Are there any updates to the various attempts at putting G4s into ATX rack cases? I've seen a few around the net and here over the years, but very few came to fruition....
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Custom back ports cover, custom mobo mounts. The PCI and APG slots line up fine. And I don't think the ATX hack is hard, although I haven't yet performed one myself.
THe biggest issue is likely to be getting a case that is as thin as desired and fits the stock heatsink and has proper airflow over it. Putting a G4 into a 1u case is going to be very hard, there's the original Xserve for that anyway. 2u to 3u is going to be iffy, but a regular 4u ATX case shouldn't be much trouble.
Thanks guys. I wasn't implying anything about my own projects...I've put 4 or 5 Macs into rack cases over the years, including a Gigabit G4. I was more curious where everyone else was at.
For the record, a G4 will fit into a 3U case without any trouble, but a 2U requires a specially modified heatsink and special consideration for airflow.
Here is one on MacMods from December 2006 that I thought was good:
http://www.macmod.com/content/view/874/192/
I particularly liked this quote (which I may have posted here before):
"I know that some people will be balking at the fact that the machine clocks at 400MHz. One has to remember though that the G4 is a very powerful processor (for its generation). With OS X the system really is just as responsive as the 1.8 GHz Celeron / Windows XP system it's replacing."
Though the current x86 processors are reaching the true work vs. MHz of the G4s the PowerPC is still a great processor!
Indeed. I have in my home everything from an ancient yet functional and useful SE/30 to a dual 2.5GHz G5 with 4GB of RAM. When applied properly, the old slow G4s (like the ones in my server, backup box, and gateway machine) are more than adequate. Just don't ask them to push 2048x1536 at 75fpz with FSAA and ansiotropic filtering turned on.
Once I resurrect the array from the server, I'll point this thread toward my projects, so I can add my $0.02 properly
why not getting rackmount handles for the original G4 case
I once saw a G4 mounted in a rack using these special handles... it looks damn impressive
Marathon Computer was the sole source of such widgets, and after they were absorbed by Griffin Technology, and all their products were discontinued. Unfortunately, outside of exorbitant prices on eBay, the rack kits are unobtanium.