8th/9th Gen ITX Build

[Joker54]

I'm looking into building a Z370/Z390 ITX based hackintosh.

Parts I currently have:
- SFX 750W PSU
- GTX980Ti
- Some random drives.

I use my hackintosh exclusively for video editing, so staying on High Sierra isn't bad. I do however wanna use the iGPU in headless mode for that QuickSync.
I'm not exactly sure what CPU to get, but I guess it'll boil down to a used 8700K or a 9900K.

Now for the Mainboard: I searched quite a bit, but the info about Bluetooth/Wifi solution is very spread out across various threads.

My Idea is to buy the Z370 Fatal1ty board and swap the WIFI/Bluetooth module to a fitting one (Not sure which one, but supposedly that Lenovo one should fit?)
Is that a good idea? Are there better boards for my use case?

 

[papadiche]

I use the previous generation Z270 Fatal1ty, so take my experience with a grain of salt.

It looks like the Z370 and Z390 ITX boards from ASRock use the same M.2 PCIe connector for their Wi-Fi chips that mine does. Only difference is the newer ones went with a better Intel variant. Either way, if you want native Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/AirDrop like I have, I recommend you ripping out whatever Wi-Fi chip is in there and installing the following:

- LINK: Hobbypower NGFF BCM94360CS2 Adapter
- LINK: Padarsey BCM94360CS2 Wi-Fi Bluetooth Card
- LINK: Highfine 2 x 6dBi Wi-Fi Antennas

All-in costs should be about $60 and you'll have native Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirDrop. My hackintosh is my work computer and I use an Apple Magic Keyboard all day long. Rock solid support since installing the above. AirDrop also works very well.

The BCM94360CS2 chip is the same one used in the 2013 Macbook Air, so you literally are installing an Apple chip in your computer. Can't get more native than that!

Note: If you go this route, I highly recommend installing the card before installing the motherboard in its case. Be gentle installing the new card. Make sure you use even pressure when inserting the card into the adapter, and the adapter into the motherboard.

 

[theruck]

you should stay away from nvidia gpu if you intend to use any newer os than High Sierra

 

[macs_forever]

I use the previous generation Z270 Fatal1ty, so take my experience with a grain of salt.

It looks like the Z370 and Z390 ITX boards from ASRock use the same M.2 PCIe connector for their Wi-Fi chips that mine does. Only difference is the newer ones went with a better Intel variant. Either way, if you want native Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/AirDrop like I have, I recommend you ripping out whatever Wi-Fi chip is in there and installing the following:

- LINK: Hobbypower NGFF BCM94360CS2 Adapter
- LINK: Padarsey BCM94360CS2 Wi-Fi Bluetooth Card
- LINK: Highfine 2 x 6dBi Wi-Fi Antennas

All-in costs should be about $60 and you'll have native Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirDrop. My hackintosh is my work computer and I use an Apple Magic Keyboard all day long. Rock solid support since installing the above. AirDrop also works very well.

The BCM94360CS2 chip is the same one used in the 2013 Macbook Air, so you literally are installing an Apple chip in your computer. Can't get more native than that!

Note: If you go this route, I highly recommend installing the card before installing the motherboard in its case. Be gentle installing the new card. Make sure you use even pressure when inserting the card into the adapter, and the adapter into the motherboard.

There is a solution for much shorter antennas if it is going to be portable --
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076VHQX9D/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071CMF7F2/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

The 45 degree adapters are required since the Zigbee antennas do not fit as-is. 90 degree adapters are also on Amazon. I like having short antennas that are less likely to get caught on something and less interference with other ports.

 

[Joker54]

Thanks for your Answers, I know I should stay away from NV, but tbh, 10.13.6 works and I literally only use FCPX. For any other usecase I boot to Windows (Don't ask me why, it's just the way I like to work).
Plus I already have a really nice 980Ti and plan to keep on using it.

That said, the 8700K platform seems like a good choice for a mini-itx with quicksync and I'll buy it, as soon as I find a good offer