4K+RAW Video Editing Setup

[Moose9287]

Hello Hackintosh Genius'!

I am looking to build a killer 4K+ RAW Video editing setup. Apple is just taking too long with their desktop tha tis likely to be very overpriced and proprietary.

I need some advice. I run Adobe Premiere and the entire Suite, Some of Maxon Cinema 4D and also FInal PRo X. This system is to replace my current maxed out MAc pro 5,1. Any advice will be helpful.

I am looking for a VERY POWERFUL machine!

 

[Bapple]

Sounds fun! I don't (yet) have lots of experience in building hackintoshes, but here are my thoughts.

For the CPU, the mainstream power-user ideal is the i7-7700k (4 cores, 8 threads) paired with a Z270 motherboard that will let you overclock it. But for editing raw 4k footage, you probably will want more cores, even if they're clocked a little slower. In that case, look at the i7-7800k (6 cores, 12 threads) and a X299 motherboard, which just got its price lowered. And if you want the best of both worlds (and are also a little more daring, since Coffee Lake isn't officially supported by Apple yet), check out the i7-8700k (6 cores, 12 threads) with a Z370 motherboard. Of course, you could also splurge for enthusiast-grade silicon if you want; just make sure that whatever chipset you go with is hackintosh-compatible, and preferably supports Intel QuickSync.

As for the GPU, the easiest and tonymacx86.com-recommended install would be an Nvidia card, but AMD cards are better optimized for computing performance in Mac OS and particularly in Final Cut Pro. For Nvidia, I would go for a GTX 1060 or better. For AMD, I would consider an RX 580 or a Vega 56. The advice from reviewers is to not bother with the Vega 64, unless you want to splurge for the liquid-cooled version. The Vega 56 can be overclocked like crazy, and if you're willing to flash the 64 bios, you can almost achieve parity with Vega 64 performance.

Aside from that, get a crazy fast m.2 SSD, at least 16 GB of RAM (preferably 32), a decent air or liquid CPU cooler, and you should be good to go.