to the case, aligning it with a PCI videocard in the stock PCI cage, how ever your I/O on the back of the case will not be flush, but then again, who looks at the back of your computer?

 

[sarge21rvb]

It looks bad... just get the Mountain Mods, thelaserhive, or the Lian Li backplate and be done with it. Those three are your best bet. Plus you aren't wasting all the other parts to the case you just destroyed.

Jeffinslaw

Unfortunately I'm not made of money and I have a donor case available so I wanted to go that route.

I canabalized a very nice thermaltake case for my mod. It was old and tired and now being used, so it was perfect for the job. I believe that it looks just as good as any mod out there, done with a lay and rivet/screw method. You could also flush mount it with JB weld like others have done, see http://pmg5.dozuki.com/Guide/Mike7060's+PowerMac+G5+Mod/1/12

My case is posted recently in this forum as well.

You can also leave the back stock, and glue the mobo tray to the case, aligning it with a PCI videocard in the stock PCI cage, how ever your I/O on the back of the case will not be flush, but then again, who looks at the back of your computer?

That link you posted looks amazing! I don't have quite that level of fabrication skills, but I feel like if I use some of that black groove stuff (the name escapes me) I feel like I could get a clean look. I thought about leaving the back as is, but I'm not too keen on having a giant hole in the back of my case for dust concerns, plus I need more than 4 pci slots (2 slots for vid, 1 for sound card, 1 for USB, 1 for sata controller). Thanks for the info. I think I can go ahead on this route and just spray paint the parts with the krylon chrome to get a good color match.

 

[samisnake]

Unfortunately I'm not made of money and I have a donor case available so I wanted to go that route.

your original question was "Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a crap case off newegg".
if its purely down to money, why go with the g5 case at all? there are 'better' cases for the money, in terms of airflow, expandability etc, so what is the point of the g5? looks right.

if you dont have the fabrication skills (bstrang6 does, which is why his looks decent, but notice he sprayed the whole back black so it blends in more), then it probably wont turn out that nice.

if youre going with cutting the rear and using a tray, nothing can beat an aluminium motherboard tray to blend into the rear of the g5.
spraying it chrome wont match it.


saying that though, its your case so as long as youre happy.

edit- i know you need more than 4 pci slots, but not cutting the back would be a good way to do a g5 on the cheap, but still have it turn out nice

 

[bstrang6]

Just wanted to be sure to point out that the link I provided was NOT my case. I don't wanna be here taking credit for others work. My case has its thread in this forum. How ever heres a few shots.





Those are almost finished state, check the thread here soon for finished pictures

 

[Jeffinslaw]

your original question was "Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a crap case off newegg".
if its purely down to money, why go with the g5 case at all? there are 'better' cases for the money, in terms of airflow, expandability etc, so what is the point of the g5? looks right.

if you dont have the fabrication skills (bstrang6 does, which is why his looks decent, but notice he sprayed the whole back black so it blends in more), then it probably wont turn out that nice.

if youre going with cutting the rear and using a tray, nothing can beat an aluminium motherboard tray to blend into the rear of the g5.
spraying it chrome wont match it.


saying that though, its your case so as long as youre happy.

edit- i know you need more than 4 pci slots, but not cutting the back would be a good way to do a g5 on the cheap, but still have it turn out nice

^^^ This. A G5 mod is a VERY expensive case mod to make it look good. Sure you can spend a couple bucks and get some crap case and then make your G5 case look like crap, that's up to you. I don't mean to offend people when I say this but those that use the back from other cases look like crap. There are a few exceptions to this, particularly the one mod on here that was recently posted with the black inner cage. That one looked great because he took his time, flush mounted it and then painted it.

In my opinion, if you are going to do a G5 case mod, take your time and do it right, these cases are a work of art and adding the back of some $30 case makes it look like crap.

Jeffinslaw

 

[bstrang6]

The comments in this tread honestly have me rolling.

Its a computer case, no one besides the people on the internet that you post pictures to will ever see the back of it, first and for most.

Secondly, if you believe that an 1/8th inch sheet of steel bolted to the back of your computers case looks better than another cases back panel pop riveted in place ( how most cases are held together ) then by all means drop a benji on a backplate ( I suggest sourcing local shops, I could have had a backplate wet-jetted for 15 bucks )

Third off, these cases are hardly works of art. Sure they look cool, and with their stock components have great air flow. How ever you knock all of the stock stuff out, throw in an ATX board. and they honestly are quiet poor cases. Theres no room for cable management, poor air flow, and sticky front IO operations ( who needs firewire? ) make this case appeal to few. How ever if it does appeal to you, than you fall into a small group of hobbyists and probably want to just do it to say you've done it. There were millions of these cases produced ( and in fact you can still buy them from Apple brand new for ~500 usd ) and do not feel bad about cutting into one. Hell mine was a 100% working computer when I tore into it. I sold a few parts off on ebay and junked the rest, because thats what I started with, old out dated junk. Who really wants a G5 power mac?
I do like my case though, its neat, and has really brought my hackintosh to the next level of apple-ism in my eye, and looks good under my desk.