Upgraded Core i7-3770 CustoMac Mini w/ 12GB ram for $420 at Newegg

[BFire]

For wifi it's recommended that you use the PCIe x1 slot and an adapter card. There is no other onboard wifi slot.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...ordable-customac.224812/page-127#post-1701213

Yes, you can use two magnetic HDDs in these.

gtk re room Incase for my two 8tb drives. Less good re onboard WiFi - seems like hackintosh does not support many/any motherboards with built in WiFi

 

[cocopufft]

Just got my replacement unit and upgraded it to windows ten. The product key that came with this desktop didn't work, but the sticker on the case had a key that worked. Just follow these directions: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/upgrade-to-windows-10-free and once windows ten is installed go to activation and it lets you put in the key from the sticker. Additionally, to get my ethernet to work I had to install the Intel drivers located here: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/do...k-Adapter-Driver-for-Windows-7-?product=41676 just thought I'd share in case anyone is getting this desktop for a hackintosh and/or dual boot system. It runs much better on Windows 10 imho than Windows 7. I'll be working through the guide on creating my Sierra boot disk next week. Thanks again for finding this deal - for the price that Apple quoted me to fix my MBP that was three months out of warranty, I was able to get a great monitor and desktop that will run OSX!

PS: One of the legs on the keyboard was missing on my second unit, so be sure to check everything over when you receive this desktop. This seller seems to have problems with quality on little stuff like this, but my machine has been running perfectly. I'm trying to talk them into giving me a partial refund as I was going to get a different keyboard anyways.

 

[trs96]

Just got my replacement unit and upgraded it to windows ten. The product key that came with this desktop didn't work, but the sticker on the case had a key that worked. Just follow these directions: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/upgrade-to-windows-10-free and once windows ten is installed go to activation and it lets you put in the key from the sticker. Additionally, to get my ethernet to work I had to install the Intel drivers located here: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/do...k-Adapter-Driver-for-Windows-7-?product=41676 just thought I'd share in case anyone is getting this desktop for a hackintosh and/or dual boot system. It runs much better on Windows 10 imho than Windows 7. I'll be working through the guide on creating my Sierra boot disk next week. Thanks again for finding this deal - for the price that Apple quoted me to fix my MBP that was three months out of warranty, I was able to get a great monitor and desktop that will run OSX!

PS: One of the legs on the keyboard was missing on my second unit, so be sure to check everything over when you receive this desktop. This seller seems to have problems with quality on little stuff like this, but my machine has been running perfectly. I'm trying to talk them into giving me a partial refund as I was going to get a different keyboard anyways.

I'm happy to hear that the seller replaced that for you and it's working well with Windows. The Sierra or High Sierra install is very easy on these machines, you should have no problems. Make sure to disconnect the the Windows 10 drive when performing the macOS installation and post installation.

 

[trs96]

Newegg now has some (13) of these 8300 SFFs with i7-3770/8GB ram and Windows 10 Pro license for $190 !
Also includes a 1 year warranty from the seller.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAG967DX7303&ignorebbr=1

These will likely not last long at this price.

I looked at what a new build (Coffee Lake) CustoMac Mini would cost today when buying everything from Newegg. With shipping the total cost is around $740 so you can save a significant amount of money by going refurbished with some upgrades. Savings is about $290 over building a new CustoMac mini yourself. Note you would also need to pay for a Windows 10 Pro license if you want to set up a dual boot on a new build. That cost is not included below.

When you look at the Cinebench numbers and Geekbench too, the i3-8100 and i7-3770 are very close with the 8100 performing better in single core scoring. It's a 5 year newer CPU so that is to be expected. The 3770 has turbo boost and hyperthreading to give it an advantage over the 8100.

Geekbench 3 shows a similar variation in performance between the two.

 

[gamb00ler]

Newegg now has some (13) of these 8300 SFFs with i7-3770/8GB ram and Windows 10 Pro license for $190 !
Also includes a 1 year warranty from the seller.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAG967DX7303&ignorebbr=1

These will likely not last long at this price.

Thanks, I snagged one of these to make a Hack for my niece.

 

[trs96]

Thanks, I snagged one of these to make a Hack for my niece.

Good idea. Even without any upgrades you can have a good Mac Mini replacement by wiping the Windows partition and using HD4000 graphics via DP. Just get a DP to HDMI adapter for < 10 dollars. Complete i7 CustoMac Mini for under 200 USD !

 

[trs96]

There are just 3 of these left at the $190 price on Newegg as of June 14, 2018

 

[EdgarP]

Thanks. I am slowly working through mine. Have it running High Sierra. Doing sound next

 

[trs96]

Here's a Newegg Deal on a 3 dollar DP to HDMI adapter if you need one for your 8300. It does ship from China but this is about the lowest price you'll find ordering from a reputable site like Newegg.

 

[EdgarP]

I have to post again. I am so happy I found this post. Have been using mine for a few weeks and could not be happier. Thanks so much trs96 for your effort in this and the guides of course.