Low Profile (half height) GeForce GT 640 card for "ultra" mini-ITX Mac gaming? Approve my kit!

Low Profile (half height) GeForce GT 640 card for "ultra" mini-ITX Mac gaming? Approve my build!

I have been doing a lot of research in making a really portable and inexpensive Mac Mini gaming Hackintosh. The enclosures that are recommended in the buyers guide are way too large for my purposes where portability is paramount (carry-on luggage). I have come across these cases which I like...

http://www.winsis.com/product_detail_5.html

and really like...

http://store.antec.com/Product/enclosure-itx/isk310-150/0-761345-15160-3.aspx

Essentially I want to pop in an SSD and a dedicated graphics card. That's it. No fancy frills. I'm not doing any powerhouse gaming or driving multiple screens.

From the video cards recommended in the buyers guide, I think the low-profile version of the NVIDIA GT 640 will work, but I don't know if it is different from the full-sized one that is linked in the guide and if the drivers are the same.

Also, I know I might need to install a larger PSU as well as a solid cooling system, but I want to make sure that all the bits and bobs I am adding to this mess are going to play well together. There is a wider variety of ATI/AMD half height cards out there, but I am preferring to suffer with the lower performing NVIDIA chipset for ease of OSX compatibility, unless someone knows if the Radeon HD 7750 will cleanly work on a CustoMac.

Here's my planned build so far, any thoughts?

• Mobo GIGABYTE GA-Z87N-WIFI
• CPU Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz
• GPU Zotac Usa ZT-60203-10L Geforce Gt640 2GB (low profile)
• HDD SanDisk Ultra Plus SDSSDHP-256G-G25 2.5" 256GB SSD
• PSU FSP FSP220-60LE(80) 220W Mini ITX/ Flex ATX 80 Power Supply (may not need)
• Case Antec ISK 300-150 Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case 150W (similar model)

Any thoughts? I see some sweet Black Friday deals on some of my wishlist...

packcamera said:

Any thoughts? I see some sweet Black Friday deals on some of my wishlist...

Click to expand...

Why not just buy a case with a handle? I used this one - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112348 - for a LAN party build for a friend and it works well - if you remove the lower drive cage you can even use one of the larger gfx cards.

Thanks for the advice, but I am not interested in LAN parties. I relocate several times a year for work and I am replacing my worn out laptop with an iPad for the basics, and a CustoMac Mini for the heavy duty stuff. As I mentioned earlier, I specifically need a computer that will fit in my carry-on luggage with my other belongings. I don't want or need the latest and greatest in video cards, the specs on the half-height card lined are sufficient for my needs. I just want to make sure it is compatible and if there are any thoughts on the components outlined in my build.

packcamera said:

Thanks for the advice, but I am not interested in LAN parties.

Click to expand...

Didn't mean to imply you were - the intent was to show the case - with handle on top - that is about the size of a very fat brief case. Can easily be carried as carry-on luggage and doesn't need to be enclosed in a suitcase.

I understand, but that case will be carry on luggage as opposed to the one I found that will fit in a carry-on bag with my other stuff. I am willing to sacrifice a bit of performance for the fact that the case I found takes up about the same mass as my 17" MBP.

You sound like you know what you want so I won't comment on your graphics card or case choice. The rest of your components as far as a hackintosh look good, just keep in mind if you want WiFi and BT you will need to get a WiFi card somehow. Also, a 220w power supply may be cutting it a little too close - I suggest doing a power calculator with your parts and buy something that can supply 40-50w more.

Silverstone make a very small PSU that provides something like 400w if I recall - maybe look into that.

Thanks. You are right, I do need more power than the stock 150w PSU can supply. I found that Flex makes a 300w PSU on top of the 220w that I was thinking about. I didn't know about the Silverstone 400w unit. If that works and will fit in this tiny case, then I may use the superior SAPPHIRE HD 7750 1GB low profile graphics card instead, which requires a 400w PSU. I found this side-by-side comparison site. I have heard that the 7750 is natively compatible with 10.8 from another Hackintoshing forum.

PS I did use a watt calculator from Outer Vision which calculated 145w used and recommended 195w. That is where I got the 220w unit from. Since I have minimal components (no optical drive, mechanical HDD, single video card etc.) the numbers stay low. I don't use the manufacturer recommendations (350w nVIDIA) and (400w AMD) because the watt recommendations are based on a full desktop system with a full compliment of components. I wish the manufacturers would show the actual wattage draw of their cards.

And wifi is going to be managed by a USB wifi adapter sitting in a box somewhere. I have it leftover from upgrading my 1st-gen Mac Mini to draft-N speeds. I know it is natively OSX compatible, but I don't recall the name otherwise I would have linked it here.

Any thoughts on a different Z87 mobo with built-in eSATA? I do need the port.