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v310's First Build: Core i7-3770K - GA-Z77N-WIFI - 16GB RAM - GTX 660Ti

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Joined
Feb 4, 2013
Messages
53
Motherboard
GA-Z77N-WIFI
CPU
i7 3770K
Graphics
Gigabyte GTX 660ti OC
Mac
  1. 0
Classic Mac
  1. LC
Mobile Phone
  1. Android
v310's First Build: i7 3770K - GA-Z77N-WIFI - 16 GB RAM - GTX 660Ti OC

case.jpg

Components

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

BitFenix Prodigy White Case
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RJQ3G/

GIGABYTE LGA 1155 Intel Z77 mini-ITX Motherboard - GA-Z77N-WIFI
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009JDTWH6/

GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 660 Ti WINDFORCE 2X OC Edition 2048MB GDDR5 - GV-N66TOC-2GD
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UG2W20/

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) - CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006EWUO22/

Intel Core i7-3770K Quad-Core Processor 3.5 GHz 8 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770K
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SZ0EOW/

(2) OCZ Technology 128GB Vertex 4 Series SATA 6.0 GB/s 2.5-Inch SSD - VTX4-25SAT3-128G
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007R1FH3K/

SilverStone Strider Plus 500W Modular Active - ST50F-P
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0047CQ1B4/

Corsair Hydro Series High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler H60 - CW-9060007-WW
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0HZMGA

Atheros AR9280 Half Mini PCIe - DW1515
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=Atheros+AR9280&_sacat=0&_from=R40


Already Owned

Dell LED IPS 23" Monitor - S2340L
http://www.dell.com/ed/business/p/dell-s2340l/pd

Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical Gaming Keyboard MAC - RZ03-00381300-R3M1
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BOGVH6/

SAMSUNG S2 500GB External Hard Drive USB - HX-MT050DA/G2
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004Q5UPVY/


Comments

This is my first Hackintosh system. I have been a Mac user since '93. My first Mac system was a LC III, after that i had many Mac's (emac, macmini, macbook). Nowadays Apple hardware is too goddamn expansive and non-upgradable, and that's why I decided to build my own machine. The RAM soldered onto the motherboard on latest models pissed me off :banghead:

I have to say, Hackintosh wasn't an option. Few years ago, I've tried to install MacOSX on an old laptop and the experience was not good. Basically I've learned that if you don't have the compatible hardware, you will have a bad time. I have been reading several Tonymac's threads and I've noticed that the Hackintosh support has improved a lot.

I finally decided to go through this amazing experience. The main idea was to build a decent machine spending 1100 USS. I'm a developer and I love games. So, it was mandatory to have MacOSX and Windows on a dual-boot scheme and also a good graphics card.

Basically, I followed the CustoMac Mini Deluxe Build thread, except for the PSU and Hard-Disks. SSD's are pretty cheap right now, so i though why not? I decided to change the PSU as well because i read many comments regarding the size of Corsair 650, so I went with a smaller model.


The Install

Setup Bios before installation

Peripherals:

xHCI Mode = AUTO
XHCI Hand-off = Enabled
EHCI Hand-off = Enabled

Power Management:
High Precision Event Timer = Enabled
Power on by Keyboard = Any Key
Power on by Mouse = Move

Bios Features:
Intel Virtualization Technology = Enabled

Overclock Configuration (optional):
Go to 3D Bios (Press F1) and click on the processor picture
CPU Clock Ratio = 41
Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) = Profile 1
System Memory Multiplier = 18.66
Memory Timing = AUTO
DRAM Voltage = 1.580V


I installed everything on the case, except for the graphics card and one of the SSD's.

I followed the Official CustoMac Mini 2012 Guide and Notes thread. Went with DSDT-Free Multibeast settings option. Also, I checked the FakeSMC Plugins, HWMonitor Application and TRIM Enabler. Everything worked fine after boot.

47252-multibeast-1.png



I enabled the GraphicsEnabler=No and turn off the machine. Then I installed the GTX 660ti.



47254-multibeast-ge.png



Optional steps: Install Retail-304.00.05f02-macosx.dmg (retail drivers from nvidia) and cudadriver-5.0.37-macos.dmg (cuda drivers). I tried with and without those drivers and the results were the same.

Also, I tried the "OpenCL Patch" on MultiBeast. It did not affect the performance as well (should work for Fermi cards only). Decided not to use it.



Post Installing / Troubleshooting

Changed the system definitions to Mac Pro 5,1 (had to remove AppleTyMCEDriver.kext and AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext from /System/Library/Extensions). Did that because i was trying to solve the 'sleep' issue (black screen). The modification did not fix the issue, however, i got a higher score on benchmarks.


Installed Chimera 2.0 due to iMessage login bug. Fixed!


Remaining Issues

Had to disable the computer sleep. Every time that I try to wake it up, I got no video signal. It's a known issue for some GTX 660ti cards :cry:


Windows Installation

I decided to have two disks on this machine, one for OSX and the other one for Windows. It is possible to have both operational systems on the same disk, but the installation is more complicated so I went with the easy way. Basically, you have to install OSX on first disk, then remove it and install Windows on the second disk. After that, re-connect OSX disk and set it as the boot drive on BIOS. That's it, the bootloader will recognize automatically both installations.



Performance / Benchmark

I'm so satisfied, this machine is a beast plus it is 100% stable. I was able to Overclock the CPU and RAM a little and got great scores on different benchmark softwares. Just changed a few parameters on BIOS and now I'm running a 4.1 Ghz Clock and 1867 MHz on Ram. 25C on idle and 55C on stress (tested with Prime95). Even the fps is too good for a non-high end graphics card.



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47250-geekbench.png


47251-luxmark.png


47256-aboutmac.png




 

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Last edited by a moderator:
The User Builds Template has info on how to make the pictures larger - upload the pictures to your account's Albums and use the Albums IMG link to copy & paste into your build description. Please don't use large pictures - resize them as appropriate to the Forum's posts. TIA.

The User Builds Template is the sticky in this forum section. :thumbup:
 
Nice :)

Do you experience the usb eject improperly issue on waking from sleep?

Thanks
 
Great build! I noticed your RAM is reported at 1867 mhz. I have the same RAM but a different mobo. Mine says 1333mhz. Anyone know why this is? Thanks.
 
Thanks for posting; that's a nice build. I'll have to give the Mac Pro5,1 definition a try, too. Thanks for mentioning which kexts you had to remove.
 
Nice :)

Do you experience the usb eject improperly issue on waking from sleep?

Thanks


Well, at the moment i only have the usb keyboard and mouse plugged in. I noticed a little lag, maybe 5 to 6 seconds when i wake the machine up from sleep.
 
Great build! I noticed your RAM is reported at 1867 mhz. I have the same RAM but a different mobo. Mine says 1333mhz. Anyone know why this is? Thanks.

Try to change the memory profile on bios or change the "System Memory Multiplier" to 18.66 like I did.
 
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