pastrychef's testing machine - HP Elite 8300 SFF - i7-3770 - GT 630

[pastrychef]

Anybody moved over to 10.15 on an 8300?

I don't think there would be any problems updating to Catalina.

Just update Clover and Hackintosh kexts to latest versions.

 

[hammerpocket]

I never upgraded to Mavericks because of the Invidia drivers issue. Once I get a compatible card, is there any reason not to jump straight from High Sierra to Catalina?

 

[trs96]

I never upgraded to Mavericks because of the nvidia drivers issue. Once I get a compatible card, is there any reason not to jump straight from High Sierra to Catalina?

You said Mavericks. Did you mean Mojave ? If you still need 32 bit apps to work don't go to Catalina. Other than that not any major reasons to choose Mojave over Catalina. Catalina still has bugs to get worked out but seems to run stably for most. Especially 8300 owners.

 

[pastrychef]

I never upgraded to Mavericks because of the Invidia drivers issue. Once I get a compatible card, is there any reason not to jump straight from High Sierra to Catalina?

Yeah, the only reason I can see for anyone to stick with Mojave over Catalina is for the 32-bit support. If the apps you use are already 64-bit, I say go straight to Catalina. It's been running well for me on my builds.

 

[hammerpocket]

D'oh!! Yes, Mojave, of course.

Thanks for the 64-bit reminder. There are some 32-bit music-related apps on my machine which I will need to upgrade, hopefully for free.

 

[Lonelytanker]

@Lonelytanker how did you go?

Sorry it's been so long, but I finally got around to installing a new PSU in my 8300 CMT. Working great so far. I did have to drill a couple new holes in the case to secure the PSU, since the OEM PSU's screw holes weren't in the standard positions. The only real issue is the 515 - Fan Error on boot. But I rarely reboot, so it's not a big deal, just hit F1 and all's well.

I've held off on installing the RX580 in the system until Sniki is done with his guide update. I figure if I'm going to start messing around with a perfectly working config I might as well do it from the ground up with the cleanest config possible -- and update my OS from High Sierra at the same time.

 

[phrozenpenguin]

Sorry it's been so long, but I finally got around to installing a new PSU in my 8300 CMT. Working great so far. I did have to drill a couple new holes in the case to secure the PSU, since the OEM PSU's screw holes weren't in the standard positions. The only real issue is the 515 - Fan Error on boot. But I rarely reboot, so it's not a big deal, just hit F1 and all's well.

I've held off on installing the RX580 in the system until Sniki is done with his guide update. I figure if I'm going to start messing around with a perfectly working config I might as well do it from the ground up with the cleanest config possible -- and update my OS from High Sierra at the same time.

Sounds good. I am also planning on using the guide update when it is out, for a new build on another 8300 I am planning. My RX560 has been solid with the original PSU

 

[pastrychef]

Sounds good. I am also planning on using the guide update when it is out, for a new build on another 8300 I am planning. My RX560 has been solid with the original PSU

Another 8300? In my opinion, the 8300 is getting really long in the tooth... Systems that are 3-4 generations newer can be found in the neighborhood of about $200 (or less if you go for a barebones system) now.

2 Dell Optiplex 7040 Micro I3-6100t 3.2ghz 8gb RAM 128gb HDD Windows 10 for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2 Dell Optiplex 7040 Micro I3-6100t 3.2ghz 8gb RAM 128gb HDD Windows 10 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF PC Intel 7th Gen Compatible Barebone PC (No CPU, RAM, HDD) | eBay

A representative will respond quickly.

www.ebay.com

HP ProDesk 600 G3 MT Desktop I3-7100 4gb RAM 500gb HDD Windows 10 Pro for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for HP ProDesk 600 G3 MT Desktop I3-7100 4gb RAM 500gb HDD Windows 10 Pro at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I'm sure that macOS support for for Ivy Bridge is coming to an end sooner rather than later. 3-4 years ago, the HP 8300 was a great bargain, but not so much today... I think it's much wiser to look at systems like I've listed above.

 

[trs96]

Systems that are 3-4 generations newer can be found in the neighborhood of about $200

This is mostly just in the USA. Down under in AUS/NZ it's quite a different world for the prices of refurbished business PCs. I would still opt for something newer than Ivy Bridge as you'd have to use a newer SMBIOS after Catalina for the 8300 to work and that wouldn't be optimal. I think that iMac 14,2 might still survive the next round of Apple cuts but 13,2 certainly won't.

Here in the US we are lucky to get the lowest prices anywhere.

Here are some HP 600 G3 prices in OZ. The first two have the slower weaker T series i5 CPUs and they are like Mac Minis with no internal GPU options for better graphics. The third one, that you could upgrade would cost about 520 USD so not a really great savings over building from components yourself.

 

[pastrychef]

This is mostly just in the USA. Down under in AUS/NZ it's quite a different world for the prices of refurbished business PCs. I would still opt for something newer than Ivy Bridge as you'd have to use a newer SMBIOS after Catalina for the 8300 to work and that wouldn't be optimal. I think that iMac 14,2 might still survive the next round of Apple cuts but 13,2 certainly won't.

Here in the US we are lucky to get the lowest prices anywhere.

Here are some HP 600 G3 prices in OZ. The first two have the slower weaker T series i5 CPUs and they are like Mac Minis with no internal GPU options for better graphics. The third one, that you could upgrade would cost about 520 USD so not a really great savings over building from components yourself.

View attachment 443762

Ah... I neglected to consider other parts of the world...

I have an i5-6400T in a DeskMini 110 build but I haven't had much time to mess with it... It's actually a pretty decent performer considering how little power it consumes. In situations were power consumption is important, it can be more preferable. It really depends on the use case scenario...