$140 Budget Hackintosh

[Nerdzilla]

Ok so here is my plan for my first Hackintosh Build. Wondering how compatable it is and if there are any cheaper parts out there that would work with what I've got. Thanks a ton!

Parts I already have:

RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) DDR2 800MHz
HDD: 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.4GB/s 7200rpm
PSU: 250W ATX12V
DVD: SATA DVDRW

Parts I had in mind:
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R
CPU: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz
GPU: GeForce 9800GTX

I still need a CPU fan/heatsink (Somewhere around $10), an ATX case (maybe $30?) and maybe a new power supply for the GPU?

So so if you have any cheaper alternatives for the new parts or if you have any ideas on the stuff I still need that would be much appriciated, but otherwise if you could just tell me if this setup is compatable or not.

Thanks in advance!
Justin

UPDATE: Upgrading to a combo PSU and case, the 480W PSU should support the 9800GTX. Also found a stock Intel LGA 775 fan, just need to know what version OS this build would be compatible with

 

[trs96]

Where are you finding that old EP45 motherboard and what kind of shape is it in ?

You can use this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128536&cm_re=gigabyte-_-13-128-536-_-Product

and combine it with the E8400 Core 2 Duo CPU. it will require some DDR3 ram
but you can buy that very cheap nowadays. The main benefit is you get a new
board with a 3 year warranty and faster DDR3 ram as well. If you want to dual
boot Windows there is support for Win 7/8.1 too.

For the heatsink you can just use the stock Intel and if you get the G41 then
you can go with something inexpensive like the Fractal Core 1000.

Here's some good quality low cost DDR3 Ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424&cm_re=8_GB_ddr3_1333-_-20-231-424-_-Product

 

[Nerdzilla]

Yeah so I found an $80 Gigabyte on eBay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/181800...%3D711-117182-37290-0%26rvr_id%3D879871197496

But im not too pumped at just not using the new ddr2 sticks that just came :/

Does what I have work? Are there any better mobos with ddr2 that have the dual boot?


UPDATE: Not using that one, I am using this one as recommended:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIGABYTE-GA...rocessor-43-/261987751725?hash=item3cffafd72d

 

[P1LGRIM]

But im not too pumped at just not using the new ddr2 sticks that just came :/

Does what I have work? Are there any better mobos with ddr2 that have the dual boot?

Check the manufacturer's website to confirm compatibility :

http://download.gigabyte.eu/FileList/Memory/motherboard_memory_ga-ep45-ds3l.pdf

 

[Nerdzilla]

Ok so if the ram and mobo are compatable, should I buy them and be able to run OS X?
Will the original setup work for casual use?

 

[trs96]

Yeah so I found an $80 Gigabyte on eBay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/181800...%3D711-117182-37290-0%26rvr_id%3D879871197496

But im not too pumped at just not using the new ddr2 sticks that just came :/

Does what I have work? Are there any better mobos with ddr2 that have the dual boot?

If you want to use the DDR2 then you could go with this U.S. seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIGABYTE-GA...motherboard-/171865113685?hash=item2803f58455

at least you'd have 15 days to return it if you had any problems. There is also a DSDT in the Tonymacx86 database that you can use to help you get it fully working. As far as Windows support, 7 should work with it but not sure about 8.1 or 10, whether there are proper drivers available. If you can find a rev. 1.1 of that board it would also look a lot better if that matters to you.



This seller gives you the E8400 CPU and motherboard for about 90 dollars shipped.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIGABYTE-GA...rocessor-43-/261987751725?hash=item3cffafd72d
There is also a DSDT available for this one.

 

[Nerdzilla]

Wow this is amazing! Thank you all so much for the help, I think I will go with the combo and I will look into ddr3 ram, and maybe an i5 on the next build that might be a bit looser on the budget

 

[alex37751]

I have tried Intel Core-2-duos. They don't preform all that great. You would be better off with an Intel-i3 at least.

I use this Dual boot system with Windows-10 and OS-X Yosemite on a 500gb. hard drive with 2 250gb. partitions.

Watch this video on how to do it.

[video=youtube;VSYkUkngdb4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSYkUkngdb4[/video]


or this one.

[video=youtube;M03WQB6m7ug]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M03WQB6m7ug[/video]



I spent $199 and bought a NEW Lenovo TS140 with Intel-i3

or you can spend $299 and buy a Lenovo TS140 with Xeon which will perform almost equal to a $3000 base model Mac Pro.

Check on eBay.com


[video=youtube;DPVeV0AhEQo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPVeV0AhEQo[/video]





Here are some specs.

CPU Benchmarks

Dell XPS 8700 with Intel-i7-4790, ( $700 )...............(4823 single core)and ( 19381 multicore).
Mac Pro 2014 - 4-core Xeon, ( $3000 Base model )..(3274 single core)and ( 13027 multicore).
TS140 - Intel Xeon E3-1225, ( $300 ), 4gb ram, 120gb SSD (3220 single core) and (11952 multicore).
iMac-27, 2014 -Intel i5-4690 (4cores), 1tb Fusion Drive....(3541 single core) and (11350 multicore).
TS140 - Intel i3, ( $199 ), 4gb Ram, 120gb SSD................(2911 single core) and (6334 multicore).
Mac Mini 2014 - Intel i5, 4gb ram, 500gb hard drive.........(2418 single core) and (5142 multicore).



Hard Drive Benchmarks
Dell XPS 8700 with Samsung PCIe SSD SM951.............(write -1570mb/s) and (read -1716mb/s)
TS140 with Samsung PCIe SSD SM951.......................(write -1570mb/s) and (read -1716mb/s)
Dell XPS 8700 with Intel 750 PCIe SSD.......................(write -1243mb/s) and (read -1506mb/s)
TS140 with Intel 750 PCIe SSD...............................(write -1243mb/s) and (read -1506mb/s)
Mac Pro 2014 - Xeon, $3000 Base model , PCIe SSD ...(write - 783mb/s) and (read - 915mb/s).
TS140 with Kinston Predator PCie ..........................(write - 663mb/s) and ( read -1189mb/s)
Dell XPS 8700 with Samsung Evo 850 mSata SSD.........(write - 525mb/s) and (write - 550mb/s)
TS140 with Samsung Evo 850 120gb.......................(write - 489mb/s) and (read - 505mb/s).
TS140 with OCZ SSD blackmagic benchmarks.............(write - 368mb/s) and (read - 436mb/s).
iMac 27, 2014 Fusion Drive blackmagic benchmarks...(write - 292mb/s) and (read - 629mb/s).
Mac Mini 2014 , 500gb. hard drive benchmarks..........(write - 90mb/s) and (read - 103mb/s).



Graphics card benchmarks

Observed Cinebench scores ( Higher is better ).

Nvidia Geforce GTX 980...................................( OpenGL 149fps ) ( CPU 824cb )
Nvidia Geforce GTX Titan.................................( OpenGL 126fps ) ( CPU 811cb )
Nvidia Geforce GTX 780...................................( OpenGL 122fps ) ( CPU 802cb )
Nvidia Geforce GTX 970...................................( OpenGL 114fps ) ( CPU 573cb )
AMD Radeon R9 290x......................................( OpenGL 112fps ) ( CPU 812cb )
iMac 2014 5K AMD Radeon R9 M295x................( OpenGL 105fps ) ( CPU 781cb )
AMD Radeon R9 280........................................( OpenGL 94fps ) ( CPU 560cb )
Nvidia Geforce GTX 650ti……….........................…( OpenGL 89fps ) (CPU 1056cb )
Nvidia Geforce GTX 750ti..................................( OpenGL 85fps ) ( CPU 637cb )
Nvidia Geforce GTX 760....................................( OpenGL 82fps ) ( CPU 581cb )
Nvidia Geforce GT 740......................................( OpenGL 79fps ) ( CPU 206cb )
AMD Radeon R9 270.........................................( OpenGL 78fps ) ( CPU 240cb )
Nvidia Geforce GTX 960....................................( OpenGL 73fps ) ( CPU 914cb )
Mac Pro 2014 Dual AMD FirePro D300 ................( OpenGL 73fps ) ( CPU 736cb )
AMD Radeon R7 260x….................................……( OpenGL 73fps ) ( CPU 337cb )
DELL XPS 8700 , Nvidia Geforce GTX 745.............( OpenGL 72fps ) ( CPU 463cb )
Mac mini 2014 Intel HD 5000 graphics.................( OpenGL 23fps ) ( CPU 228cb )
Lenovo TS140 , Intel Haswell HD 4600 graphics....( OpenGL 22fps ) ( CPU 213cb )
Nvidia Geforce GT 610 ( Lenovo TS140 ).............( OpenGL 16fps ) ( CPU 338cb )


The "AMD Radeon R9 280" appears to be the best value. However the "Nvidia GT 610" is also a good budget graphics card with VGA, HDMI, and DVI ports.

 

[Nerdzilla]

Oh man, I'm like a kid in a candy store! So many new things, I am totally gonna do a dual boot with windows 10 (I'm running 7 now but the free upgrade to 10 is tempting...)

But then I'll want to do Mac OS X but I don't know which version of OS X to use?

Unfortunately I won't be able to get a cheap i3 as I am pushing my nickel and dime budget as is, unless I can get a motherboard and CPU for cheaper than 80...

Nevertheless, Will I be able to run 10.10 Yosemite? Do you think I am ready to move out of the build stage though? I am ok with it not working OOB I would just like it to work, albeit with a little elbow grease, that's fine too.