thermopile's Build: Core i5-3570k - GA-Z77-DS3H - 8GB RAM - HD4000

[thermopile]

thermopile's Build: Core i5-3570k - GA-Z77-DS3H - 8GB RAM - HD4000​

Components

Apple OS X Mountain Lion @ Mac Apps Store
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-mountain-lion/id537386512?mt=12

GIGABYTE GA-Z77-DS3H 1156 Intel Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard (Rev 1.1)
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Intel-1155-Motherboard-GA-Z77-DS3H/dp/B007R21JWC/

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B007SZ0E1K/

ASUS Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135252

G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-8GAO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544

Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Mid-Tower Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139018

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

Seagate ST2000DM001 Barracuda 7200RPM 2 TB SATA 6 GB/s NCQ 64 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST2000DM001-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal/dp/B005T3GRN2

ASUS VE228H 21.5IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920x1080 LED Backlit 5MS 10M:1DC HDMI DVI-D VGA (Part#: VE228H)
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=56380

Logitech K120 Keyboard
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-920-002478-Keyboard-K120/dp/B003ELVLKU

Logitech M100 Optical, Wired USB Mouse
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Optical-Wired-Mouse-910-001601/dp/B003B4BBFK/

TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 PCI Express Adapter,2.4GHz
http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-PCI-Express-Adapter-TL-WDN4800/dp/B007GMPZ0A/

Comments

This was my first hackintosh, and I wanted an easy install for cheap that I knew I could upgrade later. For now, it's stock cooler, on-board graphics, and no SSD.
Total cost: $750.
Overall, I'm happy with it, as I feel I have a compellingly better machine than an iMac (with Blu-Ray) and it's a whole lot more upgradeable.

Biggest lessons learned:

• The rev 1.1 Gigabyte motherboards REQUIRE the TL-WDN4800 wireless adapter if you're going "through" Snow Leopard like I did; the on-board ethernet controller does not work with Snow Leopard or any of the available kexts. This caused me about a week of angst and frustration. Spend the $30 on the wireless adapter, and then you can keep it or sell it on eBay afterwards.
• When installing Mountain Lion, be sure to use the USB ports in the back; it won't recognize the USB 3.0 ports on the front.
• With the fix to the "boot0" error now, go for big hard drives. I don't regret my 2.0TB hard drive purchase at all, and it was a very small incremental cost over the 1TB drive. www.tonymacx86.com/25-boot0-error-official-guide.html
• I don't recommend the cheap-o mouse I got; the click wheel is louder than I like.

I am very impressed with the 200R case; putting everything together was just as you'd expect it to be. A great case for $50. With all the drive bays, I might be wishing I had gone for a bigger power supply in a year...

 

[djsmootht]

Once you'll get an SSD you'll be even happier!