Updated 2013-08-16: MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD5H

[iMaus]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

I'm waiting also.
Have a Haswell build as well.

Intel Core i7 4770K
Gygabyte GA-Z87X-D3H
2x4GB Kingston Beast 1600Mhz
ASUS GeForce 660Ti Top DCII
Fractal Design Define XL R2

I really don't like Windows anymore.
After 5 years my MacBook Pro (mid 2007) died!
I decided to buy the newest hardware and new i'm stuck with Windows 7 and Ubuntu 13.04.

Come on and let the good times role!

 

[genzai]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

Maybe you are right and i am getting all this wrong and these now called "hubs" are not anything like the Renesas uPD720200 "controller chip" which would really be awesome to know.

What is your input on that?

You are getting it wrong. As i said, hubs and controllers are COMPLETELY different things. You can not draw a single conclusion about the hubs based on issues with past controllers which needed their own driver, and serve a completely different purpose. Please don't spread misinformation.
Thanks,
g\

 

[genzai]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

To be honest for me i would really love to have the full ATX UDxH features and expendability, but with so much uncertainty and no testing results or feedback from anyone at this point, and really badly needing to buy a computer now, i am left with no option but to get the board that utilizes the Z87 fully and natively without any spices or addons since it has all the features i need, small form-factor and a good price.

If anyone knows better please provide more input

My goodness you are so confused. the presence of a hub does not change the native aspect of the USB bus. all your devices are still communicating with the z87 USB 3.0 controllers, even if they are going through a hub, which you can think of as simply a port multiplier.

The 88SE9172 has worked for a long time with native OS X AHCI drivers. You can set it as internal or external via the 3rd_Party_sata driver options in multibeast.

the UD5H and probably the other UDXH boards are all completely native or supported in OS X as far as the specs and components go (possible exception / need confirmation on the secondary intel ethernet controller but it probably works fine)

There is no uncertainty the likes of which you speak and if you are afraid of a USB hub i think you better stick with IVB since getting haswell working at this very moment is not for faint of heart.

Cheers,
g\

 

[MyNewRig]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

Thank you very much, I am confused indeed, as i am totally new to this, i have been against anything Apple for all my life, but it just occurred to me to try something new for a change, therefore i am using my general systems knowledge but nothing specific to Macs

One thing to note is that it seems this Hub is much more than just a port multiplier and it indeed needs a driver, i had a small chat with Gigabyte Tech. about the implications of this Hub on drivers requirements for *nix platforms and they did not have a damn clue about that, but i checked Gigabyte's driver pages for the boards that contain this Hub and there is a 9MB Driver package for windows just for that Hub, if it was as simple as a port multiplier then a driver would not be needed and not a 9MB one for sure, but it seems that this Hub Chip is doing so much more and is doing some power management stuff and such, which i doubt would work without a driver.

What are you basing your "port multiplier" opinion on? if it is a solid basis, then please share it with me, if you can really provide some solid reasoning as to why this thing should not be a problem despite the clues i am finding to the contrary, then i will return that mATX board i ordered and get a UD3H or so full ATX which i very badly need to do so.


PS: I am not spreading any misinformation, it is very obvious that i am posting in the form of a discussion, fact finding/prediction effort, i did not claim to be an expert of any kind nor did i suggest that anyone does anything or take my work for anything, it is clear in all my posts that i am "so confused" like you put it, i don't think that anyone will take a confused person's advice for it.


Thanks in advance.

 

[genzai]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

What are you basing your "port multiplier" opinion on? if it is a solid basis, then please share it with me, if you can really provide some solid reasoning as to why this thing should not be a problem despite the clues i am finding to the contrary, then i will return that mATX board i ordered and get a UD3H or so full ATX which i very badly need to do so.
Thanks in advance.

Well in this case gigabyte is at least somewhat responsible for your confusion. Let me start by saying again that a hub does not need drivers. at least no hub i have ever used, and i have used oh so very many, has ever needed drivers. The port multiplier analogy stands. It is the nature of how hubs are designed to work. Surely you have used a USB hub before.

In any case, you are seeing that driver on the windows 7 download section. Windows 7 does not support USB 3.0 natively. In the windows 8 section (windows 8 has native support) there is no driver download. There are only MS hot fixes. That is because no driver is needed. Now with that said, someone at gigabyte made a mistake and posted both the intel and NEC controller drivers in the windows 7 section. Only the intel driver is required. The NEC driver wont do a thing since it is for NEC controllers, and there is no NEC controller on the board, only hubs.

Hope that helps,
g\

 

[lionsaysnotoatom]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

If ALC892 audio, GTX 770, and my ethernet work, all I'm waiting on is the new Chimera release to add Haswell support. Happy days ahead!

 

[MyNewRig]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

Man that helps more than you can imagine, and guess what, You are so damn right, i downloaded that driver to check out what it is and here is what i found LOL

That is for the host controller and not the Hub which is non-existent in any of their boards, it seems that GB webmaster is more confused than i am about this hahaha, so don't blame me for it.

Does that mean that ALL 8 series boards are compatible except the Sniper ones with creative sound? that is? i can order any of these boards?

OK what about the BIOS and power management? is it still good to go like the 7 series? so should i stick with Gigabyte despite it does not have the best feature set compared to ASUS, ASRock etc..?

Finally what about the TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless? is it still the current best bet after Apple announced the 802.1ac because i already ordered it despite it some having really bad reviews, or should i wait and get something else?

I would really appreciate it if you could answer these last few questions so that i can finalize that damn order

Thanks

 

[genzai]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

I would really appreciate it if you could answer these last few questions so that i can finalize that damn order

Thanks

No offense, but i highly suggest that someone at your level of experience and expertise stick with building an IVB based system for the time being.
Cheers,
g\

 

[MyNewRig]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

No offense, but i highly suggest that someone at your level of experience and expertise stick with building an IVB based system for the time being.
Cheers,
g\

No offense taken at all, i do not have to have OSX running soon, i can wait until the fall no problem, i just need to get the system built and run because i have other critical uses for it, i can wait until the dust on Haswell settles to start installing it, just trying to get the hardware right as much as possible based on the current best known to work stuff, worst that could happen is that i change the Mobo later,

I can not delay the order for even one more day, otherwise i would have waited, and i can not get Ivy either for other reasons.

Anyways if you can comment on the Wireless card and Mobo that would be nice of you, otherwise thanks for all the help you provided so far.

Cheers.

 

[genzai]

MacMan's Haswell Test Build: Core i7-4770K + GA-Z87X-UD3H

Anyways if you can comment on the Wireless card and Mobo that would be nice of you, otherwise thanks for all the help you provided so far.

Cheers.

I can't comment on ALL the boards as i have not scrutinized them all. The UD3H appears completely compatible, as does the UD5H.

I have not seen the 802.11ac broadcom chipset used in the new air in any retails products yet. That will surely be available in the near-ish future. For now the rosewill or tplink that have been documented on the forum are the best bet.

Out of curiosity, what on earth could be the "other reasons" that you must have haswell vs IVB?

good luck,
g\