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$1000 build?

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mintran

mintran

Joined
Jul 4, 2016
Messages
15
Motherboard
Gigabyte
CPU
6700
Graphics
580rtx
Mac
  1. iMac
Hey guys,

I built some Hackintosh 8-9 years ago then I bought "real" Macs because compatibility was so painful back then. I know that Hacintosh world has changed a lot. I'm considering building a new Hackintosh after reading this article. My budget is $900-$1k. I'm an interface designer, I don't play game so I don't need top-of-the-line graphic card and CPU. Here are some critical parts of my future setup:
- Plenty of RAM (16-32G)
- Good bluetooth and wifi support
- Thunderbolt!

I'm looking forward to your recommendation and feedback.

Thanks,

Min
 
mintran said:
Hey guys,

I built some Hackintosh 8-9 years ago then I bought "real" Macs because compatibility was so painful back then. I know that Hacintosh world has changed a lot. I'm considering building a new Hackintosh after reading this article. My budget is $900-$1k. I'm an interface designer, I don't play game so I don't need top-of-the-line graphic card and CPU. Here are some critical parts of my future setup:
- Plenty of RAM (16-32G)
- Good bluetooth and wifi support
- Thunderbolt!

I'm looking forward to your recommendation and feedback.

Thanks,

Min
Click to expand...

Here's a list of parts, mostly from the Buyer's Guide, that falls well within your budget; in fact, it comes to about $780 (not including monitor, keyboard, or mouse - I'm assuming you probably already have those, and not including any shipping charges).
Hope this works for you!
 
My "Daily Driver"
Z370M Pro4 |  i7 8700 |  Radeon Other
Partner's Hack
Z370M Pro4 |  i5 8400 |  HD 630
mintran said:
I'm an interface designer, ... so I don't need top-of-the-line graphic card and CPU.
Click to expand...

What do you as an "interface designer" do? Do you need the complex computational power of an i7? If not, then the fastest i5 should do.

It's always best to get as fast a CPU as possible - for the future when more complex OSes take more computing power. So while you may not need the power of an i7, you probably wouldn't want an i3. Which would you rather buy, the 2.7GHZ i5-6400 for $180 or the 3.3GHZ i5-6600 for $210?
http://www.pricewatch.com/price/cpu/i5-6600 If you're going to supply your own heat sink solution then the 3.5GHZ i-5 6600K can be bought for $218. Chances are you wont be over clocking it to almost 4GHZ, but just having the faster cores should be a benefit. Some guys like the $30 coolers (like the Cooler Master 212 EVO for $30, for example. I prefer the $70 Noctua NH-U14S for it's better quality, superior mounting system and quiet fans. Some had Skylake CPU wafers breaking, but I tend to attribute it to the heat sink mounting system that they bought into.) When it comes to choosing between a loose bin CPU and a Retail version, if the price is the same always go with the Retail version, even if you will not be needing the stock fan. Intel fans are darn good, btw. Their mounting system leaves a lot to be desired, though.

It's always best to buy a mobo with 4 RAM slots and populate all four slots in quad channel for the greatest mem throughput. If you have your heart set on 16GB then four 4G sticks should be relatively inexpensive (up to the point where they are no longer produced - then the price goes up as old stock becomes scarce.) Selecting RAM is a science, and one starts at the mobo manufacturer's Certified RAM list. One compares prices for various timings and comes up with the best "bang for the buck" choice.

If you are going to always leave your PC on then you will probably need a PSU that can handle Hibernation and Deep Sleep, so a Haswell Certified PSU is always a good idea.

As you research your choices read the user reviews at Newegg and Amazon to get an idea of what problems others have and temper it with the knowledge that it may have been due to their choices of incompatible parts, their ignorance, etc. Compare the time line to when revisions were made, things like BIOS updates may have fixed a problem, or Quality Control was beefed up, or the manufacturer changed suppliers, etc. Whittle down the data so that you get a clear idea of what the hardware problems really are. Typically I start with the most reviews and work my way up, dismissing obvious user errors. Look at the spread of Ratings. If a hardware piece has more negative reviews than positives you may want to deeply think about not buying it. Whatever hardware you're are researching do Google searches for that piece with "Review" and "Problems" filters. While you are not likely to read too many problems with computer cases the Reviews should point out any obvious problems.

While you may not need the fastest CPU and the fastest GPU, if you do a lot of Internet surfing, the greater the RAM you have and the faster the video card, chances are the smoother your surfing will be - things like watching YouTube Videos and keeping many browser tabs open, for example.

Chances are that if it is work related you will want as quiet a PC as possible. May I suggest that you rip out all the fans in whatever case you buy and install Noctua fans? They're expensive at $15 (120mm) - $22 (140mm) apiece but, IMO, are well worth it. Yes, even SSDs need cooling since most have thermal circuits that degrade performance if they start over heating.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for your attentive response. I really appreciate it.

I spend most of my day messing around with Photoshop, Sketch.app (very lightweight Photoshop's alternative for user interface designer), some text editors/processors and After Effect, I don't think that I need a lot of CPU power but I do need plenty of RAM 32Gb of RAM would be a sweet spot.

I would stretch my budget a little bit for a i7-6700 but it offers much more than I really need in the next 1-2 years. I'm not sure that I need a dedicated VGA since integrated graphic in my Macbook Air drives my 34" (3560x1440) display sufficiently; but I believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Ideally I would like my system to be as quiet and stable as possible so I wouldn't mind spending $100 for an exceptional cooling system. I'm looking at the Noctua's stuffs now.

Your comment on the PSU is spot on! I've been living under the rock for so long and it's the first time I've heard about PSU's Hibernation and Deep Sleep terms. I'm doing some researches now.

Once again, thanks for enlighting me!




kiiroaka said:
What do you as an "interface designer" do? Do you need the complex computational power of an i7? If not, then the fastest i5 should do.

It's always best to get as fast a CPU as possible - for the future when more complex OSes take more computing power. So while you may not need the power of an i7, you probably wouldn't want an i3. Which would you rather buy, the 2.7GHZ i5-6400 for $180 or the 3.3GHZ i5-6600 for $210?
http://www.pricewatch.com/price/cpu/i5-6600 If you're going to supply your own heat sink solution then the 3.5GHZ i-5 6600K can be bought for $218. Chances are you wont be over clocking it to almost 4GHZ, but just having the faster cores should be a benefit. Some guys like the $30 coolers (like the Cooler Master 212 EVO for $30, for example. I prefer the $70 Noctua NH-U14S for it's better quality, superior mounting system and quiet fans. Some had Skylake CPU wafers breaking, but I tend to attribute it to the heat sink mounting system that they bought into.) When it comes to choosing between a loose bin CPU and a Retail version, if the price is the same always go with the Retail version, even if you will not be needing the stock fan. Intel fans are darn good, btw. Their mounting system leaves a lot to be desired, though.

It's always best to buy a mobo with 4 RAM slots and populate all four slots in quad channel for the greatest mem throughput. If you have your heart set on 16GB then four 4G sticks should be relatively inexpensive (up to the point where they are no longer produced - then the price goes up as old stock becomes scarce.) Selecting RAM is a science, and one starts at the mobo manufacturer's Certified RAM list. One compares prices for various timings and comes up with the best "bang for the buck" choice.

If you are going to always leave your PC on then you will probably need a PSU that can handle Hibernation and Deep Sleep, so a Haswell Certified PSU is always a good idea.

As you research your choices read the user reviews at Newegg and Amazon to get an idea of what problems others have and temper it with the knowledge that it may have been due to their choices of incompatible parts, their ignorance, etc. Compare the time line to when revisions were made, things like BIOS updates may have fixed a problem, or Quality Control was beefed up, or the manufacturer changed suppliers, etc. Whittle down the data so that you get a clear idea of what the hardware problems really are. Typically I start with the most reviews and work my way up, dismissing obvious user errors. Look at the spread of Ratings. If a hardware piece has more negative reviews than positives you may want to deeply think about not buying it. Whatever hardware you're are researching do Google searches for that piece with "Review" and "Problems" filters. While you are not likely to read too many problems with computer cases the Reviews should point out any obvious problems.

While you may not need the fastest CPU and the fastest GPU, if you do a lot of Internet surfing, the greater the RAM you have and the faster the video card, chances are the smoother your surfing will be - things like watching YouTube Videos and keeping many browser tabs open, for example.

Chances are that if it is work related you will want as quiet a PC as possible. May I suggest that you rip out all the fans in whatever case you buy and install Noctua fans? They're expensive at $15 (120mm) - $22 (140mm) apiece but, IMO, are well worth it. Yes, even SSDs need cooling since most have thermal circuits that degrade performance if they start over heating.
Click to expand...
 
mintran said:
I don't think that I need a lot of CPU power but I do need plenty of RAM 32Gb of RAM would be a sweet spot.
Click to expand...

Then the fastest i5 may do. $220 for an i5-6600K isn't a bad deal. Will there be a huge difference between a $190 3.2 GHZ and a $220 3.5 GHZ CPU? Probably not. Still, if it were me I'd always prefer the faster CPU. For instance, $325 for an i7 4.0 GHZ wouldn't be out of the question if performance is what you want. But, given the choice with going with an i5 with 64GB of RAM or the i7 with 32GB of RAM, for the same price, I'd pick the 64GB of RAM. The power guys would probably go with the i7 and 32GB of RAM since they figure that 32GB is more than enough. My advice to them, though would be to install (4) 8GB sticks instead of (2) 16GB sticks. They'll be rationalizing that they can always just install another (2) 16Gb sticks later on, when they can afford it. Unfortunately they may end up installing a different manufacturer, which could cause instability problems. The mobo BIOS will always default to the lowest speed, not the fastest, and I wouldn't want to mix Micron and Hynix chips for the same reason (although some guys do it at work. But, then again they'll mix two 2G sticks with one 256MB stick, double sided and single sided, so what do they know? When it comes into the shop I'm the one that has to throw away the 256Mb sticks and then make sure they all have the same sticks.) Check Noctua fan reviews on Amazon and you'll notice that most have all 5 stars.

The case will be very important. I went with an Antec 302 case that was on sale for $50 and then threw in three Noctua Fans. While Amazon sells the NF-S12A fans for $20 apiece they can be found on EBay for $15 apiece. The Antec 300 case situates the HDDs in a different direction. It all depends on what you want to end up with. If your SATA cables are long enough you can make the Antec 300 case just as tidy. Helping someone else here I got turned on to AeroCool cases. Something like the AeroCool 1000 definitely appeals to me. http://www.aerocool.us/pgs/pgs-a/pgs_a_a1000_w.html $95 on Amazon isn't too bad. Well, to me. :D It's the not-so obvious things that you don't think about that matter, like the size of the grill air holes. Some cases have very little vent holes, so they are bound to create more back pressure, which will probably cause more fan noise. Oh, it's not perfect, I would have preferred a 140mm rear exhaust fan opening. But I can install two 120mm fans on the top. I happen to be a proponent of top exhaust fans, and if I can't install a 220mm top exhaust fan I would like at least be able to install two 140mm fans. That's my kind of case - two 140mm fans on the top, two 140mm fans in the front, one 140mm fan in the rear. ymmv. :D For me, if it doesn't have a top fan exhaust, I won't buy it; if it has a front door, I won't buy it. ymmv.

You'll have to decide what will work best for you. For some they love Corsair cases. For others nothing less than an all heavy metal Lian case is acceptable. For me, it's all about air flow. And conservative looks. Do your research. Just because Cooler Master advertises their HAF cases having superior air flow, for example, the reviewers tested otherwise. IMO, they look hideous. Whatever case you think look good, see if someone has reviewed it.

Me, I'd rather buy a $50 case and throw $100 worth of Noctua fans at it, than buy a $150 case and live with their noisy sleeve bearing LED-lights fans.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/128313-extremetechs-guide-to-air-cooling-your-pc/2 :
Counter-intuitively, matching the CFM of your intake fans to your exhaust fans is not the best method for air cooling. Generally, it is better to choose between negative or positive pressure.

In a positive pressure configuration, the CFM from intake fans exceeds the CFM of the exhaust fans.

Benefits

  • Air is expelled from any gaps or holes in the case, meaning that every opening contributes to cooling.
  • Less dust will get into the case.
  • Better support for graphics cards with passive cooling systems.
Drawbacks

  • Graphics cards with Direct Heat Exhaust (DHE) systems will partially counteract the effect.
  • Average cooling performance for enthusiast setups.
For negative, the CFM from the exhaust fans exceeds the CFM of the intake fans, creating a partial vacuum inside the case.

Benefits

  • Good cooling performance for enthusiast setups.
  • Amplifies natural convection.
  • Linear and direct air flow.
  • Compatible with DHE graphics cards.
  • Augments the performance of downward-facing CPU heatsink fans.
Drawbacks

  • Dust is more likely to gather in the system as air is drawn in through all openings.
  • Passively cooled video cards do not gain much benefit.
Click to expand...
 
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Thanks for your insightful response.

Any advice on the graphic card? I did some research and found that the Skylake's integrated graphic can't handle 3560x1440 at 60hz. For graphic card, I'd go as cheap as possible since I don't play game; but compatibility and stability are my top priority.

kiiroaka said:
Then the fastest i5 may do. $220 for an i5-6600K isn't a bad deal. Will there be a huge difference between a $190 3.2 GHZ and a $220 3.5 GHZ CPU? Probably not. Still, if it were me I'd always prefer the faster CPU. For instance, $325 for an i7 4.0 GHZ wouldn't be out of the question if performance is what you want. But, given the choice with going with an i5 with 64GB of RAM or the i7 with 32GB of RAM, for the same price, I'd pick the 64GB of RAM. The power guys would probably go with the i7 and 32GB of RAM since they figure that 32GB is more than enough. My advice to them, though would be to install (4) 8GB sticks instead of (2) 16GB sticks. They'll be rationalizing that they can always just install another (2) 16Gb sticks later on, when they can afford it. Unfortunately they may end up installing a different manufacturer, which could cause instability problems. The mobo BIOS will always default to the lowest speed, not the fastest, and I wouldn't want to mix Micron and Hynix chips for the same reason (although some guys do it at work. But, then again they'll mix two 2G sticks with one 256MB stick, double sided and single sided, so what do they know? When it comes into the shop I'm the one that has to throw away the 256Mb sticks and then make sure they all have the same sticks.) Check Noctua fan reviews on Amazon and you'll notice that most have all 5 stars.

The case will be very important. I went with an Antec 302 case that was on sale for $50 and then threw in three Noctua Fans. While Amazon sells the NF-S12A fans for $20 apiece they can be found on EBay for $15 apiece. The Antec 300 case situates the HDDs in a different direction. It all depends on what you want to end up with. If your SATA cables are long enough you can make the Antec 300 case just as tidy. Helping someone else here I got turned on to AeroCool cases. Something like the AeroCool 1000 definitely appeals to me. http://www.aerocool.us/pgs/pgs-a/pgs_a_a1000_w.html $95 on Amazon isn't too bad. Well, to me. :D It's the not-so obvious things that you don't think about that matter, like the size of the grill air holes. Some cases have very little vent holes, so they are bound to create more back pressure, which will probably cause more fan noise. Oh, it's not perfect, I would have preferred a 140mm rear exhaust fan opening. But I can install two 120mm fans on the top. I happen to be a proponent of top exhaust fans, and if I can't install a 220mm top exhaust fan I would like at least be able to install two 140mm fans. That's my kind of case - two 140mm fans on the top, two 140mm fans in the front, one 140mm fan in the rear. ymmv. :D For me, if it doesn't have a top fan exhaust, I won't buy it; if it has a front door, I won't buy it. ymmv.

You'll have to decide what will work best for you. For some they love Corsair cases. For others nothing less than an all heavy metal Lian case is acceptable. For me, it's all about air flow. And conservative looks. Do your research. Just because Cooler Master advertises their HAF cases having superior air flow, for example, the reviewers tested otherwise. IMO, they look hideous. Whatever case you think look good, see if someone has reviewed it.

Me, I'd rather buy a $50 case and throw $100 worth of Noctua fans at it, than buy a $150 case and live with their noisy sleeve bearing LED-lights fans.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/128313-extremetechs-guide-to-air-cooling-your-pc/2 :
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think 4K @ 60HZ may only matter to those who game and watch movies on their 4K HDTVs. For regular Internet surfing it may not matter and chances are that for just desktop use it won't matter at all. (Remember when we would have to run higher than 60HZ on our CRTs because fluorescent lights would sync up with the display and tire our eyes? Or how about running our CRTs as fast as possible so that game tearing would be minimized? Today almost all LED displays run at 60HZ, with the gamers demanding higher refresh rates.) How many 4K monitors will you be driving?

Hopefully someone already running 4K monitors can chime in.
 
I'm using a 34" LG (34UC87). It's not 4k, only 3560x1440. I'm plugging it into a Macbook air, which has an integrated Haswell video chip.

Thanks!

kiiroaka said:
How many 4K monitors will you be driving?
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Then you already know what to expect. Do you experience problems with videos when on the 'Net? Are they choppy, do you get buffering, or is watching videos slow?
 
kiiroaka said:
Then you already know what to expect. Do you experience problems with videos when on the 'Net? Are they choppy, do you get buffering, or is watching videos slow?
Click to expand...

I can say that the integrated graphic on my MBA drives my display decently via thunderbolt and display port. I guess that I should go with the integrated graphic and save money for faster CPU/more RAM then add a dedicated card later if I need power.
 
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