- Joined
- Jul 24, 2011
- Messages
- 9
- Motherboard
- GA-Z170-HD3P
- CPU
- i7-6700
- Graphics
- Quadro K420
- Mac
- Mobile Phone
ClarkM's Build:
i7-6700 - GA-Z170-HD3P - Quadro K420
i7-6700 - GA-Z170-HD3P - Quadro K420
Components
Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P Motherboard
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012N6LOZS/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
Already Owned
Intel i7-6700 Processor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0136JONG8/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242001
RAM: Crucial 2x8GB ddr4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BIWLED0/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
RAM: Crucial 2x4GB ddr4
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019FRCY2U/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
NVIDIA Quadro K420 Graphics Card
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BPFPG2K/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
SanDisk Ultra II 960GB SATA III SSD
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M8ABHVQ/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
Seagate 1TB Desktop HDD (for time machine)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRNW/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
ICY DOCK Dual 2.5 SSD 1 x 3.5 HDD Device Bay to 5.25 Drive Bay Converter/Mounting / Kit/Adapter - Flex-FIT Trio
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IEINA7K/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
Rosewill - BRONZE Series - 1000-Watt Active PFC Power Supply
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182188
Coolermaster CM690 Mid Tower Computer Case
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
Rosewill Card rReader
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223103
Optiarc DVD-RW Optical Drive
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827196269
IOGEAR Bluetooth 4.0 USB Micro Adapter, GBU521
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007GFX0PY/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
Comments
I was tasked with fixing a family member's 'broken' Dell Precision T3240 SFF pc. After going back and forth with them, and still encountering freezing issues, it was donated to me. I couldn't quite diagnose the problem but knew it was either a problem with CPU or motherboard. I ended up extracting a i7-6700, 2x8GB ddr4 ram, 2x4GB ddr4 ram, and a Quadro K420 low-profile GPU from it.
The CPU cooler, case, PSU, card reader, and optical drive came from my first hack build I did back in 2010 (https://clarkm.com/budget-mac-snow-leopard-hackintosh-recipe).
The SSD came from an impulse buy I did a year or so ago.
I realized I had all the parts necessary to make a fairly powerful hack with the exception of a motherboard. I did some quick research and found the GA-Z170-HD3P board works well. I picked one up for $60 on eBay.
I took a vacation day from work and did the hardware build.
My favorite thing about the build is how quiet it runs - it's completely fanless due to the giant heatsink cooler.
Installation
BIOS (hold delete key on boot):
Set the BIOS to Optimized Defaults. Then set SATA Mode to ACHI.
Disable VT-d, CFG-Lock, secure boot mode. Set XHCI Handoff to Enabled.
Create UniBeast: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...ierra-on-any-supported-intel-based-pc.235474/
Boot from High Sierra UniBeast usb (hold f12), and go through the installation process. For what it's worth, I chose to format my drive as APFS.
After macOS installation, run MultiBeast for High Sierra.
Choose UEFI Boot Mode, then drivers:
Audio -> ALC887
Network -> 811H
Then 'build' and restart.
I did the initial install with the integrated Intel graphics, then for dual monitors added K420 graphics card & installed latest Nvidia drivers. This is basically the reason why I'm still running High Sierra.
What Works:
iMessage - done per iDiot's Guide to iMessage
All other iCloud services.
Audio,
Gigabit network,
Sleep,
Video - full acceleration thanks to Nvidia web drivers. (http://www.macvidcards.com/drivers.html)
Doesn't Work/Untested:
USB 3.1 Type C port on back hasn't been tested as I don't have any Type C devices.
Benchmarks