Looking to upgrade my old build

[ontheclock]

Hi all,

My 6-year-old hackintosh is getting very glitchy and unstable -- and the sound hasn't worked in some time.

I figured I'd upgrade. I don't need something top-of-the-line - I do regular video editing, however.

Is there anything in my current system that I should keep? What are the biggest-bang-for-the-buck upgrades?

Thanks!


===2014 EQUIPMENT LIST==

Gigabyte LGA 1155 DDR3 1600 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Motherboard GA-Z77N-WIFI
Intel Core i7-3770 Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit for Core i3, i5, i7 and Platforms SDRAM CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-240G-G25
Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003
LG Electronics DVD Optical Drive UH12NS30
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 PCI Express Adapter,2.4GHz 450Mbps/5Ghz 450Mbps, Include Low-profile Bracket
Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced - Mini-ITX Computer Case with USB 3.0 Ports and Long Video Card Support (RC-120A-KKN1)
Cooler Master GeminII M4 - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes (RR-GMM4-16PK-R2)
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w Power Supply (RS500-PCARD3-US)

 

[Jamesbond007]

Hi all,

My 6-year-old hackintosh is getting very glitchy and unstable -- and the sound hasn't worked in some time.

I figured I'd upgrade. I don't need something top-of-the-line - I do regular video editing, however.

Is there anything in my current system that I should keep? What are the biggest-bang-for-the-buck upgrades?

Thanks!

===2014 EQUIPMENT LIST==

Gigabyte LGA 1155 DDR3 1600 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Motherboard GA-Z77N-WIFI
Intel Core i7-3770 Quad-Core Processor 3.4 GHz 4 Core LGA 1155 - BX80637I73770
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit for Core i3, i5, i7 and Platforms SDRAM CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
SanDisk Extreme SSD 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SDSSDX-240G-G25
Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003
LG Electronics DVD Optical Drive UH12NS30
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 PCI Express Adapter,2.4GHz 450Mbps/5Ghz 450Mbps, Include Low-profile Bracket
Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced - Mini-ITX Computer Case with USB 3.0 Ports and Long Video Card Support (RC-120A-KKN1)
Cooler Master GeminII M4 - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes (RR-GMM4-16PK-R2)
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w Power Supply (RS500-PCARD3-US)

An upgrade to a more current system means that you will need to replace the CPU / motherboard / RAM. I think that since you want to upgrade you will want a system with better performance than your current one, right?

Theoretically if the other components are still working you can still keep them. Can you determine whether they (or some of them) are still fine?

 

[Gigamaxx]

Can you define the glitches?

Have you cleaned out the case with canned air? Hit the fans, cooler fins, power supply etc.... Also a contact cleaner for plugs and ram contacts (turn off power and unplug then hold start button for 10 seconds to degaussing first).

Have you ever removed the CPU cooler and cleaned and replaced the thermal paste? It can dry up and or ooze out and cause heat issues which can result in glitches.

The power supply may be going out as well if you do upgrade and are considering a graphics card (really good deals in RX 500 series right now), maybe look into a 650watt or greater. It could be applied to an upgraded system. It’s best to have extra power you don’t need than to be on the edge of the requirement and strain the system.

 

[ontheclock]

There are usually a lot of issues after MacOS updates and sometimes for no reason I can spot - mostly wifi fails and/or sound. Sometimes it won't recognize USB drives. Also, my daughter regularly complains that she thinks the wifi is very slow.

For awhile, every time the sound stopped working, I could reboot and it would start up again. Lately though, it hasn't come back on after a reboot. I saw in the forums that my sound setup wasn't supported any longer.

The speed seems to be okay, so I'm not sure if I need to add a new CPU and motherboard. Happy to consider it though, based on any recommendations from the forum. Cleaning the whole thing up and replacing thermal paste is something I'll definitely do once I open the case.

To run Final Cut, I was thinking that maybe I could add a graphics card -- and a new sound card to fix the sound issue if I have available slots. Would a new fancy wifi card make any difference?

Thanks for your comments and advice.

 

[Gigamaxx]

There are usually a lot of issues after MacOS updates and sometimes for no reason I can spot - mostly wifi fails and/or sound. Sometimes it won't recognize USB drives. Also, my daughter regularly complains that she thinks the wifi is very slow.

For awhile, every time the sound stopped working, I could reboot and it would start up again. Lately though, it hasn't come back on after a reboot. I saw in the forums that my sound setup wasn't supported any longer.

The speed seems to be okay, so I'm not sure if I need to add a new CPU and motherboard. Happy to consider it though, based on any recommendations from the forum. Cleaning the whole thing up and replacing thermal paste is something I'll definitely do once I open the case.

To run Final Cut, I was thinking that maybe I could add a graphics card -- and a new sound card to fix the sound issue if I have available slots. Would a new fancy wifi card make any difference?

Thanks for your comments and advice.

RX 500 series (excrept XFX bad bios on some models) will be able to get HDMi or DisplayPort audio. But I think it needs at least. 550 watt PSU.