Going with Buyer's Guide?

[domin8h]

My 7-year old has been using my Mac all the time. Now it's time for him to get his own. For the holidays I want to do a father-son project building a CustoMac Mini deluxe. I'm hoping this will be a fun (relatively easy) project and inspire him to continue learning about computers. In this case I'm OK spending a few extra $ to ensure longevity and less heartache. At this stage in my life with kids, I don't have a lot of extra time to waste because the kids suck up almost all of my time.

I'm somewhat technical, but I haven't built a computer in about 20 years. I think I can figure out the hardware part over time (thank these forums and youtube) and should have no problems editing files via terminal.

My question : If I follow the buyers guide exactly (https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/november/2016#CustoMac_Mini_Deluxe) and purchase all the hardware, would it be possible to get a fully functional hackintosh (99%) on Sierra? I've scanned through the forums and it doesn't appear that too many people have successfully built the exact specs in this buyers guide.

Also I'd greatly appreciate any tips, config files, and shortcuts when I begin this project in a few weeks. (But I'm going to start buying the parts/hardware this week)

Thanks so much!!

 

[trs96]

It's a good idea to start with one of the prescribed builds. You'll certainly be able to get 99%. The primary importance is always the motherboard and graphics card you choose. Gigabyte, Asus and EVGA are the best brands to go with for those two parts. As long as the ram chosen is on the QVL of the motherboard maker you can use that as well, you're not restricted to just Corsair. Intel is the only CPU choice. Within their lineup all you have to do is avoid all of the Celeron's and Pentiums etc. All of the Core I3s, I5s and I7s of the Skylake lineage with HD530 will work. If you won't be doing intensive gaming, overclocking or video editing, you can use the stock Intel cooler. For the K CPUs that don't come with one, buy a good quality tower air cooler. CoolerMaster, Noctua and Cryorig are all good choices there. We wish you much success on your first CustoMac build !

 

[domin8h]

Thanks so much. I was scanning through the forums and I didn't see anyone who was able to get Sierra running on the Gigabyte GA-Z170N. So it made me think that the buyer's guide list wasn't fully compatible (yet).

Ok, I'll buy exactly as the guide suggests and give it a try. I really appreciate this website, forum, and community!

 

[thedocbwarren]

I ran into USB issues with Sierra on a gigabyte z170x ud5 (listed in the buyers guide.) It's clear not all of the compos work and unclear what (if any) versions work on them.

 

[aztlan78]

My 7-year old has been using my Mac all the time. Now it's time for him to get his own. For the holidays I want to do a father-son project building a CustoMac Mini deluxe. I'm hoping this will be a fun (relatively easy) project and inspire him to continue learning about computers. In this case I'm OK spending a few extra $ to ensure longevity and less heartache. At this stage in my life with kids, I don't have a lot of extra time to waste because the kids suck up almost all of my time.

I'm somewhat technical, but I haven't built a computer in about 20 years. I think I can figure out the hardware part over time (thank these forums and youtube) and should have no problems editing files via terminal.

My question : If I follow the buyers guide exactly (https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/november/2016#CustoMac_Mini_Deluxe) and purchase all the hardware, would it be possible to get a fully functional hackintosh (99%) on Sierra? I've scanned through the forums and it doesn't appear that too many people have successfully built the exact specs in this buyers guide.

Also I'd greatly appreciate any tips, config files, and shortcuts when I begin this project in a few weeks. (But I'm going to start buying the parts/hardware this week)

Thanks so much!!

Hello, if you follow the buyer's guide you should be fine. I've built on both Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI and Gaming 5 boards before with no problems. Sierra can be installed on these boards. There was a glitch problem on the upper left part of the screen but there is a fix to it on Intel 530 Graphics but if you use a GPU you shouldn't have a problem. If you want Wifi and BT you can get an M.2 WIFI card that is compatible with Kexts installed. The card to get is a Broadcom BCM94352Z. Good luck!

 

[domin8h]

@aztlan78 Thank you!

I will get a GPU and this was one area that I was debating. I doubt my kid will fully utilize the graphics at 7 years old since he's only playing the Lego video games. So I was thinking of downgrading from the recommended GTX 960 to possibly something less powerful. Do you know if the GT 740 SC (as recommended for the normal custoMac mini (not deluxe) will suffice? Or do you have any other recommendations?

 

[aztlan78]

@aztlan78 Thank you!

I will get a GPU and this was one area that I was debating. I doubt my kid will fully utilize the graphics at 7 years old since he's only playing the Lego video games. So I was thinking of downgrading from the recommended GTX 960 to possibly something less powerful. Do you know if the GT 740 SC (as recommended for the normal custoMac mini (not deluxe) will suffice? Or do you have any other recommendations?

If GPU isn't a big thing for you and son the GT 740 should be fine or even a GT 730. I believe Newegg has an EVGA for about $45 Refurbished with a 1year Warranty or a new MSI for about $55. I believe the 730 and 740 will work without extra drivers.

 

[domin8h]

I'm using my dad's computer and I want to say thank you for taking time to write.