Snow Leopard (10.6.8) Mini-ITX build

[andyidol]

Hello!

I want to build a hackintosh around Mini-ITX form-factor. I'm going to use Snow Leopard 10.6.8 on it in order to run some legacy software. And I want this computer to have best possible performance (newest possible compatible hardware).

Could you recommend me some compatible Mini-ITX motherboard/processor/RAM that will work with 10.6.8 hackintosh please?

I'm new to this hackintosh thing and I just don't want to make some mistakes when selecting hardware.

Any help will be much appreciated, thanks!

UPD: I also want to run it on embedded video card (in order to conserve space), is it possible with 10.6.8? And of course I would like to have best possible embedded video card.

 

[Adrian B]

The sticky at the top of this forum is a good link to start with :
http://www.tonymacx86.com/buying-ad...older-versions-os-x-using-older-chipsets.html

This is probably your best bet:
http://tonymacx86.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/building-sandy-bridge-customac-buyers.html

You may need to look around for both new and second hand hardware particularly the processor and motherboard options. Good luck.

 

[andyidol]

Thanks for the links Adrian!

I've looked through the posts and found the reference to only these Mini-ITX MB's: Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3-B3, Gigabyte GA-H61N-USB3.

Is these the only ones that supports OS X 10.6.8? Are there any other options?

I've managed to find only this Mini-ITX (LGA1155) MB on my local market: ZOTAC Z68ITX-B-E. Is it compatible with OS X 10.6.8?

I'm sorry for this newbie questions, but I will really appreciate your help.

How do I check if some MB is supported by OS X 10.6.8 or not? Is there any rules I should follow?

UPD: I've also found this MB: MSI B75IA-E33 B75 Socket-1155, 2xDDR3, 1xSATA3, 1xPCI-Ex16, 4xUSB3.0, GLan Mini-ITX. Is it suitable?

 

[Adrian B]

Thanks for the links Adrian!

I've looked through the posts and found the reference to only these Mini-ITX MB's: Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3-B3, Gigabyte GA-H61N-USB3.

Is these the only ones that supports OS X 10.6.8? Are there any other options?

I've managed to find only this Mini-ITX (LGA1155) MB on my local market: ZOTAC Z68ITX-B-E. Is it compatible with OS X 10.6.8?

It is probably OK - You will need to create your own DSDT.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/buying-advice/73576-zotac-motherboards.html

I'm sorry for this newbie questions, but I will really appreciate your help.

How do I check if some MB is supported by OS X 10.6.8 or not? Is there any rules I should follow?

Use search facility and google - Google is much better than most other search engines for this purpose.. Put a motherboard model into the search facility on this site. Add Snow Leopard or 10.6 and see the difference in threads found.
When using google use e.g. ZOTAC Z68ITX-B-E Hackintosh

H61, H67 & Z68 boards are really what you are looking for. They are certainly the latest models that you can successfully use without using a modified kernel. The Gigabyte models often have UEFI type BIOS that do not need additional DSDT to be created to work properly.

UPD: I've also found this MB: MSI B75IA-E33 B75 Socket-1155, 2xDDR3, 1xSATA3, 1xPCI-Ex16, 4xUSB3.0, GLan Mini-ITX. Is it suitable?

A B75 board will work with Lion 10.7.5 (last version) onwards. It is too modern for Snow Leopard.

 

[andyidol]

Thank you very much Adrian, you are most helpful!

 

[andyidol]

I've managed to find Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3-B3 MB on my local market.

However, I'm not sure what MB I should choose now, Gigabyte or Zotac.

Zotac looks better to me, it uses newer chipset, has a powerfull Nvidia Adapter built-in and it has a Wi-Fi adapter also, but you said that Gigabyte is recommended and more compatible. If I opt for Gigabyte I will have to install additional PCI-E adapter to enable Wi-Fi.

Could you elaborate please on how hard it is to build my own DSDT file for Zotac MB? Is it an automated process of taking a clean DSDT and applying some ready-made patches to it or I will have to dig into the code myself? I've never done this thing before.

And if I choose Gigabyte is it easy to install PCI-E Wi-Fi adapter or I'm going to have some problems with the drivers?

 

[Going Bald]

I've managed to find Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3-B3 MB on my local market.

However, I'm not sure what MB I should choose now, Gigabyte or Zotac.

Zotac looks better to me, it uses newer chipset, has a powerfull Nvidia Adapter built-in and it has a Wi-Fi adapter also, but you said that Gigabyte is recommended and more compatible. If I opt for Gigabyte I will have to install additional PCI-E adapter to enable Wi-Fi.

Could you elaborate please on how hard it is to build my own DSDT file for Zotac MB? Is it an automated process of taking a clean DSDT and applying some ready-made patches to it or I will have to dig into the code myself? I've never done this thing before.

And if I choose Gigabyte is it easy to install PCI-E Wi-Fi adapter or I'm going to have some problems with the drivers?

Go with the Gigabyte board. DSDT exists in the forum Downloads->DSDT. Just get the recommended PCIe WiFi card (works OOB), or, if you want a GPU in the PCIe slot, there are several USB WiFi alternatives available. There may also be a UEFI BIOS update which might make the DSDT unnecessary.

 

[Adrian B]

I've managed to find Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3-B3 MB on my local market.

However, I'm not sure what MB I should choose now, Gigabyte or Zotac.

Zotac looks better to me, it uses newer chipset, has a powerfull Nvidia Adapter built-in and it has a Wi-Fi adapter also, but you said that Gigabyte is recommended and more compatible. If I opt for Gigabyte I will have to install additional PCI-E adapter to enable Wi-Fi.

Could you elaborate please on how hard it is to build my own DSDT file for Zotac MB? Is it an automated process of taking a clean DSDT and applying some ready-made patches to it or I will have to dig into the code myself? I've never done this thing before.

And if I choose Gigabyte is it easy to install PCI-E Wi-Fi adapter or I'm going to have some problems with the drivers?

I would go with the Gigabyte - it certainly is known to work and work well. The Zotac is much more of an unknown quantity in my mind.