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I always liked the G5 case and the design that Apple came up with. A tight fit between components, toolless side panel removal, and overall a design that was originally ahead of everything else. Since it came out for the G5 it went through a few iterations with the Mac Pro and is now hitting retirement. In 2004 I worked with a machine shop to custom fabricate some pieces for a Coolermaster case so it had a lot of the styling of the G5 with the ease of use of a standard ATX case. Also, the finish is a white powdercoat. The case and finish have held up for almost a decade and are still going strong.
G5 conversions are pretty straightforward now with how-to's for most of the steps spread across several forums. The Laser Hive makes back panels that greatly simplify the conversion. Unix Surplus provided the case for this mod. 187pb.com provided the dual 140mm fan mounts. Some of the key differences in this mod:
Finish - Plasti-Dip. Lots of examples of it being used on cars, not many on computers.
Front Panel - modified and integrated modern front ports into panel
Power Button - 22mm Bulgin. It was what was in the parts box.
Power Supply-OCZ modular mounted into the original G5 housing.
The fans I had available were lighted. They definitely show how much can pass through the mesh. The parts box coughed up an illuminated Pyramid fan controller too. Anyone else have one laying around?
The 140mm fan panel is sitting next to a magnetic strip. Very weak magnetic material that can be cut with scissors and is available at craft/hobby shops. A great way to test fit some things. As long as they aren't next to the drives.
Inside cable organization still needs some work.
The back panel kept the power plug in place and lets me reuse the 92mm fan mount after relocating things slightly.
G5 conversions are pretty straightforward now with how-to's for most of the steps spread across several forums. The Laser Hive makes back panels that greatly simplify the conversion. Unix Surplus provided the case for this mod. 187pb.com provided the dual 140mm fan mounts. Some of the key differences in this mod:
Finish - Plasti-Dip. Lots of examples of it being used on cars, not many on computers.
Front Panel - modified and integrated modern front ports into panel
Power Button - 22mm Bulgin. It was what was in the parts box.
Power Supply-OCZ modular mounted into the original G5 housing.
The fans I had available were lighted. They definitely show how much can pass through the mesh. The parts box coughed up an illuminated Pyramid fan controller too. Anyone else have one laying around?
The 140mm fan panel is sitting next to a magnetic strip. Very weak magnetic material that can be cut with scissors and is available at craft/hobby shops. A great way to test fit some things. As long as they aren't next to the drives.
Inside cable organization still needs some work.
The back panel kept the power plug in place and lets me reuse the 92mm fan mount after relocating things slightly.
