Hoping to do a hackpro...Need some guidance though

[taffyrulesperiod]

Hey guys. I've been looking at aquamac's g5 and mac pro mods for about a year now and finally grew the balls to spend the money to do one of the mods. I want to make it as stock looking as possible. But before I go spending money left and right I wanna make sure of these things.

1. How to wire up the front panel
2. Where the hell can I buy this case for a Decent price?!?
3.I really don't wanna screw up.

I also wanna make sure that I have enough knowledge in this subject before I get started.
I am currently typing this on my Dell Inspiron 1525 Hackintosh.

My knowledge on the OSX86 project is extensive(I've been studying )
I have built PC's before.
I have modded cases before.
and I just basically really just don't wanna get in over my head into this and waste the cash for nothing.

What are your guys feelings upon this? Should I attempt it?

Do I know enough to attempt this?

It's been a year since i've been introduced to OSX86 and I wanna contribute!

Post your thoughts on this!

[aquamac]

Hi taffyrulesperiod and welcome.

I have bought a few cases from Scrumpymacs.

www.scrumpymacs.co.uk/buy/shop/

Ring them and ask for Phil, he's a good guy and will look after you - don't forget to say Steve sent you from aquamac forums!

The G5's were cheaper and all were in good nic, but always ask the question first. I would not expect bad scratches. Wiring the front panel is a bit of a pig, but there is plenty of info here and over at Insanelymac in the G5 mod thread. You are going to need to do a bit of soldering, but if you take your time and know your way around PC hardware then its no biggie.

The best way to approach this is to take your time. Plan everything. When you decide on the parts, offer them all up and don't rush into fitting them. It is always handy if you have a local PC store who will let you take things back if there are problems. I am quite fortunate here and have a great one where I know most of the guys well.

Building a hack pro is a pretty satisfying experience. I find it pretty therapeutic!

But before you start, check out this thread over at Insanelymac:

www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4525&st=40&start=40

Good Luck.

[taffyrulesperiod]

Dec 2, 2009 19:27:10 GMT aquamac said:

Hi taffyrulesperiod and welcome.

I have bought a few cases from Scrumpymacs.

www.scrumpymacs.co.uk/buy/shop/

Ring them and ask for Phil, he's a good guy and will look after you - don't forget to say Steve sent you from aquamac forums!

The G5's were cheaper and all were in good nic, but always ask the question first. I would not expect bad scratches. Wiring the front panel is a bit of a pig, but there is plenty of info here and over at Insanelymac in the G5 mod thread. You are going to need to do a bit of soldering, but if you take your time and know your way around PC hardware then its no biggie.

The best way to approach this is to take your time. Plan everything. When you decide on the parts, offer them all up and don't rush into fitting them. It is always handy if you have a local PC store who will let you take things back if there are problems. I am quite fortunate here and have a great one where I know most of the guys well.

Building a hack pro is a pretty satisfying experience. I find it pretty therapeutic!

But before you start, check out this thread over at Insanelymac:

www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4525&st=40&start=40

Good Luck.

Yeah I pretty much am most likely going to try and do it either way. ScrumpyMacs eh? Do I order the cases online or do I have to call? I don't know if they will ship to the US though. I live in Pennsylvania and saw some cheap mac pro cases on ebay but they are all in the western part of the US and the shipping would cost just as much(maybe even more) than the case itself! Also thanks for the links great help so far(haven't had the time to read through the 46 pages yet but read 20). Have any Recommendations on a Motherboard thats of good quality but pretty cheap(Im on a budget cause of the holiday season). So now I am definitely convinced to do this project! What do you think would be easier a Mac Pro case or a G5 case. Im debating on those two. Thanks for the help!

[aquamac]

Right, shipping could be expensive I guess, had not realised you were in the US. Ring them anyway and see how much. The exchange rate is in your favour at the moment anyway. You can also try "We Love Macs" in the US but seem quite pricey. G5 cases are easier as they will take a full size ATX, with a mac pro case you really need to put a matx mother board in. In the long run you are better using popular boards such as Gigabyte or Asus as a lot of development will have already established for these brands.

Pro's and cons:

Pro's G5 case:
Accept a full size ATX motherboard.
More space to work
Works well with motherboard tray from PC's

Con's G5:

Only space for one DVD drive
Front panel connection a bit fiddly
Power Supply position non std

Mac Pro Case Pro's:

2 dvd drives
Will accept a std PSU
Front panel a bit easier - FW800 easy but need a FW 800 card with an internal port.
4 hdd carriers

Mac Pro Con's:

Matx motherboard - you can fit a full size ATX but be prepared for some serious dremmeling!
HDD's a bit more complex to work out
Not many Matx motherboard tray's around so you need to snap out the standoffs and glue in position.

Hope this is of some help.

[taffyrulesperiod]

Dec 3, 2009 2:45:37 GMT aquamac said:

Right, shipping could be expensive I guess, had not realised you were in the US. Ring them anyway and see how much. The exchange rate is in your favour at the moment anyway. You can also try "We Love Macs" in the US but seem quite pricey. G5 cases are easier as they will take a full size ATX, with a mac pro case you really need to put a matx mother board in. In the long run you are better using popular boards such as Gigabyte or Asus as a lot of development will have already established for these brands.

Pro's and cons:

Pro's G5 case:
Accept a full size ATX motherboard.
More space to work
Works well with motherboard tray from PC's

Con's G5:

Only space for one DVD drive
Front panel connection a bit fiddly
Power Supply position non std

Mac Pro Case Pro's:

2 dvd drives
Will accept a std PSU
Front panel a bit easier - FW800 easy but need a FW 800 card with an internal port.
4 hdd carriers

Mac Pro Con's:

Matx motherboard - you can fit a full size ATX but be prepared for some serious dremmeling!
HDD's a bit more complex to work out
Not many Matx motherboard tray's around so you need to snap out the standoffs and glue in position.

Hope this is of some help.

Great help. I was really looking for a Mac Pro case but I found a G5 case for a really good price. and the seller lives really close to me so shipping is low. I got a hold of it for $50. Yay!