- Joined
- Oct 14, 2013
- Messages
- 8
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
Hey everyone!
I'd first like to say thanks to all the advice I've inadvertently gotten from here over the years...I stated with a Hackintosh Dell Inspiron 1501, then moved to actual Macs, and now I'm back here because I'm really interested in building a mATX build based off of the CustoMac mATX configuration in the September 2013 Buyer's Guide. This machine absolutely needs to run OS X Mountain Lion/Mavericks for work purposes (that's why I'm here!) but I'd also like to use this as a primary gaming machine on Windows 7/8 as well. With that said, I felt like I had to do some switching around because things are starting to stock out (like the Fractal Design 1000 Case), so here is what I came up with:
CPU:
Intel Core i7-4770K Quad Core Desktop Processor 3.5GHz - I thought about going i5 for a bit, but I guess I'd rather go high end at this point if I'm doing a high power machine that plays games well and does a lot of processing. I know multi-threading will be useful as I go into more heavy programs like Final Cut Pro X and Adobe's Creative Suite and so forth.
Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z87 LGA 1150 2 Way SLI mATX Motherboard (GA-Z87MX-D3H) - I guess this is the most crucial part of the install, and while I don't planning on going SLI (or overclocking immediately) for that matter, I guess it's a nice option to have with lots of expandability. I'll also be running a dual monitor setup but both monitors are HDMI, so i guess I'll have to get an HDMI to DVI adapter as well for one of them?
Graphics Card:
ASUS GTX 770 - Says its optional, but I'm going to be gaming (and I want graphics power on this thing), so I feel like this would be pretty nifty. I have no idea on the differences between manufacturers that make the same card, so if PNY or someone else makes a better one, feel free to mention it! Also, someone here mentioned that I should install OS X with integrated graphics and then install the graphics card. Would it really work that way?
RAM:
16GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM - Already have it new and in a package laying around, so this will be in the system
Case:
Obsidian Series 350D Micro ATX PC Case - I think I really like this case but there are so many different ones out there, so suggestions welcome. Seems like this one has a lot of empty space and is a plain black, minimalist design that seems nice. Plus, it comes with a fan. But cooling/power supply is where I get tricked up...
Power Supply:
Corsair Builder Series CX 600 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS (CX600) - So here is where I get a bit confused. Can I get away with 500 watts using an i7 and a GTX 770? Someone told me get 100 more watts than you actually need, and I'd rather overkill that under kill. I know the guide also recommended 500 watts but this doesn't seem that bad for the price, so should I just roll with 600 watts?
Wi-Fi Card:
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 - Not going ethernet with this build, so Wi-Fi card it is.
Storage:
I have a Crucial M4 256GB SSD that I'll be throwing in there. I know I may probably need a bigger drive to back it up, but that'll probably be for later
CPU Cooling/Additional Cooling:
Corsair Hydro Series Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler H80i - I was told I should probably get this (I live in Hawaii and it gets warm here), so I figured the H80i looked pretty reliable. But I can also be convinced otherwise.
Noctua NF-P12 Fan - Do I really need these? I was thinking maybe I should get an additional fan, but it might not be too necessary with the CPU cooler and case fan.
Extra Stuff (down the road):
Sound card (is onboard audio really that bad?), 1TB HDD for backup, disk/Blu-Ray drive. None of these things necessary (unless you say they are), so not worried about them too much for now.
And there it is! I'd love to hear your thoughts or suggestions on this...my budget isn't too constrained (but I don't want to be overly gratuitous), so feel free to change things as you see fit. I'm definitely going to take feedback I get into the final buying of parts, so thanks once again, and I'll be watching this!
I'd first like to say thanks to all the advice I've inadvertently gotten from here over the years...I stated with a Hackintosh Dell Inspiron 1501, then moved to actual Macs, and now I'm back here because I'm really interested in building a mATX build based off of the CustoMac mATX configuration in the September 2013 Buyer's Guide. This machine absolutely needs to run OS X Mountain Lion/Mavericks for work purposes (that's why I'm here!) but I'd also like to use this as a primary gaming machine on Windows 7/8 as well. With that said, I felt like I had to do some switching around because things are starting to stock out (like the Fractal Design 1000 Case), so here is what I came up with:
CPU:
Intel Core i7-4770K Quad Core Desktop Processor 3.5GHz - I thought about going i5 for a bit, but I guess I'd rather go high end at this point if I'm doing a high power machine that plays games well and does a lot of processing. I know multi-threading will be useful as I go into more heavy programs like Final Cut Pro X and Adobe's Creative Suite and so forth.
Motherboard:
Gigabyte Z87 LGA 1150 2 Way SLI mATX Motherboard (GA-Z87MX-D3H) - I guess this is the most crucial part of the install, and while I don't planning on going SLI (or overclocking immediately) for that matter, I guess it's a nice option to have with lots of expandability. I'll also be running a dual monitor setup but both monitors are HDMI, so i guess I'll have to get an HDMI to DVI adapter as well for one of them?
Graphics Card:
ASUS GTX 770 - Says its optional, but I'm going to be gaming (and I want graphics power on this thing), so I feel like this would be pretty nifty. I have no idea on the differences between manufacturers that make the same card, so if PNY or someone else makes a better one, feel free to mention it! Also, someone here mentioned that I should install OS X with integrated graphics and then install the graphics card. Would it really work that way?
RAM:
16GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM - Already have it new and in a package laying around, so this will be in the system
Case:
Obsidian Series 350D Micro ATX PC Case - I think I really like this case but there are so many different ones out there, so suggestions welcome. Seems like this one has a lot of empty space and is a plain black, minimalist design that seems nice. Plus, it comes with a fan. But cooling/power supply is where I get tricked up...
Power Supply:
Corsair Builder Series CX 600 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS (CX600) - So here is where I get a bit confused. Can I get away with 500 watts using an i7 and a GTX 770? Someone told me get 100 more watts than you actually need, and I'd rather overkill that under kill. I know the guide also recommended 500 watts but this doesn't seem that bad for the price, so should I just roll with 600 watts?
Wi-Fi Card:
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 - Not going ethernet with this build, so Wi-Fi card it is.
Storage:
I have a Crucial M4 256GB SSD that I'll be throwing in there. I know I may probably need a bigger drive to back it up, but that'll probably be for later
CPU Cooling/Additional Cooling:
Corsair Hydro Series Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler H80i - I was told I should probably get this (I live in Hawaii and it gets warm here), so I figured the H80i looked pretty reliable. But I can also be convinced otherwise.
Noctua NF-P12 Fan - Do I really need these? I was thinking maybe I should get an additional fan, but it might not be too necessary with the CPU cooler and case fan.
Extra Stuff (down the road):
Sound card (is onboard audio really that bad?), 1TB HDD for backup, disk/Blu-Ray drive. None of these things necessary (unless you say they are), so not worried about them too much for now.
And there it is! I'd love to hear your thoughts or suggestions on this...my budget isn't too constrained (but I don't want to be overly gratuitous), so feel free to change things as you see fit. I'm definitely going to take feedback I get into the final buying of parts, so thanks once again, and I'll be watching this!
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