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Greetings - Ready to pull the trigger! Come see.

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Jun 26, 2010
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106
Motherboard
MSI MEG Z490 Unify
CPU
i7-10700K
Graphics
RTX 3070 Founders
Mac
  1. iMac
  2. Mac mini
  3. Mac Pro
Classic Mac
  1. iMac
  2. Power Mac
  3. Xserve
Mobile Phone
  1. Android
  2. iOS
Hello. First off, let me say greetings to everyone. :) Second, allow me to introduce myself, my name's Blackstar. Long time lurker, first time poster just about to pull the trigger on entering the wide world of Hackintosh ownership. Been a long time Apple/Mac user since '84. Currently have seven working Macs in the house now ranging from Mac Mini's to G4 Servers. A digital video editor by trade and having a few PC/Overclocker/Modder friends, I was curious to get into making my own.

But enough about me. After much researching here and other sources, I've compiled a parts list I'd love to get some feedback on. Basically I'm looking to start out with a basic/simple/stable i7 machine running 10.6.4 as vanilla as possible with everything working and the least amount of 'hoop-jumping' my first time out. ;)

Read about sound and ethernet being the main issues with these mobo's.
Once it's up and running, I'll be modding, upgrading video and cooler, overclocking, etc as I gain more experience. Have built/modded my own PC's in the past, so putting them together is not a problem. Just want to get as 'perfect' components as possible that will be a good foundation and last me a good while. Here's what I had in mind:


- Mobo - (read some rev's have better audio / ethernet compatibility due to chip type?)

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R (rev 1)
or
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R (rev 2)
or
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5


- Video - (read everything on Palit card worked out of the box. Not sure on the other)

Palit GeForce 9800 GT 1GB
or
GIGABYTE GeForce 9800 GT 1GB Silent Cell
or
(something else - open to suggestions)


- CPU - (read the i920 is better for compatibility / over-clocking? Anyone confirm?)

Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz LGA 1366
or
Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366


- RAM - (read something about i7's only accessing a max of 1066 anyway? Anyone confirm?)

Kingston 3GB (3 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500)
or
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
or
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)


- Power Supply - (read this was a good unit/very quiet. Plan to add 4-7 HD's)

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M700 RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W
or
(something else - open to suggestions)


- Ethernet - (just in case onboard ethernet has issues, I read this card works out of the box?)

TRENDnet TEG-PCITXR 10/ 100/ 1000/ 2000Mbps PCI Copper Gigabit Network Adapter


- Case - (should fit nicely in my rack)

COOLER MASTER Centurion 590
or
(something else - open to suggestions)


Well, that's it so far. I have plenty of Hard Drives and DVD reader/recorders that should all work, so no plans on buying one for this build. Will stick with the stock cooler for now. Please feel free to comment with any suggestions or experiences. I have a budget of no more than $1,200 but anything around $1,000 will make me very happy.

Thank you for your attention. :)

p.s.
(hope this post is in the right place)
 
Graphics: The card vendor doesn't matter with compatible video cards (like the 9800GT).
Just go for best cooling, most silent cooling... whatever you prefer.

PSU: People say CoolerMaster wasn't renowned for their PSUs... I didn't care (see my sig) but I have a feeling you are more choosey than me.
 
Just my 2 cents.

Take a look at some comparison scores for the i7-875k. I have tested it and many other i7-CPUs; 860, 920, 930, 950, 980x

I have found that the 875k outperforms all of the 9xx series except for 975 ans 980x. So IMHO if you aren't going to buy 975 or above then the 875k will give you the most bang for your buck. Do some googling and see if I'm misguided. My 860 actually performs exactly the same as my 950. Believe me I have tried everything and was very disappointed when I couldn't get it to outperform the 860 because it was god damned expensive.

As for video, I love my GTX 260 above all others. But the GTX 285 is truly the bomb for video work if you want to spend some real cash.

As for PSU - I think the leads are key here. I also like Cooler Master because they have more SATA power leads. A lot of other brands have only 4 SATA leads, which just isn't enough and I hate using those stupid little adapters.

Hope that helps.

rabbit.
The chart
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup. ... 40+2.67GHz
 
I am also a long time l@@ker but a new poster.....

Any reason you want to go with "X58" and not "P55"?

You did say "Vanilla" right?

I too am a tech from way back so this "Hackintosh" thing went
Smooth for me with ONLY a few hick-ups.....

After SL 10.4.6 (Retail) install, Sound and Lan work OOB
until I install newest DSDT (f9) then just ran MultiBeast again....NP ;)

To much to do using ATI so best to stick with what works OOB (9800GT) (Vanilla Right?)

See my sig ;)

Just my 2 cents

Regards HighwayTrucker
 
I like my system... P55 boards are pretty easy to setup here... Like Rabbit said...might want to go that way for easiest setup...If you can find a UD5 that is a great board...889a codec...If you don't need a ton of connections the P55M-UD4 is a sweet board...
 
Oh, this is so good to hear from such nice people. Thanks everyone! :)
So much to digest, I'll try to get to everyone.

flatfoot said:
Graphics: The card vendor doesn't matter with compatible video cards (like the 9800GT). Just go for best cooling, most silent cooling... whatever you prefer.

Ok, video manufacture not as important as model, check got it.
The silent one does look nice. One less fan spinning is always good.


rabbit74 said:
As for video, I love my GTX 260 above all others. But the GTX 285 is truly the bomb for video work if you want to spend some real cash.

As for PSU - I think the leads are key here. I also like Cooler Master because they have more SATA power leads. A lot of other brands have only 4 SATA leads, which just isn't enough and I hate using those stupid little adapters.

Hope that helps.

Very much so, thanks. Love the chart BTW. I may go with the silent 9800GT one for now and then move on to the GTX 285 eventually when I can swing it. ;) Thanks for the recommendation. Agree on the power supply connections too. Going to be moving (4) 1TB WD green HD's from my G4 server to this box with these adapters eventually: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817371028
So I can swap out drives easy and give it a 'drobo-like' storage system. Better SATA power is always preferable.

HighwayTrucker said:
I am also a long time l@@ker but a new poster... Any reason you want to go with "X58" and not "P55"? You did say "Vanilla" right?

I too am a tech from way back so this "Hackintosh" thing went
Smooth for me with ONLY a few hick-ups.....

After SL 10.4.6 (Retail) install, Sound and Lan work OOB
until I install newest DSDT (f9) then just ran MultiBeast again....NP ;)

To much to do using ATI so best to stick with what works OOB (9800GT) (Vanilla Right?)

See my sig ;) Just my 2 cents Regards HighwayTrucker

Yeah, as 'Vanilla' as I can get. :cool: Reason I started with the X58 instead of the P55 was simply is was newer. Was under the impression that because several models of the LGA 1156 were discontinued or not in stock where I shop, it was an older design and would not hold up with potential future changes. Also saw they had USB 3.0 (will be useful when OS X finally supports it) and I read the X58's were in the Mac Pro's, so I thought it would be a logical place to start. If I get a rare LGA 1156 and have to return it, I may not find another and would be suck with LGA 1156 parts. Does that seem logical?

However, I'm more than open to suggestions. :D

cakemonster said:
I like my system... P55 boards are pretty easy to setup here... Like Rabbit said...might want to go that way for easiest setup...If you can find a UD5 that is a great board...889a codec...If you don't need a ton of connections the P55M-UD4 is a sweet board...

Is there a most popular/favorite P55 that has USB 3.0? Looking now I see a few LGA 1156 gigabyte models have it but they seem to have either the Realtek ALC888 or Realtek ALC899 (don't see one with Realtek ALC899a in stock anywhere) hmm, got a link perhaps?

Thought I saw in the iBoot/Multibeast versions there were some kexts to get audio and gigabit running on the X58 boards, is that correct? Any other major concerns on the X58 boards besides ethernet and sound and if so, is there a consensus of a favorite? Is there a drop in PCI sound card that OS X has kext for?

Any opinions on RAM or any other parts listed?

HighwayTrucker said:
;) Can you say VANILLA ?
FYI.....
I found a DYNEX (which happens to be blue in color.....YAY....Matches my Gigabyte board)MODEL # BGDTC Chipset BC4318

Put it in PCI slot #1 on my P55A-UD3 board and WOW.......
Installed SL 10.6.4 Retail in a jiffy ;) Airport working OOB !!!!! ******NO KEXTing****** Regards Highwaytrucker

Oh, thanks for the wireless suggestion but I'm all set for wireless though; no need. ;)
Have all the rooms in the house wired with Cat5e running gigabit.
No less than 11 neighbors all running wireless, so I choose not to participate in fighting for frequencies bandwidth and interference. :) Personally had so much trouble over the years with wireless encryptions, channels, compatibilities, etc I tend to avoid is as much as possible.

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone, please keep them coming.
 
Blackstar,
Check out my build ( http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/ ) for a silent build with everything working Out Of the Box...

Good Luck !
Lnx2Mac
 
Video: http://www.walmart.com/ip/EVGA-GeForce- ... d/13952358

Same as the 9800GTX+ but it's 55nm and uses less power.
Get two and SLI to really kick some butt (not in OSX though)

Case: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=3633

Ram: G.Skill is the best reviewed on NewEgg... It's what I got.

PSU is Ok: as long as it's SLI compatible.

I got the GA-P55M-UD4 it's supposed to be really compatible and you can SLI with it.
Gigabyte discontinued it though because they are replacing it with a USB 3.0 board. I got mine for $100 because of that.. (newegg)
 
Kenrik said:
I got the GA-P55M-UD4 it's supposed to be really compatible and you can SLI with it. Gigabyte discontinued it though because they are replacing it with a USB 3.0 board. I got mine for $100 because of that.. (newegg)

Thanks. :)

Yeah, I was looking for it and unfortunately NewEgg is out. :(
Got to compare specs though.

Lnx2Mac said:
Blackstar,
Check out my build ( http://lnx2mac.blogspot.com/ ) for a silent build with everything working Out Of the Box...

Good Luck !
Lnx2Mac


Lol. Your build was one I found in my searches earlier this month! :mrgreen:

Lots of great info, I will check it out again. Thanks. :)
 
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