- Joined
- Dec 16, 2013
- Messages
- 12
- Motherboard
- MBA13
- CPU
- i5-4200U
- Graphics
- HD5000
- Mac
-
- Classic Mac
-
- Mobile Phone
-
Hi everybody,
After some research and doubt, I decided to buy the components for my first Hackintosh! It's primary use will be music production so noise was a very important thing to keep in mind. First of all a list of the chosen components:
I saved some money going with the locked i7 because I've no intentions to overclock, the stock cooler got replaced by a Scythe Mugen 4 which is stunning. I only attached one 120mm fan and my temps are 35c idle and about 55c stressed (always spinning at it's lowest speed). I choose the Crucial SSD over the Samsung EVO series because of it's power-loss features. I've had two Macs with a Intel HD GPU and I'm not a big of those. Since I decided to use two monitors I thought it would be better two buy a dedicated GPU and I've no regrets. I bought the PSU and case based on some reviews concerning their noise level. This build is silent as hell, without it's power-led I cannot tell if it's running or not!
I had some bad lucking building this machine. One of the memory sticks was dead on arrival and there was something serious wrong with the motherboard. After wasting a few evenings I found out I got myself a motherboard with the "boot-loop syndrome", something mysterious which Gigabyte is famous for. I ordered a new one (same model) and never experienced those problems again.
BIOS settings are nothing special. Just default settings and, very important, disabled VT-d. I followed this guide to install OS X using Clover. I installed OS X 10.9.4 from the MAS. Another very helpful tool is Clover Configurator. By setting the flag "dart=0" I could enable VT-d in the BIOS again and use apps like VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop. Graphics and WiFi worked out of the box. For LAN I had to install Mieze's kext, I use version 1.2.2 without problems. I don't use onboard audio but it should work since the motherboard is on the Tonymac Buyer's Guide. I use this setup for over a month now and I had zero crashes or freezes. This thing is incredible stable.
Only two things don't work at the moment:
After some research and doubt, I decided to buy the components for my first Hackintosh! It's primary use will be music production so noise was a very important thing to keep in mind. First of all a list of the chosen components:
- Intel Core i7-4790 Boxed
- Scythe Mugen 4 PCGH Edition
- Gigabyte GA-Z87-HD3
- Asus GT640-DCSL-2GD3
- Crucial Ballistix Tactical BLT2C8G3D1608ET3LX0CEU (2x 8GB 1600MHz)
- Fractal Design Define R4 Pearl Black
- Cooler Master V550 Semi-Modular
- Crucial MX100 256GB
- WD Red 3TB
- TP-Link TL-WDN4800
- Dell Ultrasharp U2412M (x2)
- Logitech K120
- Logitech Corded Mouse M500 (best mouse ever made!)
I saved some money going with the locked i7 because I've no intentions to overclock, the stock cooler got replaced by a Scythe Mugen 4 which is stunning. I only attached one 120mm fan and my temps are 35c idle and about 55c stressed (always spinning at it's lowest speed). I choose the Crucial SSD over the Samsung EVO series because of it's power-loss features. I've had two Macs with a Intel HD GPU and I'm not a big of those. Since I decided to use two monitors I thought it would be better two buy a dedicated GPU and I've no regrets. I bought the PSU and case based on some reviews concerning their noise level. This build is silent as hell, without it's power-led I cannot tell if it's running or not!
I had some bad lucking building this machine. One of the memory sticks was dead on arrival and there was something serious wrong with the motherboard. After wasting a few evenings I found out I got myself a motherboard with the "boot-loop syndrome", something mysterious which Gigabyte is famous for. I ordered a new one (same model) and never experienced those problems again.
BIOS settings are nothing special. Just default settings and, very important, disabled VT-d. I followed this guide to install OS X using Clover. I installed OS X 10.9.4 from the MAS. Another very helpful tool is Clover Configurator. By setting the flag "dart=0" I could enable VT-d in the BIOS again and use apps like VMWare Fusion and Parallels Desktop. Graphics and WiFi worked out of the box. For LAN I had to install Mieze's kext, I use version 1.2.2 without problems. I don't use onboard audio but it should work since the motherboard is on the Tonymac Buyer's Guide. I use this setup for over a month now and I had zero crashes or freezes. This thing is incredible stable.
Only two things don't work at the moment:
- Messages. I tried everything and every tip I could find on the internet but it just doesn't work. No big problem but it would've been nice.
- I use an Apogee Duet USB audio interface. It needs about 1-2 minutes to initialize after the machine has been booted. It seems like it 'hangs' on the Apogee logo (on the LED screen) and after 1-2 minutes comes to life. After that, it works great, no problems. I only found one person with the same problem and a solution. This solution doesn't work for me.