What's better than a LianLi V series case? Silverstone? Antec? Nope - Apple.

Today I got my hands on this...



It just oozes class... Down to the latch that youhave to pull in order to remove the sidepanel...



Some heavy duty modding will be required. I am reluctant to cut too much of the externals. Instead I will be mounting the mobo further in the case and routing cables to the corresponding ports on the case itself. Well that's the plan anyway. Less cutting, more soldering.

Here is the drive bay (where the PSU of a regular ATX PC case would reside)



And the front optical drive bay. It has a neat bay cover that slides down like a window blind rather than the usual out like a hatch design. Note that Apple has prerouted wires for drive connectors and power. They are all black so identifying them would be another chore prior to soldering. I intend to use as much of the original equipment as I can.



The Apple mobo connector will have to go. Note the front panel connectors are housed in thier own cage. Typical Apple design touches.



The motherboard bay is very spacious. I plan to mount the PSUtowards the back of the case with the mobo towards the front bringing connectors from the mobo to the corresponding ports at the back of the G5 case. I will try to maintain the clean lines of the G5 Enclosure as best I can.



Some case cutting however may be unavoidable. Well, I need to make some measurements. Should be a fun mod. Hopefully I am able to complete it...

Whoa, where'd you source an empty G5 case dude? And what did it cost lol..

probably bought a real g5 and throw away the internal
cool stuff!

Very cool case .... but it will make me "sakit hati" to cut this baby...

Got it for FREE!

Have a good friend in the Apple support industry in Malaysia who made me an offer I (obviously) could not refuse. I agree about the sakit hati bit too. Will try not to cut this baby at all.

Actually I'm having fun just looking at it for now!

wow free....still got ar?sell it lar....

Mac : I dun blame ya...who can resist.

Changing this thread into a worklog. Please post your progress ok. Cheers.

ps: Can I have you Lian Li?

Walao,if market selling this case near RM1k maybe more. U're lucky got it free and try to mod it. U're so lucky man.


Off topic: Mac, if u want to sell ur V1000black i'm interested.

My darling LianLi?

I'll never part with it!

U bloody basket bola! FREE?! Daaaaaaamn. I just checked the link that Pizzaboy posted in the other G5 thread. The G5 case+USPS airmail cost USD560. OMG. How to buy $560 case for modding? I'd rather spend it on my upcoming ACD. Once again, U BASKET BOLA! So lucky.

@macdanife
OMG macdanife, I think that u probably got the most nicest rigs in this forum, anyway, this is very nice, its a nice casing....., so which is this for the the FX57 or x2????

@sniper
I dun think he's gonna give away his baby ah-lian le

Actually I've been thinking about how to go about with this mod... Lots to consider. Should I go with a regualr ATX Mobo? Due to the location of the PCI slots, it would have to be mounted upside-down as with the LianLi v1000. This would help with placement of the PSU as well. I'm thinking an acrylic panel to separate the PSU from the mobo. However, I don't think I'd have sufficient space for complete separation of PSU and mobo so.... Have to make some measurements...

nice case!

still got ar?

see also liao!

Y dont u just use the method that was posted in the link that Pizzaboy posted. Like here. http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=...highlight=apple

@macdanife
we hope to see more pics from this monster

holy case LianLi Vseries ?? hmmm... Apple G5 still sound better

and look better !

mac, we need to see the hardwares inside when installed.

Mac, i found this site, he has the same G5 case as urs ...

hope it helps in ur modding venture

watch out, even for 1mb streamyx !!!

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=99239

Insane man. Makes my 1mb line feel like 33Kbps line. Hahahahaha. Look at the prices the bugger got the parts for. USD14 for the G5 case. USD12.50 for the 600W Apple PSU. OMG! I wanna go China for shopping trip. Hahaha. His mod is supremely nice coz it looks exactly the same as a G5. No obvious things to tip u off that it's actually a PC. Perfect sleeper mod.


Edit: I just found out sumthin. For those of u who haf problems loading up the page that Uglyvamp posted, use Firefox to open n it loads up real quick. For sum reason it screws up with IE.

he from china leh.....rock!!

I've strong doubts about the prices on the G5 & the PSU ...

Very nice! This is what I'm thinking of at the moment....

The pics that UglyVamp put up illustrate an important point that other G5 PC casemods overlook. The original design of the case separtes the innards of the PC into zones. Hot, cold, intermediate and has fans of matched cooling power for each zone. I want to try to maintain this in the mod.

Additionally, I do not want to cut the case if I can avoid it. The mod UglyVamp posted is possible but not with a regular ATX mobo. Possibly with a Shuttle that is canniballized for parts this would be feasible. Cost factors aside, this would create problems should I want to upgrade my mobo in the future. I'd have to either redo the mod, or buy another Shuttle. With my track record, perhaps a mod that would fit a ATX case would be better for the long run. I intend to keep this case for a long time.

I've got an idea of how to do it now. It involves getting hold of a case with a removable mobo tray and using that to mount the mobo with the PCI slot connectors/mobo connectors facing DOWN. Making a third compartment below the mobo compartment which will also house the PSU (again of standard size to facilitate upgrading).

Well, that's the idea anyway...

Yeah, I have doubts about the pricing.....I agree with uglyvamp

Good luck with your mod! Just remember to have fun and be careful

i love all the iMac casings, they look standard and wonderful ~~

mac try to check back my post which I posted somewhere maybe that can help you

Well, u never know, mebe it was sum Multi National company that was clearing up the office for newer n better things or just relocation to different city n decided to lelong everything off. Besides USD15 may sound like peanuts to us but for sum Chinaman it cud represent up 25% of their monthly income man.

heh, I still doubt the price ... its still not likely unless "misplaced" goods.

for ur infos, chinamen very rich ones ... if u can see this guy playing around with such hardwares, their daddy could be a USD millionaire ...

obviously the material used for the casing is expensive and for the finishing to be that nice, the price must be expensive........man.....600W PSU for RM 60 ??? i think it's possible, but in quantities of 10k

wau.........i think ur having the coolest/most expensive mod here(if consider we guys wanna follow use that G5)

hope to see the progres.....hati2 in drilling/dremel or whatever u do....dont spoil the case

3K for a case?

note : anyone selling a G5 original case for 1k,plz PM me

Have decided how to proceed with the mod.

Will utilize the top compartments as they are in the G5 case. Front bay for optical drive, rear bay for hard disks.

Middle compartment will house the Mobo. This will be mounted with the rear end pointing downwards. That is with the rear motherboard connectors exiting through the bottom compartment which will also house the PSU.

Compartments will be divided with Clear Acrylic. A sheet of clear acrylic will also serve as the base of the motherboard allowing me to switch mobos in the future should I wish to.

Perhaps a diagram will best illustrate the plan. Will work on this soon.

In the meantime, does anyone (AllanGap perhaps?) know where I can source clear acrylic in KL?

search at jalan pasar.
i've heard them saying this place repeatedly.

@MacDaNife
Good Luck wit ur mod ,juz becarefull and have fun

acrylic can be found at advertising shop

The diagrammatic representation of what I intend. will need a clear acrylic as the base of the mobo and to seperate the mobo compartment from the PSU compartment. Note that the PSU compartment will not have ventilation above or below the PSU. Only from the front and back.

Have bought a PSU today from LYP which fulfills this criteria. Pics tomorrow!

@macdanife
wun it look a lil odd with ur plugs facing down???

Ok, here we go... First, patience guys... I intend to take my time with this mod (and I do have a real job) so please excuse a lack of progress on the mod. Rest assured, progress will be documented and put up here. I'll put up the recommended retail price (RRP) for the stuff so I won't get the inevitible "How much ah?" on this thread. Please refrain from the equally inevetible "Wah, so much ah!". It irritates and adds nothing to the thread. TIA. Occasionally I may get some discounts of the RRP but I will not disclose that for obvious reasons of maintaining relations with the retailer. I work hard at building relationships with people. You should too.

So far I've got to the stage of assembling the required tools...




Considered getting the more easily available Black and Decker RTX. This retails for RM299 (I guess the RM1 is for the parking ticket) and the B&D Flexishaft for RM200. However, on modding boards when the two are discussed, I read a lot of early failures with the RTX. I intend to use this tool for a lot more than PC Modding and would hate to have to replace out of warranty so... The Dremel is available only from Jaya DIY in Jaya Shopping Centre's thrid floor. The proprieter: a Mr Eddy Ng is a very knowledgable and friendly guy and the shop is contactable at 03-79540509. They stock a wide range of Dremel acessories too.

The kit comes with all the acessories pictured and retails for RM599 . The Flexishaft is another RM214. But I figure I'll be using this for a long time and power tools are just so sweet...

The only other kit that I have aqquired is the PSU. I've mulled over where to place it in this case. In the G5 hard drive bay where it would traditionally sit in a standard ATX PC box? Front? Rear? Standing up? Fans reversed?

Finally I decided that I should maintain the functional design of the G5 case. To divide the case into thermal compartments. For this I will use clear acrylic. True, hiding cables will be a bit of a challenge (but more fun). It will also be easier to cut.

With this in mind, I'm putting the PSU at the bottom of the case. As there are no ventilation holes at the bottom my options were to either cut a hole or find a PSU with fans only at the front and rear. None at the bottom. Enter the Coolergiant...









The next question is how to fit the mobo... The Apple G5 case has mobo standoff screwholes that do not align to the traditional PC mobos. In addition, the backplate and PCI slots will not align. Most G5 PC mods that I've seen have cut the back of the case in order to fit a PC mobo. I am reluctant to do this because I don't want to ruin the design that is really very elegant. I've decided to mount mobo tray of clear acrylic which I will screw to the back of the case using the original Apple mobo standoff screws. I will then mount mobo standoffs on this acrylic plate in the regular PC position.



Next: How to position the mobo? Rightside up? Upside down?

I'm going with a "on the side" approach. This will mean that the backplate ports and the PCI slot connectors will exit out of the bottom of the case. I will be using a number of USB cord extenders, Network wire extenders and Monitor cable gender changers to accomplish this. The cords will then be sleeved together and a large trunk exits out the rear of the rig, rather like a tail.

Personally I feel that this would neaten the cable clutter normally seen at the rear of a PC and I could put the rig on the desk without it being too unsightly. I dunno, this requires some more thought.

Finally the thermal compartments. Clear Acrylic again, cut to fit the shape of the clear acrylic moulding of the G5 case. I will then have three compartments: The bottom one with the PSU, The middle one with the Mobo/Processor/RAM/PCIe/PCI cards and the top one with the drives.



Well, that's the plan for now. Thanks for your interest and encouragement. And I welcome suggestions/comments! Just don't get upset if I don't follow em!

i think it's better if u can draw up an airflow diagram like this before starting, just to get the best directional airflow

n u might wanna build a proper vent to separate the PSU compartment with the the mobo to prevent hot air from the PSU to circulate around ur mobo area.

btw, you mobo's faceplate is facing downwards ? u might have a lot of trouble to actually tidy up the cables, especially the monitor cables, and u might block airflow of the PSU exhaust

MacDaNife: any rotary tool will fail if its not taken care. Dremel/RTX will fail much earlier because the metal bits and dust may end in clogged in the motor.

always take short breaks to clean up the cutting area while allowing the tool to rest. clean the tool throughly after each usage so it wont have any clogged/build-up dirt/grime/dust in and around the body.

btw i think you left out other important stuff too: eye protection, ear protection, respiration mask. trust me, its more easier and accurate to work with when youve got all the protection. get a full covered goggles, i prefer slightly tinted black ones. it helps with all the sparks flying around. for the respiration mask, a single carbon filter element would do.

dammnn...luck guy laa..u for freee....nyway cant wait for u'r updates

@macdanife
I found smth that might help ya,
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=99239

Thanks aaron.

This EXACTLY what I'm thinking of doing. PSU at the bottom, Compartments to seperate the internals into thermal zones. Wish he'd take more detailed shots of the rear of the mobo though. I'm not sure how he overcame the lack of PCI slots in the G5 case. Since he did not cut the rear, how did he do it? It's remarkable how he's utilized the rear USB/network slots in the G5 as well. Some nifty rewiring there... Well an example to utilize anyway. Thanks again.

I note he's used aluminum as the basis for his compartments. I'm going to try this with acrylic. I figure it will be easier to cut and fit. For me anyway. Am going to try and source for some sheets of acrylic to work with. Hopefully today.

Yesterday was spent (in between work) sleeving the PSU. Will update with some pics later today. Will have to do some soldering in order to reutilize the stock apple wiring to the drives. Interestingly apple uses soft black wires throughout. VERY good quality but being all the same color, will have to use the voltmeter to determine which wire goes where. I've realized why Macs are so expensive. Better quality components. Definately.

AllnGap... About a airflow diagram. Not necessary as it is very simple. Horizontal compartments. In through the front, out through the back like a windtunnel. Well, be patient and all will be revealed.

@macdanife
no prob bro, hope to see more progress. As for his PCI slots, I think he got a mobo that fitted nicely inside....gotta know how to do it well

Won't try to repeat UglyVamp's excellent PSU sleeving guide here but two points that he left out... How to sleeve the PCIe and Mobo power connectors and how to sleeve the SATA cables.

The PCIe and FourPin ATX mobo connector (or if you have a newer PSU the 8 pin BTX Mobo connector) have the exact same connector. They are very easy to remove if you use this method. Straighten a pair of staples and insert them on either side of the pin. The pin will then slide out quite easily. Photo below:



The SATA cables easy if you have an Enermax PSU. This is because Enermax uses SATA connectors that are as below:



This allows you to slide off the connector, and sleeve as you would any other PSU wire. In addition, If you are really serious about tidy cases, you can extend/shorten your wires and place the SATA connector to line up exactly with the position of your harddrive. This of course requires you to measure very exactly but hey, if you're a perfectionist, that ain't a problem now is it.... If you have a Antec PSU, you need to cut off the Antec SATA connector and use one of the connectors as pictured above. Molex to SATA adaptors generally use the connector pictured above and you can take them off one of these adaptors which are quite easily found.

I also prefer to cable tie the heatshrinks to avoid the sleeves from slipping off. I've also used small heatshrink to neaten the wire tips as shown in a thread over at BitTech.





The end result:



Today I'll be rewiring the Apple PSU wires. These are a sleek black and are soft and of very good quality. They are routed through the back of the top compartment and supply the hard drives and optical drive. It's a shame to rip em out so I plan to rewire them.





However the fact that they are all the same color is not very friendly to the modder. I'll be using a voltmeter to identify the wires. These will then be soldered onto a regular PC Molex connector in order to use them with standard PC PSUs. I plan to make this case "upgradeable" meaning if I were to change the PSU in the future, I should be able to do so without repeating any work done previously. Here are the stuff assembled for today's rewiring:



Well, that's all for now. Until the next update.

arrgg.....posa nie.....feed.feed........feeeeeeed me more.....

dude...i think u should have put the heatshrink OVER the cable tie and shrink them...itll also act as an anchor so that the heatshrink wont slide

and it would look nicer IMHO coz thats what i do

But it's not what they do over at PC Power and Cooling (where I wish I could buy my PSU from....)

ikut u'r own taste

@macdanife
good progress

Done the rewiring of the Apple power connectors. No soldering necessary in the end. Just cut, expose wire and crimp. A crimping tool ( available from Jln Pasar and seen in the pic above) is a necessity. Can't remember how much it cost but the job would not have been possible without it.

Considered sleeving the Apple wires but with them all in black, it is not necessary. Ended up with just some heatshrink at intervals to neaten things off. More PC PSU manufacturers should follow Apple's example and produce PSUs without sleeves but with single tone wires. IMHO it looks better and much less distracting within the case. Well, that's my view anyway.

Bought a whole lot of acrylic from a Sign Maker shop in Pudu. Sorry, forgot to get the address/phone number. In any case, I'd assume these sign making shops are quite easy to find. Clear acrylic comes in various thickness. Went for a 5mm (RM25 thereabouts per square foot) and 2mm (RM20 per square foot) thickness. Will be cutting this with the Jigsaw and Dremel tomorrow. Can you smell the burning plastic yet?

Have changed my mind about the Mobo positioning. Will follow a upside down approach with the PCI slots towards the back of the case - similar to the LianLi v1000 layout. This would mean that the uppermost PCI slot will reside in the top compartment behind the drive cage. Most probably it will not be usable (unless used with a small PCI card like a WiFi card...).

The reasons for this are:

1. Neatness: no need to run extenders to the back of the case.

2. Thermal compartmenting: The GPU (SLi config) will be in the upper mobo compartment and I intend to make a acrylic divider to create a windtunnel for the SLi-ed cards.

3. The main Mobo power connector will then be closest to the PSU and wiring will be neater.

Unfortunately, this would mean part of the mobo goes into the upper compatment and part of the mobo goes into the lowest (PSU) compartment. Some creative use of acrylic will be necessary in order to make sure airflow stays within the specified compartments.

Pics to follow tomorrow. Goodnight.

jerker table from Ikea ?