First time Hackintosh, New here :)

[RubbaYubba]

Hi there


I got interested in building a Hackintosh only a few days ago.


I currently own a i5 MacBook Air mid 2013 which runs good but lets me down when it comes to running programs such as Troikatronix Isadora, Ableton Live and Final Cut Pro (the Intel HD 5000 just ain't enough).


I want to build a Hackintosh thats portable(I will now and then take it with me for jobs, I was thinking Mini ITX sized), durable, and capable of controlling 2(or up to 4) video projectors with at least 720p (1280x720). If I could also do some on it that would be perfect.


I want spend somewhere between 500 and 1000 euros on this project.


Any advice would be more than welcome!


Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WiFi or the Gigabyte GA-H97N-WiFi. Could someone explain the difference between the two?
Costs: 120 euros


CPU: I was hoping the Core i3-4360 would be plenty.
Costs: 130-150 euros


GPU: I was thinking about a EVGA GTX video card. the 740 would be the cheapest option, the 760 the more “expensive” one.
Costs:150-250 euros


RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (1x8)
Costs: 75 euros.


System Drive: I already have a Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD laying around and might add a 1-2TB HDD later.


Power: Corsair CS 550 Watt, or could I got with less? (max 16GB RAM for this motherboard)
Costs 150-170 euros.


Case: Any tips? (Small but options for both SSD and HDD) The more portable (smaller) the better!
Costs: 50-100 euros.

Cooling: If the case has cooling that would save me some cash.


Estimated costs: between 675-865 euros

 

[flav0ur]

Have a look at the BitFenix Prodigy. I would love to build a rig in one of them myself

2x4GB ram might be better if you don't plan to upgrade (see Dual Channel for more information).

I don't know if the i3 ships with a stock cooler. If it does, however, the cooler should work and you don't need to think about buying a new one.

When you don't plan to overclock, the H97N motherboard should be good enough! Keep in mind that the onboard WiFi card could need a replacement. There are a couple of options available in the forum, search for "Airport - PCIe Half Mini v2".

 

[RubbaYubba]

Alright thanks!

And do you think it would be good enough for some gaming/video editing/controlling 2 projectors/monitors?

I want to start with 8GB RAM but will probably go for 16GB later on

 

[Going Bald]

If you will be carrying it around you might want to look at the Lian Li PC-TU200 case

11" high, 8" wide, 13" deep and it has a carrying handle on the top. Extremely portable and easy to carry around.

http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-tu200/

 

[RubbaYubba]

Hi Going Bald,

Thanks a lot. Although it looks a bit "cheap" it might just be the thing I need

 

[Going Bald]

Hi Going Bald,

Thanks a lot. Although it looks a bit "cheap" it might just be the thing I need

It is not "cheap". The P8Z77-I build I did uses this case. Very sturdy and well built frame.

See http://www.tonymacx86.com/buying-advice/54645-test-report-asus-p8z77-i-mini-itx-3570k.html and http://www.tonymacx86.com/mountain-...uide-asus-p8z77-i-i5-3570k-mountain-lion.html