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J-Squad · Jul 17, 2007, 03:16 PM

Why is not the issue. I have a Mac Pro Chassis here that I want to fill with a normal intel, windows motherboard+parts. Has anyone seen this done before, or have some suggestions?

mduell · Jul 17, 2007, 04:34 PM

The biggest problem is the ports/slots on the back... I doubt you'll be able to find a board that's even close to the same arrangement. You'll also need a bit of metal hacking to get the motherboard supports to line up, but other than that it should be fine.

J-Squad · Jul 17, 2007, 04:39 PM

Yeah; i considered taking off the entire back part and replacing it with part of a compaq case I've been using, but the thin middle-part seems to encompass two sides, so i'd have to unscrew one, and lop off the other. Plus the metal hacking. And finding a place for the hard drives.Actually- I also considered putting the Power Supply at the bottom, and sort of reversing the whole thing and seeing if it fits.

PEPPERRULES · Jul 17, 2007, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by J-Squad

Why is not the issue. I have a Mac Pro Chassis here that I want to fill with a normal intel, windows motherboard+parts. Has anyone seen this done before, or have some suggestions?

I'm still curious as to why you want to do this. I saw someone gut out a G5 tower before, but that ended ugly.

PhotoBug · Jul 17, 2007, 08:58 PM

why not buy a new computer and put the casing over top of it?

kelso · Jul 17, 2007, 09:30 PM

I'm sorry but I can't really grasp a reason why you would even want Windows parts in a Mac. Blaspheme!

J-Squad · Jul 18, 2007, 07:27 AM

mainly because windows parts are cheaper. I do still intend to put SOME form of Mac on it, though.
I just think it'd be hilarious to have all these windows components inside that case.

C.A.T.S. CEO · Jul 18, 2007, 07:47 AM

If you plan to put hackintosh on it, you won't find support here.

But the idea of a Mac Pro-looking PC is cool.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 24, 2007, 05:19 PM

The idea of hacking up such a beautiful case is mildly disturbing. I have a G5 chassis and haven't had the heart to use it yet.
If you want to keep it intact, then consider a small motherboard (you may find a regular ATX is small enough, can't say I recall how big the MP board is). With some a bit of effort, you might be able to extend your ports to 'standalone' ports mounted in the original back panel. Just blank any you don't need.
The power supply may be an issue, but then again it may not. I haven't had the Mac Pro in bits yet, so I am not very familiar.
I don't see why you can't use the original Mac Pro drives. They are ordinary SATA connections. Whether or not you can persuade a service centre to sell you the drive brackets is another issue.

Mike.Bowden · Oct 8, 2007, 11:51 PM

I've never seen this done before, but I'd love to see it when you're finished with it. I used to be a big time Windows user and have built many of custom computers for myself... so this is very interesting to me. I have become quite fond of Mac and do consider this to be a bit blasphemes, but I say go for it. I'd love to add some water cooling to my Mac Pro and overclock the crap out of it. :0

TheoCryst · Oct 18, 2007, 12:14 AM

I've seen it done a few times with G5 cases (usually for a Hackintosh), but never with a Mac Pro case. I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult if you're comfortable working with metal. I actually thought about getting a second-hand G5 case and modding it for standard PC hardware, but I'm lazy. If you decide to do it, post pics!

Cipher13 · Oct 18, 2007, 03:47 AM

I'd love to put a PC in an El Capitan case. This would be pretty cool also, but I fail to see the point, considering standard Apple components are perfectly capable of running Windows, so unless you happen to have an empty case...

Either way, you won't be able to do it without working the case a fair bit. I'd recommend putting the mobo on a removable motherboard tray and then installing that inside the Mac Pro case, if there's room. A hacksaw should take care of the port issue fairly easily, if not elegantly. Run the outside of the hacksaw wound with edging rubber or something.

anthology123 · Oct 19, 2007, 01:54 PM

I guess money is no object either. Seems rather an expensive to do, buying a Mac Pro so you can take it apart put all PC parts in it to run Windows? Yeah, that saves money. It would probably be better to not worry about lining up ports, just use extension cables to line up the USB ports from the mother board to the holes in the case and mount them however possible.

Waragainstsleep · Nov 3, 2007, 05:47 PM

I could get you a Mac Pro case, brand new for about £175 plus shipping.