Vendetta's G5 Build (In Progress)

[Vendetta]

Hey guys,

Alright, so here we go. Yeah yeah, I know, another G5 mod. Well, I think I'm approaching it in a slightly different way with my own touch/flare, and I hope you guys enjoy it all the same.

Livestream:
I'm just starting this thread real quick to get it going. I'll update it soon with more information, but wanted to add this real quick because I'm on live stream cutting up my case. Thought some people may be interested. I'll try to record the sessions and put them up on the channel for people to view at the end of this if they're interested.

http://www.livestream.com/vendettathehack

The Philosophy:

I won't spend too much time here, because I'm sure you all just want to see pics and mods anyways.

My idea of a great G5 mod would be to have it as stock as possible, beautiful inside and out. Upon acquiring my case and spending countless hours sitting, staring, and analyzing it, I began to realize how realistic some of my ideas were. It actually began to feel possible, so I became more excited about the build. End goal: reuse as many original parts as possible without sacrificing functionality.

I have the build planned out, and I think I have some solid ideas, so stay tuned...

The Mod:

My subject.

Mostly torn down.

Added 4/18/2012:
Big update. Added mockups of I/O part, cut back panel, CAD of part, and more. Check it out here:
viewtopic.php?p=357317#p357317

Added 4/25/2012:
Made a few cuts and did some PSU disassembly and investigation.
viewtopic.php?p=362366#p362366

Added 4/26/2012:
A little more tinkering with the PSU, and testing out spray paint.
viewtopic.php?p=363200#p363200

Added 4/30/2012:
Cut the standoffs for the PSU, test fit some of the parts.
viewtopic.php?p=365748#p365748

Added 5/12/2012:
Making power cables custom length, as well as painted the fans.
viewtopic.php?p=374488#p374488

Added 5/13/2012:
Small update, but big progress in finishing up the PSU. Also added video of the PSU startup, fan controller, and temperature sensor.
viewtopic.php?p=375327#p375327

 

[eelhead]

You'r not done yet

 

[theandy94]

if your end goal is to use as many original parts as possible, than you maybe should take a look at my pics from my mod
I'm currently not using the graphics card fan with the speaker on it and also not the hard drive fan, but i will in a few weeks when i got the money for the new fans.
i also reused the plug in fan for the cpu
but had to modify the back fan holder to get it fitting with the main board connections at the back, with the modified holder for the fans it fits closely
i had to cut out the back because i need the ports to work without trouble, but i will clean it up a little bit in a few weeks.

If your interested just go to the link in my signature.
for questions you can send me a message.

 

[Vendetta]

Okay, so my original thought was to do something similar to what I had seen aquamac do on a Mac Pro case, and cut out just the I/O and have a bracket made that would extend down into the case to the I/O on the motherboard. So, the first step was to take some measurements and then make a VERY rough/crude mockup from a sheet of aluminum. This was only for proof of concept, so forgive the poor workmanship.

Well, it wasn't long before I decided to scrap the idea. I measured and measured prior to mocking up the part, and I really thought I could squeeze it, but after making the part I realized that there just simply wasn't enough space between the I/O and the fan housing on the case. I could cut the housing, but it would never look right and it wouldn't be as functional as it is stock. So that idea was scrapped.

What next? Well, the fans are just to close to the motherboard, so they need to be moved. Yeah, I could use a MM mobo tray like others, but I want to do something different, and I want something a little bit more fitting/custom. Also, I want to reuse the original fan housing, because I like the way it integrates with the internal CPU cover. I decided I'd have a part made by a friend that shifts the fans over and incorporates the I/O bracket that I planned to have made originally.

Here is a rough model I made. The purpose of this model was only to give myself an idea, as well as something to send to my friend to give him an idea of what we were working with.

Basic.

With perforations.

So there you go, gives a good idea. Coming along nicely, I like where this is going. So what's next? Well, some more fitting/measuring of course!

No mobo, just fitting the other parts together to get a feel for spacing.

Here she is with mobo mounted.

Whoa, not a lot of clearance from the PSU cover. Cuttin' it close.

This is why it's important to test fit over and over, and from all angles.

Marked for cutting.

To me, it's the little things in a customized build that make the difference. For example, upon disassembly I realized that I might be able to utilize this piece for my 24-pin connector, which should give the same sleek look as the stock power connector.

More marks for cutting.

Taped and marked, ready to cut. Had some scrap cardboard sitting around so I fashioned a small box to catch any debris. Might not help a ton, but if it makes clean up ANY easier, I'm all for it.

Safety first!

First cut, looks good.

And done. Look how simple that was.

It's hard to tell because of the shadows, but the cuts came out really clean and straight. I'm pleased. Also, looks like that makeshift debris collector worked out.

File for smoothing. I left myself some room with my original cut, so that I have a bit more to take down on all sides to fit the insert that I'm having made. I'll save the fine tuning for when I actually have the part, so that I can fit it more precisely. I'll show in the next picture how much I have left to take down.

And here's the picture that shows how much more I have to trim down on the cuts. The cut looks uneven because I've already done some filing a bit in this section. I'll await the milled part before I take it down all the way, however.

So there we have it, a little bit of progress. The part I was sweating about most is now underway and a big part of it is done. Of course the rear panel cut is a bit nerve racking, and I'm glad it's done.

Now to have the part made. Here's a screen cap of the CAD.

I just mailed these parts to him today so that he can fit the parts after the part is made just to make sure all is well.

Well, that's enough for today. A whole lot more to come, so stay tuned.

 

[minihack]

Looking very nice V. Will be watching this closely.....

 

[thin_soldier]

Is looking good
One question though, are you not lining up all the Pci-e ports with the bracket holes? and if not - why? Asking just out of curiousity since I am making my own mod and want to see how people think.
Will keep on looking

 

[Vendetta]

Looking very nice V. Will be watching this closely.....

Thanks! If everything comes out as I envision in my head it should be very nice. I have a few ideas floating around that I hope I can make happen as well.

Is looking good
One question though, are you not lining up all the Pci-e ports with the bracket holes? and if not - why? Asking just out of curiousity since I am making my own mod and want to see how people think.
Will keep on looking

You are correct. This is the only sacrifice so far that I'll have to make. The problem is that the PCI slot nearest the CPU is so close to the I/O on the board, that if you wanted to have an I/O bracket and use the lowest PCI opening, there would be interference. This is only a problem for me because I want to use the original PCI openings on the case. If I wanted to use the lowest slot on my board, I would have to make the cut too close to the PCI opening on the case and IMO it wouldn't look right.

Having said all that, it's not too much of a problem if you utilize the top slot of the board. Because my card has a large heatsink on it, I actually couldn't move my board any higher or else the GPU and heatsink would interfere with the top shelf inside the case. I'll be able to utilize the top PCI slot as well as the one below it, which is all I should need. I won't be able to run SLI, but the GTX 480 I just purchased recently is A LOT more than I need anyways.

Also, I forgot to add this picture I took of my rough sketch and all of my measurements. I can't tell you how much time I spent measuring and re-measuring.

 

[accelito]

Keep going V, I hope to see the final picture of your project.

 

[schubbe226]

Very nice idea keep it up

 

[Vendetta]

Got to do a little bit more work recently, so I thought I'd post an update.

Decided to do a little cutting. Here's the middle shelf marked off for cutting.

Here it is after the cuts. This is the same plate that I pictured in earlier photos that was interfering with the motherboard, so it wouldn't lay even. Now with the cuts made, it should sit nicely.

So, here's one of those 'ideas' I was talking about. I am cutting the logic board so that I can reuse it. There is a few reasons behind my thinking here. The first is for the middle shelf. There is a bracket on the left side of the logic board that holds the bracket in place as well as aligns it. The second reason is that it gives it a more stock look. Third reason is for cable management, being able to run cables behind this board will come in handy. Also, it gives it the stock look that I'm going for, and I thought it'd be neat. It's nice that it matches my Gigabyte board fairly well also. I think it's a nice touch, and I haven't seen anyone else do it.

Incision made.

Nice! Looks like my measurements were on. The logic board is of course taller than my mATX, but you won't notice that once my GPU is in, as it will take up a large amount of that upper area.

So, before I could tear apart my PSU, I need to make sure it works. No sense in tearing apart a new PSU that could be faulty in the first place (they often get damaged in shipment). So, here's the system with just the basics put together so that I can make sure it all powers on and is good to go. Booted to BIOS and to Unibeast, so all is well so far.

Then, I decided I felt like doing a little bit of work on my PSU.

The new PSU.

Interesting and neat. When you peel the warranty sticker, it leaves a silver film in the shape of 'Void'. That's cool.

Opened up.

And finally, here it is sitting in the PSU. I found some things that I didn't like, so I stopped here and decided to sleep on it.

Alright, that's it for now. Stay tuned...