Plans for my first (serious) Hackintosh

[Jaggions]

Hi everyone. I'm still deciding whether to do this or not, but I'd really like to build a Hackintosh myself, and here's how I planned to do it.

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5 ASRock Z170 Extreme4
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K
Cooling system: Corsair Hydro H60
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 SC GAMING
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT (32 GB)
Storage: 2x Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2 TB
PSU: Corsair CS550M Seasonic S12II-520
Case: Corsair CC-9011056-WW
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: Broadcom BCM943602CS

I'll set up macOS on the first SSD, and a Windows-Linux dual boot on the second one. This is why I'd like to build not just a good Hackintosh, but an overall good machine. I'll use the SSDs for boot and the main files, while the HDD will be used as common storage for anything else.

What do you think about it? Would you change something?

 

[Overkill303]

Hi!

I'm planning a similar build and had a question for you. when i look at pictures of this motherboard on amazon it seems like putting the video card in the pcix16 slot will block the pcix1 slot that the wifi card would go into. How are you planning on dealing with this?

thanks,

g

 

[Jaggions]

Hi!

I'm planning a similar build and had a question for you. when i look at pictures of this motherboard on amazon it seems like putting the video card in the pcix16 slot will block the pcix1 slot that the wifi card would go into. How are you planning on dealing with this?

thanks,

g

Actually, the list was a bit outdated. In the meanwhile I changed my mind about the motherboard; I have updated the list now. So I guess I won't have to deal with that problem, sorry about that.

 

[nanananoah]

I have a very similar build and I'm planning to do the same thing with installing macOS Sierra on my Hackintosh so I'm building it around mid-August (also due to moving complications).

I originally went for the GB Gaming-5 motherboard as well, but after going through ******, people suggested me the SLI motherboard, which is basically the Gaming-5/3 mobos chipset, with slightly different USB ports.

I also had the Corsair Hydro H60 in mind, but like the mobo, people suggested me to use the NH-D15 air cooler instead of a liquid cooler, apparently the NH-D15 is really well priced, with 2 fans, and is really quiet (<- I think that's the selling point). But right now I'm not so sure about the NH-D15 because I'm still doing compatibility checks, and the i7 6700K core TDP and the NH-D15 seemed to have a mismatch, but I'm not sure yet.

I'm not trying to give you recommendations here, I'm new to Hackintosh as well, but maybe you can use some of the things I came across to help with your build.

May I ask why you changed the motherboard to the ASRock Z170 Extreme4?

Anyhow here's my build:
CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superlocked Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/ Window ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

Suggestions are welcome! Good luck with your build!!

 

[Jaggions]

I originally went for the GB Gaming-5 motherboard as well, but after going through ******, people suggested me the SLI motherboard, which is basically the Gaming-5/3 mobos chipset, with slightly different USB ports.

May I ask why you changed the motherboard to the ASRock Z170 Extreme4?

Well I have been uncertain for a good while about it, I also considered the SLI. At first, ASRock didn't look like a very good brand to me. However it seems like I was wrong: everyone is happy about it, the manufacturing is good, the materials are OK, so there is really no reason not to consider it.
It also seems that there is no big difference between those boards; probably each one has its problems and incompatibilities, but they are overall good boards. Since the price is also pretty much the same, I chose the one with the most useful features. For example, the ASRock has a debug LED display, it has two BIOS with a manual switch, it has on-board power on and reset buttons, it has more ports and headers, etc. They are really little things, but with the rest being basically the same, I chose the ASRock which is a bit feature-richer.

I also had the Corsair Hydro H60 in mind, but like the mobo, people suggested me to use the NH-D15 air cooler instead of a liquid cooler, apparently the NH-D15 is really well priced, with 2 fans, and is really quiet (<- I think that's the selling point). But right now I'm not so sure about the NH-D15 because I'm still doing compatibility checks, and the i7 6700K core TDP and the NH-D15 seemed to have a mismatch, but I'm not sure yet.

I haven't really spent much time thinking about the cooler. I read that the H60 is fine and it is enough for my build, so I just added it to my list. I don't think I'm going to overclock my CPU, so I don't think a few degrees difference in temperature are a big deal. I may be wrong tho.

 

[kiiroaka]

nanananoah,

The Noctua NH-D15 may block the first and second RAM slots. You may want to get the U14S instead. See 3rd, 7th and 8th pictures here: https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NH-U14S/5.html

Yeah, I know - it's an X99 mobo.

Compare to 6th here: https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NH-D15S/4.html As you can see the 1st and 2nd RAM slots are covered.

http://techbuyersguru.com/noctuas-nh-u14s-and-nh-d15s-cpu-coolers-take-best Basically the U14S trumped the D15S.

http://techbuyersguru.com/complete-guide-cpu-coolers-downdraft-vs-120mm-vs-140mm-vs-liquid The table says that it took 25 minutes to set up the Corsair Link software. Makes me wonder if there is comparable OSX and Linux software?, and will it be supported three OS generations down the road?

When I bought my Noctua what sold me was the mounting system. Noctua and Phanteks mounting systems look superior to the cheaper heatsink mounting systems, which also includes the Corsair water cooler (I read numerous reviews where one of the tangs breaks off).

 

[kiiroaka]

It also seems that there is no big difference between those boards

For me the difference between the ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 and the ASUS board that basically had the same features (meaning no PCI slots, SLI) was $100. I took a chance on the ASRock and I won.

 

[nanananoah]

The Noctua NH-D15 may block the first and second RAM slots. You may want to get the U14S instead. See 3rd, 7th and 8th pictures here: https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NH-U14S/5.html
Yeah, I know - it's an X99 mobo.
Compare to 6th here: https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NH-D15S/4.html As you can see the 1st and 2nd RAM slots are covered.

Hey thanks for the heads up, I really haven't started looking at the details yet. I'm starting with an initial build and tweaking it as I do more research. Just by looking at the CPU specifications and the mobo, I can see there are plenty to tweak. I'll look into spacing! Mucho gracias!

 

[nanananoah]

Well I have been uncertain for a good while about it, I also considered the SLI. At first, ASRock didn't look like a very good brand to me. However it seems like I was wrong: everyone is happy about it, the manufacturing is good, the materials are OK, so there is really no reason not to consider it.
It also seems that there is no big difference between those boards; probably each one has its problems and incompatibilities, but they are overall good boards. Since the price is also pretty much the same, I chose the one with the most useful features. For example, the ASRock has a debug LED display, it has two BIOS with a manual switch, it has on-board power on and reset buttons, it has more ports and headers, etc. They are really little things, but with the rest being basically the same, I chose the ASRock which is a bit feature-richer.

So it seems all these boards have just slightly difference designs and can affect our build greatly. Thanks for making me reconsider my mobo. I'll look into the ASRock boards.

 

[kiiroaka]

If you use the memory XMP file, also set the timings manually as just loading the XMP file will not guarantee it running at the faster speeds unless the RAM stick itself sets it to a faster NATIVE speed. If the Native speed is 2133 then that is what it will be set to. If it does then you have to manually set it to DDR 2400, for example.