Mac Mini Knockoff - Will this build work?

[epazotl]

So guys, my budget is between 600 and 650. Someone bought me a mini to replace my aging mini, and after finding out the RAM is soldered to the board on this model, I convinced them to let me take it back, and I'll build a hackintosh instead.

I will never game on this machine, but I will watch movies, and use software, and I'm terrible about keeping a zillion tabs open and using different software simultaneously, like watching movies while editing photos.

This is the build I'm considering, but I'm a bit nervous about doing a mini-ITX, because I might like more than one PCI slot for upgrading in the future. That's probably overkill though, so this build might be ok?

I hackintoshed a lenovo laptop in the distant past, but easy compatability is a factor, because I still consider myself to be brand new to hackintoshing.

Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard
Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory
Crucial MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Silverstone Sugo SG13B-Q Mini ITX Tower Case
Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

Also, for wifi: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007GMPZ0A/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Tag-on question. Should I install El Capitan or Sierra? Can you still even get El Capitan? It doesn't show up when I search the app store.

 

[Fl0r!an]

It should be possible to swap the WiFi card on that Gigabyte mainboard for a compatible one, so you can keep the PCIE slot reserved for any upcoming upgrades.
Be aware that your Hackintosh won't wake from sleep as long as you use the integrated graphics.

Besides that it's looking fine to me.

 

[epazotl]

It should be possible to swap the WiFi card on that Gigabyte mainboard for a compatible one, so you can keep the PCIE slot reserved for any upcoming upgrades.
Be aware that your Hackintosh won't wake from sleep as long as you use the integrated graphics.

Besides that it's looking fine to me.

Thank you! The first upgrade I plan on making is actually a graphics card in a month or two. I didn't think about switching the wifi card on the board, in order to leave the PCIE slot open. Thanks for the tip.

 

[WonkeyDonkey]

If you like a million tabs open and watch videos as well, you could also consider increasing your ram. That never hurts. 2 x 16gb is cheap enough.

 

[zebrum]

mini ITX is a tough call, if you move up to micro ATX then there are many more options, e.g. if you don't mind a limit of 4 x USB 3.0 ports then the H110 is half the price of the H170 (max 8 USB 3.0 ports),however there are a few other minor differences to consider like memory and RAID. The GA-H170M-DS3H ($85 on Amazon) has an M.2 slot for the SSD which will reduce the amount of wiring.

Paying for the WiFi board and getting an incompatible M.2 chip makes it not worth the premium, however you are getting the header and maybe the antennas, are those hard to get a hold of separately? Since you could either get the PCIe WiFi as you mentioned, or USB3 WiFi. Both SSD and WiFi interface bandwidth are all things to consider.

You might also be thinking of going the silent pico PSU route, that has a few power choices to make too based on the components, and it might influence your CPU choice like you might save on the pico PSU cost by getting the 90W if you went for the T versions of the Skylake processors.

Btw Gigabyte also make ITX boards with a built in PSU and have a DC in header, but the power spec seems a bit of a mystery.

So many decisions...

 

[LukeSc]

You can get a DW1560 M.2 card and replace the existing M.2 card on the G1 board. The DW1560 card is Dell branded BCM94352Z card. It's fairly easy to get. This leaves your PCIe slot open.

I haven't done this yet - still working on my build. I'm using an Asus Impact VIII motherboard.

 

[epazotl]

You can get a DW1560 M.2 card and replace the existing M.2 card on the G1 board. The DW1560 card is Dell branded BCM94352Z card. It's fairly easy to get. This leaves your PCIe slot open.

I haven't done this yet - still working on my build. I'm using an Asus Impact VIII motherboard.

I ended up getting the BCM94352Z card, and after some minor hassles, Wifi and Bluetooth are working well under Sierra.

Now audio is another matter...