Help with Z270 miniATX (mATX) MoBo with Thunderbolt 3 for 6600K

[vonstirliz]

Hey guys,

I am pretty new here and read ton of stuff around this great forum, but I am quite confused at this point. I own a Macbook Pro 15 and now want to build a stationary PC/Hackintosh dual boot system.

As for now I have the following components:

Intel Core i5 6600K (might update some day to 7700K when they come down in price)
16Gb Corsair DDR4 3000Mhz RAM
Seasonic G-550 PSU

The other hardware in question is:

SAMSUNG 500 GB 960 EVO NVMe M.2, Interne SSD - expensive and fast, but nt sure if I will see difference.
Gigabyte GA-Z270MX-Gaming 5 - it is expensive and has fancy features I do not need.

For now I will be using Sapphire AMD RX480 Nitro with AMD Vega update in mind.

So now I have 3 questions

1. Which Motherboard shall I choose (mATX and Thunderbolt 3 compatible)
2. Not quite sure if SAMSUNG 500 GB 960 EVO NVMe M.2, Interne SSD was a correct choice as it is quite pricey and as i read might cause issued with MAC.
3. Can u run Mac/Windows from the same drive?

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[Adrian B]

There is problems booting Windows and macOS when using RX480 and similar cards - you should look into this further. I wouldn't recommend using an M2 NVMe drive with macOS or Windows in any dual boot configuration, but do further reading on the subject and make up your own mind on the best way forward. Standard SSDs are pretty fast and much better value for money.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/search/22965351/?q=SAMSUNG+500+GB+960+EVO+NVMe&o=date

It is technically possible to run Windows and macOS on a single drive but if you are unable to see the bootscreen then you will have problems selecting the OS to boot into.

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/radeon-compatibility-guide-ati-amd-graphics-cards.171291/
https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/multi-booting.153/

I cannot tell you which mATX boards are available with ThunderBolt 3 at present. If you do a search and draw up a short list of models then it should be easy enough to check the manufacturer website to check audio/ethernet and wifi for best compatibility. Beyond that there can often be a bit of trial and error especially with some high speck new hardware that Apple isn't yet using.

 

[Stansted]

I wouldn't recommend using an M2 NVMe drive with macOS or Windows in any dual boot configuration, but do further reading on the subject and make up your own mind on the best way forward.

Hmm. Useful. Looking into this. Thanks. I really wanted Samsung M.2 960's.

 

[Adrian B]

Some further reading on the subject:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/os-x-driver-for-nvme-m-2-solid-state-drives-released.181387/

Research carefully and ask advice from those using them if you wish to get an experienced users take on the upsides/downsides to ownership of these drives.

 

[Stansted]

Some further reading on the subject:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/os-x-driver-for-nvme-m-2-solid-state-drives-released.181387/

Research carefully and ask advice from those using them if you wish to get an experienced users take on the upsides/downsides to ownership of these drives.

Yeah, I've dropped the idea for the OS X installation. Planning on using one for Windows, though. ;-)