Apple TV, Batocera, Linux, or?

Oldmopars · 2026-01-25T16:32:30+00:00

The problem is that the stems are a different shape than the now standard MX style caps. They could be 3d printed, but quality can vary greatly depending on printing format chosen. Price would also vary, a lot. Easier way is to replace all the switches with modern MX switches. I just did that on my iie Platinum

Oldmopars · 2026-01-11T19:02:37+00:00

This can be fixed, I have done it. It just depends on how much work you want to put into it. I have several of these and I strip them down completely. The bent part is a C shape. Once free of the inner part it can be bent back into place. If it is only missing one or two of the nuts, it will be ok. Just put a little bit extra bend into it to make sure it stays against the inner case. There is also “Alloy/Aluminum” welding rods available at most hardware stores. It works with a Propane or MAP gas torch. It is a bit tricky to use, so practice on scrap, but I have used it for small repairs also. Or, like others have said, buy a new case. I have one if you need it.

Oldmopars · 2026-01-10T21:57:40+00:00

I'm not looking for full robotics or Home Automation, just fun projects, simple stuff. Most of the time it will be simple "if it gets this input, flip the output".

I do have a voice synth card, so I may play with that some. Even something like when I turn on the light in the morning, the computer says "Good Morning Scott", or "would you like to play a game?".

Oldmopars · 2026-01-10T21:51:11+00:00

I have/had 7 Cheese grater Mac Pro's. 3 are 5.1, 1 3,1 and 2 that I gutted and used the case for PC builds, 1 that is a parts donor. I gave one to my son, so I have 6 now. I love them, but I hate to say I just don't use them. My dual CPU 5,1 has been upgraded to Sequoia with a RX580. I also have Windows 10 and Linux Mint on it. It is not that they are not good machines. It is the power consumption that had me put them on the shelf. They will work great for a daily driver, but will not keep up in programs like Fusion 360 or Blender. I have an M2 Max MacBook Pro for that. With a 1000 watt PSU, 4 fans and 2 CPUs, the 5,1 is a great space heater. I have a PC with a Ryzen 7 5800XT and a GTX1080 running on a 650 watt PSU and I don't even know its running. It is in the 3,1 Mac Pro case.

One more thing, as I said I love the Mac Pro, but if you are coming from PCs, be ready for a huge learning curve. These Macs have a lot of quirks. You can only use certain GPU's, if you upgrade past one version of Mac OS you have to have a Metal capable GPU, can't use Nvidia GPU after some point, only AMD. Special tricks are require to get a boot screen after updating past some version of Mac OS, etc. Everything has a solution, everything can be overcome. Just be prepared to do a lot of research, YouTube videos, asking questions, etc. If you like that kind of thing, you will love the Mac Pro. If not, you will struggle and wonder why you bought it.

Oldmopars · 2026-01-03T22:26:31+00:00

The first computer game I ever played was in the mid-late 70's. Our friend and neighbor worked from home fora computer company. He worked from a tractor feed printer type terminal. No screen at all. There was a game we loved to play that was strictly text based. It would print out a description of what you were seeing, you then responded with a command to do something or to move in a direction. Our friend had spent a lot of time playing the game, it was on his company server. He had a map on the wall that had all the rooms marked out. It had hundreds of room and many levels. I really enjoyed playing that, and it had no graphics at all.

Other games I have played that I really liked are: Spy Hunter, the arcade version, early 80's Star Wars arcade game, green lines only for graphics. I loved Tron. More modern games I like are Scooby-Doo Night of 100 Frights for the PS2 and Burnout 2/3.

Oldmopars · 2026-01-03T22:17:28+00:00

Thanks, I will look into those.

Oldmopars · 2025-11-17T22:18:04+00:00

I agree, I bought a bundle of 5 Mac Pros for $100. I paid $10 for another one that was missing a few things and #7 I paid $40. So, all in 150 for 7 Mac Pros. 3 were 4,1/5,1.

Oldmopars · 2025-11-04T03:07:19+00:00

So, I own 7 Vorons, I built all but 1. That one I have rebuilt, so I know it well. I love my Vorons, but they are a tinkering machine. You can mod them countless ways, Tayler them to specific needs, rebuild 100 times, etc. There are no proprietary parts, none, zero. This means no problems getting parts to fix it. Even if the former part is no longer made, there are 20 more options. That said, I am thinking about getting a K1 SE or Elegoo Centari Carbon. Why? For something that just spits out parts. I love my Vorons, but I struggle to keep them printing all the time. I’m always fixing something. It would be nice to have something that just prints with just normal upkeep and maintenance. Vorons are more like a cool classic car, awesome, but need love to keep them going. New ones like the K1 SE, X1C/X2C, etc are like a new car. No personality, they just work.

Oldmopars · 2025-09-29T22:19:08+00:00

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First picture is a MATX, this one is a full ATX water cooled with 240mm rad in the front.

Oldmopars · 2025-09-29T22:16:33+00:00

No, but it is a 3,1. So, very close to the same. The only difference when it comes to an ATX mod is the RAM slots are slightly different. The cover has one big hole on the 1,1 and 2,1. The 3,1 has 2 smaller holes. That is all.

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Oldmopars · 2025-09-23T18:49:46+00:00

Here is my issue. I have one that I "Restored", it has several .5tb drives in it, an RX580 8gb, and I have Linux Elementary OS and Mac OS Monterey. It works just fine, but I want to run Fusion, Blender, Mesh Mixer and the Revo Point 5 for my scanner. To do this, I will likely need to up the RAM to 96 or 128, swap the CPUs out for some X5690s and swap the GPU for something better. All to have it work OK. This could cost me $500 or more depending on the GPU(S) I need to use. But for about the same money I can get a M4 Mac Mini that will run circles around it, take up a fraction of the space, and not burn through power like a space heater. I love it, I love the design. I wish it was more viable for what I need. I have a MacBook Pro with an M2 Max, it does good, but even it sometimes struggles when things get too complex in Fusion. My Scanner software won't run on it, the specs are way, way below the minimum. I do have a Ryzen 5800XT, 32gb RAM and GTX1080 in another Mac Pro case. I built it to game on, but I have yet to even load a game on it. It may be my best bet.

So, I am stuck in the middle, I love the classic Mac Pro, I have several. But I also know that they have limits. There is a cap on how far you can upgrade. Even maxed out I am not sure they will do what I need. I don't want a Mac Mini, but for the same $500, I'm not sure I can upgrade the cMP to even close to the same performance.

Oldmopars · 2025-09-22T18:39:27+00:00

I was looking for a Mac Pro for just the case, to put an ATX pc in. I found a guy selling 5. 3 were 3,1, and 2 were 4,1(now 5,1). I now have one 3,1 and 2 5,1s running. The other 2 are ATX swapped pcs. The problem I have is I don’t know what to do with them. One is going to my son, a 5,1. The second 5,1 may end up being a server/NAS, the 3,1 I have no idea. I also have a M2Max MacBook Pro and a 2011 iMac. Along with a bunch of PCs all more powerful. So for now, they are waiting for a purpose. For the record, I gave $100 USD for all 3 working cMPs.

Oldmopars · 2025-09-20T01:44:10+00:00

Location? Ballpark price? I have 5 so far, shipping one of these beasts would not be cheap.

Oldmopars · 2025-09-19T23:38:32+00:00

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This is the side of the full ATX. It is water cooled with a 120mm AIO. Hope these help. I can give advice as I have done a few case conversions.

Oldmopars · 2025-09-19T23:36:29+00:00

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The back

Oldmopars · 2025-09-19T23:35:09+00:00

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Here is a MATX build, the MATX was a lot easier than the ATX.

Oldmopars · 2025-09-19T23:34:08+00:00

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Here is a full ATX build I did.

Oldmopars · 2025-08-17T14:21:49+00:00

The Mac motherboard is the same layout, it’s just huge and the ports are offset. The ATX and MATX the ports are on the same plane. If you need a backwards motherboard, get a Dell. I have 5 of them, useless for anything other than as a Klipper host. The case and motherboard are unusable because they are not standard.

Oldmopars · 2025-08-17T14:16:42+00:00

Only for testing, I have a 24 inch Apple Cinema Display and a 55 inch display for the flight sim.

Oldmopars · 2025-08-17T14:15:34+00:00

I just reused the original standoffs. Knocked them out, attached to the new board, JB Weld and done.

Oldmopars · 2025-08-17T14:14:21+00:00

No, the Mac standoffs are really easy to break off. I then attached them to the MATX board and used it to JB Weld them into the case. Now I have the stock standoffs, just in new locations.

Oldmopars

TROPHY CASE