ManHands' Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

[manHands]

Re: skirk08's Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

-Does your hyper 212 evo clear the high profile?

and

-Would you recommend the cooler?

It clears the memory (sort of). I originally set up the fan to "pull," and installed it on the backside of the cooler because of the clearance issues. Later, I purchased a second fan from the Corsair website to install as intended. It installs, but because of the memory, hangs off the cooler about 3/4". The clips still clip to the cooler, and the rubber pads are still in contact by moving them over a tad.

I did get about 2 degrees Celsius lower when adding this 2nd fan as I had hoped. If you don't mind this, I'd recommend it. For the price and low noise factor, it works for me. I'm not sure you'll find many coolers that will work because of this board and the memory placement.

 

[jleblanc23]

Re: skirk08's Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

Thanks man! I agree, I will not find many coolers that will work.

Noise isn't really a big factor, just don't want it to be SUPER loud. I'm a drummer, so I'm used to it.

I think I'm going to go with this cooler since I should be able to fit it in there.

Thanks again.

 

[mlheintz13]

Re: skirk08's Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

Nice build! I've got almost the same that I just built, but went with the 6850 rather than 6870 video card (probably should have spent the extra $40). Oh well.

Are you running the 6870 on the 16x or 8x slot? I've got a strange anomaly that I encountered yesterday that I'm trying to solve. I had my 6850 in the 8x slot (oversight on my part during the initial build) and was getting some great Geekbench / CineBench scores. When I noticed that I was on the 8x slot, I moved it to the 16x slot and my Geekbench / Cinebench more than halved. I confirmed in the system profiler that it is showing as 16.

If I can't figure it out, I'll just move it back to the 8x slot, but was just wondering where you have it running.

 

[manHands]

Re: skirk08's Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

Are you running the 6870 on the 16x or 8x slot? I've got a strange anomaly that I encountered yesterday that I'm trying to solve. I had my 6850 in the 8x slot (oversight on my part during the initial build) and was getting some great Geekbench / CineBench scores. When I noticed that I was on the 8x slot, I moved it to the 16x slot and my Geekbench / Cinebench more than halved. I confirmed in the system profiler that it is showing as 16.

Strange indeed. I have mine in the 16x slot. I'm curious to see if I could duplicate this result, but I'd rather not mess around with anything since it is running so smooth. Hopefully someone else has encountered this and can chime in.

Did you encounter anything when switching between the 8x and 16x slot other than the mentioned performance issues?

 

[D1RTYD1Z619]

Re: skirk08's Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

Hey skirk08,
I think I might take the plunge and buy Lion and try to make a Hackintosh but I was curious on what route you took to install Lion. My set up is very close to yours except I have the ssd version of that motherboard and I was going to throw in a HD4850 vid card that I have laying around ( or should I switch to onboard) sense I highly doubt I'll be able to get my GTX 680 working at the moment.

 

[manHands]

Re: skirk08's Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

I think I might take the plunge and buy Lion and try to make a Hackintosh but I was curious on what route you took to install Lion.

I used the Unibeast method. It's the only method I've used, and works flawlessly with no tweaks. Probably due to the fact that I used only recommended (from this website) parts. If you're using a different video card, do a search. There's bound to be someone that has the same card. Then you can find if there's anything you'd need to tweak on the install.

If you're thinking about taking the plunge with Lion, why not just wait until Mountain Lion comes out? Rumor is, it'll be out by the end of the month. Just a thought.

 

[jasperliu]

Re: skirk08's Build - Core i7-2600K - GA-Z68XP-UD3 - HD 6870

Hi skirk08

First of all, thanks for sharing the build!!
I would like to try this build as my 1st Hackintosh

However, I might want to save some money by switching CPU to i5-2500K

And here is some question -
1)Would this build work with coming OS "Mountain Lion"
2)Any other parts that I can switch to save some money?!
(Power? .. etc)
3)Also, do I just set up the wifi as it's mentioned in other builds? or there is a specific instruction for your build.

 

[manHands]

And here is some question - 1)Would this build work with coming OS "Mountain Lion"

Yes, this build will work with Mountain Lion. I plan to upgrade once it's released.

2)Any other parts that I can switch to save some money?!*(Power? .. etc)

You could save money in a number of ways. A lot of the components were fairly new (thus expensive) when I purchased them. You could definitely save on the processor as you mentioned. You could also opt for an IDE drive versus the SSD. You could do less memory. I'd say at least 8 GB though. Of course this is all dependent on what you're using the hackintosh for. If you don't need blu-ray, just get a DVD burner instead. If you don't plan on OC'ing, just use the stock cooler for the CPU. If you're not going to be gaming or using a lot of GPU intensive programs, you could use a cheaper video card or just use the Intel HD 3000 chip on the MB. I used a larger power supply because of all the hard drives (5), video card, and to allow room for adding additional components/drives. Newegg has a tool to figure out what size you may need for your build.

3)Also, do I just set up the wifi as it's mentioned in other builds? or there is a specific instruction for your build.

I'd do some more researching on wifi around the forums. I'm kind of anti wifi when it comes to my hackintosh. I'll use wifi in my home for phones, tablets, etc. But, I stream a lot of movies, video, media between my hackintosh and home entertainment center. In my experience, nothing beats a solid cat6 ethernet connection. So, long story short, I have zero experience with wifi on the 'ol hackintosh.

 

[Stork]

TP-Link PCI Express Adapter(TL-WDN4800)

I recommend the TP-Link PCI Express Adapter(TL-WDN4800). (See tonymacx86's thread below.) I have 3 do-it-yourself BoardCom minPCI-e in a PCI-e card (popular mod on this forum). However, for ~$45 USD from either Amazon or Newegg, you can't beat the performance - twice as fast as the do-it-yourself card - for about the same cost as the do-it-yourself if you count your time.

This card will work well in an HTPC.

http://www.tonymacx86.com/network/58497-off-shelf-native-airport-pci-express-wifi-card.html

 

[Koalaman]

Everything I purchased to build was about $1,050 after rebates. This doesn't include the stuff I already owned (obviously). Adding another SSD to load Windows 7 may be in the future. Although if I wait long enough... Windows 8 may be out.

October 26th if I remember correctly.