Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 5870/6870 (Guide Linked)

Main Components:

Apple OS X Lion @ Mac App Store
Mac App Store - OS X Lion

Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium Grey w/ USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352014

Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard- Rev. 1.3 and 1.0 work
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498

Intel Core i5-2500K Processor 3.3GHz 6 MB Cache Socket LGA1155
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL - 2 sets for a total of 16GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428

Sapphire 100281-3SR Radeon HD 5870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102883

Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031

Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357
OR
Crucial M4 64GB SSD SATAIII 6Gb/s CT064M4SSD2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=samsung%20F3

Zalman CNPS10X Performa 120mm Long life CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118059&Tpk=Performa

Sony Optiarc 16X DVD Burner SATA AD-7280S-0B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118067


Already Owned:

Logitech G500 Mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104318

Logitech Backlit USB Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126043

Logitech Z-2300 Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121122

2 - Asus VE247H Monitors
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112

3 - GELID Solutions FN-SX12-10 120mm Silent Case Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426016


Comments:

I chose these components because they are the best value for the money right now. Let's be real, very little people need a 2600k, and a 2500k can be overclocked to around 5Ghz at times. This, paired with a 6870 (the most powerful card OS X can use OOB aside from a 5870, but the 5870 is discontinued and we do not know if the 7xxx series will be compatible yet), make this build a very seamless way to get OS X running on powerful hardware. I, however, have a 5870 that I got at a very good price when they were on clearance. I used the 6870 for a short time in this build and it worked flawlessly (see the “other” comments section for more info). An SSD really makes things fly as well, with my boot time (after the Chimera hand off to OSX) being below 5 seconds before I am at the desktop. The Samsung F3 is also one of, if not the fastest HDD on the market right now and is whisper quiet. I have never heard this thing access once (whereas the WD Black drives grind away from what I've heard and personally experienced in my brothers machine).

What I really like about this build is the case. For the price (~$110), there is really not a better case in my mind (except possibly the new Corsair 550D Silent case). This case is fully padded on the inside with soundproof foam and the layout is near perfect. Unlike the Centurion II case I had this in before, it has dust filters (no dust on the inside after almost 9 months of using this case) and can fit up to 13” video cards. The cable management holes are quite good as well and give the inside of the case a “clean” look, although a modular power supply would really shine (see attached picture for the inside). I also like the fact that it has a door, because with UniBeast, I don’t even really see the point for a DVD drive and this gives the front a very “finished” look. It is SLIGHTLY hotter inside due to the added soundproof foam, but nothing incredibly heinous. One con for this case, however, is how bright the power LED is. With it about 5 ft away in my bedroom, it lights up the whole room at night. I solved this by attaching the power LED lead to the HDD header on the board, so the light blinks with hard drive activity. Since there is no hard drive activity at night, it stops blinking when I stop using the computer. Back to positives though. The case has enough fan holes to shake a stick at, but only comes with one in the front and back. It even has room for a 240mm radiator in the top and plenty of room to do a water cooling loop inside if that’s your fancy.

Both of the stock fans were fine, however, I moved both to the front and bought the Gelid fan linked for the back. The Gelid is a far better build quality, is slightly quieter, and matches the other fans colors perfectly. After about six months, one of the stock Fractal fans developed a “buzz” and both were replaced for the Gelids, further lowering the noise level of the computer.

The power supply is enough to power any one video card (that is compatible with OS X) on the market plus a multitude of drives (I have 2 SSDs, 1 HDD, 1 DVD Drive). It is also built by Seasonic but sold by Antec so it is one of the best built power supplies on the market. I do, however, find that the fan can be a little loud under load. If you were looking for something completely silent, I would go for one of Seasonic’s GOLD rated or fanless power supplies. With the Fractal case, the only time I hear this is when under load.

A good thing about using a 2500k and a Z68 board, is that if the dedicated GPU ever gives you problems, you can use the onboard HDMI until a replacement is found with no additional configuring (except changing the VRAM in the BIOS to 384mb).

One thing to note about the RAM and the cooler is that, while the Zalman fan fits on the "push" side of the cooler, it is barely touching the RAM, and that is with the fan pulled up as high as it can go while the clips are on both the fan and the heatsink. Temps are fine however, with my CPU idling at 35C and my GPU idling at 48C. Under load, the CPU never breaks 58C and the GPU never breaks 75C (All acceptable numbers).

If you have any other questions about this build, feel free to ask, maybe after I do a bit of cable management, I will post a picture of the inside of the case.

Also, if you are interested in how to get OSX running 100% Vanilla with EVERYTHING working, head over to my guide specifically for this build: Gordo Guide

Other Hardware I have used on this build personally:

Arctic Accelero S1 with 120mm fan ziptied onto it
(Cooler) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016
(Fan - 1 of the 4 pack) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O8I474/

Cooler Master Centurion 5 II Case
Centurion 5 II - Cooler Master - Leading Provider of Computer Case | Cooler | Power Supply
http://www.amazon.com/Centurion-5-II-Black-clear/dp/B003O2KEOS/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119228

XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

Apple Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AMHWP8/8
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.)


Comments on other hardware:

What I liked about this case is the fact that it's cheap and very easy to work in. It is cheaper than the Fractal I upgraded to, but a very capable case if you’re looking to shave $50 off. It isn’t as quiet as the Fractal, but still does the job. I hate the look of the ugly side window though that comes with this case in the US. Cooler Master does not sell the non-windowed version in the US, so it just so happened my brother has the same case and wanted two sides with windows, so I took his solid side and mine now has two solid sides. Everything is tool-less install though and the drive bays slide in and out. One downside to the case is that obnoxiously long cards (such as the Gigabyte 6870 with three fans) will not fit easily and may cause cards to bend, which will kill them quickly (sometimes within a day). Because of this, sticking with reference 6870's or below is recommended with this case (5870 fits fine). Overall though, the case is very sturdy and is quiet with the coolers I have listed. I did add a fan (also from that 4 pack linked above) to the top of the case to help with airflow. The case fans that come with it (1-120mm in front, 1-120mm in back) are quite adequate. This build is barely audible with it sitting under my desk less than 6 ft from my ear.

To note about the 6870: the XFX version with one fan is extremely loud at idle and even moreso at load. That is why I got the aftermarket cooler and installed it. I could not stand the noise of it. I sold the card, along with the cooler, to another member here once I got my 5870 back from RMA. I suggest getting the dual fan XFX 6870. It is much quieter and known to work. Or even the Tri fan Gigabyte 6870 if space allows (note previous paragraph about space).

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

Do you see any performance benefits to the z68+2500k as opposed to the 1366 chipset X58A boards with an i7?

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

Going Bald said:

Do you see any performance benefits to the z68+2500k as opposed to the 1366 chipset X58A boards with an i7?

Click to expand...

Performance I'd peg at about the same honestly, however, the 1155 is MUCH cheaper ($150 mobo and $200 CPU instead of $190 mobo and $350 CPU). Also, all 1155 boards will also work with Ivy Bridge processors coming out next year, so you can just swap out the CPUs and get an even bigger performance boost.

For what it's worth, in all benchmarks (that dont use hyperthreading), an overclocked 2500k (and they are super easy to overclock, just change the base multiplier as the "k"s are made to overclock) DESTROYS any 1366 CPUs.

1366 is dead in my opinion, and even with 2011 (1366 version of 1155), I don't see the justification of spending double on the CPU and Mobo to get a marginal gain. Seriously, everything FLIES on this. Booting before the spinner even comes up on the OSX load screen? Can't get much faster.

I mean, this whole build (and this was before RAM prices plummeted and SSD prices dropped), cost me less than $900. I can't complain with that.

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

I may have to take a serious look at these, especially if they will be ivy bridge compatible.
Have to double-check the specs and make sure I get all the good stuff working oob.

Hate to have to scramble around and hope someone mods a kext to drive a non-supported chipset.

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

Going Bald said:

Have to double-check the specs and make sure I get all the good stuff working oob.

Click to expand...

That's what threads like this are for.

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

Gordo, Great Job! It rivals Tony's, Mac Man's, Lnx@Mac's and mine.

In the Comments section, I especially like the discussion of the CPU cooler interference with the memory. Finned memory interference with the CPU cooler was my 1st "Ah, crap!" when I assembling my 1st hack (September 2010). Thus, I'm all over MacMan's and Lnx2Mac's recommendation of G.Skill's ECO (CLS7, 1.35v) memory, and Going Bald's reference to the new Corsair Vengeance Low Profile White (CLS 9, 1.35v) memory is going into my Z68X-UB3H build.

Again, great job!

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

I agree with Stork

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

@Gordo74

Do the usb3.0 work?

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

cbr900 said:

Do the usb3.0 work?

Click to expand...

Why it shouldn't?

Re: Gordo Build: GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 with 6870 (Guide Linked)

Have you gotten sleep to work, or are you part of the group that thinks that proper sleep with the sandybridge just doesn't work yet?