mjgunn Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I'm sorry if this has been discussed at length somewhere, but a forum search of lifehacker didn't come up with a whole lot of recent posts. I've been thinking about building the lifehacker build outlined here http://lifehacker.com/5351485/how-to-build...ne=true&s=i What are the community's thoughts on it? I like the fact that the components he picked seem to have allowed it to be as little of a "hack" as possible. Only one custom driver for the sound and of course the custom boot loader. My impression from reading around these forums and elsewhere is that the less custom drivers, etc, you use, the better chances you have of having a smooth experience (less problems with updates, etc, please correct me if I'm wrong). Are there any parts you guys would recommend over something he used that would be better and or cheaper? Specifically I'm interested in the video card, I would like to dual boot with windows for gaming, and the ATI 4870 seems to offer a nice bump in performance over the 9800gtx for a similar price. Would I just be able to swap one in for the build, or would that require some finagling to get working? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miK. Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 I'm sorry if this has been discussed at length somewhere, but a forum search of lifehacker didn't come up with a whole lot of recent posts. I've been thinking about building the lifehacker build... Hi there, There's an entire thread dedicated to that Lifehacker build here: http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=187440 Like you, I am considering this same build, and am watching that thread closely for info. There has been some discussion there about some variation from the build, such as different gfx cards or mobos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Keep in mind, the only thing unique with a Hackintosh build is the motherboard and graphic card. So there's nothing per se special about the Life Hacker build- the key elements are the Gigabyte UD3P motherboard (which has long been a mainstay of OSx86, very hard to go wrong with it, very common around here) and to a lesser extent 9800GTX graphic card. So if you're interested in following the Lifehacker build, just start with the UD3P motherboard. Add any graphic card you want, so long as it's compatible. Add any LGA775 CPU you want, Pentium, Core2, with whatever number of cores: single, dual, quad. (Personally, I think the Q9550 at $220 is a much better bang-for-buck than his choice of Q9650 at $320. Compare the stats and realize you're basically paying $100 for little more than a smidge more clock speed.) Add any DDR2 RAM- frankly I think his choice of RAM is lacking. I'd go with 1066Mhz RAM, IE something like this. Most any SATA optical and hard drives will work. Of course, any case and decent PSU will work. Remember, the motherboard is always what's crucial; you can easily trim some of the needless fat off the exact build list and still use his guide for a perfect setup. Make sure you also use a graphic card that's QE/ CI compatible, and ready for Snow Leopard. (Check the HCL guide in sig). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snokarver Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 It all depends on priorities. I didn't go with the lifehacker build because I wanted to spend less and get a higher performance system (also for gaming). You should be able to add a Nvidia 2xx series card with little added work. As Zaap pointed, the mobo is key. I also didn't care for lifehacker's choice in CPU, nor RAM. Get better RAM. I'm also not a fan of their case and PSU choice. Antec PSUs seem hit and miss. I went with a Lian Li case due to its good airflow, weight and ease of use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miK. Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 It all depends on priorities. I didn't go with the lifehacker build because I wanted to spend less and get a higher performance system (also for gaming). You should be able to add a Nvidia 2xx series card with little added work. Thanks Zaap and snokarver! sno - I have been following your posts, and I like the clean look of that Lian Li case as well. I have added it to my potential build. How has it worked out? Also, what are your opinions on the 2xx series vs. the 9800GTX? The prices don't seem that different between say, the 250 and the 9800GTX. I was wondering how much of a difference they were speed-wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snokarver Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 The case is great. Easy to work with. It's a little thin, which makes it a little louder than a Mac Pro case. It's super easy to work with, headers plugged in easily. Fans are quiet and cool fairly well. As far as the gfx card, well, some friends of mine know them much better than I so I took their recommendations. I went with the one I did partially because its cooler has heat pipes so it cools better without having to have the fan on as often. There's no much difference between them, the 250 is a little newer. It's also open GL 3.0 and I don't think the 9800's are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzigg Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Lian-li looks like a sweet case indeed..but very expensive what type lian li do you reccomend that offer good value? Can I use GA-P55-UD3P or GA-P55-UD4P ? I'm going i5-750 like Snokarver and that two mobo is the only available in the store. I'm also planning to use lifehacker guide as it seems the simplest. And on the GPU side, can I use GTX 275 instead? I wont be upgrading this rig for a long time so I need sufficient power to hold a few years. thx for all the info guys.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snokarver Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 My Lian Li was only $80. Looks like it's $90 right now http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...lian%20li%20e8l A GTX275 would probably work. But I'd rather buy $100 card now, and a $100 card in a year or two than spend $250 now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miK. Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Can I use GA-P55-UD3P or GA-P55-UD4P ? I'm going i5-750 like Snokarver and that two mobo is the only available in the store. I'm also planning to use lifehacker guide as it seems the simplest. I may be wrong, but I don't think you can use the lifehacker guide with the i5/P55 chipset/board combo... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snokarver Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I may be wrong, but I don't think you can use the lifehacker guide with the i5/P55 chipset/board combo... ? Yes, that's completely true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dzigg Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 Thx for the lian li link Oh noes, so that mean I have to do it the hardway.. but it is possible right? This board is really helpful so I'm not afraid to learn, as long as I know it is possible AND stable / everything works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbau Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 i just wanna say i used life hackers guide and it went perfect or almost perfect on first try the only problem i have is my hack doesn't recognize my dvd drive which sucks. specs q8400 core 2 quad 2.66 2x2 gigs 800mhz patriots ram gonna upgrade to 2x4 1066 sticks 2x 750g WD hdd memorex dvd drive 22x 550 watt psu raidmax similoden case 89.99 with psu on newegg gtx 250 512 card for now qe/ci working and of course ep45 ud3p board everything works out of the box havent really tried optical out but i have dual display working Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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