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Power Mac G4 Micro ATX Project

PeaceWalker93
By PeaceWalker93
in Cases and Mods
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Hi there, I have decided to convert an old Power Mac G4 to take standard pc components. 

I Thought I'd share the process here. I'm using a custom rear IO kit made by the laser hive (https://www.thelaserhive.com/)

and I will also be modding the case itself a bit.

I started by removing all of the old G4 hardware and all of the plastic panels.

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I removed the original rear IO plate by drilling some small rivets that hold it in place, I also took out the expansion card holder since it won't be used.

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I've also started to mark up some parts that need to be cut and made some holes for a 120mm fan (I will use some galvanised paint to protect the holes and the scuffs made from sanding the area). It used to be at the same place that it is now but mounted on a pretty bulky bracket, so I have removed that and mounted it flush with the case. I've also marked some extra holes for airflow. 

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I've started to use some old parts as a mock up since I need to drill some holes for the power supply to breath a bit and I would also like to make some cable management holes. I also found an old hard drive cage that most likely will get cut in half and riveted to the botom of the case.

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This is looking cool! I've seen a few projects like this, and I like to see everyone's different takes on it. Got any idea what PC parts you're gonna load into it?

2017 Gaming PC

Excellent value machine, keeps me going.

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Motherboard: MSI Z170A XPOWER GAMING TITANIUM

PSU: Casecom 600W PSU | Case: Corsair Graphite 230T | SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB | HDD: 3TB WD Blue

Dell XPS 15 9560

Beautiful laptop, in a stunning form factor.

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700HQ | GPU: Intel HD Graphics 630/Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 (not mobile, full GPU) | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | SSD: 512GB SK Hynix SSD

Display: 4K IPS 100% Adobe RGB Touch Panel | I/O: Two USB 3.0 with PowerShare, HDMI, 3.5mm Headphone Jack, SD Card Slot, and Thunderbolt 3 USB-C

Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB | Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 32GB

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1 minute ago, AlphaGamer46 said:

This is looking cool! I've seen a few projects like this, and I like to see everyone's different takes on it. Got any idea what PC parts you're gonna load into it?

Thanks! It's going to house my current current HTPC which is actually pretty boring, it's a mix and match of parts I had laying around and really cheap eBay auctions. The only thing I won't be using is the cooler since it obviously won't fit in the G4 case.

 

HTPC Specs:

Nox Hummer VX Case

Asus A88XM-Plus

Athlon X4 860K

Sapphire R9 270x

8(4x2)GB Gskillz Ripjaws DDR3 1866mhz RAM

Hyper 212 EVO

Corsair VS 550 PSU

Old Seagate 500gb HDD

 

 

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Nice! I'm so excited to see the finished result!

2017 Gaming PC

Excellent value machine, keeps me going.

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K | GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Motherboard: MSI Z170A XPOWER GAMING TITANIUM

PSU: Casecom 600W PSU | Case: Corsair Graphite 230T | SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB | HDD: 3TB WD Blue

Dell XPS 15 9560

Beautiful laptop, in a stunning form factor.

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700HQ | GPU: Intel HD Graphics 630/Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 (not mobile, full GPU) | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | SSD: 512GB SK Hynix SSD

Display: 4K IPS 100% Adobe RGB Touch Panel | I/O: Two USB 3.0 with PowerShare, HDMI, 3.5mm Headphone Jack, SD Card Slot, and Thunderbolt 3 USB-C

Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB | Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 32GB

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Today I was able to work on the G4 a bit more. I finished all the modifications needed at the back plus I added some extra holes for airflow.

I used a zip tie to hold the door in place and an angle grinder to cut through the case. I also filed and sanded all the surfaces that had been cut until the metal was smooth.

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The last thing I did is mark and drill all the holes on the bottom for the extra airflow. I also tested the PSU fitment with the new setup.

I still have to make some holes on the side panel so the PSU fan won't die but I want to make a template for it first.

(There is a car jack inside the case to prevent it from moving too much while drilling)

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So I made this in Corel Draw and then cut it with a Cameo 3 plotter on black vinyl. 

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I was able to get a bit more of work done tonight. Finally made some holes for the PSU fan, they aren't the prettiest thing but they will be covered by the PSU and the side panel so I don't care too much.

 

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Yesterday I chopped half of the CD cage (I am going to reuse it) since it's pretty bulky and weights quite a bit. I also removed the little shelve for the CD unit and PSU since that's also getting some weight reduction treatment. 

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Almost finished with the case, just have to make some cable management holes and a few more little things and then I can start painting the chassis.

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This showed up in the mail yesterday, I'm going to place it were the Zip drive would go so I can have some ports on the front of the case.

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This morning I made some holes so the PSU cables can be hidden behind the side panel. And also some more holes in the front of the case.

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This morning I started to see how to fit the front panel on the Zip drive bay. Not sure if I'm going to rivet it or just use screws.

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Today I filed a bit the Zip drive hole so the front panel ports line up better. I also chopped in half the HDD cage and made a mounting point for a 92mm fan on the top. I was going to use a 120mm fan (I even made the holes for the screws) but I noticed that some of the holes hit with the locking sistem of the case so I had to scale it down a bit.

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I've done a bit more work today. I started by removing all the G4 MOBO standoffs, then placed the template that comes with the laserhive kit that shows were to drill the new holes for the standard standoffs.

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After punching all the drill holes I also reinstalled the plastic tray to mark the places that need to be modifyed so the new motherboard standoffs can slide. After that, I used a dremel to make some new holes as well as making some existing ones a little bigger. Once that was done I installed the new standoffs and checked that the plastic tray fitted correctly.

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Tomorrow I will start prepairing everything for paint, I was going to use galvanised paint but I remembered that I have a lot of left off Silver paint from painting some car wheels.

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Today I ended up not doing much painting. I only painted the rear IO plate but I am quite pleased with the color. I also made a front bracket out of an old PSU so I can mount a small liquid cooler. It still needs some work since it is a bit flimsy but I will reinforce it, and rivet it to the side panel and the floor of the case. I also used some paint remover on the new front panel and the HDD holder. I would like to paint those aswell as the PSU shelve and the DVD/ZIP drive bracket thingy.

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Finally I was able to start prepairing and painting stuff. I also made the side bracket for the front fan.

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