Trying to tackle a G4 Cube hack.

[joshfabean]

Hey everyone, after seeing some other people on the site do it I'm going to tackle a G4 cube and bring it back to life.

I read great posts by MacTester57, BoomR, sleppek, and eelhead. I'm sure there are more but those are the ones that got me motivated. to do this.

So I'm still in the process of trying to get a Cube, nothing in my area on craigslist so I've gone to ebay to look, people want crazy amounts of money for them, must know how rare and awesome they are. Once I buy the case I'm pretty much lost after that, need lots of advice on what parts fit, and work the best for what I want.

First off budget, I would like to be finished with this for under $1,000. I'm getting married in June and really cannot throw all my money at it at the moment.

Specs I was thinking:
Ivy Bridge i5 ~ $220,
8GB RAM ~ $40,
60-120GB SSD ~$100,
500-1TB HD ~ $80 (if I can make it fit, if not an external is always an option, and I own a 3TB external already).
I don't need discrete graphics as I already have a retina MBP that I can use for all my graphical needs.
I think a slimline Blu-Ray would be nice, if not possible a DVD can do. Or I can have neither since I don't NEED to use either of those. I just think it'd be nice to use it as a media center if I wanted to.
I would also like to use the original speaker (I think they look cool) I think I read there may be a power issue with doing that though, but there is a work around?

So about me. I'm a web developer so I use photoshop all day long. I generally never turn off my computer. I was thinking this might double up as a server, maybe be used to backup my laptops onto an external drive. I could also turn it into a download machine. I know I could get 'real' use from my fiancée - once we're married - with school work or whatever it is that non-techie people use computers for.

So any advice would be much appreciated and I will keep everyone up to date once I start purchasing and building. I should be getting a very large paycheck from some contract work I did right at the end of the year and was planning on getting the money from that so I'm only about a month out from being able to purchase everything!

Thank you so much in advance for all your help.

 

[MacTester57]

Thanks for mention.

I wish you happy modding!

MacTester

 

[HyperMac5]

I'm looking to build a G4 Cube Hack too. I first have to build my first Hackintosh and then clear up the money for a Cube build though. Good luck with your build joshfabean! Keep us posted. I wanna see how yours turns out.

 

[joshfabean]

Thanks for the support so far.

So I just won my auction on ebay so I got a Cube for $100 + $20 for shipping. More than I wanted to spend but I had a hard time finding any without cracks for cheaper. It says I should be getting it this weekend or early next week. Once that happens I'll be putting up pictures of the tear apart and I'm sure I'll have to polish the case and do all that fun stuff.

The next step is looking at motherboards. I'm sure it will be easier once I have the case in my hand and I can measure and start planning how much space I have for parts inside the case.

 

[kiwisincebirth]

So I'm still in the process of trying to get a Cube, nothing in my area on craigslist so I've gone to ebay to look, people want crazy amounts of money for them, must know how rare and awesome they are. Once I buy the case I'm pretty much lost after that, need lots of advice on what parts fit, and work the best for what I want.

First off budget, I would like to be finished with this for under $1,000. I'm getting married in June and really cannot throw all my money at it at the moment.

Hi There joshfabean

I think the first issue you face is getting the cube case itself, depending on how that goes $1000 should be ample for your build. I think you just have to keep looking.

I myself am also looking for a G4 Cube case, if anyone can offer advice on how to obtain this (in Australia), it would be appreciated.

You need to budget for the purchase of tools (e.g. Dremel) you may not have, and other additional items such as cables and connectors, screws etc. These do all add up.

Edit: Congratulations on your purchase

 

[joshfabean]

I myself am also looking for a G4 Cube case, if anyone can offer advice on how to obtain this (in Australia), it would be appreciated.

Do they have ebay in Australia? And I agree the cases are hard to come by they were only made for a year or 2 and I don't think many people actually bought them.

You need to budget for the purchase of tools (e.g. Dremel) you may not have, and other additional items such as cables and connectors, screws etc. These do all add up.

Yes the Dremel tool is something I would need to purchase, I told my fiancée I wanted one for Christmas, so we'll see what happens. Yeah I think the cables, fans, and everything are the things that are going to add up and take lots of money.

 

[kiwisincebirth]

Do they have ebay in Australia?

Absolutely we do, Australia is down-under not down and out. However getting a cube from a local seller is almost impossible, and buying from a International seller comes with shipping risks (possible damage) and additional costs (at least $150). My suspicion is that the Cube was either never sold in Australia, or sold in very low quantities :

 

[HyperMac5]

Thanks for the support so far.

So I just won my auction on ebay so I got a Cube for $100 + $20 for shipping. More than I wanted to spend but I had a hard time finding any without cracks for cheaper. It says I should be getting it this weekend or early next week. Once that happens I'll be putting up pictures of the tear apart and I'm sure I'll have to polish the case and do all that fun stuff.

The next step is looking at motherboards. I'm sure it will be easier once I have the case in my hand and I can measure and start planning how much space I have for parts inside the case.

Hey Joshfabean,
This motherboard is supposed to be a good one. I believe MacTester used it. Intel DQ77KB Thin Mini ITX http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-board-dq77kb.html
It's what I'll use!
-HyperMac5

 

[chaosdesigns]

Hi Joshfabean, Welcome! Im looking forward to your mod posts. The Intel DQ77KB is a fantastic MB for a cube. I will be using one in my second G4 Cube mod and highly recommend it if your going for the latest and greatest. You will need to get an i5-3570S or an i5-3470T processor for it as any old i5 will not work. Check out my first G4 Cube mod that I completed last month. The link is in my signature.

Happy Modding!
chaos

 

[HyperMac5]

Hi Joshfabean, Welcome! Im looking forward to your mod posts. The Intel DQ77KB is a fantastic MB for a cube. I will be using one in my second G4 Cube mod and highly recommend it if your going for the latest and greatest. You will need to get an i5-3570S or an i5-3470T processor for it as any old i5 will not work. Check out my first G4 Cube mod that I completed last month. The link is in my signature.

Happy Modding!
chaos

Chaosdesigns,
Would I be able to use the i3 Sandy Bridge with the DQ77KB or will it have to be an Ivy Bridge?
Thanks,
HyperMac5