- Joined
- Feb 18, 2014
- Messages
- 9
- Motherboard
- GA-Z87X-UD4H
- CPU
- i7-4770k
- Graphics
- HD6400
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
Hi,
My Mac Mini is nearing the end of its useful life and I need some suggestions about how to go about this. The forum has already answered most of my questions, but:
Like most here, I think, I am interested in putting together a system that gives me many more useful years than my current budget would allow if I were to go buy a new system outright. It's important that I can improve the system as my budget allows: adding memory, adding dedicated graphics, going from HDD to SSD once they're cheap enough - these are things I've done with every computer I've ever owned and I hope I can do that with a Hack.
I've never compiled a system from scratch, but I'm very accustomed to swapping/upgrading components (HDD, RAM, PCI/expansions) in my PCs and Macs. As a result, I have a veritable graveyard of HDDs, PCI cards (I found an unused Firewire card today!), and RAM sticks. I even have two old cases with the PSUs that I could put back into service. To get started with my first Hack and save money, I'd like to have at it ASAP with this stuff and upgrade things like the HDD->SSD later if I can get it working.
I know I can't ever upgrade the Motherboard or the CPU, so I don't want to skimp on them. I'm thinking of this pair:
Like I said, I'm looking for longevity and scalability here.
Can I pop these in an old Dell or HP box with a wiped WD 80G 7200RPM drive, 2 sticks of 1GB DDR3 and after I get it working upgrade the HDD, RAM, Case, PSU, and eventually add a dedicated GPU? Maybe put them in a new box someday with a quieter PSU? Or am I asking for a lot of headaches by using older components in my first build?
Thanks for your feedback and the great resource you provide here.
My Mac Mini is nearing the end of its useful life and I need some suggestions about how to go about this. The forum has already answered most of my questions, but:
Like most here, I think, I am interested in putting together a system that gives me many more useful years than my current budget would allow if I were to go buy a new system outright. It's important that I can improve the system as my budget allows: adding memory, adding dedicated graphics, going from HDD to SSD once they're cheap enough - these are things I've done with every computer I've ever owned and I hope I can do that with a Hack.
I've never compiled a system from scratch, but I'm very accustomed to swapping/upgrading components (HDD, RAM, PCI/expansions) in my PCs and Macs. As a result, I have a veritable graveyard of HDDs, PCI cards (I found an unused Firewire card today!), and RAM sticks. I even have two old cases with the PSUs that I could put back into service. To get started with my first Hack and save money, I'd like to have at it ASAP with this stuff and upgrade things like the HDD->SSD later if I can get it working.
I know I can't ever upgrade the Motherboard or the CPU, so I don't want to skimp on them. I'm thinking of this pair:
Intel Core i7-4770K |
z87x-ud3h |
Like I said, I'm looking for longevity and scalability here.
Can I pop these in an old Dell or HP box with a wiped WD 80G 7200RPM drive, 2 sticks of 1GB DDR3 and after I get it working upgrade the HDD, RAM, Case, PSU, and eventually add a dedicated GPU? Maybe put them in a new box someday with a quieter PSU? Or am I asking for a lot of headaches by using older components in my first build?
Thanks for your feedback and the great resource you provide here.