First Hackintosh Buying Advice

[Shan916]

Hello everyone.

Can someone please take a look at the components I have chosen in the attached image? All of these were on the CustoMac guide page but I just wan't to double check. This is my first time building a hackintosh and I am looking for the cheapest way to do it. I only need it for iOS development and I do not need anything fancy. If someone can suggest something even cheaper, please say so. Also, I did not add a SSD to this list. Can I get by without the SSD? Also can I get by with 4GB instead of 8GB? I'm not a hardware guy so that is why I am seeking advice. I am a college student and my budget is about $400. The attached list comes up to $490. Also if If someone knows of a cheaper solution that is verified to work without too much messing around with, please say so.

Sorry for all of these questions. Thanks in advance.

 

[trs96]

Hello everyone.

Can someone please take a look at the components I have chosen in the attached image? All of these were on the CustoMac guide page but I just wan't to double check. This is my first time building a hackintosh and I am looking for the cheapest way to do it. I only need it for iOS development and I do not need anything fancy. If someone can suggest something even cheaper, please say so. Also, I did not add a SSD to this list. Can I get by without the SSD? Also can I get by with 4GB instead of 8GB? I'm not a hardware guy so that is why I am seeking advice. I am a college student and my budget is about $400. The attached list comes up to $490. Also if If someone knows of a cheaper solution that is verified to work without too much messing around with, please say so.

Sorry for all of these questions. Thanks in advance.

Shan, You can get by with 4Gb when running Mavericks. Just don't have a lot of apps all running
at the same time. Also you won't need a Z87 with the I3-4330 cpu. Try to find a better deal on an
H87 model by Gigabyte if it's just for iOS app development. Look for some lower prices this Friday
and Saturday if you're in the US.

 

[Shan916]

Thanks trs96. Looks like the two H87 Motherboards in the CustoMac guide are more expensive than the Z87M because it is on sale at Newegg. Will any H87 work? This is just a preliminary list. I am definitely waiting for Black Friday before I purchase any of the components. Do you think it might be better to just buy the base Mac Mini and avoid any headache? It's $579 with the student discount.

 

[trs96]

Thanks trs96. Looks like the two H87 Motherboards in the CustoMac guide are more expensive than the Z87M because it is on sale at Newegg. Will any H87 work? This is just a preliminary list. I am definitely waiting for Black Friday before I purchase any of the components. Do you think it might be better to just buy the base Mac Mini and avoid any headache? It's $579 with the student discount.

For what you'll be doing the base Mac Mini would work but you'll sacrifice the performance boost
you'd get with desktop components and the lack of upgradability. (other than Ram) The only way
I'd be happy with a Mac Mini would be to swap out the 2.5 inch HDD for a fast SSD. To do it yourself
wouldn't be easy as those (Minis) are not the most roomy cases in the world.

As far as the H87 boards, put the model name in the search box and read about the experiences others
have had installing OS X to know what to expect.

 

[Shan916]

Trs96, thanks again! The GIGABYTE GA-Z87M-D3H looks like it is the cheapest option for me and it is verified to work with Mavericks. Can you please look at the following things:

1. Again, I'm not a hardware person so do you know if a Patriot PSD34G133381 PC3-10600 1333MHz CL9 will work with that motherboard. I have googled and most websites say it does support DDR3 1333MHz. I have a 4GB module already and I'm thinking I can avoid buying new RAM.

2. Can I go with just an SSD? I'm particularly looking at the "Samsung 840 EVO
6Gb/s SATA 120GB SSD" from the CustoMac November guide. Seems like the cheapest option. Will I be able to dual boot with Windows 8.1? I have an older Western Digital SATA Hard Drive that I might use for my data. Can I use any hard drive for data?

3. Everything else I am buying is on the CustoMac November guide. Will I need a graphics card? The i3 Intel HD Graphics 4600 should be good right?

4. If I am to purchase all of the components I had in the attached image, does everything seem compatible. I've searched the tonymac forums and it seems everything should work.

5. Is it possible to use a VMWare virtual machine running Mountain Lion to download Mavericks from the App Store and make the USB Installation Drive from it?

6. How many watts do I need for the PSU? I won't have a graphics card but I will use the Z87M Mobo with i3-4330. I will be using an SSD and simple DVD burner. I am thinking 500watts is too much.

7. Thank you for bearing with me and thanks for all your time and help. You guys are great here at tonymacx86.

 

[trs96]

Trs96, thanks again! The GIGABYTE GA-Z87M-D3H looks like it is the cheapest option for me and it is verified to work with Mavericks. Can you please look at the following things:

1. Again, I'm not a hardware person so do you know if a Patriot PSD34G133381 PC3-10600 1333MHz CL9 will work with that motherboard. I have googled and most websites say it does support DDR3 1333MHz. I have a 4GB module already and I'm thinking I can avoid buying new RAM.

Don't see any reason why it wouldn't work give it a try.

2. Can I go with just an SSD? I'm particularly looking at the "Samsung 840 EVO
6Gb/s SATA 120GB SSD" from the CustoMac November guide. Seems like the cheapest option. Will I be able to dual boot with Windows 8.1? I have an older Western Digital SATA Hard Drive that I might use for my data. Can I use any hard drive for data?

Two OS's on one drive can be done but I doubt 120GB would be large enough for both OS X and
Windows. If you want to try it follow Going Bald's guide on dual booting. The old HDD can be used
for storage.

3. Everything else I am buying is on the CustoMac November guide. Will I need a graphics card? The i3 Intel HD Graphics 4600 should be good right?

4. If I am to purchase all of the components I had in the attached image, does everything seem compatible. I've searched the tonymac forums and it seems everything should work.

HD 4600 should be more than adequate for your needs. Don't see any compatibility problems.

5. Is it possible to use a VMWare virtual machine running Mountain Lion to download Mavericks from the App Store and make the USB Installation Drive from it?

No, that won't pass the App store's requirements for the download. If you have no real Mac access
purchase of the Snow Leo DVD is required. Then use the iBoot Haswell cd to install Snow Leo.

6. How many watts do I need for the PSU? I won't have a graphics card but I will use the Z87M Mobo with i3-4330. I will be using an SSD and simple DVD burner. I am thinking 500watts is too much.

Yes, 500 is more than you need but it gives some future proofing if you ever need to add a powerful
gfx card later on.

7. Thank you for bearing with me and thanks for all your time and help. You guys are great here at tonymacx86.

Best of Luck on your new build Hope you get all that you're looking for at a good price.