Lenovo ThinkCentre M91p-Install OSX?

[PolarTech]

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the site, as well as Hackintosh's in general, and I was hoping someone could help me with the parts I would need to buy to create a Hackintosh on a Lenovo ThinkCentre M91p.
The Specs are:
Motherboard Chipset
Intel Q67
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 2000
Processor
Intel Core i7-2600 3.4GHz
Memory
4GB DDR3 1333

I want this system to be able to video edit at 1080p possibly 4k in FCPX, so if you guys could recommend a good graphics/video card that would work well in this system that would be great. Also, my budget is about $200 for additional parts that I don't already have, so keep that in mind.
Thanks,
PolarTech

 

[trs96]

What you can use depends on the case form factor. If it's SFF only a low profile card will work. The other limiting factor is the wattage of the PSU. How much can that provide ? Does it have a 6 pin supplemental connector ?

 

[trs96]

If you can fit a full height graphics card then you could go with a GTX 950 like this:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127937&cm_re=gtx950-_-14-127-937-_-Product
Should work with a PSU that is rated under 300W. An AMD R9 280X would be the best for FCP X but there is no way the PSU in one of these could supply enough power for it. Would require at least 500W, probably more.

I don't think that editing 4K video with a prebuilt like this is realistic but it would be able to handle 1080p with no problems. You'd of course want to max out the ram at 16GB to have a good experience with FCP X editing.

 

[PolarTech]

so if i get the GTX 950, and 16gb of ram I can edit 1080p video smoothly with quick render times ?

 

[trs96]

It's not the ideal setup as FCP X is optimized for AMD cards. It's probably the best you can do unless you build your own PC from scratch and choose all the components such as a newer more powerful PSU. If you are not a Pro video editor it should get the job done for you.

 

[PolarTech]

It's not the ideal setup as FCP X is optimized for AMD cards. It's probably the best you can do unless you build your own PC from scratch and choose all the components such as a newer more powerful PSU. If you are not a Pro video editor it should get the job done for you.

I do have a bigger external case, that I was going to use. So I could end up getting a bigger PSU if needed. I'm just wondering if my motherboard can handle that. Are there any Nvida cards that are a little bit better than the GTX 950, but under $150?

 

[trs96]

I do have a bigger external case, that I was going to use. So I could end up getting a bigger PSU if needed. I'm just wondering if my motherboard can handle that. Are there any Nvida cards that are a little bit better than the GTX 950, but under $150?

I think that you can find some 960s on sale/AR on Newegg for around $150. They are being closed out though in favor of the newer Pascal line of cards. If you can use a bigger PSU (500W+) also look for a used AMD R9280x that is in good shape. Much better performer in FCP X.

 

[PolarTech]

I think that you can find some 960s on sale/AR on Newegg for around $150. They are being closed out though in favor of the newer Pascal line of cards. If you can use a bigger PSU (500W+) also look for a used AMD R9280x that is in good shape. Much better performer in FCP X.

Ok thanks, do you think I would have to get a new motherboard, and since I have an older i7 is there a specific guide I can look at to install osx?

 

[trs96]

Ok thanks, do you think I would have to get a new motherboard, and since I have an older i7 is there a specific guide I can look at to install osx?

It's very difficult to find older H67 or Z68 motherboards that are mac OS compatible. You could try and use the one you've got first and see how that goes. The other option is to try and find a Gigabyte H67 or Z68 used on Ebay. You will mostly follow the standard Installation guide for whichever version of OS X you are installing.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...ierra-on-any-supported-intel-based-pc.200564/

There are always other board specific issues you will have to look at once you've settled on one you will use.

 

[trs96]

This is the same model mATX board I've used for the last 5 years with no problems. Seller is in Canada so it's a good deal if you live in the US. It's still more than I paid for mine back in 2012.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gigabyte-Te...134408?hash=item211ab73288:g:Ah8AAOSwB09YLdAP

Best part is you can use your I7-2600 with it and a discrete card like an R9 280X. You can go up to 32 GB of ram if need be. You also get two Sata 3 6 Gb/s ports for SSD drives. A new Skylake or Kaby Lake I7 costs over 300 USD by itself.