Is this a good mobo cpu combo? i7-3770k and GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3

[Milhouse_]

Hi!

I have been reading these forums for quite a while and I was waiting for the right timing to buy my first hackingtosh hardware. As from what I have read here ==> http://www.tonymacx86.com/mountain-lion-desktop-guides/ , the Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 motherboard and i7-2660k cpu works great with the hd3000 without a dsdt using only mostly unibeast.

A topic more precise here ==> http://www.tonymacx86.com/mountain-...-uefi-bios-all-working-dsdt-not-required.html

I am looking for a UEFI OOB solution that works with Unibeast and no dsdt. At first, I was looking at the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H motherboard because of the sound chip wich had a good compatibility in Lion than the Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H.

Other recommended motherboards
http://tonymacx86.blogspot.ca/search/label/CustoMac

But it seams that alot of people are having problems with these new motherboards. On the other hand, people having great success using the Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 mobo.

I was wondering if I could get compatibility issues if I change the Sandy Bridge CPU for a Ivy Bridge CPU? I repeat that I am looking for a UEFI OOB solution that works with Unibeast and no dsdt.

My plan is to try with the integrated HD4000 video first. And if I do get problems, I am planning to use an old compatible video card wich works OBB for now.

So what do you guys think of my built?

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Here is what I am planning to buy :

CPU
Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I73770K

MOBO (I cant find weather it is gonna be the rev.1.3 ot the rev.1.0. My guess is that it's gonna be the one without PCIe3.0 rev1.0)
GIGABYTE GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM (Compatible memory modules checked on corsair web site. Low profile for a bigger heatsink if needed.)
CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9B

PSU (Compatible with the newest CPU. I prefer Enermax. Alot of people are reporting to be having problems with corsair PSU when you read the reviews on newegg.)
ENERMAX NAXN 82+ ENM750AWT 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

NIC (An almost obb nic. Only have to add the infos in the chameleon.plist so that it is detected.
Intel EXPI9301CTBLK Network Adapter 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express 1 x RJ45

--

I already own :

LG (blueray writer; from what I have read is compatible. Time will tell.)
BH12LS38

SSD (for macosx only)
OCZ 2.5'' 60GB SSD SATA II VERTEX 2 SERIES

HDD (For Windows, Linux and storage. I know there have been compatibility problems with HDD larger than 1TB. I might get a smaller one from my computers.)
WD 2.0TB SATA 64MB Cache WD20EARX WD CAviar Green

An medium tower ATX case, an oob Geforce videocard(just in case), a Keyboard, a mouse and a HDTV LCD.

 

[coelo]

Why are you buying a z68 board now?

You should be getting a z77

 

[Milhouse_]

Why are you buying a z68 board now?

You should be getting a z77

I am looking for easy compatibility first.

If you read people's guide for installing ML, you will see that people are having trouble with z77 mobo.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/mountain-lion-desktop-guides/

When the ga-z68ma-d2h-b3 motherboard seams to have have good compatibility with unibeast and are dsdt free.

 

[Afflatus]

I have the same board. Search for my posts, I've written a lot and they might help.

I've upgraded from Snow Leopard to Lion to Mt. Lion with not many problems.

A few things:

1. You will need to run Multibeast and Install AppleHDA rollback after installing a combo update. (And before rebooting the system)

2. If you upgrade to Mountain Lion, expect USB 3.0 not to work. This is not a MoBo problem per se. This looks to be an issue all over (even non-hackintosh owners)

 

[Milhouse_]

Well i just got it and it wont boot! I got a rebooting loop with no Keyboard or mouse access. I remember reading a post about rebooting and having to use a sandy bridge cpu to make it work first.

I guess I will have to read throught the forums and find the information again!

Just as a reference, it is a v1.3 mobo.

 

[estofan]

i have the same hardware.
after update to bios F10 it was working.

the only problem is the unsupported cpu.
so i get it perfect to work when i start in safe mode -x
otherwise it costs hours to start.

any idea ???

 

[Milhouse_]

i have the same hardware.
after update to bios F10 it was working.

the only problem is the unsupported cpu.
so i get it perfect to work when i start in safe mode -x
otherwise it costs hours to start.

any idea ???

no idea

But what I do know is that it is not a good combo.

1- You have to have a sandy bridge cpu to flash the BIOS. This means extra steps and extra cost you want to avoid.

2- Also because it is a sandy bridge mobo z68 and an Ivy Bridge cpu, you will have to do extra steps to use the hd4000 videocard. And it is the kind of steps you really want to avoid like editing kext...

3- There is alimtation of the power of the CPU. There is a problem with the multiplier. You just can the the max out of your cpu. And if you do flash EFI, it aint perfect either as it is not a real UEFI BIOS. It is a EFI BIOS(Wich mean that you dont get all the real features of a real UEFI BIOS.)

So NO! It aint a good combo!

PS : My motherboard was so cheap that i had to return it and get a rma for it. I bought instead my first choice : GA-Z77X-UD5H. There are a few minor problems... But it is really really easy to install! Si if you want to get an ivy bridge cpu with a gigabyte motherboard, get a Z77X-UD5H.)