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The components listed here might not be the only ones that work, but based on our research they're the easiest and best supported options. Use the following Buyer's Guide as a shopping list or as a jumping off point for further customization. Either way you'll be supporting this site by purchasing through these links, so thanks in advance!
Table of Contents
CustoMac Mini
CustoMac Mini Deluxe
CustoMac mATX
CustoMac Budget ATX
CustoMac Pro
CustoMac Pro Socket 2011
Motherboards
CPUs
CPU Coolers
Graphics Cards
Alternate Graphics Cards
RAM
It’s very important to choose the proper RAM for your CustoMac. We recommend at least 8GB of 1600Mhz DDR3 240-Pin dual channel memory. The following RAM examples include both low profile and standard height, along with higher performance 1866Mhz DDR3 RAM for overclocking systems.
System Drives
Storage Drives
Power Supplies
Cases
Operating Systems
Accessories
CustoMac Mini
The CustoMac Mini is a bare-bones CustoMac in a shoebox sized case featuring a H87 mini-iTX motherboard and a dual-core Haswell processor. The graphics are integrated and fully supported, so there's no need for a power-hungry discrete graphics card. The case also includes a power-efficient power supply unit. Less parts, less power, less heat, less cost. Please note that the motherboard's Intel mini-PCIe card includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but only the bluetooth features are available under OS X. If you don't use the PCIe slot, we recommend the TP-Link PCIe card below for native Wi-Fi support. If you’re interested in replacing the mini-PCIe card, check out this list of card suggestions.
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Motherboard | GA-H87N-WIFI | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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CPU | Intel Core i3-4330 Intel Core i3-4340 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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CPU Cooler | Thermaltake Slim X3 Low Profile (Air) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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RAM | 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x2) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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Drives | SATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 250GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Case + Power Supply | Apex MI-008 (w/ 250W Power Supply) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Wifi Card | TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
CustoMac Mini Deluxe
The CustoMac Mini "Deluxe" is a no-compromise build featuring a Z87 mini-ITX motherboard and a quad-core Haswell CPU. The BitFenix Phenom is a unique way of thinking about a mini-ITX system, as it's not exactly small. It's about the size of a mATX case, making room for multiple hard drives, and a full sized graphics card. The Z87 motherboard is also capable of overclocking if you use a "K" CPU, and there is even room for a water cooler for the CPU. Please note that the motherboard's Intel mini-PCIe card includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but only the bluetooth features are available under OS X. If you don't use the PCIe slot, we recommend the TP-Link PCIe card below for native Wi-Fi support. If you’re interested in replacing the mini-PCIe card, check out this list of card suggestions.
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Motherboard | GA-Z87N-WIFI | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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CPU | Intel Core i3-4340 Intel Core i5-4670K Intel Core i7-4770K Full List of CPU Options | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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RAM | 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x2) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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Drives | SATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 250GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Power Supply | Corsair CS 550 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Case | BitFenix Phenom White mini-ITX BitFenix Phenom Black mini-ITX | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | White Newegg Black Newegg |
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Graphics Card (Optional) | GeForce GTX 760 Full List of Graphics Cards | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
CustoMac mATX
A mid-sized build with a quad-core CPU, maxed out RAM, and lots of expandability.
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Motherboard | GA-Z87MX-D3H GA-Z87M-D3H Full List of Motherboards | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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CPU | Intel Core i5-4670K Intel Core i7-4770K Full List of CPU Options | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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Graphics Card (Optional) | GeForce GTX 760 Full List of Graphics Cards | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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RAM | 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x2) 32GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x4) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Drives | SATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 250GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Power Supply | Corsair CS 550 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Case | Fractal Design Core 1000 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Wifi Card | TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
CustoMac Budget ATX
A powerful desktop build with budget-minded parts and no graphics card. This build contains an ATX-sized motherboard, a dual or quad core CPU and Intel HD 4600 onboard graphics.
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Motherboard | GA-Z87X-D3H GA-Z87-HD3 GA-H87-D3H Full List of Motherboards | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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CPU | Intel Core i3-4330 Intel Core i5-4430 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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RAM | 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x2) 32GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x4) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Drives | SATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 250GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Power Supply | Corsair CS 550 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Case | Corsair Carbide 300R | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Wifi Card | TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
CustoMac Pro
A full-sized build with a quad-core CPU, maxed out RAM, and lots of expandability.
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Motherboard | GA-Z87X-UD7-TH GA-Z87X-UD5H GA-Z87X-UD3H Full List of Motherboards | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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CPU | Intel Core i5-4670K Intel Core i7-4770K Full List of CPU Options | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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Graphics Card (Optional) | GeForce GTX 760 Full List of Graphics Cards | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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RAM | 8GB 1866MHz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 (8x2) 32GB 1600MHz DDR3 (8x4) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Drives | SATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 250GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Power Supply | Corsair RM 650 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Case | Corsair Carbide 500R | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Wifi Card | TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
CustoMac Pro Socket 2011
These rigs are the most powerful single CPU systems you can build. The C606 and x79 motherboards listed here also have 8 RAM slots supporting up to 64GB- twice the maximum of Socket 1150 builds. As of OS X 10.9.2, Ivy Bridge E/EP based systems are working with the native kernel, however workarounds are necessary for full support. Socket 2011 CPUs do not come with a CPU cooler- they require a separately purchased CPU cooler.
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Motherboard | GA-X79S-UP5 GA-X79-UP4 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon.com (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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CPU | Xeon E5 1620 v2 (4 core) Xeon E5 1650 v2 (6 core) Xeon E5 2680 v2 (10 core) Intel Core i7-4820K (4 core) Intel Core i7-4930K (6 core) Intel Core i7-4960X (6 core) | Amazon.com (CAN UK DE ES IT) Amazon.com (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon.com (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon.com (CAN UK DE ES IT) Amazon.com (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon.com (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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CPU Cooler | Corsair H60 (Water) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Graphics Card (Required) | GeForce GTX 760 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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RAM | 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 (4x4) 32GB 1600MHz DDR3 (8x4) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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Drives | SATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 250GB SSD SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Power Supply | Corsair AX 760 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Case | Corsair Graphite 600T | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Wifi Card | TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
Motherboards
We recommend these specific Gigabyte 8-series motherboards because they have simple post-installation, don't require a pre-patched DSDT, and have native sleep/wake functionality. They also have supported audio and network controllers. Please note, these motherboards will NOT work with older Socket 1155 CPUs.
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| GA-Z87X-UD7-TH | ATX | ALC898 | 2x HDMI 2x Thunderbolt 2.0 | Intel i217V Intel i210AT | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87X-UD5-TH | ATX | ALC898 | DVI/HDMI 2x Thunderbolt 1.0 | Intel i217V | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87X-OC Force | ATX | ALC898 | 2x HDMI 1x DP | Intel i217V Intel i210AT | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87X-OC | ATX | ALC892 | 2x HDMI 1x DP | Intel i217V | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87X-UD5H | ATX | ALC898 | 2x HDMI DP/DVI | Intel i217V Intel i210AT | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87X-UD4H | ATX | ALC898 | HDMI DP/DVI | Intel i217V | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87X-UD3H | ATX | ALC898 | DVI/VGA HDMI/DP | Intel i217V | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87X-D3H | ATX | ALC892 | DVI/HDMI D-SUB | Intel i217V | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87-HD3 | ATX | ALC892 | DVI/HDMI/VGA | Realtek RTL8111F | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87MX-D3H | mATX | ALC892 | DVI/VGA HDMI/DP | Intel i217V | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87M-D3H | mATX | ALC892 | DVI VGA/HDMI | Realtek 8111F-VL | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-Z87N-WIFI | ITX | ALC892 | 2x HDMI DVI | Intel i217V Atheros | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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| GA-H87-D3H | ATX | ALC892 | DVI HDMI/VGA | Intel i217V | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-H87N-WIFI | ITX | ALC892 | 2x HDMI DVI | Intel i217V Atheros | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-H87M-D3H | mATX | ALC892 | HDMI/DVI D-SUB | Realtek 8111F | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
| GA-H87M-HD3 | mATX | ALC887 | HDMI/DVI D-SUB | Realtek 8111F | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
CPUs
We recommend 4th Generation Haswell Core i desktop CPUs for Gigabyte 8-series motherboards. All CPUs feature Intel HD 4600 integrated graphics. Please note, these CPUs will NOT work with older LGA 1155 motherboards. Each CPU comes with a basic Intel CPU cooler.
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Core i7-4770K 3.5Ghz | 4 Cores / 8 Threads, Turbo Unlocked for Overclocking 8MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i7-4771 3.5Ghz | 4 Cores / 8 Threads, Turbo 8MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i7-4770 3.4Ghz | 4 Cores / 8 Threads, Turbo 8MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i7-4770S 3.1Ghz | 4 Cores / 8 Threads, Turbo 8MB L3 Cache 65W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i5-4670K 3.4Ghz | 4 Cores / 4 Threads, Turbo Unlocked for Overclocking 6MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i5-4670 3.5Ghz | 4 Cores / 4 Threads, Turbo 6MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i5-4570 3.3Ghz | 4 Cores / 4 Threads, Turbo 6MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i5-4570S 2.9Ghz | 4 Cores / 4 Threads, Turbo 6MB L3 Cache 65W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i5-4440 3.1Ghz | 4 Cores / 4 Threads, Turbo 6MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i5-4430 3.0Ghz | 4 Cores / 4 Threads, Turbo 6MB L3 Cache 84W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i3-4340 3.6Ghz | 2 Cores / 4 Threads 4MB L3 Cache 54W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Core i3-4330 3.5Ghz | 2 Cores / 4 Threads 4MB L3 Cache 54W Max TDP | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
CPU Coolers
All Intel Socket 1150 CPUs come with a basic CPU cooler. An aftermarket CPU cooler is recommended for overclocking. If you're unsure whether you need a cooler, see this post. The following CPU coolers have been chosen as they are known to work without issues.
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Cooler Master Seidon 120XL (Water) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Corsair H60 (Water) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Thermaltake Performer (Water) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Thermaltake Slim X3 Low Profile (Air) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Thermaltake Frio (Air) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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ARCTIC Freezer i30 Extreme (Air) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Cooler Master Blade Master 120mm Case/CPU fan | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Arctic Silver Arcticlean Thermal Cooling Material Remover | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
Graphics Cards
One of the most important components in a custom build is the graphics card. If you're building a CustoMac, it's an especially tricky decision. Not only do you have to worry about what will be a good performer for the cost, but you also have to be informed about what is fully supported, and what is not. The following graphics card examples are all natively compatible without modifying drivers. Each gives a range of port options, install compatibility, and is known to work with minimal configuration. Furthermore, it's now possible to use multiple NVIDIA cards in tandem- dual and triple cards are enabled by default. For a general comparison, check out this performance benchmarks table for recommended NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards. Note: 6xx/7xx cards do not work in Snow Leopard.
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GeForce GT 640 2048MB GDDR5 128-Bit Core Clock: 901 MHz CUDA Cores: 384 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 650 2048MB GDDR5 128-Bit Core Clock: 1058 MHz Memory Clock: 5000 MHz CUDA Cores: 384 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1024MB GDDR5 128 Bit Core Clock: 1071 Memory Clock: 5400 MHz Cuda Cores: 768 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2048MB GDDR5 192-bit Base Clock: 1072 MHz Boost Clock: 1137 MHz Memory Clock: 6008 MHz CUDA Cores: 768 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 660 2048MB GDDR5 192-bit Base Clock: 1046 MHz Boost Clock: 1111 Memory Clock: 6008 MHz CUDA Cores: 960 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 670 2048MB GDDR5 256bit Base Clock: 915MHz Boost Clock: 960MHz Memory Clock: 6008MHz CUDA Cores: 1344 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 680 2048MB GDDR5 256bit Base Clock: 1058MHz Boost Clock: 1113MHz Memory Clock: 6208MHz CUDA Cores: 1536 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 760 2048MB GDDR5 256bit Base Clock: 1072 MHz Boost Clock: 1137 MHz Memory Clock: 6008 MHz CUDA Cores: 1152 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 770 (2GB) 2048MB GDDR5 256bit Base Clock: 1046 MHz Boost Clock: 1085 MHz Memory Clock: 7010 MHz CUDA Cores: 1536 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 770 (4GB) 4096MB GDDR5 256bit Base Clock: 1137 MHz Boost Clock: 1189 MHz Memory Clock: 7010 MHz CUDA Cores: 1536 | EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Zotac Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
Alternate Graphics Cards
Alternate NVIDIA graphics drivers are required to enable OpenCL with the following cards. See here for details.
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GeForce GTX 780 (3GB) 3072MB GDDR5 384bit Base Clock: 863 MHz Boost Clock: 902 MHz CUDA Cores: 2304 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) MSI Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX 780 Ti (3GB) 3072MB GDDR5 384bit Base Clock: 875 MHz Boost Clock: 928 MHz CUDA Cores: 2880 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Gigabyte Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) PNY Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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GeForce GTX TITAN (6GB) 6144MB GDDR5 384bit Base Clock: 876 MHz Boost Clock: 928 MHz Memory Clock: 6008 MHz CUDA Cores: 2688 | ASUS Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) EVGA Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
RAM
It’s very important to choose the proper RAM for your CustoMac. We recommend at least 8GB of 1600Mhz DDR3 240-Pin dual channel memory. The following RAM examples include both low profile and standard height, along with higher performance 1866Mhz DDR3 RAM for overclocking systems.
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Crucial Ballistix Sport LP 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 (8x2) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg |
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Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x2) 32GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x4) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB 1866Mhz DDR3 (4x2) 16GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x2) 32GB 1600Mhz DDR3 (8x4) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg |
System Drives
We recommend using a solid state drive (SSD) for your system or boot drive for maximum performance and a traditional hard drive for your data. The Sandisk Extreme uses toggle NAND flash and Sandforce controllers. This combination provides the highest performance and doesn't require TRIM being enabled. The Samsung models require a TRIM patch to perform low level garbage collection processes. The following drive examples have been picked by us and are known to work without issues.
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SATA 6Gb/s 500GB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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SanDisk SATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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SanDisk SATA 6Gb/s 240GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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SanDisk SATA 6Gb/s 480GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 EVO 6Gb/s SATA 120GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 EVO 6Gb/s SATA 250GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 EVO 6Gb/s SATA 500GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 EVO 6Gb/s SATA 750GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 EVO 6Gb/s SATA 1TB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 PRO 6Gb/s SATA 128GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 PRO 6Gb/s SATA 256GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Samsung 840 PRO 6Gb/s SATA 512GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Crucial M500 120GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Crucial M500 240GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Mushkin mSATA 6Gb/s 120GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Mushkin mSATA 6Gb/s 240GB SSD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
Storage Drives
The storage/data drives listed here were chosen for their large capacity and speed. However, we don't advise using them as your system/boot drive. Advanced Format 4K drives require boot0 error workarounds if using as system drive.
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SATA 6Gb/s 1TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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SATA 6Gb/s 2TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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SATA 6Gb/s 3TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
Power Supplies
The following power supplies have been chosen as they are known to work without issues.
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Corsair CS 550 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Corsair RM 650 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Corsair AX 760 Watt Modular | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
Cases
The case is one of the most universal parts, although you need to make sure that your motherboard and chosen parts will fit. Each link refers to the details of the product, where you can see what sizes are recommended. The following cases have been chosen as they are known to work without issues.
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mini-ITX | Apex MI-008 (w/ 250W Power Supply) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mini-ITX | Thermaltake Element Q (w/ 200W Power Supply) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mini-ITX | Silverstone Sugo SG07B (w/ 600W Power Supply) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mini-ITX | CoolerMaster Elite 110 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mini-ITX | CoolerMaster Elite 120 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mini-ITX | CoolerMaster Elite 130 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mini-ITX | BitFenix Prodigy | White Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Black Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Orange Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Red Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Green Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Blue Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg Newegg |
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mini-ITX | BitFenix Phenom | White Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Black Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | White Newegg Black Newegg |
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mATX | BitFenix Prodigy M | White Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Black Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | White Newegg Black Newegg |
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mATX | BitFenix Phenom M | White Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Black Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | White Newegg Black Newegg |
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mATX | Fractal Design Core 1000 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mATX | Silverstone PS07 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mATX/ATX | Cooler Master HAF XB | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mATX/ATX | Corsair Carbide 200R | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mATX/ATX | Corsair Carbide 300R | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mATX/ATX | Corsair Carbide 400R | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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mATX/ATX | Corsair Carbide 500R | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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ATX/E-ATX | Corsair Graphite 600T | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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ATX/E-ATX | Cooler Master HAF XM | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
Operating Systems
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OS X 10.9 Mavericks | Mac App Store |
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OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion | Apple |
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OS X 10.7 Lion | Apple |
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Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard | Apple |
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Ubuntu | Download |
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Microsoft Windows 8.1 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Newegg |
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Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) Newegg |
Accessories
The following accessories have been chosen as they are known to work without issues. If planning to use Bluetooth exclusively, access to a USB keyboard is also helpful to get into the UEFI and to access the bootloader menus.
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USB Flash Drive (8GB) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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USB Flash Drive (16GB) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Optiarc DVD Optical Drive | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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LG BluRay Optical Drive | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Apple Wired Keyboard | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple Wireless Keyboard (Bluetooth) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Logitech Wireless Keyboard K750 | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Logitech Wireless Mini Keyboard K760 (Bluetooth) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple Magic Trackpad | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple Magic Mouse | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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PlayStation 4 DualShock Wireless Controller | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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USB Cable (for PS4 controller) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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GMYLE Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter (10.8+ Wakes from Sleep) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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IOGear Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter (10.8+ Wakes from Sleep) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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IOGear Bluetooth 2.1 Adapter (10.6+ - No Wake from Sleep) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Rosewill PCI Express Wifi Adapter (US only) | Amazon US | Newegg |
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Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 (1080p, Native Microphone) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | Newegg |
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Apple Thunderbolt to Ethernet Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Seagate GoFlex FreeAgent Thunderbolt to SATA Adapter | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple Thunderbolt Cable (2.0m) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple Thunderbolt Cable (0.5m) | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple TV | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) | |
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Apple Time Capsule 802.11ac WiFi Router w/ 2TB HDD | Amazon US (CAN UK DE ES FR IT) |
Remember, when building and configuring your own computer, it's easy to get frustrated- don't give up! There are users with similar specs here at tonymacx86.com to help you out if you get stuck.
Oh, and don't forget, if you end up buying anything, click through one of the links here. That way, you'll be supporting the site, as well as getting the best prices. Thanks in advance! Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
Oh, and don't forget, if you end up buying anything, click through one of the links here. That way, you'll be supporting the site, as well as getting the best prices. Thanks in advance! Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
Last edited by a moderator:
