Refurbish retro computer

[kosakgroove]

Hi guys, I am looking at a very old 1996 computer I grabbed from an old friends house, because an idea came to my mind. The case is 18x41x33 cm so I thought that with such a big case a lot of components can fit in nicely. I am looking to open it, remove everything in it, and only keep the case, modifying the backpart of the case for the motherboard's needs.
I am a newbie in hackintosh building, but not in installing OSX on non Apple hardware, I am also fairly good at ACPI editing, so installing process difficulties are normal for me, I dont look for an easy peesy project.


I want to spend the less money possible to create a video and mainly audio production system. For that I am happy with an Intel Core i3, with Haswell graphics, which are compatible with Mavericks, which is the version I want to install and the one I want to work with, I dont care for El Capitan.


This is the processor I am looking to buy:

http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00EF1G9ZU/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


This is the motherboard I wanted to use for being very cheap and from a good brand and Hackintosh ability:


http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00EOSOYWY/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21



Then a 1TB hard drive:


http://www.amazon.es/dp/B0088PUEPK/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


And then I am doubting between two RAMs? Which one should I pick? I need at least 8GB so I thought maybe I go for the HYper X one?


http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00J8E92M6/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00A14ZTTW/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21

Then I will need a suitable power supply, which I have no idea where to pick, and I would like it to be cheap and Hackintosh compatible... without sleep wake issues or weird stuff like that.
And finally, can you tell me what would be the best bluetooth+wifi option for this motherboard? and that it was OSX compatible? Maybe a BCM94352HMB?


Can you elucidate me if this motherboard will fit in my case?? Or give any advice about even cheaper hardware or more compatible one? Also will this motherboard have support for audio in Mac OS X? Because that is my main purpose for this build...
Thanks a lot

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

Hi guys, I am looking at a very old 1996 computer I grabbed from an old friends house, because an idea came to my mind. The case is 18x41x33 cm so I thought that with such a big case a lot of components can fit in nicely. I am looking to open it, remove everything in it, and only keep the case, modifying the backpart of the case for the motherboard's needs.
I am a newbie in hackintosh building, but not in installing OSX on non Apple hardware, I am also fairly good at ACPI editing, so installing process difficulties are normal for me, I dont look for an easy peesy project.


I want to spend the less money possible to create a video and mainly audio production system. For that I am happy with an Intel Core i3, with Haswell graphics, which are compatible with Mavericks, which is the version I want to install and the one I want to work with, I dont care for El Capitan.


This is the processor I am looking to buy:


https://www.amazon.es/Intel-i3-4330-Procesador-1150-3-50/dp/B00EF1G9ZU?ie=UTF8&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=tonymacx86c03-21#productDetails


This is the motherboard I wanted to use for being very cheap and from a good brand and Hackintosh ability:


https://www.amazon.es/Gigabyte-GA-H81M-HD3-DDR3-SDRAM-Celeron-Pentium/dp/B00EOSOYWY?ie=UTF8&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=tonymacx86c03-21#productDetails


Then a 1TB hard drive:


https://www.amazon.es/WD-Blue-WD10EZEX-ordenadores-sobremesa/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1459015855&sr=1-2




And then I am doubting between two RAMs? Which one should I pick? I need at least 8GB so I thought maybe I go for the HYper X one?


https://www.amazon.es/HyperX-Fury-Memoria-Non-ECC-Color/dp/B00J8E92M6/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1459016097&sr=1-3


https://www.amazon.es/Crucial-Ballistix-Memoria-DDR3-1600/dp/B00A14ZTTW?ie=UTF8&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=tonymacx86c03-21


Then I will need a suitable power supply, which I have no idea where to pick, and I would like it to be cheap and Hackintosh compatible... without sleep wake issues or weird stuff like that.
And finally, can you tell me what would be the best bluetooth+wifi option for this motherboard? and that it was OSX compatible? Maybe a BCM94352HMB?


Can you elucidate me if this motherboard will fit in my case?? Or give any advice about even cheaper hardware or more compatible one? Also will this motherboard have support for audio in Mac OS X? Because that is my main purpose for this build...
Thanks a lot

The i3 4330 has HD4600 which is well supported so you should be fine with that.

Although you have given the size of the case and its age, you really should check out inside to see if an matx mobo will fit in there. You may find the existing one is smaller than that, or a custom one, which some manufacturers used a lot at one point.

Likewise the power supply, many manufacturers used custom sized smaller ones, which even when removed, still did not allow the fitting of a standard size unit.

Its not to say you cant get things to work, but there could well be several hurdles before you even get to installing OSX.

The Crucial Ballistix ram is recommended on the Buyers Guide and well regarded round here.

The WD Blue drive should have no issue working either, but you should consider its performance. Its not one of the fastest around.

The audio on that board is ALC892 which is fairly standard as built-in audio chips go. It is well supported though.



Btw, I've made your links clickable so people can see without having to copy and paste.

 

[kosakgroove]

I will tear it apart and let you know about the size of the power supply and mobo.. I think modern hardware should fit, given the dimensions of this hige case dont you think? Thanks for the info.
Is there any power supply that is small and recommended for OSX? And also a bluetooth and wifi combo card?

 

[kosakgroove]

I will tear it apart and let you know about the size of the power supply and mobo.. I think modern hardware should fit, given the dimensions of this hige case dont you think? Thanks for the info.
Is there any power supply that is small and recommended for OSX? And also a bluetooth and wifi combo card?

Also any faster and cheap 1tb hard drive?

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

I will tear it apart and let you know about the size of the power supply and mobo.. I think modern hardware should fit, given the dimensions of this hige case dont you think? Thanks for the info.
Is there any power supply that is small and recommended for OSX? And also a bluetooth and wifi combo card?

You should have a look at the Buyers Guide, which shows all the known working components for a successful build.

Your PSU could be standard ATX PSU (These vary in length) or you could opt for an SFX one instead. SFX is smaller and more compact.

The issue with these old machines, is that the makers often used non-standard proprietory parts. Its not quite so common these days, but back then it was big business for them. The parts were dirt cheap so they had better margins, plus you were tied to the manufacturer if you needed replacement parts, which cost a lot obtaining them for replacement/spares.

Have a search of the forums for working wifi/bluetooth combo cards. There are some that work with an extra couple of kexts.

Hard drives are cheap and cheerful these days, so shop around for a good deal on a performance drive if you want to build it that way (WD Black are not bad as mechanical drives go), but you should give some consideration to grabbing an SSD instead. The performance is far superior and there is zero noise due to having no moving parts. They can connect through the SATA port in the same way, and prices are pretty good too.

A lot of folks opt for an SSD as a boot device/OSX system drive, then put in a mechnical spinning drive for mass storage that is not used quite as much. That is a good compromise for fast booting and large capacity storage, but depends on your needs and budget.

 

[kosakgroove]

You should have a look at the Buyers Guide, which shows all the known working components for a successful build.

Your PSU could be standard ATX PSU (These vary in length) or you could opt for an SFX one instead. SFX is smaller and more compact.

The issue with these old machines, is that the makers often used non-standard proprietory parts. Its not quite so common these days, but back then it was big business for them. The parts were dirt cheap so they had better margins, plus you were tied to the manufacturer if you needed replacement parts, which cost a lot obtaining them for replacement/spares.

Have a search of the forums for working wifi/bluetooth combo cards. There are some that work with an extra couple of kexts.

Hard drives are cheap and cheerful these days, so shop around for a good deal on a performance drive if you want to build it that way (WD Black are not bad as mechanical drives go), but you should give some consideration to grabbing an SSD instead. The performance is far superior and there is zero noise due to having no moving parts. They can connect through the SATA port in the same way, and prices are pretty good too.

A lot of folks opt for an SSD as a boot device/OSX system drive, then put in a mechnical spinning drive for mass storage that is not used quite as much. That is a good compromise for fast booting and large capacity storage, but depends on your needs and budget.

Ok so this would be the full spec of it..


Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX(DDR3-SDRAM, DIMM, Dual, Intel, Celeron, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Pentium, Socket H3 1150)


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00EOSOYWY/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 @ 3.5GHz Haswell HD4600 graphics


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00EF1G9ZU/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


PSU: Corsair CP-9020058-EU 430W Semi Modular


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B009D7CSPG/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


RAM: Crucial Ballistx Tatical 8GB (2x4GB)


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B005Y8C8JO/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B005T3GRNW/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


WiFi+Bluetooth using BCM94360CD + mini pcie to pci express adapter


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T2FGM4M/?tag=tonymacx86com-20


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L35XSMS/?tag=tonymacx86com-20




And that should be about it. I have the case already and one extra fan I will add.
Any suggestion, anything I am missing or that is not Hackintosh-able?

 

[kosakgroove]

Ok so this would be the full spec of it..


Motherboard:
Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX(DDR3-SDRAM, DIMM, Dual, Intel, Celeron, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Pentium, Socket H3 1150)


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00EOSOYWY/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 @ 3.5GHz Haswell HD4600 graphics


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00EF1G9ZU/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


PSU: Corsair CP-9020058-EU 430W Semi Modular


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B009D7CSPG/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


RAM: Crucial Ballistx Tatical 8GB (2x4GB)


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B005Y8C8JO/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM


https://www.amazon.es/dp/B005T3GRNW/?tag=tonymacx86c03-21


WiFi+Bluetooth using BCM94360CD + mini pcie to pci express adapter


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T2FGM4M/?tag=tonymacx86com-20


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L35XSMS/?tag=tonymacx86com-20




And that should be about it. I have the case already and one extra fan I will add.
Any suggestion, anything I am missing or that is not Hackintosh-able?

Anybody have any suggestion whatsoever? Any advice on getting any cheaper powerful components?

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

Anybody have any suggestion whatsoever? Any advice on getting any cheaper powerful components?

Your component list looks fine to me. Have you considered a little more than 8Gb ram though, if you will be doing music and video work ? The difference between 8 & 16 gb is very little in terms of cost, but would give you a good performance increase.

That aside, you look good to go.