Mini itx customac for Lightroom 4

[mister_spaccato]

Photo editing customac for Lightroom 4

I've patiently waited for IB cpus to be fully supported under mac os, it's time to upgrade!
This machine will be built around lightroom 4: the other tasks (web browsing, some coding, some movie playing, occasional Libreoffice) don't require much computational power, so i'll consider them negligible for the choice of components. I would like to fit everything inside a mini-itx case (Bitfenix Prodigy), but can fall back to ATX if that's not possible. The temporary components list is:

Intel i5 3570K 207€
Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H 89€
Corsair CX 430W 39€
Samsung 830 64gb 67€
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo 29€
Corsair DDR3 16gb 1600mhz CL10 CMZ16GX3M2A1C10 76€
Seagate ST1000DM003 67€
Coolermaster K350 46€
3xCoolermaster Blade Master 120mm fan 26€

TOTAL: 662€

 

[Mate94]

Gigabyte's GA-Z77/H77-WIFI is around the corner, I would wait for them.

 

[SierraClimber]

Consider using an i7-3770K instead. Lightroom spends most of its time calculating. The i7 will be significantly faster. Also, mITX has limited RAM capacity. Moving to mATX or ATX will give you up to 32 GB. The Samsung 830 SSD is excellent for compressed data that Lightroom uses. Consider getting the 128 GB version, it is faster and will let you keep more cache, etc. on the SSD.

http://www.tonymacx86.com/buying-advice/68143-lightroom-beast-2.html

 

[mister_spaccato]

Gigabyte's GA-Z77/H77-WIFI is around the corner, I would wait for them.

I've been waiting for a new pc since march, i can't hold on much longer.
When will they be released? Are they mini-ITX?

Consider using an i7-3770K instead. Lightroom spends most of its time calculating. The i7 will be significantly faster. Also, mITX has limited RAM capacity. Moving to mATX or ATX will give you up to 32 GB. The Samsung 830 SSD is excellent for compressed data that Lightroom uses. Consider getting the 128 GB version, it is faster and will let you keep more cache, etc. on the SSD.

http://www.tonymacx86.com/buying-advice/68143-lightroom-beast-2.html

I'd like a mini-itx machine because i'm fed up with enormous cases wasting space, i don't need all that room. I don't think i'll need more than 16gb of ram for now. I've considered 3770k, but i wasn't sure it was worth the price increase. Since you are recommending it, and seen the fact that a vga adds nothing significant to LR4, i could just drop the vga and use the IGP on 3770k. What do you think?

 

[Mate94]

Within weeks.

 

[SierraClimber]

Re: What do you think?

I think you will be happy with the i5-3570K, 16GB RAM, Samsung 128GB SSD and WD Green 2TB. Probably HD4000 graphics will be fine, so you could wait on the graphics card. Buy a high quality 24 or 27 inch IPS display and a color calibration tool. (You will need a DisplayPort motherboard for a 27 inch display without a discrete graphics card.)

I also like smaller computers. For me the sweet spot is mATX. I get a pleasing, much quieter and cooler case that is easier to build and expand. I am looking at all the mITX and mATX options. None leap out as ideal for our needs, but several could be used.

Let us know what you decide, and how everything works for you!

 

[mister_spaccato]

First post updated. I've read that non-K IB processors have the multiplier unlocked up to 41, yealding a 4100mhz clock; that would be more than enough for me. Will a Corsair CX 430 be enough to power this system up? I can't find the bluetooth adapter suggested in the custmac buyers' guide, so i need another one. I also need a simple SD/CF reader, something that would fit in a 3.5" slot

 

[mister_spaccato]

Sorry for bringing this back up after so much time, i'm ready to buy and i need just a little advice. Here's the final components list:

Intel i5 3570K 207€
Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H 89€
Corsair CX 430W 39€
Samsung 830 64gb 67€
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo 29€
Corsair DDR3 16gb 1600mhz CL10 CMZ16GX3M2A1C10 76€
Seagate ST1000DM003 67€
Coolermaster K350 46€
3xCoolermaster Blade Master 120mm fan 26€

TOTAL: 662€

Should be fully compatible with ML, but i want confirmation from an expert. Also, is 430W enough for this machine? Do you know any other good mid-tower case with front USB3 ports? Am i forgetting something?

 

[Going Bald]

If you plan to add a gfx card in the future you might want to up the PSU to 500W, but other than that, for what you have listed you are good.

 

[loginz]

Hello mister spaccato,

I have nearly the same build -> here

have you already built your hackintosh? how is the cpu cooler working? is it a silent system? is it overclocked?

thanks a lot for helping