Mini ITX Build

[Kenop]

This is my first post here but I have been lurking the forums for quite some time. I have committed to building a Catalina Hackintosh using my just received Louqe Ghost S1 shoebox. Obviously I have read the Buyer's Guide to make sure I buy components others have had success with. However, I'd really appreciate some input on my chosen components if there are more suitable options out there. Even if something work, there can be better alternatives.

The Ghost will boot (hopefully!) OS X only. I don't game, I will use the computer for music production (Logic) and everyday stuff. Audio interface will be a USB SSL 2+ which I am not expecting to cause any issues once OS X is booted. Wifi and Bluetooth is optional - if I can get it to work without too much frustration I'd give it a go. I am not looking to update to every new version of OS X. I ran Snowleopard forever on my old Mac Pro and just recently updated my Macbook Pro to Catalina.

I am a pretty experienced Mac OS user and sure I've built PCs back in the day (back when the drives were spinning and M2 disks were science fiction) but have zero Hackintosh experience. Eager to learn and not afraid to read

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 I AORUS PRO WIFI. Seems to be working in many user builds.
CPU: Intel i5 9600K. It performs OK for audio without getting too hot and looks like decent bang for the buck. It will be cooled by a Noctua L12.
GPU: Not ordered. Would prefer not to have one if possible? Seems everyone buys a dedicated gpu. Can I run with the iGPU? Will buy something like the RX 580 if necessary.
Memory: Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 3200Mhz CL16 Vengeance
SSD: Ordered the Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500 GB. This looks like a pretty bad choice depending on the forum threads? Don't see that exact version in the Buyer's Guide. Will switch it if it's not recommended. Will also order a 2.5 SSD drive with more space for audio.

Thanks for taking the time to read and help out - much appreciated!

 

[Going Bald]

For general usage (web browsing, e-mail, etc.) a discrete GPU is not required if the CPU you choose has a supported iGPU.
You might want to check the height above cpu and clearance in your case for that NH-L12. For an ITX build consider the NH-L9a instead if clearances are tight.
Do you really need 32G of RAM? Unless you are doing heavy processing (video or audio) 16G would be plenty for general usage and you can save some $$ here.
For an NVMe M.2 I would I went with the 970 Pro. I have had better luck with the Pro versions than the EVO drives.

 

[Kenop]

The NH-L12 fits (it has been replaced by the L12S that does not fit unless tweaking), I bought one second hand. It performs great for others with the same case.
I could absolutely go with 16G of ram, it would be sufficient. The board only has two slots though and hopefully I can keep it for a few years so might as well buy 32.
By ”970 Pro” do you mean the EVO 970 Plus or are you referring to another drive? The drive is my biggest concern, especially since I can`t return it if it doesn`t work and it`s quite expensive.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Kenop]

I went with the corsair since I know it fits with the cpu cooler and they seem popular. Memory is probably the component I have researched the least in this build. Also, don`t want any rgb or bling in my case.

 

[Kenop]

Thought I'd update for other users who might be facing the same questions with some results.

I went along and assembled the computer which was a breeze even for me who's old school. The Samsung drive was detected immediately without any extra efforts and it now runs OS X Catalina on it. I went with 16gb memory. Unfortunately I'm missing ethernet so am writing this on my Apple mac but that's probably a quick fix with clover.

 

[Going Bald]

The NH-L12 fits (it has been replaced by the L12S that does not fit unless tweaking), I bought one second hand. It performs great for others with the same case.
I could absolutely go with 16G of ram, it would be sufficient. The board only has two slots though and hopefully I can keep it for a few years so might as well buy 32.
By ”970 Pro” do you mean the EVO 970 Plus or are you referring to another drive? The drive is my biggest concern, especially since I can`t return it if it doesn`t work and it`s quite expensive.

Thanks for your help!

I mean the 970 Pro