Apple G5 AMD Inside ... Help!

[iVoltage]

OK, I've gone and done it. I just bought a G5 case on eBay. Now I need to fill it with something as quiet and powerful as what it originally contained. No, more powerful.

This is my first mod. I am a lifelong Mac user but recently I got given an old pentium desktop and played around with Windows. It's now dual-boot with Fedora 3.

OK, I admit it I got PC-envy. Well, a bit. I just hear about all these games that I know are never gonna get ported to the Mac. The final straw was when I found out that Doom 3 would suck on my G5 Dual 2.5Ghz with an X800 and 4 gigs of RAM. I can't live in Photoshop and Logic for the rest of my life. If you can't beat 'em...

So. Here it is. Am I mad. Is this too difficult for a beginner. I don't wanna break the bank but I wanna know experience Half-Life (I thought it was a time of milk), Doom 3, Halo. I wanna feel the wind in my hair.

Where do I start. I need relative silence and I don't wanna deface the case. It's the Rolls-Royce of cases. Respect is due. Hell, if all the PC cases didn't look so goddam hideous, I'd have got one of them.

I was thinking along the lines of:

Athlon 64 3500+
DFI LANParty nF3
Sapphire Radeon X800 Pro
1 Gb RAM
2 x Barracuda 7200.8
Pioneer DVR-109 16x16 Dual Layer DVD+-RW

That's when I go blank. Fans. cooling. Heatsinks and the like. Where do I start? Left to my own devices there will probably be a huge explosion that only the G5 would survive. That's engineering for you.

Any and all help gratefully received.

Thanks, guys.

 

[mwmorph]

drop it down to a venice core 3200+. yuo can oc to gain those extra 200mhz later.
DFI Lanparty NF4Ultra($133) is better. pci-e and great overclocker
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-136-152&depa=1

with the money you saved from the processor and other stuff, you can upgrade tp a geforce 6800gt(PCI-E)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-215&depa=1($379)

Not sure if the deal is still in effest, but 1x 160gig pata seagate 7200rpm drive at circuit city is only $50(not sure if rebates still available)

1gig ram, go fro g.skill cas2. great stability, cas2 value ram($98.99)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-231-012&depa=1

cooling, you can use included hs/f from the retail package of the cpu and gfx card.

case, toolless, and recommended by Anand,
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-190-035&depa=1

also, buy a couple quiet 120mmfans(2) to replace the case fans.

not sure about power supply, not very exprienced with power supply brands, but there should be a xclio or something 450w in that range($50). great ps.

 

[BFG10K]

Does that case even follow the ATX standard?

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: BFG10K
Does that case even follow the ATX standard?

No, modding must ensue to allow an ATX mobo to fit inside.

 

[iVoltage]

 

[iVoltage]

Hey, thanks, guys. Is this gonna take some serious thought. The G5 MOBO is unusual I think. Just looked inside the one under my desk and most of it is empty. Am I biting off more than I can chew?

 

[phisrow]

Shouldn't be too much trouble, really. You may need to drill some new holes in the motherboard mount plate to fit the ATX spec(and please, please remove any unneeded standoffs); but that should be about it.

 

[robisc]

cool mod, here is a couple of links for guys that have already done this, see if it helps. I did this backwards one time, put an old Powermac board and PSU into a PC case.

link 1
link 2

 

[thegimp03]

This is a really cool mod. I like the G5 case a lot. Good luck to ya.

 

[Erasmus-X]

I laugh when people say they want to put a PC inside of a PowerMac G5 case. The beauty of the case's design isn't only aesthetic, but also ingenious from the standpoint of ventilation and cabling (that happens to be all neatly tucked away on stock G5's). You're ripping out all of that innovation to perform a transplant. What a waste.

When you gut a G5 to drop in a PC, you have to at the very least butcher the inside of it to fit in an ATX board where the slots actually line up. And then what do you do with all those holes on the back of the case where the Apple I/O ports go, solder a metal plate to the back of them? I have yet to see a G5-PC mod that actually looks good, inside and out. And if you're trying to get as close as possible to the "stock" look on the outside, what self-respecting PC user would tolerate support for only ONE internal optical drive?

You don't have to buy a ricey case (i.e. one that's loaded with gadgets and ridiculous LEDs/cold cathodes) to have a good-looking PC case. There's literally DOZENS of case manufacturers that cater different tastes. I personally prefer Lian-Li's aluminum cases. The designs are timeless, clean, and functional, while still not looking like they were made in 1992. Everyone else can go to the local hardware store and buy their pointless case shaped like an alien creature for all I care.


DISCLAIMER: I am a Mac and PC user, so don't think I'm downplaying the Mac, because I'm not. I just think it's silly when people want to shove a bunch of cheap PC parts into a beautiful case with big APPLE logos on its side panels. Who are they trying to impress?

 

[SlitheryDee]

Those G5 cases are really slick looking, it would be nice if you could get rid of the apple logos tho.

 

[NokiaDude]

Bah, just by a Lian-Li G5 look alike case. Those PC>G5 mods look fugly.

 

[the wombat]

In case you change your mind

 

[superkdogg]

Hey, fellas-play nice he's new. Plus it isn't gonna be your PC in a G5 case so chill out.

I say give 'er and post pics. I've fumbled through my mods so far, but everything I try I get a little better and learn something new. You're obviously a spirit in need of a project, not a guy doing this for a specific purpose. It's the challenge that is the reward, not having a mutant PC/G5 at the end, so throw your best at it and see what happens!

 

[magomago]

i think it would be very hard. that and one of the high points of the G5 case was even the inside was stremlined perfectly....the pictures that show it show it doesn't even have any visible wiring laying around

Personally i agree with the others in that if you love the cheese grater design, just get a lian li look alike and be done

 

[l Xes l]

G5 case modding look pretty cool.. gluck to ya

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: the wombat
In case you change your mind

$210? Real nice case, but I can't see paying that kind of money for it.

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: the wombat
In case you change your mind

FUGLY

This reminds me more of a G5 tower without the top handles

 

[artikk]

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