Which customac is for me?

[tyler500e]

My Powerbook G4 gave up the ghost about 4 years ago and I have been without a mac since. My current PC is old and leaves a lot to be desired. I have heard some coworkers talk about building a tony x86 customac, and that's what brought me here.

I have ZERO experience building computers and am not exactly super tech savvy. The extent of my technical expertise is installing additional ram in an old laptop under the little screwed down bottom ram cover plate. Now that I have thoroughly exposed my ignorance..


I need someone to help guide me to the appropriate customac which will fit my needs.

*My wife and I only have laptops right now, in fact, they are both netbooks with atom processors. So we are looking to make the customac our primary home computer.

*We are huge movie buffs, and would like to start making digital copies of our DVDs and Blu-Rays on this computer if possible.

*We both do the occasional gaming, she is into stuff like the Sims and I enjoy first-person shooters. Though we also have a Wii and PS3 that can be used.

*My wife just recently picked up a Nikon DSLR camera and is learning the basics in photography, so I imagine she would want to use some photo editing software and store photos on there as well.

*We don't necessarily need something tiny and "mac-mini" sized, but we would like something quiet and relatively fast(keep in mind we are both currently using Atom Processors so this may not be too hard)


**I like the idea of using 2 drives, one SSD and one conventional hard drive, if that means the system can boot and load faster.


Oh and we do have a budget and would prefer to keep the cost no more than about $500-600 if at all possible.

 

[mgkrp]

I have no means of disrespecting but if you are not tech-savy, I think you should stay away from building a hackintosh. Building a hackintosh requires extreme patience, research and even with that it might not work properly. You will run into errors that will frustrate you.

But if you still insist, I would recommend this build:

Intel 3570k CPU (for HD4000 integrated graphics)
H77-DS3H Motherboard (same as z77-ds3h which is one of the most popular board for mountain lion but without overclocking)
any 1600 mhz 8 GB RAM
any cheap case
any cheap 500W+ PSU
crucial m4 SSD
Nvidia 640 GT GPU (This might be a bit weak for you needs but is pretty much 100% working oob)
or if you want a better one go for the 560 TI (~200) but heard that there might be some minor issues that would annoy you.

This should fit your $600 budget

 

[Koalaman]

Maximum PC has some great Guides for you to follow, and sometimes local stores will custom build PC(s) for customers. You will need patience.

 

[alans17]

Certainly the budget is the biggest constraint, but it's doable. As for your wife's photography, there are 2 applications out there that I suggest you look at - Aperture and Lightroom. One is by Apple, and the other is Adobe. You only need one or the other. I prefer Lightroom. My wife (who loves photography but is not tech savvy) has been learning Lightroom, and she really appreciates it.

 

[Koalaman]

Also, to go along with what alans said, a little more "complex" than photoshop, but GIMP is a great open source Picture editing suite.

 

[RedZoneOS]

If you plan on going with mgkrp's recommendation but have a microcenter near you, I would suggest you change the mobo out to the z77 version. you'll end up getting a 50 dollar combo discount. Also, I wouldn't just get "any" 500W psu. Speaking from experience, buying a cheap psu can cause you a ton of grief and/or money in the long run, and higher quality PSU's are not really that much more.


"I have no means of disrespecting but if you are not tech-savy, I think you should stay away from building a hackintosh."

I disagree with this.

The hardware installation part of a custom build is relatively simple even for a beginner. Be patient, do a bit of research, and you will have no problems at all.
While dealing with OSX installation issues can be challenging, I wouldn't say to "stay away" from it. Buy recommended parts from tony's site (mgkrp listed some good ones), have a bit more patience, and do a bit more research! I built my first (and only) homebrew mac just a few weeks ago using the help of this site, and I was up and running in less then one hour...

What's the worst that can happen??? Your OSX86 endeavor fails, and you still end up with a solid windows box

 

[thierry37]

I agree with RedZone. It's worth trying.
And if you can't run OSX, just get a Windows 7 and it will still be good rig.

Maybe you can get help on the way, from your colleagues who talked about tonymacx86 ?


First advice: read and read all the forum. You need to familiarize with all the components, the recommended list, the builds that are working, the ones with difficulties, etc.
then you will be able to make your list.

I have few comments from mgkrp's list. (It's a good start, but you need to read and read and read, to make your own understanding and own choices):

Intel 3570k CPU (for HD4000 integrated graphics)
H77-DS3H Motherboard (same as z77-ds3h which is one of the most popular board for mountain lion but without overclocking)
any 1600 mhz 8 GB RAM
any cheap case
any cheap 500W+ PSU
crucial m4 SSD
Nvidia 640 GT GPU
​

You could get a cheaper processor with a core i3. (Older generation, but still much enough compare to your netbooks)
Take the cheapest board, from the recommended list, that you can find.
I still agree with RedZone about the PSU. It's worth spending 40$ on a good PSU, that would last longer and that would also keep all your components in good state. (Also, that would be more silent, than a cheap one)

I am waiting my parts for a "budget-still-good" hackintosh.
It will cost me 495€, so I guess you can easily find cheaper in the US.

Core i3-2125 + GA-B75M-D3H
8GB RAM + SSD crucial M4 128GB
My choice for case = the best one in this format (mATX), in my opinion = Silverstone Temjin TJ08-E
My choice of PSU: Be Quiet E9 400W, but I am sure you can find some good one for cheaper. (and still better than a "cheap basic")

If you take a cheaper case and cheaper PSU, you will have some budget for a DVD burner (to rip your movies) and you will surely need an additional hard drive

If you go with the integrated graphics, I don't think you need a GPU.
If you go with a GPU, take a cheaper processor with HD graphics.


As conclusion, you can see each of us will give you a different list.
Now you have some basics, and the best is to go read the other topics, the ones with success, the ones which failed, etc.
And start picking your components, one by one, according to your budget, your need, etc.

Good luck in this journey.