First Build: Dual-boot Hackintosh

[karnan]

Hello!

This is my first computer build and I'm really excited to get started. Before I order all the components I'd appreciate any feedback, comments, suggestions, or even warnings anyone has regarding this setup. I intend to run both OS X 10.8 and Windows 7 on this machine.

I'll be using OS X for my daily usage, school, and work which largely constitutes software development with an emphasis on graphics. Windows, as I'm sure most can guess, will be almost exclusively for gaming.

Components

Case: Corsair 500R White
Cooler: Corsair H110
CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K
GPU: EVGA GTX 680 FTW+ 4GB
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-GD5H
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W


As you'll notice I'm currently lacking storage. Since this will be a dual-boot system, I figured I'd go with one SSD for OS X 10.8 and another for Windows 7. Two 120-128GB SDDs will be plenty of storage for my needs. I was going to buy two SK Hynix SSDs, but they're completely sold out on Newegg and I can't find them anywhere else. Any suggestions for similar drives?

I'm pretty sure I can, but I just want to confirm that I will be able to boot Windows on a separate SSD from the SSD with OS X (and the boot loader) on it. I've seen builds where the boot loader was on a mSATA and I'm curious if this is necessary or provides any advantages?

One last thing I should mention is once everything is up and running smoothly I intend to do some overclocking.

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback, thanks!

 

[Going Bald]

Parts look OK although that PSU is a litle oversized - for expansion in future?

As for the dual boot, separate SSDs is the best way to go IMHO. See http://www.tonymacx86.com/multi-booting/96000-guide-mountain-lion-windows-8-a.html

 

[karnan]

Parts look OK although that PSU is a litle oversized - for expansion in future?

As for the dual boot, separate SSDs is the best way to go IMHO. See http://www.tonymacx86.com/multi-booting/96000-guide-mountain-lion-windows-8-a.html

Yeah it's a little more than the system needs, but that way I've got plenty of room for overclocking and expansion.

I'm assuming a Windows 7 installation would be no different than 8? Also is it possible to install Windows via USB using that method? I'm not putting an optical drive in this computer, but I do own a copy of Windows 7 on DVD that I could copy to USB.

Thanks.

 

[Going Bald]

Yeah it's a little more than the system needs, but that way I've got plenty of room for overclocking and expansion.

I'm assuming a Windows 7 installation would be no different than 8? Also is it possible to install Windows via USB using that method? I'm not putting an optical drive in this computer, but I do own a copy of Windows 7 on DVD that I could copy to USB.

Thanks.

Win7 and Win8 install the same even though Win8 has that so-called "Metro interface", trying to make it look like iOS on an iPad with touch screen capability to use swipes and gestures instead of pointer on mouse.

If you preformat the SSD with 1 partition to install Win7, it will put the boot files on the root instead of creating a System Reserved partition.

And yes, you can create a USB installer for Win7. See http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2432-usb-windows-7-installation-key-drive-create.html for more info.

 

[karnan]

Win7 and Win8 install the same even though Win8 has that so-called "Metro interface", trying to make it look like iOS on an iPad with touch screen capability to use swipes and gestures instead of pointer on mouse.

If you preformat the SSD with 1 partition to install Win7, it will put the boot files on the root instead of creating a System Reserved partition.

And yes, you can create a USB installer for Win7. See http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2432-usb-windows-7-installation-key-drive-create.html for more info.

Haha yes I'm well aware of Windows 8's new features, I just wanted to clarify if there would be any technical differences in the installation process. Thanks for the reply!

 

[theburningchicken]

Hello!

This is my first computer build and I'm really excited to get started. Before I order all the components I'd appreciate any feedback, comments, suggestions, or even warnings anyone has regarding this setup. I intend to run both OS X 10.8 and Windows 7 on this machine.

I'll be using OS X for my daily usage, school, and work which largely constitutes software development with an emphasis on graphics. Windows, as I'm sure most can guess, will be almost exclusively for gaming.

Components

Case: Corsair 500R White
Cooler: Corsair H110
CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K
GPU: EVGA GTX 680 FTW+ 4GB
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-GD5H
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Gold 750W

As you'll notice I'm currently lacking storage. Since this will be a dual-boot system, I figured I'd go with one SSD for OS X 10.8 and another for Windows 7. Two 120-128GB SDDs will be plenty of storage for my needs. I was going to buy two SK Hynix SSDs, but they're completely sold out on Newegg and I can't find them anywhere else. Any suggestions for similar drives?

I'm pretty sure I can, but I just want to confirm that I will be able to boot Windows on a separate SSD from the SSD with OS X (and the boot loader) on it. I've seen builds where the boot loader was on a mSATA and I'm curious if this is necessary or provides any advantages?

One last thing I should mention is once everything is up and running smoothly I intend to do some overclocking.

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback, thanks!

Hey I have a question, does the corsair h110 have any issues with firmware/compatibility? Becuase the h100i has some issues regarding the software and "Corsair Link" stuff... wondering if the corsair h110 doesn't have the "Link" and wondering if this works natively without any software set up... Thanks!

Nice build btw!

-theburningchicken

Update: Ignore my question, did some research. lol