Help please!Graphic card suggestions!

[spukhoo]

Hello everyone!

I want to build my first hackintosh,but i need some help/suggestions for graphic card.
I will use my CustoMac for audio work only & i need a cheap but stable/compatible graphic card.

Motherboard : Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H
CPU : Intel Core I7-4790K
Ram : Kingstone HyperX DDR3 1600Mhz, 2x8GB
Video : ???
SSD : Kingstone 120 GB
HDD :Seagate Barracuda 1TB , 7200 RPM , 64 MB , SATA 3


Looking forward for some tips! Thank you!

 

[Adrian B]

It is perfectly possible to use the standard Intel HD4600 graphics that your processor already has built in for your purpose. This will use some of the RAM - if so you decide that using a separate card is the way forward then a GT 640 will give you long term graphics capability and you can use 3 monitors with most of these cards.

GT 640 will work natively in OSX by using GraphicsEnabler=No boot flag.

 

[spukhoo]

Hello Adrian!Thank you for the fast answer!I will stay with the integrated graphics for now,and i will update my setup later.I'm so curious...my system will be stable?Will i have freezing problems / kernel panics?Thank you so much!

 

[Adrian B]

Hello Adrian!Thank you for the fast answer!I will stay with the integrated graphics for now,and i will update my setup later.I'm so curious...my system will be stable?Will i have freezing problems / kernel panics?Thank you so much!

I am going to break my reply down into several sections in order to give you the best and most comprehensive answer to help you understand the important parts that each have a bearing on your questions.

The motherboard / CPU combination - the motherboard is Haswell, but the CPU is Haswell refresh (later). The motherboard must have UEFI F8 to work with the refresh range of processors. Consider earlier CPU if available. Put the motherboard model into the search box (top right of page) and read through some of the links to get a feel of other users findings with the board.

PSU - purchase the best that you can afford - you can get a very high quality Haswell compatible (silent) Corsair RM450 which is an excellent PSU. Cheep PSUs have been known to cause freezing in Haswell builds.

RAM - has been linked to freezing on some boards. Check more on this especially if you intend to run with 4 sticks of RAM

Tonymac Audio section of the forum : http://www.tonymacx86.com/music/

Read the stickies at the top of the forum, loads of great information in that section too. Do some further research and pick your components well to minimise freezing problems. Kernel panics sometimes happen through making a mistake that can be remedied using boot flags (covered in the guides and 'the basics')

http://www.tonymacx86.com/basics/

Before you purchase any hardware make sure that your proposed software apps run on well on Mavericks. This is an issue for some users of non Apple Apps.

Good luck on your journey

 

[spukhoo]

I am going to break my reply down into several sections in order to give you the best and most comprehensive answer to help you understand the important parts that each have a bearing on your questions.

The motherboard / CPU combination - the motherboard is Haswell, but the CPU is Haswell refresh (later). The motherboard must have UEFI F8 to work with the refresh range of processors. Consider earlier CPU if available. Put the motherboard model into the search box (top right of page) and read through some of the links to get a feel of other users findings with the board.

PSU - purchase the best that you can afford - you can get a very high quality Haswell compatible (silent) Corsair RM450 which is an excellent PSU. Cheep PSUs have been known to cause freezing in Haswell builds.

RAM - has been linked to freezing on some boards. Check more on this especially if you intend to run with 4 sticks of RAM

Tonymac Audio section of the forum : http://www.tonymacx86.com/music/

Read the stickies at the top of the forum, loads of great information in that section too. Do some further research and pick your components well to minimise freezing problems. Kernel panics sometimes happen through making a mistake that can be remedied using boot flags (covered in the guides and 'the basics')

http://www.tonymacx86.com/basics/

Before you purchase any hardware make sure that your proposed software apps run on well on Mavericks. This is an issue for some users of non Apple Apps.

Good luck on your journey

Thank you so much again for your detailed answer,it was really helpful!
What do you think about this configuration?

MOB - Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Socket 1150
CPU - Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5 GHz Socket 1150
RAM - Corsair Vengeance rev. A - 2x 8GB DDR3 1600MHz (100% compatible with the motherboard!)
PSU - Corsair RM Series RM450
SSD - Kingston V300 120GB SATA3
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM SATA3 64 MB

 

[Adrian B]

Your choices look good to me. One thing that I would certainly change is the Kingston V300 SSD. The original versions were well thought of, but those that have bought one since around the start of the years are noticing vast speed differences. It is claimed that the memory used is inferior to the original spec. Those that have purchased both versions have been more than a little disappointed, claiming speeds are only slightly faster than traditional platter HDDs

I suggest looking towards the Samsung 840 pro or Crucial M550 instead.

 

[spukhoo]

Your choices look good to me. One thing that I would certainly change is the Kingston V300 SSD. The original versions were well thought of, but those that have bought one since around the start of the years are noticing vast speed differences. It is claimed that the memory used is inferior to the original spec. Those that have purchased both versions have been more than a little disappointed, claiming speeds are only slightly faster than traditional platter HDDs

I suggest looking towards the Samsung 840 pro or Crucial M550 instead.

OK! Here is my final hardware list for my first Custom Mac / Hackintosh.

MOB - Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H Socket 1150
CPU - Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5 GHz Socket 1150
RAM - Corsair Vengeance rev. A - 2x 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
PSU - Corsair RM Series RM550 - 550 W
SSD - Samsung 840 EVO - 120 GB - SATA3
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM SATA3 64 MB

Thank you very much for your help! I hope everything will be ok with my setup.