help with first build, need recommendations.

[wayneAS27]

So my 2009 Macbook Pro (very much loved, its been great to me since my freshman year) is really starting to show its age, especially while video editing even with a Samsung 840 Evo SSD (the only upgrade) Still has only 2GBs of ram too..

Anyways I am looking into building my first computer. The purpose of the build is to be able to dual-boot Mac OS X and Windows. I don't want to break the bank, I just want to be able to get some very good performance for the price as far as PC gaming while on Windows and video editing in OS X using Final Cut Pro+Compressor+Motion.

I have some parts in my amazon cart for a reference attached below. I know I probably need a quad core processor, but I don't know if I want to spend that much for one. I started looking around for different ones and I really don't know if they would be compatible with the motherboard im currently looking at, so yeah im kind of confused. Really need recommendations for a graphics card that works on 10.9.3! If you guys could recommend one that wont completely break my bank itd be appreciated.

 

[DrEskimo]

Few things I've noticed straight away:

1. Thats laptop RAM (204 pin) and you need Desktop RAM (240 pin). Anything by Crucial or G Skill thats DDR3, 240pin and clocked at around 1600MHz is a safe bet.

2. Very cheap power supply from a make I haven't come across. I tend to think that you shouldn't look to save cash on the power supply, since that's such a critical component. Anything by Corsair or Seasonic would be better. Also look for at least 60 Plus Bronze...probably even Gold since they aren't much more expensive these days. Personally I prefer modular designs as well as they make cable management much easier!

3. You have a mini-ATX motherboard. Not a huge deal since it will probably fit in that mid tower case (don't know for sure, just guessing since my mid-tower case supports both ATX and mini-ATX), but you might as well go ATX to get the extra expansion. They are around the same price usually.

4. Corsair liquid CPU cooler seems overkill for a Xeon CPU. Sure it'll be cooler and quieter (assuming you swap out the awful stock corsair fans that come with the cooler...) but since you won't over clock it Im thinking you will get same temp results from a more standard air cooler. Hyper 212 is a popular choice.

5. Not sure the Xeon CPU is really necessary. If the price isn't much different I would probably go with the i7 4770.

6. In terms of GPU, check the buyers guide. Generally Nvidia are better supported than AMD. Check what suits your need and budget from the buyers guide list and you should be golden!

Hope that helps

 

[wayneAS27]

Thanks Some of those components weren't picks of mine, like the motherboard and the processor (they were recommended on youtube lol). I've checked the buyers guide but ill have another look. Have you upgraded to mavericks 10.9.3 with any of those cards in the buyers guide for May? And if so have you had any problems? Also any recommended motherboards? Thanks again!

EDIT: Just updated my cart. Better choices this time? The 4770 was more expensive :/

 

[trs96]

Wayne, the MSI motherboard will work great for gaming in Windows. For OS X it will
take more effort and experimenting to get everything working 100%. There are no user
build guides to follow so you'll have to learn how to do it on your own. I think that the
audio will work with a kext from Multibeast but the LAN chip may not be compatible.
You can get it to work fully but it will take more time than one of the Buyer's Guide
approved motherboards will.

 

[wayneAS27]

Hmm gotcha. Just took a look at the buyers guide motherboards, stuck between these two:

Like I said, not trying to break the bank. I want this process to be as easy as it can be being my first build so I should probably go with some stuff from the guide.

 

[DrEskimo]

Hmm gotcha. Just took a look at the buyers guide motherboards, stuck between these two:
View attachment 94673View attachment 94674
Like I said, not trying to break the bank. I want this process to be as easy as it can be being my first build so I should probably go with some stuff from the guide.

The first one is a Z87 chipset. You only really need this if you are over clocking. If budget is the aim of the game I would firstly go with a UD3 board from Gigabyte, and secondly go for the H87 chipset.

This would probably do you fine:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CU4L3AU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tonymacx86com-20

Again, the second motherboard you listed is a Mini ATX board. They are for when you are doing small form factor builds. Your case is a mid tower case and can fit ATX boards in, so you don't need to worry about going for the smaller mini ATX motherboards. As I said you can technically fit both, but then you compromise on expansion, such as additional RAM slots and PCI-e slots.

 

[wayneAS27]

yeah i just noticed it was a mini afterwards.. if I sound like a idiot its probably because I am That one looks good, thank you! Didnt know if one quite that cheap would be good or not but it has good reviews. Think the intel core i5 4570 3.2ghz would serve me well? Also, is corsair ram good? Seems to get good reviews on the "vengeance" ram. I just want to make sure the corsair ram isn't going to cause any space issues in my case being a little bigger than the other ram currently in my cart.

 

[DrEskimo]

yeah i just noticed it was a mini afterwards.. if I sound like a idiot its probably because I am That one looks good, thank you! Didnt know if one quite that cheap would be good or not but it has good reviews. Think the intel core i5 4570 3.2ghz would serve me well?

Haha don't worry, we all start somewhere...

My advice would be to do quite a bit more research. I actually haven't even built my system yet. I hope to complete my build in the next two months once my car stops draining all my income! I went through about 4/5 different set-ups before I settled on my one, after about a year or so of research!

You need to think about what you need it for and what will be best hardware to achieve that in your budget.

The i5 4570 will probably be fine, but i wonder how much of an improvement the GT640 will be over the Intel integrated graphics. For gaming and video editing, you will probably be much better off going for something like the GTX 760 for $100 more. I would look for reviews and comparisons and see how they differ and whether that fits with your expectation about what you want to achieve.

 

[wayneAS27]

Yeah, im definitely doing more research. My current MBP does dual boot with windows and a upgraded SSD thats about as tech savvy as I am right now lol. I would pick up the 760 if I knew it was compatible with mavericks 10.9.3. Ive searched the forums but haven't found a definite answer. If someone could prove it works on 10.9.3 id get it. I looked at the gtx 750ti too, seems like a lot of people are waiting for os x support on that one. All these terms like "kext" or "kernals" are killing my confidence tbh. Im reading all these terms ive never heard before.. lol

 

[DrEskimo]

Yea I'm pretty sure everything listed in the buyers guide is proven to work well. In fact I think WonkeyDonkey has a nice mATX build with the 760 which he uses as a steam box.

If you have the time and enjoy playing around with this kind of thing then I say go for it! I too don't have much idea about how the installation is going to go because I have never done it, but I am happy to put in the time and give it a go. Everyones build is slightly different so its impossible to say you will/won't run in to problems. Chances are though someone on these forums will be able to help you out.

I think the trick is to see it as a hobby, rather than a practical solution. The practical solution would be to either stick to Windows or buy Apple hardware!