- Joined
- Jul 20, 2016
- Messages
- 11
- Motherboard
- Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI mini-ITX
- CPU
- i7-6700
- Graphics
- GTX 750 TI
This will be my first computer build ever! My goal is something to run Photoshop and LightRoom quickly and efficiently, processing significant numbers of raw files, while potentially having several other programs open as well, like mail, Chrome and Word. I have no interest in gaming (I know, shocking!), but I gather Photoshop and light room are both processor and graphics intensive, as well as needing to write quickly to temp storage and long-term storage. I would also like to have it as compact and using as little desk space as possible, since the monitor I want, NEC PA 272W takes A LOT of space.
I wanted to buy a Mac, for better integration with my iPhone iPad and AppleTV, but they just didn't have what I think I need. Mini Mac is a little underpowered, iMac forces you to use their monitor, and Mac Pro is very expensive. A friend who has built both PCs and Macs is advising I do a dual boot with a separate SSD for each boot, so if I have trouble with the Hackintosh side I can probably use Windows side.
Something like the Customac Mini Deluxe sounded quite good. I was assuming I could use a mini ITX motherboard and case, and was planning to build around that, but now I'm wondering where I would put the Wi-Fi card to work with El Capitan, if I have a board with only one PCIe slot and want to have a 2GB graphics card. Can I still get a "Golden build" for a mini ITX motherboard? Handoff, etc? Could I run Ethernet cable from the router and have my other devices connect by wifi?
How do people get full Mac functionality with a mini ITX build? Do I need to think in terms of a different format motherboard (ATX or micro ATX) if I want to add a graphics card and El Capitan wifi? I see builds that have one or the other but not both. Is there anything else I would be losing out on by going with the mini ITX?
If this build works as I expect, I don't see needing to upgrade anything more than possibly 32 GB RAM to last me 5+ yrs.
Here's what I'm thinking of including so far:
- Intel i7 6700 (non-K) processor
- Noctua NH-L9I CPU Cooler
- Gigabyte GA-H170N-wifi Mini-ITX Motherboard - don't need to overclock
- Crucial Ballistics LT 16GB RAM
- Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB (two @ $92 each)
- Seagate Constellation 2TB HDD
- EVGA 650W Pwr Supply
- Silverstone Fortress FTZ01 case (not cheap but sounds much more elegantly made and finished than the milo m07 or Raven rvz02) needs only 4" wide desk space
- Broadcom BCM94352Z WiFi
- cd/DVD burner external slim slot-loading in drive bay
- EVGA GeForce GTX 750 TI 2GB GPU added later if integrated graphics don't seem up to the speed I want
Other questions: 1) if I don't add a graphics card, the DVI port on this motherboard wont handle full resolution for this monitor. Will HDMI work well enough? Will I wish I had higher resolution DVI or DP?
2) how does one learn video output resolution specifications for other motherboards?
3) why do you recommend gigabyte cards as opposed to other cards like MSI H170I PRO AC or Asus?
Suggestions? Comments?
I wanted to buy a Mac, for better integration with my iPhone iPad and AppleTV, but they just didn't have what I think I need. Mini Mac is a little underpowered, iMac forces you to use their monitor, and Mac Pro is very expensive. A friend who has built both PCs and Macs is advising I do a dual boot with a separate SSD for each boot, so if I have trouble with the Hackintosh side I can probably use Windows side.
Something like the Customac Mini Deluxe sounded quite good. I was assuming I could use a mini ITX motherboard and case, and was planning to build around that, but now I'm wondering where I would put the Wi-Fi card to work with El Capitan, if I have a board with only one PCIe slot and want to have a 2GB graphics card. Can I still get a "Golden build" for a mini ITX motherboard? Handoff, etc? Could I run Ethernet cable from the router and have my other devices connect by wifi?
How do people get full Mac functionality with a mini ITX build? Do I need to think in terms of a different format motherboard (ATX or micro ATX) if I want to add a graphics card and El Capitan wifi? I see builds that have one or the other but not both. Is there anything else I would be losing out on by going with the mini ITX?
If this build works as I expect, I don't see needing to upgrade anything more than possibly 32 GB RAM to last me 5+ yrs.
Here's what I'm thinking of including so far:
- Intel i7 6700 (non-K) processor
- Noctua NH-L9I CPU Cooler
- Gigabyte GA-H170N-wifi Mini-ITX Motherboard - don't need to overclock
- Crucial Ballistics LT 16GB RAM
- Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB (two @ $92 each)
- Seagate Constellation 2TB HDD
- EVGA 650W Pwr Supply
- Silverstone Fortress FTZ01 case (not cheap but sounds much more elegantly made and finished than the milo m07 or Raven rvz02) needs only 4" wide desk space
- Broadcom BCM94352Z WiFi
- cd/DVD burner external slim slot-loading in drive bay
- EVGA GeForce GTX 750 TI 2GB GPU added later if integrated graphics don't seem up to the speed I want
Other questions: 1) if I don't add a graphics card, the DVI port on this motherboard wont handle full resolution for this monitor. Will HDMI work well enough? Will I wish I had higher resolution DVI or DP?
2) how does one learn video output resolution specifications for other motherboards?
3) why do you recommend gigabyte cards as opposed to other cards like MSI H170I PRO AC or Asus?
Suggestions? Comments?