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WWY Build for a Logic Pro X Hack for under $1K ?

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Been out of the PC building game since 2003 and needless to say, a lot has changed.

I'm wanting to build a hack that will run Logic Pro X smoothly while keeping the odds of issues low. I'm trying to build on a budget of $1k. I mostly need advice on a great MB, but would like to see what you guys would do. GPU isn't important now, but I would like to have the option to add one later if I wish. Here's what I'm thinking, but would appreciate if you could plug in some brands to make this as easy as possible.

(Before somebody posts a link to the buyers guide, rest assured I've done a years worth of looking, but finally have the finances to pull the trigger.)

MB- ???? ATX or possibly mATX (I like Asus, but open to sugg.)
CPU- Higher end i5 or lower end i7 (Haswell)
RAM- 16GB (Would like to be able to expand up to 32GB)
SSD- 250GB Samsung for OS X and LPX and other programs.
HDD- 1TB HDD for files
CASE- Looking for something stylish, but not too flashy. I don't care about clear windows or crazy lights. Just something practical and can make things convenient, quiet and cool.

Also, should I wait for Skylake or take advantage of Haswell prices?

Any and all input is greatly appreciated in advance.
 
suggest the following:
$320.00 Asus TUF Gryphon Z97
$340.00 i7 4790K
$85.00 Crucial RAM 2x8GB 1866
$80.00 PSU Corsair CS550M
$70.00 Case Fractal Design Define Mini
$60.00 CPU cooler Noctua NH-U9S
$955.00 total + tax wherever you are.
 
suggest the following:
$320.00 Asus TUF Gryphon Z97
$340.00 i7 4790K
$85.00 Crucial RAM 2x8GB 1866
$80.00 PSU Corsair CS550M
$70.00 Case Fractal Design Define Mini
$60.00 CPU cooler Noctua NH-U9S
$955.00 total + tax wherever you are.


Thank you for the recommendation and highly appreciate your input. I've been watching some popular YouTube videos on hackintoshes and a lot of people are RECOMMENDING Gigabyte boards, but using Asus. Is there a reason for this? I want compatibility and reliability. This board looks like it definitely offers reliability. Would you say that it is very hackintosh friendly and consider it to be cutting edge?

Next. Processing power. I've been really considering the 4790K, but do you think for what I'm trying to do it may be a bit overkill? I mean the higher end i5's are quite a bit cheaper and seem to offer great performance for what I'm trying to do.

Lastly, that is a great case you've picked out. However, whether I go mATX or ATX, I think I want an ATX case just to have plenty of room for cable management and expandability. I have plenty of desk space to commit to the Hack and think maybe the Fractal R4 or one of the Corsair Obsidian series cases.

Once again, I thank you for the response and would like your thoughts on my response. I would also love to hear what some other people would be building in 2016 for $1K (wouldn't hurt if I went about 100 or 2 over.)
 
Hi,

I'm new on hackintosh, looking for almost same configuration than you.

I would use Logic Pro X and Ableton live but also I would like to do some video editing, I have noticed that you don't have any Graphic Card on you configuration, could anyone suggest any not too expensive but with good performance? Not for professional use.

In my opinion would be worth it to spend some more money on the I7 processors as I believe they would last longer without have to update your computer.

I'm a bit lost on Mother Boards but as you said I think a bigger one would be nicer to be able to upgrade if needed it. Maybe someone can advise about this.

Thanks!
 
Thank you for the recommendation and highly appreciate your input. I've been watching some popular YouTube videos on hackintoshes and a lot of people are RECOMMENDING Gigabyte boards, but using Asus. Is there a reason for this? I want compatibility and reliability. This board looks like it definitely offers reliability. Would you say that it is very hackintosh friendly and consider it to be cutting edge?

Next. Processing power. I've been really considering the 4790K, but do you think for what I'm trying to do it may be a bit overkill? I mean the higher end i5's are quite a bit cheaper and seem to offer great performance for what I'm trying to do.

Lastly, that is a great case you've picked out. However, whether I go mATX or ATX, I think I want an ATX case just to have plenty of room for cable management and expandability. I have plenty of desk space to commit to the Hack and think maybe the Fractal R4 or one of the Corsair Obsidian series cases.

Once again, I thank you for the response and would like your thoughts on my response. I would also love to hear what some other people would be building in 2016 for $1K (wouldn't hurt if I went about 100 or 2 over.)
Historically, Gigabyte boards have been the most user friendly for PC-Macs. With the advent of Clover boot loader more boards are now as usable as the Gigabyte boards. The Gryphon is a popular board as seen if you do a forum search -
http://www.tonymacx86.com/search.php?googleSearch=success z97 gryphon

Whether you go with the high end i5 or the i7 depends on how many tracks you want to juggle at once - the superior performance of the i7 may be needed. Really depends on your usage.
 
In my opinion would be worth it to spend some more money on the I7 processors as I believe they would last longer without have to update your computer.

Exactly. Skylake is there, Haswell will probably be phased out soon, in 2-3 years time you might regret not having invested a tad more in the CPU from the start.

If you want something silent, choose your hard drives carefully, some can be really noisy. I love the WD caviar green series, they are extremely silent, but also slow (which doesn't matter for what I do since all my softs and cache are on the SSD).

For Moyadog : depends on the complexity of the video editing and softwares you use. FCP likes AMD and you can find very cheap ones, most other softs will prefer Nvidia. And for very very simple stuff, integrated Intel HD 4600 might even cut it. That's what I would try first, and add a discrete GPU later if I'm not satisfied.
 
Historically, Gigabyte boards have been the most user friendly for PC-Macs. With the advent of Clover boot loader more boards are now as usable as the Gigabyte boards. The Gryphon is a popular board as seen if you do a forum search -
http://www.tonymacx86.com/search.php?googleSearch=success z97 gryphon

Whether you go with the high end i5 or the i7 depends on how many tracks you want to juggle at once - the superior performance of the i7 may be needed. Really depends on your usage.


Makes more sense now. I thought the actual chipset from GB boards were identical or closer to Mac and it had to do with hardware and not software. Yes I was poking around these forums last year and there was no mention of Clover. I was happy to come on here again and see some forward movement in the Hackintosh community.

I've decided last night for sure that I'm definitely ust going to go i7. My LPX projects can be fairly large and I usually multitask and use a lot of plug-ins. Also, I'd hate to spend the money and still get messages of high CPU usage in LPX (Which I may even get with an i7.)
 
Exactly. Skylake is there, Haswell will probably be phased out soon, in 2-3 years time you might regret not having invested a tad more in the CPU from the start.

If you want something silent, choose your hard drives carefully, some can be really noisy. I love the WD caviar green series, they are extremely silent, but also slow (which doesn't matter for what I do since all my softs and cache are on the SSD).

For Moyadog : depends on the complexity of the video editing and softwares you use. FCP likes AMD and you can find very cheap ones, most other softs will prefer Nvidia. And for very very simple stuff, integrated Intel HD 4600 might even cut it. That's what I would try first, and add a discrete GPU later if I'm not satisfied.

Well I'm not sure that a 6% performance increase and higher price for a chip is totally worth it at that point in the game. Especially since Skylake is not yet stable with OS X. What I'd be paying for at this point is potential head aches and to be among the elite (not really) to be using Skylake. I'm sure the chips price is its highest right now

I don't look down on Sandy Bridge users and they've gotten plenty of life out of their chips. I just don't see how going Haswell or Skylake is going to impact me other than my wallet at this point (especially since the Haswell chip prices are dropping.) It may help me a tad in performance, but let's not forget if I could totally get a great i7 and make it comfortably to whatever chipset comes after Skylake and THEN upgrade.

As far as hard drives go, I've already decided SSD's (of course) and probably WD Blue. Not 100% yet on brand. Same thing goes for RAM.

Somebody correct me.
 
Thanks for the advise.

I think I would get a GPU as is always better to have dedicated card for Video.

I was reading that AMD are having compatibility problems? Is that true?

Could you advise in any AMD full compatible and not too expensive?

Also about the CPUs, you think is worth it to spend some more money on Skylake even if is not full compatible yet?

Sorry for all questions but it would be my first Hackintosh :p

Thanks again!
 
suggest the following:
$320.00 Asus TUF Gryphon Z97
$340.00 i7 4790K
$85.00 Crucial RAM 2x8GB 1866
$80.00 PSU Corsair CS550M
$70.00 Case Fractal Design Define Mini
$60.00 CPU cooler Noctua NH-U9S
$955.00 total + tax wherever you are.

Forgive me for my ignorance but the Asus TUF Gryphon Z97 doesn't seem to be $320, it actually is significantly less if you can find it. Im seeing around $170 USD. It seems that a lot of boards are out of stock. Is this because they are older and harder to find or obsolete? I'm a bit confused.
 
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