First Hackintosh - will this build work??

[JH1969]

I am about to build my first Hackintosh. I have decided against buying a ready built hackintosh from eBay as I want to know how my machine is built so I can maintain and upgrade it.

As everyone advises, I have done tons of research on here. I am looking for a general build, I don't do much video editing or play many games - my 2015 iMac (2.8GHz quad core I5) struggles now especially with the hard drive so I am going to replace it one way or another. A new 27" iMac 3.1GHz 8th Gen 6 core i5 spec'd the way I would like will cost £2,600. So that is my budget, for which I hope to get a much faster Hackintosh.

I want to install Catalina OS. And it is important to me to get iMessage, sync of bookmarks, handoff etc working.

My spec so far which is largely built around the CustoMac spec on this site (I still have a couple of questions - please can you give me some advice) is...

CPU - Intel i7 9700k 3.6MHz octa (8?) core LGA 1151 (this looks like good bang for buck processor)
MB - ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero Z390
GPU - Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5
SSD - EITHER Samsung 860 EVO 1TB or WD Black SN750 1TB. (which would be best? I think the Samsung is SATA while the WD is NVMe? Can I mix and match - so could I have a 250gb version of the WD drive for OS and then the Samsung for data??). What would you advise??
PSU - Corsair RM650x
Case - Corsair 275R Airflow tempered glass in white
Cooling - Corsair Hydro H60
WIFI/BT - Fenvi T919 BCM94360CD
RAM - Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB (8GB * 4) DDR4 2400MHz (question here.... is 4*8 or 2*16 better? also I can get 3000MHz for only a few more pounds... is it worth it?)
Webcam - Papalook HD 1080p AF925 USB
Monitor - I run a dual monitor set up currently an AOC G2778VP plus the iMac - intend to add another AOC Q2778Vqe (2560x1440) to the current AOC to replace the iMac screen - plan to use display port to connect each monitor to the GPU

Speakers - I assume I can plug speakers into the headphone socket of the MB - or will I need a separate audio card?

I'm hoping these parts will make the OS installation as fool-proof as possible and require minimal tweaking of the OS installation!!

Thanks in advance for any help, suggestions etc.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

I am about to build my first Hackintosh. I have decided against buying a ready built hackintosh from eBay as I want to know how my machine is built so I can maintain and upgrade it.

As everyone advises, I have done tons of research on here. I am looking for a general build, I don't do much video editing or play many games - my 2015 iMac (2.8GHz quad core I5) struggles now especially with the hard drive so I am going to replace it one way or another. A new 27" iMac 3.1GHz 8th Gen 6 core i5 spec'd the way I would like will cost £2,600. So that is my budget, for which I hope to get a much faster Hackintosh.

I want to install Catalina OS

My spec so far which is largely built around the CustoMac spec on this site (I still have a couple of questions - please can you give me some advice) is...

CPU - Intel i7 9700k 3.6MHz octa (8?) core LGA 1151 (this looks like good bang for buck processor)
MB - ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero Z390
GPU - Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5
SSD - EITHER Samsung 860 EVO 1TB or WD Black SN750 1TB. (which would be best? I think the Samsung is SATA while the WD is NVMe? Can I mix and match - so could I have a 250gb version of the WD drive for OS and then the Samsung for data??). What would you advise??
PSU - Corsair RM650x
Case - Corsair 275R Airflow tempered glass in white
Cooling - Corsair Hydro H60
WIFI/BT - Fenvi T919 BCM94360CD
RAM - Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB (8GB * 4) DDR4 2400MHz (question here.... is 4*8 or 2*16 better? also I can get 3000MHz for only a few more pounds... is it worth it?)
Webcam - Papalook HD 1080p AF925 USB
Monitor - I run a dual monitor set up currently an AOC G2778VP plus the iMac - intend to add another AOC Q2778Vqe (2560x1440) to the current AOC to replace the iMac screen - plan to use display port to connect each monitor to the GPU

Speakers - I assume I can plug speakers into the headphone socket of the MB - or will I need a separate audio card?

I'm hoping these parts will make the OS installation as fool-proof as possible and require minimal tweaking of the OS installation!!

Thanks in advance for any help, suggestions etc.

Hi there.

Nothing wrong with your components. Of course you can mix SSD types, just stay clear of EVO Plus or EVO Pro models unless you are willing to flash their firmware with Windows. The latest models may be okay OOB but if not many do this without problems. It's worth considering.

As for memory, both layouts should be fine. I run 2x 16GB and there are no configuration problems. However, when run at over 2133GHz there is a known problem with USB drives being ejected incorrectly after wake from sleep. Just something minor to be aware of.

Best advice is to search the site. Read those Golden Builds and User Builds with similar components.

 

[JH1969]

louiefriesen this is my build.....

 

[JH1969]

In the end I went for

Samsung 860 EVO 1TB for data and
WD Black SN750 250GB for OS and Apps

 

[JH1969]

Thanks for the like louiefriesen

Another question if I may. I have been reading installation guides on here for a couple of weeks. It is harder to get my head around them without a build to try them on.

But which should I use....

a generic catalina install guide
a specific Catalina 10.15.4 guide, albeit on a different MB to the one I have

What would you suggest??

 

[louiefriesen]

louiefriesen this is my build.....

Ok, so, here are my thoughts:

Motherboard: Great option. Nice high-end motherboard.
Processor: Really Good.
Graphics Card: My no. 1 recommended RX 580.
SSD: The WD Black SN750 is about 7 times faster than the 860 EVO. Both are great choices though.
PSU: Corsair is a great brand. If you haven't ordered the RM650x yet, and if a Seasonic FOCUS GX-650 is in stock, I would recommend getting the Seasonic one instead (they tend to last longer and have a better warranty).
Case: Great case.
Cooling: This is my main concern. The H60 is a 120mm radiator, and is meant more for 65W CPUs (i.e. i3 and i5). I would recommend something like a H100i (240mm) for a 9700K
Wifi & BT: Great choice. I have one too.
RAM: Good. 3000 MHz is definitely worth it over 2400 MHz. I upgraded from 3000 to 3600. 2x16GB would be better because you would then have more room for expansion. Other good options are Corsair Vengeance LPX and G.Skill Ripjaws V.
Monitor: Good choice.
Sound: For me, the sound on my motherboard doesn't work in macOS. I use the audio jack on my monitor through DisplayPort for the audio. Generally on Hackintoshes, the audio on the motherboard doesn't work (same with the front panel audio).