Core i3 setup

[boogi]

Hi, I'm building a Hackintosh for a friend (I've built my own Hackintosh before but not using iBoot/MultiBeast) and was wondering if someone could give me some feedback on this system. He's trying to stay within the $650 range (all prices from Newegg):

Gigabyte GA-H55-USB3 ($110)
Intel Core i3-540 3.06 Ghz ($115)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB DDR3 1333 ($80)
WD Caviar Black 1TB ($88)
Sony Optiarc Black DVD burner ($20)
Antec Sonata III case ($120)

That leaves me with about $100 for a graphics card. I'm still undecided which card to purchase -- can anyone recommend a decent budget card that would be compatible with this system? I am thinking along the lines of a Geforce 9800 or Radeon 4850 -- preferably one that would work out of the box.

Any comments/thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Vendetta]

Everything looks good to me, but I'd go with a P55 board instead of the H55. You can get either to work, but the P55 is better supported/more common.

For GFX, I'd go with a 9800GT. If you need more power, I'd spend a little more money and go with the ATI 5770.

If you really wanted to go budget, you could probably save a few dollars on the Case/PSU combo, but Antec makes good stuff.

 

[boogi]

Newegg doesn't seem to have any P55 motherboards in stock. Amazon has the GA-P55A-UD3 for $130 and the Gigabyte GA-P55M - UD2 Ultra Durable 3 for $117. Are both of those compatible with i3 processors? Are they both better than the GA-H55-USB3? Thanks!

 

[Vendetta]

Newegg doesn't seem to have any P55 motherboards in stock. Amazon has the GA-P55A-UD3 for $130 and the Gigabyte GA-P55M - UD2 Ultra Durable 3 for $117. Are both of those compatible with i3 processors? Are they both better than the GA-H55-USB3? Thanks!

I found some P55 boards for you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... fP45%2fP55



Although, since I have the UD2, obviously I'm partial to it. I payed around $110 for mine, so $117 doesn't seem bad to me. On that page, they have a refurbished one for $77. Most people scoff at a refurbished mobo, but you have the option.

The way I think of the UD2 is that it's maybe not as upgradeable or future proof as other boards (no USB 3.0, for example), but it definitely seems like it's the most solid/supported board yet.

All those are pretty much compatible with the i3, but if you're really worried, you can check the manufacture's website. It's odd though, because on newegg, it doesn't say it supports the i3, but my friend has the UD2 and i3 running just great. I think it's because the board is older than the i3, but I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure as long as it says it supports the i series, and it's socket 1156, you're good.

 

[boogi]

How about the GA-P55-USB3? It's only $105 from Newegg and has received a few customer choice awards. Is this motherboard known to work well on Hackintosh setups? Thanks again for all your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[boogi]

One other thing: is there any particular 9800GT or ATI 5770 card I should get or are they pretty much all supported out of the box? Thanks!

 

[boogi]

I'm thinking about getting this video card: Gigabyte GV-R577UD-1GD Radeon HD 5770 1GB Video Card.

 

[Vendetta]

One other thing: is there any particular 9800GT or ATI 5770 card I should get or are they pretty much all supported out of the box? Thanks!

They are supported, but not fully. The 5770 only works in 32-bit right now, but I'm sure 64-bit support is coming. The 9800GT has a hard time with HDMI out (depending on the monitor/TV).