Newbie looking for confirmed budget build

[dacamp]

Hello,

I was initially looking at buying an iMac 21.5" to use for Photoshop and some web design. After doing some research I found out that the LED monitors on the iMacs don't always calibrate properly as the luminance can't be turned down enough. So I started looking at PCs with better monitors but am now interested in building a Hackintosh and attaching a Dell 21.5" ultrasharp monitor for my work. I guess it would be possible to install bootcamp too and use Windows if needed. Right?

I looked at the three confirmed builds on this page and Lifehacker's recent build and am interested in something that it slightly cheaper as I'll probably only use this system for Photoshop, don't need a hot-rod desktop, and will continue to use my laptop most of the time. My main interest in a desktop is to have something with a color calibrated monitor for Photoshop. If it's a little slow, no worries, but I just don't want to have to do a lot of technical work as my tech skills are lacking.

I'm interested in building a CustoMac desktop for around $600. I'm sure for Photoshop that an i3 processor will be fine as long as there's enough RAM and if it's a little slow, again... no worries.

Could someone on this board suggest a build- or a modification of one of the confirmed builds that will give me the least amount of problems. While I have built a PC in the past, I just want something that is confirmed to be fairly problem free. Perhaps it would be possible to take one of the confirmed builds from Lifehacker or here and simply put in a cheaper processor and cheaper case to get the cost down but as a newbie to the whole hackintosh thing, I don't know if certain processors will not work.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[cthulhupunk]

Hi.

I'm also pretty new at this, but have spent the past two months reading whatever I can find on here and other sites (this one is the best though )

I will be producing a build during my Christmas hols, but have decided on components which I either have or are on their way.
My main use is also Photoshop. Also on a budget (aren't we all!) I will be uprgrading from my 7 year old G4 Mac, so I think anything will seem super-fast!!

My CPU choice is the Intel i3 540. For the motherboard I went for a Gigabyte H55M-UD2H and the graphics card is the VERY cheap ASUS GeForce 8400 GS.

Have a look at TonyMac's wonderful blog http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/

And the best thing you can do is trawl through this site and look at what others have built.
Good luck and keep us all posted

CthulhuPunk

 

[slowjin]

Here is some food for thought though:

While I love my little budget hack, if you are looking for a lower-end spec machine with potential to dual boot Windows (or not), iMac comes technically with a decent monitor, may it be built-in and self contained. If you get the education discount and order through Amazon, the rig is shipped for free of shipping and tax. I would bet that if you include keyboard, mouse and monitor, cost is about the same or less to get an imac although the specs are probably less than a hack. This will be the case only if you do not have any reusable components and/or need another system i guess.

[EDIT] I guess I did not read your OP thoroughly, so scrap the cost efficiency idea above. You won't be using bootcamp for a dual boot with CustoMacs, but there are many ways to dual boot (http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2009/11/dual-boot-windows-7-and-os-x-snow.html)

I think these CustoMacs are most cost efficient when you are in the middle to mid-high end system builds.

However, I would have to say that the sense of accomplishment and fun while building and using it afterwards is PRICELESS!!

Anyway, my two cents here. Have fun and good luck!

 

[dacamp]

Slowjin-

I wish it were true that the iMacs had good monitors but you can do a search for the terms "iMac" and "color calibration" or maybe "Eye One" and you'll find many messages on the problems related to this issue.

Basically, you can't accurately color calibrate with the iMacs despite their reputation for photo post-processing. The monitors are too bright and won't come down enough for correct calibration.

Hence my interest in a Hackintosh that I can connect to an ultrasharp Dell monitor.

 

[sumsaykra-z]

Perhaps it would be possible to take one of the confirmed builds from Lifehacker or here and simply put in a cheaper processor and cheaper case to get the cost down but as a newbie to the whole hackintosh thing, I don't know if certain processors will not work

I followed one of Tonymac's custom builds with slight deviation for noise purposes but not much. His specs can be found here http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=67 . My graphics card, processor, case and hard drive is different. Any newer intel processor, especially the i series, will work. So no worries there. From what I understand BootCamp does not work on a hackintosh but you can dual boot with it. This is the current set up I have and I followed the guide mentioned above. You can get some compatibility info from the wiki located here http://www.tonymacx86.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Hardware

 

[Vendetta]

Does your budget include the monitor?

 

[dacamp]

My budget of $600 is just for the box. I could go higher and it wouldn't matter too much but I really don't need something super-fast to do some Photoshop.

My concern more is just to have something stable that isn't difficult to troubleshoot. As a newbie to this, I'm a bit confused by all the different builds and would like to get some advice from experienced hackintosh users on the most stable build among all those out there. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable could just recommend what is the most stable of the lower-priced builds- or a really stable build where I could put in a cheaper processor and it will still work fine. I don't need a SSD or a lot of RAM or a huge harddrive either.

Thanks so much.

 

[dacamp]

Sumsaykra-
Thanks for the advice. Were there any issues with your system?

 

[Vendetta]

My budget of $600 is just for the box. I could go higher and it wouldn't matter too much but I really don't need something super-fast to do some Photoshop.

My concern more is just to have something stable that isn't difficult to troubleshoot. As a newbie to this, I'm a bit confused by all the different builds and would like to get some advice from experienced hackintosh users on the most stable build among all those out there. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable could just recommend what is the most stable of the lower-priced builds- or a really stable build where I could put in a cheaper processor and it will still work fine. I don't need a SSD or a lot of RAM or a huge harddrive either.

Thanks so much.

I would just mention that there will always be some wrench time that you need to put in with a Hackintosh. It is very true that some builds are much easier than others, but there will always be a little tweaking to be done. However, I wouldn't let that scare you. My system has been extremely stable and very solid, and I've enjoyed it very much. But, for example, with the 10.6.5 update, my audio was lost. It was simple enough to fix by just re-running Multibeast to re-install the kext, and because Tony is awesome, he will usually outline these things for us n00bs on his blog. I just like to point out to people that it isn't 100% for all updates etc., but it is pretty darn close, and it's typically very easy if you pick the correct hardware.

Having said that, I would strongly recommend one of the Gigabyte P55 boards. I'm partial to the P55M-UD2, but I don't think it's for sale anymore (maybe on Amazon). The USB3 would be a nice choice as well. I don't think you'll get a board much cheaper than either of those.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128425

From there, I'd look at getting an i3. It's a great processor, and you will have the option to throw in an i5 or i7 down the road if the prices drop on them, or if you decide it's time for an upgrade.

The next important component would be the GPU. For the work you're doing, you could get away with something such as a 8400GS, but I'd personally go with a 9800GT or the GT 240. I got my 9800GT for around $60 after rebate I believe. If you keep your eye out, I'm sure you can find a deal. Otherwise, a 9400GT for $50 would work as well.

After that, it's pretty straight forward. Get a PSU to suit your needs (anything around 500W, although I'd highly recommend getting a reputable one, like an Antec, Seasonic, etc.), a HDD you think will be large enough, an optical drive (Sony Optiarc), a case you like, and then some memory. Because photoshop specifically is a memory intensive program, I'd recommend not skimping on the memory, but it's up to you. The great thing is that you could always add more later. I'd recommend some G.Skill, Crucial, etc. DDR3 1600 RAM (probably start with 2-4GB, preferably 4GB).

Any other questions, don't hesitate to post them.

 

[dacamp]

Thanks. I'll start ordering soon. If you can recommend a specific case or power supply, let me know. Great information and much appreciated.