CustoMac Pro in march 2012

[jester969]

Yes, the Gordo Golden Build has led countless installs for many.

 

[Coupz]

I have the same mobo and almost same cpu and my machine works like a charm!
Yes, Gordo's guide is super easy and works great !

I have the XFX 6870 and for me, it's really quiet. I also wanted to have a low noise hack and I think, I've done a good job.
For the cpu cooler, I have the Noctua UD9 and the Corsair XMS3 RAM. Before i put the cpu cooler on, I had to place the first ram in the nearest slot to the cpu, otherwise it wouldn't fit in. You just have to try and see

 

[voyageur_reveur]

Thanks mate!

I'll choose the XFX then I'll keep your advice for the RAM ; CPU coolers are getting bigger and bigger...

I'm very very exciting building a hackintosh. But I have to say I'm still worry about the stability and compatibly (sync iPhone, using Intuos 4M etc). I left PCs because I was tired of Windows, and Apple provided good options.

This could be the best compromise. It sounds to good to be true

 

[Gordo74]

It will be solid and stable if you follow the guides. The only thing I would caution is that you may be wasting some money on the power supply. A good 600-650w is good enough for any single card configuration. If you're looking for it to be completely silent, go with the Seasonic Gold X650, as the fan actually turns off unless you draw TONS from it (which you may only 5% of the time).

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

It will be solid and stable if you follow the guides. The only thing I would caution is that you may be wasting some money on the power supply. A good 600-650w is good enough for any single card configuration. If you're looking for it to be completely silent, go with the Seasonic Gold X650, as the fan actually turns off unless you draw TONS from it (which you may only 5% of the time).

I would just add regarding the original power supply; I have one of these and it is fine. The fan never spins up at all and is also perfectly silent. 750 is slightly overkill for a normal desktop system I agree. I bought mine for future proofing, to give me the option of loading the system up anytime I feel like it, and also because of the reviews. It is made by Seasonic so has good quality components.

Gordo's advice above is perfectly valid too mind you. 600-650 should be enough for a decent single card desktop setup.

Have you thought about using an online PSU calculator to get an indication of what would be sufficient ?

 

[voyageur_reveur]

After checking on PSU, a 600-650W is plenty enough.

I'll take the SEASONIC X-660

Thanks guys

 

[voyageur_reveur]

Oh btw, regarding the storage, I'm gonna use a SSD to install Lion and apps and then store my iTunes, Lightroom etc libraries on a HDD of 3 or 2 To.

Should I choose a fast model such as a Seagate Barrucada XT (7200 rpm) or a WD Caviar Green (5900 rpm)?

I would prefer a WD because it's cheaper and also more silent. But I really don't wanna see the computer lagging when I go over my raw files with Lightroom because the HDD is the end to slow...

What do you think?

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

Cant speak for the barracuda here; I use the Samsung Spinpoint F3 (HD103SJ); these are very fast and quiet.

Have a look at the reviews; they have been very well received by music/arty types because of the performance on such systems.

 

[Scuba]

I use a 120 GB SSD (OCZ agility 3) in my Hack and an OWC 120 GB Extreme Pro in my laptop with the OSX and User files on them. My Media files are on the mechanical drive. I just select that library for itunes and iphoto. To take full advantage of the SSD when working on your media files, move your current project to the SSD while you're working on it. Store it on the HDD.

I use a Spinpoint as well as a Seagate Momentus. Both are good, especially the Spinpoint (quieter). I've heard concern for the WD Green drives but that might only be an issue if it is a boot drive.

 

[kiyyto]

The only thing I see is that you won't be able to use the USB 3.0, other than that you are good. I have a lot of those components and they work perfectly except for the USB 3.0.

Also, I don't know how much the vid card is, but the 7*** series from AMD is coming out now and assuming netkas and a few others are still interested in this stuff, they'll probably make the new cards work if Apple adopts them (which they probably will but who knows when.)

If you don't need the graphics then you can just run the grfx that come with your processor and wait on the new cards from AMD.

Also, I recommend a 750W power supply, Antec is my choice. The old advice that a good supply is worth the money is true, and that extra headroom will come in handy should you decide to over clock, add more drives and bus powered devices. I'd say a 1000W supply is overkill, but a 750 is right.