General computer/Gaming: i5 3570K, GA Z77X-UD5H, GTX 660

[Sticklyman]

Sticklyman's Build: i5 3570K, GA Z77X-UD5H, 8GB RAM, GTX 660​

Components

Apple Mac OS X version 10.8.2 Mountain Lion

Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 ATX Motherboard GA-Z77X-UD5H
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R21JK4/

Corsair Carbide Series Black 400R Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055Q7BR4/

WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, 7200 RPM, SATA III, 64 MB Cache - WD10EZEX
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088PUEPK/

Mini PCI-E to PCI-E Wireless Card w/ 3 Antennas
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Q751BA/

Broadcom BCM94322MC Mini PCI-e Card 487330-001
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GDTIK4/

TP-Link TL-ANT2405C 2.4 GHz 5dBi Indoor Desktop Omni-Directional Antenna
http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-ANT2405C-Desktop-Omni-Directional-Antenna/dp/B001VEAI74/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358460163&sr=1-3&keywords=tp-link+antenna

SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model MV-3V4G3D/US
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147126

Rosewill CAPSTONE Series CAPSTONE-750-M 750W ATX12V v2.31 & EPS12V v2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182264

Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125443

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

Refurbished Dell UltraSharp™ U2412M 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline..._DESC=ALL&s=dfh&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1


Already Owned

Hitachi Deskstar 1TB HDD, 7200 RPM, 64 MB Cache

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad - English (USA)
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB110LL/B/apple-keyboard-with-numeric-keypad?fnode=56

Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G5-Laser-Mouse-931376-0403/dp/B000AY5YI4


Comments​

I built this machine as an upgrade to my 2007 era iMac. The iMac still works very well, but I wanted to play modern games. I went Hack so that I would have an update path in the future. I based my component choices off of the Tonymac buyers guide as well as http://www.logicalincrements.com/.

I originally was dead set on a Fractal Design case, but they all went out of stock, so I made the choice to flip to Corsair. I am very happy with that choice. Installation was a breeze, and the 400r looks way better in real life than it does in pictures. The case isn't actually black, but a very dark, gunmetal grey.

The video card was a breeze to get installed. I just left it out during initial OS X install (using Intel graphics), downloaded the latest drivers from nVidia, set GEnable=No, installed the card, and was good to go.

I have only run into two problems so far (system up and running for 5 days):

1. Could not get UniBeast to boot at all at first. This turned out to be a faulty flash drive that wont hold formatting.
2. Terrible bandwidth using my self-made airport card. This one turns out to be from the antennas. I was getting very poor bandwidth, but can occasionally get good speed by fiddling with the antennas. I replaced them with the TP-Link antenna I added to the parts list. I bought two of them and they work nice so far. They have magnets in the base so they sit on the side of my case. Transmit rates have not improved massively, but significantly, and enough for proper internet speeds.

MultiBeast Configuration for Mountain Lion
​

 

[Dahsoup]

Looks good. Did you install gfx drivers before pluggin it in? Also where did you get the multibeast configs from?

 

[Sticklyman]

Looks good. Did you install gfx drivers before pluggin it in? Also where did you get the multibeast configs from?

I definitely installed the nVidia drivers before hooking up the graphics card, if that is what you mean. From what I've read, the card wont work at all unless you do that.

I got my multibeast settings from a few places. Largely from this thread: http://www.tonymacx86.com/user-buil...77x-ud5h-i7-3770k-msi-gtx-660-twin-frozr.html

But also I pulled important bits from different places, like the install guide for Unibeast and Multibeast.

These were helpful in dealing with the UEFI prep and setup.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/175-new-uefi-updates-gigabyte-s-high-end-z77-boards.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/99-quick-guide-configuring-uefi-gigabyte-s-7-series-lga-1155-boards.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/lion-desk...-gigabytes-z77-h77-b75-motherboards-uefi.html

 

[Dahsoup]

Thanks for the reply, and the links. I think i got most covered now, but can I ask why you install with no DSDT?
And did you upgrade BIOS on your UD5H first? And also does it matter whether i set GE=0 in BIOS, or in Multibeast?
And does the FakeSMC app work for you?
Thanks for your time!

 

[bthall]

Thanks for the reply, and the links. I think i got most covered now, but can I ask why you install with no DSDT?

Gigabyte 7-series boards (Z77, H77, etc) don't require a DSDT.

-bth

 

[Dahsoup]

Gigabyte 7-series boards (Z77, H77, etc) don't require a DSDT.

-bth

Ah perfect then, thanks

 

[Sticklyman]

And did you upgrade BIOS on your UD5H first? And also does it matter whether i set GE=0 in BIOS, or in Multibeast?
And does the FakeSMC app work for you?
Thanks for your time!

Yes I updated the UEFI first. As mentioned in one of the links I posted earlier, it is necessary. What exactly goes wrong if you don't update, I don't know.

I set GE=No in Multibeast. I'm not sure that there is a way to do it in the UEFI. My understanding was that the graphics enabler was more of an OS thing. I could be wrong though.

If by Fake SMC app you mean the Hardware Monitor that Multibeast installs, then yes. I've got a nifty menubar item with more statistics than I know what to do with.

On a related note, about the motherboard. You may have noticed that on Gigabyte's webpage for this motherboard, there is always an option to switch between "revision 1.0" and "revision 1.1." I do not know what the differences are between the boards, or if the UEFI is significantly different between revisions. I can however tell you that they print "revision 1.0" or "revision 1.1" on the actual motherboard on one of the corners. So don't worry, as I did, about whether or not you'd be able to figure that out once you get the board.

 

[Dahsoup]

Yes I updated the UEFI first. As mentioned in one of the links I posted earlier, it is necessary. What exactly goes wrong if you don't update, I don't know.

I set GE=No in Multibeast. I'm not sure that there is a way to do it in the UEFI. My understanding was that the graphics enabler was more of an OS thing. I could be wrong though.

If by Fake SMC app you mean the Hardware Monitor that Multibeast installs, then yes. I've got a nifty menubar item with more statistics than I know what to do with.

On a related note, about the motherboard. You may have noticed that on Gigabyte's webpage for this motherboard, there is always an option to switch between "revision 1.0" and "revision 1.1." I do not know what the differences are between the boards, or if the UEFI is significantly different between revisions. I can however tell you that they print "revision 1.0" or "revision 1.1" on the actual motherboard on one of the corners. So don't worry, as I did, about whether or not you'd be able to figure that out once you get the board.

I meant Hardware Monitor yes. Good to hear.
I see what you mean with the MOBOs, however rev 1.0 is the only one I can get here so that one less thing to worry bout. You have the same cpu, mobo, ssd so I think im just gonna copy your multibeast settings. Thanks for the help! Btw are you using stock cpu cooler?

 

[Sticklyman]

I meant Hardware Monitor yes. Good to hear.
I see what you mean with the MOBOs, however rev 1.0 is the only one I can get here so that one less thing to worry bout. You have the same cpu, mobo, ssd so I think im just gonna copy your multibeast settings. Thanks for the help! Btw are you using stock cpu cooler?

Go for it with Multibeast. The only problem I've had so far is that I have had two occasions where a webpage locked up the computer.

And yes, I am using the stock CPU cooler. I figure I'll upgrade it if I ever decide to overclock. I can hear a little bit of fan noise from the case, but I can't tell whether or not it's the case fans or the CPU fan, so it's not worth replacing.

 

[Dahsoup]

Hi again. Thanks so much for all your help. Just wanted to know if you have had any problems with your build? After my OS X install it freezes with like a white filter on the screen, or tells me to restart if I press key and choose OS X in bootloader. If have the same build as you, with the exception of a MSI N660 power edition, and used the exact multibeast settings you posted. Have you had problems like this?
Thanks in advance