Custom Mac for work

[Superior-Custom]

Hey guys i'm planing to built a Mac from PC compounds. I'm working for years with mac now but a new Mac Pro is to expensive. So i try to find a good solution could you check my list please and tell me if my configurations ist ok. I'm not sure about the graphic card, any ideas?

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3
Intel® Core™ i5-2500
G.Skill DIMM 16 GB DDR3-1600 Kit
SAPPHIRE HD6850, but i'm not sure if i need a graphic card because i don't play any games
OCZ Agility2 E 2,5" SSD 60 GB only for OSX
Sony Optiarc AD-7280S-0B

Thank you in advance.

 

[KidCastro]

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3
Yes, this board comes with onboard HD3000 graphics which work in Lion BUT its flakey as all hell. I wouldnt depend on it for now, I've had problems with this so personally I always recommend a dedicated "supported video card" moving on...

Intel® Core™ i5-2500
Nice CPU, fast.

G.Skill DIMM 16 GB DDR3-1600 Kit
No problem here, I use 16GB's of G.Skill Ripjaws X with no issues.

SAPPHIRE HD6850, but i'm not sure if i need a graphic card because i don't play any games
Yes, good choice of card, both 6850 & 6870 are natively supported in Lion. I understand you dont play games, but at least you will have peice of mind that your card works OOB "out of box" no editing required. Good choice.

OCZ Agility2 E 2,5" SSD 60 GB only for OSX
Yes SSD is SSD, no problem here either, your on a roll.

Sony Optiarc AD-7280S-0B
The most recommended drive on here.

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Sound like you have done your research, awesome. I cant really fault this build but I will say you can save some dollars by choosing a cheaper gigabyte board which does not have the HD3000 GPU. Otherwise just keep it and I think you have a great build right here.

Thanks for doing your research, these parts are all supported and recommended.

 

[Superior-Custom]

Thank you very much for your fast answer. I choose this Mobo because Gigabyte said its more stable. They use special capacitor and i want FW onboard. So i think i will order it like that. Keep you guys informed about the progress.

And out of the box is my preferred behavior.

 

[KidCastro]

Thank you very much for your fast answer. I choose this Mobo because Gigabyte said its more stable. They use special capacitor and i want FW onboard. So i think i will order it like that. Keep you guys informed about the progress.

And out of the box is my preferred behavior.

I didnt know that its more stable, thanks for the information. Make sure to post your build with pictures in the "User Build" section. Always fun reading other community members experience.

 

[EMIdesigns]

I have that mobo up and running with lion 10.7.2. It is quite solid
so far. I agree that using the 6850 or 6870 cards will provide the
least hassle when installing the os since it is supported natively.

 

[Superior-Custom]

This is what my hardware online shop told me. Unfortunately its in german http://www.alternate.de/html/product/GIGABYTE/GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3/869504/?.

I will order it the next day. As foretaste here a picture of the case.

Nice.

 

[grimsbymatt]

The HD3000 graphics are on the chip, not the motherboard. However, the H versions of the Gigabyte motherboards allow use of this and supply video out ports.

If you don't need onboard graphics, you could opt for the older P67 chipset boards, which allow overclocking, but to overclock you'd need to switch to the 2500K processor, which is unlocked. As ever, probably best to check the DSDT database for compatability. I've just installed Snow Leopard using the Z68 UD3H - waiting for Lion to download to try out the HD3000 graphics!

 

[crburton]

If you go with i5 2500 you will need a video card as there is no support for HD2000 integrated graphics. You will need the i5 2500K to get HD3000.

Chris

 

[Superior-Custom]

Thanks for the reply. I will stay with the 6850 and switch to i5 2500K. Any ideas for a out of the box working WiFi PCI card?

 

[KidCastro]

Thanks for the reply. I will stay with the 6850 and switch to i5 2500K. Any ideas for a out of the box working WiFi PCI card?

Ive heard some things about the Hawking wifi card, google it.. supposed to be compatible with MAC.

Also if you go to the network section, some smart peeps are putting together there own, airport cards. Not that.... hard.

Good luck.