Budget Gaming Build Questions

[ADK_XJ]

Hey all, hopefully I'm putting this in the right place - I'm looking for a general thumbs-up or green-light from the community here on the build I've patched together. I don't have a ton of money to work with ($700) but already have the case that I'm going to adapt this build to (the last year of the Mac Pro G5 in the aluminum case) and just want to make sure I'm not making a boneheaded mistake of any kind with these parts.

I did check them for general compatibility with 10.8 and it seems like they're good, but a second opinion never hurts. Okay, here goes - this will all be run off a Bootcamp'd 250gb SATA with a 1TB SATA for data storage. I left myself enough headroom to grab a motherboard adapter for the case and some additional cabling adapters:

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Product Description	Unit Price	Savings	Total Price
	Update		GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3P LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel MotherboardModel #:GA-B75M-D3PItem #:N82E16813128556Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn StockMail in Rebate Card Note (Add)	$94.99		$94.99
	Update		EVGA 02G-P4-3657-KR GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video CardModel #:02G-P4-3657-KR BOOSTItem #:N82E16814130909Return Policy:VGA Standard Return PolicyIn StockNote (Add)	$169.99		$169.99
	Update		CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power SupplyModel #:CP-9020047-NAItem #:N82E16817139027Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn StockNote (Add)	$69.99	-$10.00 Instant	$59.99
	Update		Intel Core i5-3330 Ivy Bridge 3.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53330Model #:BX80637i53330Item #:N82E16819116781Return Policy:CPU Replacement Only Return PolicyIn StockNote (Add)	$189.99		$189.99
	Update		ADATA XPG Gaming Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1600GC4G9-2GModel #:AX3U1600GC4G9-2GItem #:N82E16820211457Return Policy:Memory Standard Return PolicyIn StockNote (Add)	$69.99		$69.99
	Update		XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU CoolerModel #:GAIA SD1283Item #:N82E16835233082Return Policy:Computer Cables and Accessories Extended Return PolicyIn StockNote (Add)	$34.99	-$15.00 Instant	$19.99
Subtotal:	$604.94

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[milwil]

save for a better graphics card 650ti blows and you dont really need a cooler since you arent getting an overclockable cpu. and theres a micro atx z77 board for a few bucks more.

 

[changerrs]

By any chance do you live near a micro center? If you did, you could pick up a i5 3570k for $189.

 

[ADK_XJ]

save for a better graphics card 650ti blows and you dont really need a cooler since you arent getting an overclockable cpu. and theres a micro atx z77 board for a few bucks more.

WHat's the advantage to the Micro ATx z77? Will it fit better in the G5 enclosure?

I was under the understanding after reading multiple reviews that the Boost version of the 650 ti was pretty much the go-to for entry level budget gaming Hackintoshes. What would you suggest as an alternative?

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[ADK_XJ]

By any chance do you live near a micro center? If you did, you could pick up a i5 3570k for $189.

I'm not sure I know what that is, but I'd guess I don't live by one considering I'm in far Western North Carolina away from any major cities.

 

[milwil]

i was just suggesting an alternative micro atx because you originally picked a micro atx. but definatly go with a z77 motherboard if you are going to run a ivy bridge prossesor and spend a few bucks more and get a K sku cpu so you can overclock .as far as graphics go i would suggest a 660ti its the best performance per dollar than any card. 670 reference card has more headroom and will last longer than a ti card due to their extreme overclock. I beleive its always best to go big on a single gpu rather than being unhappy with a small gpu and going sli especially on a hackintosh.

 

[milwil]

3570k and z77 is only 30 or 40 bucks more than what you picked. definatly go all gigabyte and your life will be much easier.

 

[ADK_XJ]

3570k and z77 is only 30 or 40 bucks more than what you picked. definatly go all gigabyte and your life will be much easier.

Okay, good feedback. The 3570k is still an i5 then?

 

[milwil]

yup i5 3570k. i just built my buddy a non hackintosh with that chip on a asus v gene with asus gtx670 @ 4.4ghz its a little beast! but for hackintosh you wanna go gigabyte z77 and i prefer gigabytes bios

 

[ADK_XJ]

So, I finalized all my components and pulled the trigger today - here's what I got. Pretty happy as this put me, with the Mountain Mods tray and backplate adapter, at just shy of $700.

Now we wait...

1	Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 ...Item #: N82E16819115233CPU Replacement Only Return Policy	$214.99
1	CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power SupplyItem #: N82E16817139027Standard Return Policy	$69.99$49.99
1	NVIDIA $75 value in-game coin couponItem #: N82E16800995150Standard Return Policy	$75.00
1	Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00Item #: N82E16820148544Memory Standard Return Policy	$57.99
1	COOLER MASTER R4-C2R-20AC-GP 120mm Case coolerItem #: N82E16835103061Standard Return Policy	$9.99$8.99
1	EVGA 02G-P4-3658-KR GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST SuperClocked 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card ...Item #: N82E16814130910VGA Standard Return Policy	$179.99
1	MSI Z77MA-G45 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOSItem #: N82E16813130647Standard Return Policy	$109.99$104.99
2	APEVIA CF4S-BK 80mm Case coolerItem #: N82E16835228011Computer Cables and Accessories Extended Return Policy	$7.98$4.56($2.28 ea)