CustoMac Mini Delux - GA-Z77N-WIFI, i5 3570K, GeForce GTX 650 - First time builder so please be kind

[fuey]

Hello everyone,

I love to tinker and due to space constraints and not wanting to be constrained to one location to use the computer, I've never owned a desktop. This will be my first desktop build (please be kind). I may be a bit naive going into this build but I think the journey and end result will bring some satisfaction of doing something highly customized and specialized. I'm hoping it will be fun and I'll probably look at the computer with a bit more pride than something bought off the shelf. With all that said, this computer will be my upgrade from my current setup which is a MSI U100 netbook OC to 1.96Ghz (which has Win 7 and OS x 10.6.6 (kinda) running) connected to a 23" Samsung LED monitor (PX2370). This netbook has lasted me the last 4 years where I've only been using it for browsing web, browsing youtube and some photo editing using Photoshop and Camera RAW. I used to take a lot of photo's with my DSLR in RAW format and it takes 10-20 seconds just to view one photo (JPG format) the long wait times put me off using the netbook for anything else other than web browsing.

All that said, this build it to try to future proof myself for the next 4-5 years. The heaviest features will be batch editing RAW files (maybe a 1000 files at a time) from my DLSR using photoshop, camera RAW and I wanted to try lightroom as it never ran well on my netbook (5-10 fps). I also may look into HD video editing since the new iphone's record in 1080p.

Looking at the 'Building a CustoMac: CustoMac Mini 2012'. I chose from the CustoMac Mini Delux parts list since I wanted something with a graphics card.

The parts I chose :
CPU : Intel i5 3570K
MB : Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI
Graphics Card : Galaxy Geforce GTX 650 - (1GB)(Nvidia)
RAM : 16GB Corsair 1600Mhz DDR3
Storage : San Disk Extreme SSD 240GB, Seagate 1TB SATA HD
Case : Cooler Master Elite 120
PS : Corsair 650 HX-V2 (650W)

I have a few concerns after ordering the parts yesterday.

Will it all fit neatly in the Cooler Master Elite 120 case that air will still flow through (am I packing too much into the case?) Will it get too hot? Will it be very loud? I plan on putting it on the desk next to the monitor. I'm already prepared to get a larger case if temperatures are too hot or even remove the graphics card (until I upgrade to a larger case) if everything is too hot or too loud. Do I need water cooling? Would the Cooler MAster Elite 120 allow for water cooling? My build does not pack a DVD/CD rom (used to not having one using the netbook). I have an external USB DVD burner which works on the very very rare occasion I use it.

Other concerns, I use Microsoft Bluetooth mouse and keyboard which has been reliable and the batteries last well. I will need a compatible, compacts Bluetooth dongle. I will need to take from work a ps/2 keyboard to enter the bios? I have a USB mouse to get me by until I find a compatible Bluetooth adaptor.

Wifi - I read it's not supported in OS X. Why get the motherboard with WIFI if it isn't supported? I think I will hook it up to Ethernet anyway but it would be nice to get everything working for the frame of mind of not wasting parts.

I am interested in getting Apples Keyboard or at least the magic mouse or magic track pad - any comments? I played around with the gestures on the magic touch pad in the Apple shop and it seems like the regular mouse with two mouse buttons and the scroll wheel might be getting a bit outdated.

I was going to go out and buy a Mac Mini due to it's awesome small size but thought I'd be more adventurous build my first computer instead (I wasn't sure if the mac mini would be able to handle editing RAW files after doing a bit of searching on the adobe site and some people said Camera RAW was slow on the 2011 mac mini - I have accumulated a backlog of thousands of RAW files to convert and edit).

Constructive criticism appreciated on my build and things I should be warned about or look out for.

Thanks everyone for your time.

 

[BitterMelon]

Will it all fit neatly in the Cooler Master Elite 120 case that air will still flow through (am I packing too much into the case?) Will it get too hot? Will it be very loud? I plan on putting it on the desk next to the monitor. I'm already prepared to get a larger case if temperatures are too hot or even remove the graphics card (until I upgrade to a larger case) if everything is too hot or too loud. Do I need water cooling? Would the Cooler MAster Elite 120 allow for water cooling? My build does not pack a DVD/CD rom (used to not having one using the netbook). I have an external USB DVD burner which works on the very very rare occasion I use it.

There are some alternatives to that case to look at. I used the (significantly larger) Bitfenix Prodigy. No cooling problems, but might not be perfect on everyone's desktop. But there's also the Fractal Design 304, the Silverstone Sugo SG05 and SG07, plus a few more.

Other concerns, I use Microsoft Bluetooth mouse and keyboard which has been reliable and the batteries last well. I will need a compatible, compacts Bluetooth dongle. I will need to take from work a ps/2 keyboard to enter the bios? I have a USB mouse to get me by until I find a compatible Bluetooth adaptor.

I've seen the Belkin F8T016 recommended on the forum. Do a search for it. I assume it will work with MS peripherals.

Wifi - I read it's not supported in OS X. Why get the motherboard with WIFI if it isn't supported? I think I will hook it up to Ethernet anyway but it would be nice to get everything working for the frame of mind of not wasting parts.

Because everything else works and a replacement card can be bought for next to nothing on eBay. In the Hackintosh scene, you pretty much take what you get, the goal is "as close to 100% as possible", rather than always 100%.

I am interested in getting Apples Keyboard or at least the magic mouse or magic track pad - any comments? I played around with the gestures on the magic touch pad in the Apple shop and it seems like the regular mouse with two mouse buttons and the scroll wheel might be getting a bit outdated.

The keyboard I like (and use), but the mouse is a bit of a double-edged sword. I really like it most of the time. But then there's "accidental scrolling" which really bugs me out from time to time. Using some software, like Google Maps, is a pain if you're not careful.

 

[Going Bald]

Do you plan to overclock? If not, save some money and go with the non-K 3570 and the H77N-WiFi. The only reason to go with the K model if you are not overclocking is for the HD4000 graphics and you have a gfx card listed (which you probably could skip unless you are into heavy gaming).

 

[miramar]

Cooling is definitely not a problem. I'm using a slightly smaller case than the Elite 120 with an SSD + 2 HDs inside and it runs just fine. However I don't have a GPU since the onboard HD4000 was adequate for my needs.

 

[fuey]

@ BitterMelon. Thank you for your response . Case : I wanted something compact and looked like a microwave (joke). Money has been spent so no changing things around at this point but I thank you for suggesting alternative cases in the event me and the cooler master case don't see eye to eye and we have a fallout.

Bluetooth : I would love to get the Belkin F8T016. They have an office here in Hong Kong and I called them this morning, got some phone numbers from them for their distributors but the number didn't work for the shop in my area.... (anyone want to send me one? Amazon want to charge me US$50-60 becuase of the international shipping) The mass cheap non branded China products have flooded the markets here so hard to get one that's on the supported list (hard to find a brand on them actually). I did find online that locally there is available the IOGEAR Bluetooth 2.1 Micro Adapter USB 2.0 Class 2 MAC/WIN. The wiki page says 'Does not wake from sleep OOB. Must use custom .kext file (idProduct=8520, idVendor=2652). Disable legacy USB Keyboard, USB Mouse, USB Storage in BIOS on Gigabyte boards for reliable sleep when "Wake from Bluetooth" enabled in system preferences.' If I understand correctly, this will disable those devices until I'm all the way into the OS which means I would need a ps/2 keyboard laying around to get back into the bios or to boot from USB stick (please correct me if I'm wrong). I plan on getting the IOGEAR since I am having difficulty finding alternatives here.

Fingers crossed some clever chap can get the wifi and bluetooth working in OS X and share the knowledge.

KB, Mouse & Magic Pad : I think I'll start off slow and just get the KB & mouse I have working first using the bluetooth and see where my needs go from there. I read mix reviews on the magic pad and mouse. I guess in the end, it depends on the person (I have good impressions from using them at the shop but it wasn't proper every day use and I was probably impressed it did things different than the regular mouse). Hard to justify the price getting new keyboard or mouse for the sake of playing with new features to get more into the different ways to navigate in OS X.

@ Going Bald - At this very moment, I just want to get up and running as stock as possible. The leg room to overclock is much appreciated and I will take advantage of it when I fully understand the requirements to safely overclock this system without damaging anything (I need to see what happens with the temps in relation to my cooling options in the case I have) or making the OS more unstable. I'm into heavy gaming but on the console . PC gaming is too expensive to keep up with and it's so comfy to play from the sofa on a larger screen. I don't know if the stock graphics was going to cut the mustard with editing large image files and I heard Camera RAW was getting more and more un-efficient. I will find out. I got a mid-low end graphics card just to give the system a bit of help. I do plan on streaming video to my xbox 360 which might mean it will have to decode and convert on the fly HD mkv video files to HD DivX and encode subtitles on top as well. I should have enough power for that but I will need to test it. I should have probably have gone without a graphics card first and added one when I needed it. That would have been the sensible more cheaper route. Thank you for responding

@ miramar - Thanks for your response. Yes, I was in a bit of a panic after I paid for everything. My mind went on a rampage of what if's since I've never done this before. I did mange to find a youtube clip of the case and heard the case fans did not make a jet engine noise as I was thinking it might but was in fact quiet. We will see how things turn out for me when I put it all together early next week.

With everything said, my backup plan if things don't all work for me is just to stay on Windows 7 as that's what I know. I know next to nothing on OS X but hope the journey will be a kind, forgiving and fun journey.

 

[HKintosh]

here in Hong Kong

Where did you get the GA-Z77N-WIFI?

The couple of shops at 298 Computer Centre I checked don't have it and when I google for it, I only get Gigabyte's HK Website ...

 

[fuey]

I'm a little late seeing this, I asked a computer shop in Tsuen Wan and they helped me order all the parts I needed. Not sure if I paid more doing so but I felt relieved to have got so many of the parts I wanted after so many shops not having the Mother Board.