Newbie Trying To Figure It All Out

[sneezy]

I thought I would build a basic system, just to see if I can get it all operating. Going from the Buyer's Guide, I was going to select the follow:

Intel Core i5 6500 3.20 GHz Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor, Socket LGA 1151, 6MB Cache [BX80662I56500]

Does this come with a fan included in the package? Amazon sells it with a fan, too, but I thought this comes with an Intel fan?

Gigabyte LGA 1151 Z170 HDMI 2-Way CrossFire ATX DDR4 Motherboards GA-Z170-HD3

Crucial 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 DR x8 Non-ECC UDIMM 288-Pin Memory CT2K8G4DFD8213/CT2C8G4DFD8213

I figure I can always add another pair later to upgrade to 32 GB

Seagate 1TB Desktop HDD SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (ST1000DM003)

Can I use any SATA hard drive? The one in the recommended buy list is an older and more expensive Seagate.

Corsair CS Series, CS550M, 550 Watt (550W), Semi Modular Power Supply, 80+ Gold Certified

Corsair Carbide Series Black 300R Mid-Tower Computer Case

I find the step-by-step software installation instructions to be confusing. I am limited to installing El Capitan as my Mac is too old to install Sierra, so I cannot download it. Do I still follow the instructions here or are they different for El Capitan?

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...ierra-on-any-supported-intel-based-pc.200564/

It is not clear from me what procedure I use on a new installation.

Do I need an internal CD? If I need a CD, can I use an external USB? The instructions state 'To start from scratch, booting the 10.6 Snow Leopard Retail DVD directly,' and that tells me that I will be booting off my 10.6 Snow Leopard, then upgrade to El Capitan?
Or can I install on a new system directly off a USB Memory Stick? If so, do I just copy the El Capitan installer to the USB drive along with following the UniBeast instructions for a bootable USB?

 

[trs96]

You'd only need to install SL if you don't have a Mac. You'll use the El Capitan Unibeast USB to do the install.
Follow this guide:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...-capitan-any-supported-intel-based-pc.172672/

I would get a small 120GB SSD to install OS X El Capitan onto. Then use a 1TB drive for storage. Doesn't
matter how old or new it is just that it is a SATA drive.

 

[meowmers]

1. Yes I just bought the i5-6500 and it comes with a fan and heatsink with thermal paste pre-applied on the heatsink.
2. You should be able to use any SATA drive, i prefer SSDs because they are much faster.
3. You should be installing El Capitan using a bootable USB. Unibeast will set this up for you easily.

Follow the link above for El Cap instructions

 

[sneezy]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I plan on adding a SSD if my installation is successful. This being my first and having read about the frustrations of others, I do not want to invest in a SSD until I am able to get it running.

Thanks for the link to the install.

As a newbie, there is a whole lot of confusing information on installation to digest. Unibeast and Clover to start with. When to use either? I went to the FAQ and definitions and that helped a little.

I went to 'The Basics' and there is nothing there, but a link back to the previous page.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/learning-the-basics-tonymacx86-101.104538/

I hoped to find my answers at "Simplest Mac OS X Installation Guide" and it talks about starting at Snow Leopard which requires a CD.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/simplest-mac-os-x-installation-guide.60255/

I guess that link is out of date and I can start right at El Capitan based on your link?
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/simplest-mac-os-x-installation-guide.60255/

Interesting is that El Capitan appears to have disappeared from the App Store.

I appreciate your patience. These must seem like stupid questions.

 

[trs96]

Yes, this is a lot of info to assimilate at first. Just use your Mac you already have to create the Unibeast USB installer for El Capitan. You can re-download it from the MAS if you look under the purchased tab you should see it there. Download it and leave it in the Applications folder then run Unibeast 6.20 from the desktop. Do not use Unibeast 7.0 to make your installer.

https://www.tonymacx86.com/resources/unibeast-6-2-0.314/

You can follow this Youtube video by Beelzebozo to get familiar with the process. The main change you have to make in the install process is to choose UEFI Boot mode instead of legacy boot mode.

 

[meowmers]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I plan on adding a SSD if my installation is successful. This being my first and having read about the frustrations of others, I do not want to invest in a SSD until I am able to get it running.

Thanks for the link to the install.

As a newbie, there is a whole lot of confusing information on installation to digest. Unibeast and Clover to start with. When to use either? I went to the FAQ and definitions and that helped a little.

I went to 'The Basics' and there is nothing there, but a link back to the previous page.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/learning-the-basics-tonymacx86-101.104538/

I hoped to find my answers at "Simplest Mac OS X Installation Guide" and it talks about starting at Snow Leopard which requires a CD.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/simplest-mac-os-x-installation-guide.60255/

I guess that link is out of date and I can start right at El Capitan based on your link?
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/simplest-mac-os-x-installation-guide.60255/

Interesting is that El Capitan appears to have disappeared from the App Store.

I appreciate your patience. These must seem like stupid questions.

I would still recommend an SSD... probably makes your installation and booting sequence way faster than a normal hard drive.

The USB stick you're creating is the product of many forerunners here who helped develop everything so you could just "inject" Mac OS into a brand new system easily.

A good way to start would be to look at successful user builds. However even if you were to copy their build exactly, there's still bound to be some setbacks along the way because you missed out on a certain instruction that needs to be done etc. Don't sweat it too much it's part of the process of troubleshooting your own hackintosh. When it's up and running stable I tend to not mess around too much with updates and stuff.

Mods feel free to correct me if i'm wrong below

So in very rough terms
Unibeast - it prepares your USB drive with all the necessary software for your Mac OS installation
Clover - this is a powerful bootloader that allows the Mac OS to boot correctly with certain instructions
Clover Configurator - lets you modify these instructions
Multibeast - after you install Mac OS some functions like Ethernet, Bluetooth, Audio, Wifi, etc may not be working out of box and Multibeast is designed simply to help you install these drivers known as Kexts.

hope this helps