Thanks for the responses yesterday. Got it, one data drive per port. I am a novice; most details are, unfortunately, over my head. But have been successful because of TonyMacX86 forums/guides with my HP Probook laptop since 2012.
trs96,
Read your guide and trying to determine the appropriate hardware/system. (Writing/editing this post for days.) In contrast to other guides, yours is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for the depth and clarity.
I am interested in better airflow and less noise, high processing speed, and multiple HDD slots. Viewing/editing very large jpg and pdf files in Preview or Adobe while typing my dissertation in Word. My ProBook with an i3 can’t handle it. Need a stable system. In my case, is the HP 8300 Elite Mini-Tower i7-3770 the best machine to purchase?
The i3 and i7 CPU’s from post #118 (numbers 3 to 7) have Intel HD Graphics 4000. This means that a Hackintosher does not need to buy a compatible graphics card listed at the top of the first post, right? I am not a gamer, so advanced graphics do not interest me.
i5-3475s Base clock 2.9 GHz
i5-3570K
i7-3770s Base clock 3.1 Ghz
i7-3770
i7-3770K (Do not use in the 8300 USFF)
Parts List
I found a refurbished HP 8300 Elite Mini-Tower i7-3770 on
New Egg for $288.93
Two 8GB G.Skill Ram
New Egg for $77.99 each
TP-Link AC1750 Wifi Adapter
Amazon for $99.99
Syba USB Audio Adapter
Amazon for $5.99 (if audio drivers do not work)
1TB Internal HD WD Blue
Amazon for $48.99
[Maybe an extra mechanical HHD for Windows]
120GB SSD
Amazon for $49.99
SSD Mounting bracket
Amazon for $6.99
DP to VGA Adapter
New Egg for $6.08
or
DP to VGA and HDMI Adapter
Amazon for $12.99
Plus thermal paste and any cables (e.g., Sata6Gb/s)
I have an old USB Apple keyboard, mouse, and VGA monitor (LCD)
Approximate total before taxes $670.
Too much? Should I be looking for refurbished parts instead? E.g., a lower end HP with HD2500 graphics and swap the CPU with a used i7-3770, a used SSD, used ram, etc. Impoverished graduate student thinking.