PowerMac G5 Modification Build Log

[dadasmithywinkle]

Hey, y'all. I'll be turning an Apple PowerMac G5 into a PC. I'll be using the G5, a MountainMods mobo tray, and a Lian-Li PSU adapter. Oh yeah - and a Dremel 4000.

 

As far as parts:

Intel Xeon E3-1230v3

GTX 770 (PNY Reference Card)

Asus Z87 Sabertooth

EVGA 750G2

WD Black 1TB

Samsung Evo 840 128GB

DVD R/W

Noctua NH-C14

3x Noctua Redux fans

 

Anywho, I've gotten it off of eBay. Now to mod it. It currently is a 2.5Ghz Water-cooled G5 with the infamous Delphi cooler. Time to tear it down

[dadasmithywinkle]

Work photos - From tearing down to chopping apart and finally test fitting. That Delphi radiator tho. I had to cut off and cement in the old mobo posts for support of the mountain mods tray. Also had to modify the mountain mods tray to fit better. Final photos to come soon  Update - Card came in with a bent back I/O shield  :angry:

[dadasmithywinkle]

Final photos - To come soon. The 660ti in the previous photos was replaced with a reference 770 (imo it matches the Mac case better). Also, cable management was done as well as possible and the drive cage was cemented in place. I'll upload the photos once the 770 comes in the mail . 

 

Update: Final photos are here - the 770 came in and with a little DIY, looks as good as new (backplate was bent). As stated above, cable management isnt great but it's decent for the case.

[RichardsD]

Yes, yes, and finally yes.

 

Also, as a side note.  I wonder what this case would look like if the Aluminium was black?  

[Norman_the_Owl]

Yes, yes, and finally yes.

 

Also, as a side note.  I wonder what this case would look like if the Aluminium was black?  

It's honestly pretty underwhelming

I considered it for my G5 mod, but i'm not going to do this

[RichardsD]

PowerMacs are liquid cooled? :0

 

They were; I'm not sure if the last full desktop Intel ones were or not, if they were, certainly not with the original solution.  Back when the G5 was launched in 2003, liquid cooling was not nearly as mainsteam, but that thing NEEDED serious cooling.  So, Apple contracted Delphi, an automotive cooler to make a custom water cooling solution.  Needless to say, it was a total disaster and was incredibly prone to leakage.  I think it was replaced with a Panasonic one that was much better.

 

Fun fact, Delphi still do most of the radiators for GM vehicles.

[dadasmithywinkle]

They were; I'm not sure if the last full desktop Intel ones were or not, if they were, certainly not with the original solution.  Back when the G5 was launched in 2003, liquid cooling was not nearly as mainsteam, but that thing NEEDED serious cooling.  So, Apple contracted Delphi, an automotive cooler to make a custom water cooling solution.  Needless to say, it was a total disaster and was incredibly prone to leakage.  I think it was replaced with a Panasonic one that was much better.

 

Fun fact, Delphi still do most of the radiators for GM vehicles.

Yeah - some of the G5's werewater cooled, but they used PowerPc processors and never used Intel processors. They first implemented the Intel CPU's into the towers with the start of the Mac Pro line up in 2006.

[Norman_the_Owl]

Oooh interesting

Will follow

 

I'm going to do the same thing soon as i can source a few parts

[spwath]

Yeah - some of the G5's werewater cooled, but they used PowerPc processors and never used Intel processors. They first implemented the Intel CPU's into the towers with the start of the Mac Pro line up in 2006.

interesting.

Love dat PPC, its in my g4 cube and imac g4

[mr_greenguy]

Final photos

 

Not seeing any pictures, forgot to include them or something wrong on my end?

[mr_greenguy]

He just reserved a post slot, he'll update it with pictures once he's actually done

 

Oh right! Makes sense!

[SIGSEGV]

This is cool

[dadasmithywinkle]

Work photos uploaded and final photos post updated!

[mr_greenguy]

Looking good so far! Interested in seeing what you did with the cable management.

[Norman_the_Owl]

Hey man, you should take that pump out an make a custom loop in it. It's laing DDC oem stock. You can mod it to PWM pretty easily if you like soldering

[RichardsD]

Hey man, you should take that pump out an make a custom loop in it. It's laing DDC oem stock. You can mod it to PWM pretty easily if you like soldering

 

Hey great idea.  You could also modify the blocks to be used as sprinklers in your office.

[Norman_the_Owl]

Hey great idea.  You could also modify the blocks to be used as sprinklers in your office.

Oh god that made me laugh so much i nearly coughed up a lung.

But seriously that pump is totally fine, it's just an early DDC pump model

[dadasmithywinkle]

Aaand the final photos are up . If anyone wants the Delphi radiator, PM me - just pay shipping and it yours .

[Norman_the_Owl]

Dat cable management!

Sucks working in a case without anything in it

 

Edit: I've been planning my own G5 build, and i was just going to make my own custom cables to keep it neat.

[mr_greenguy]

Looks clean enough, don't think you can get better cable management without custom cables or adding panels to hide them behind. As a side note, have you thought about installing fans at the front to increase airflow or are the temperatures good enough?

[RichardsD]

Nice, this is really good looking.

[dadasmithywinkle]

Looks clean enough, don't think you can get better cable management without custom cables or adding panels to hide them behind. As a side note, have you thought about installing fans at the front to increase airflow or are the temperatures good enough?

Thanks! And yeah - the temps were suprisingly good. The CPU doesnt go over 60 under load and the GPU never goes over 80 (norm for reference). Plus, I wouldn't want to put screws through the front and ruin the look (I had considered an H-series cooler from Corsair).

[mr_greenguy]

Thanks! And yeah - the temps were suprisingly good. The CPU doesnt go over 60 under load and the GPU never goes over 80 (norm for reference). Plus, I wouldn't want to put screws through the front and ruin the look (I had considered an H-series cooler from Corsair).

 

No need to add screws you can lasercut a piece of plexi and attach it to the interior of the case. 

[dadasmithywinkle]

No need to add screws you can lasercut a piece of plexi and attach it to the interior of the case. 

Oh, that is true. 

[Raboo]

Very nice