I've been looking at this website quite a bit the last few weeks since I am planning on building a Hack Pro. Unfortunately my current mac has decided to die – it was only a matter of time due to its age – which has forced me to move up my plans before I'm completely confident in my abilities to do this without tapping the talent of the über experienced folks here first.

If it wasn't for the time and urgency I would do more research until this made sense but I was hoping you all could tutor me since, honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed with all of the Chameleon releases, OSx86 tools, boot 132, PC EFI V10.4.1, various kexts, installs like Kalyway and how they would relate to getting Snow Leopard on the system I'm trying to build. I really LOVED lifehacker's guide, but I'm planning on using different components such as the graphics card that has caused a lot of experienced people problems. I wanted something that would have the extra beef to handle my 3D work and be as painless to install as possible yet still have all functions available like sleep and QE/CL. I've decided on a GeForce 260 GTX (which seems to be supported by the latest Chameleon 2 RC3 release - right?) but I really wanted to go with an ASUS ATI 4870 Dark Knight, but I don't feel I'll be able to troubleshoot the installation adequately to get the card functioning to its full potential. I've seen some people have had great luck using EFI V10.4.1 from Netkas.org but I'm not sure how to use that in the install process.

I've tried going through this guide
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=185097
but the installation process is very confusing to me. Visual aides would help enormously since I've had no experience with this sort of thing. That's why the LifeHacker's guide was so good.

I'll start by laying out the components of my proposed build since the best results for a stable and fully-functional install seem to revolve around the specific parts chosen. I'll also include my reasoning behind my choices in case this helps recommendations for alternative parts or to explain a "WTF" choice in parts.

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5
I chose this one because a lot of people have had fantastic experience getting stable builds using Gigabyte boards and this board in particular for the i7 chipset. I decided to go with the UD5 mainly because of memory and overclocking potential.


Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB
I considered going with an ASUS ATI 4870 Dark Knight but there seems to be a lot of trouble getting the 4870's to work. I will be using a dual-monitor set-up via dvi.

Processor: Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz
I decided to go the i7 route because it's at the beginning of its life span versus the Q9650 which is at its end. A year or two from now I'll be able to pick up a 3+ Ghz for a small fraction of what they cost now to give me an additional speed boost with very little effort.

Processor cooling unit: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 92mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler
Eventually I want to experiment with overclocking the processor and memory and I want to install this now so I don't have to pull out the motherboard to do it later.

Memory: G.SKILL Trident 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Triple Channel Kit
This memory seems to have a good reputation for overclocking at a very reasonable price. But I am not focused on overclocking at the moment. This is something that I'm factoring into my purchase but it's not something I'm going to deal with until I have a stable OS 10.6.1 running.

Hard drives: (x2) Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA
I plan on having the primary drive for Snow Leopard and the second drive for Windows 7. I saw the Lifehacker's guide used WD green, but since I'm using this for 3D rendering, Photoshop and Illustrator, I felt the added performance of the Black series would benefit me.

DVD drive: Pioneer CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model DVR-218LBK
I chose this one based on the Lifehacker's guide.

Case: RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case
This case seems to have good airflow and is large enough for the components selected.

Power unit: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready
I chose this one based solely on reviews and potential power needs due to graphic cards. I don't pretend to know a lot about power supplies.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help. I will be sure to do a thorough visual step by step guide after
I get this running for other newcomers.

Hey not sure if I can help you but just wondering what the total price for that setup is going to run you. I am thinking about doing something like that.

Actually sorry I just looked up the parts myself and at newegg its about 1200 bucks. Pretty nice setup for the price I would say. Let me know how this goes and I might be building the same thing!

Hi

I have almost the same set up as you. I've built my hack this august.

X58 ud5
core i7 920
OCZ 6gb 1600 ram
WD 640GB caviar blue (main operating disc)
Samsung F1 1TB (storage)
evga 260 core 216
I was looking at the ati 4870, but in the end the 260 was much better supported (sleep and dual monitors)
you can use the official evga gtx285 for mac drivers!

Antec P183 case
imho best case for silence
http://www.silentpcreview.com/antec-p183

3X Noctua 120mm fans
Noctua 1366 cpu cooler with 2 120mm fans
Corsair HX 620 psu
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardw...ply-review.html

Pioneer 216 BLK

I'm planning to add 2 more 1 or 1.5TB hdd for storage, a hdd sled drive and maybe a case fan controller.

-----------------------------

If you're not planning to do crossfire or sli in windows I think 750 watt is too much, better stick with a 620 watt HX model. HX = modular cables, this will save you a lot of room and time fitting everything inside the computer.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Google this, but the Corsair and the nvidia vid card combo does give me the coil whine as discribed by alot of people!!
It goes away if you disable C1E and EIST (Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology) in your bios.
I get the whine when starting up and using graphic intensive programs, so it's not constant.

http://forum.corsair.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=178

I used Digital Dreamers tutorial to install everything, check it out at the genius bar segment.

I first formatted my drive using an Intel Imac and installed osx 10.5.7 on the HDD and then used DD script to install all the drivers and kexts. only thing if you're using the GTX 260 emptied the DD script video kexts and install the evga drivers manually.

Then I put the hdd back into the case and installed the rest of DD script.

I'm using the hack for 2 months now and everything is working fine.

The computer is sleeping and waking up fine.

The x58ud5 does have this ethernet bug where your internet connection sometimes get slow or disconnected. solution is to switch of the psu and disconnect the power cable and restart. I'm online 6-8 hours a day and in the 2 months it only happened 2x.

When i get another hdd I will install 10.6 on thh hack, but for now 10.5.7 is working just fine.

If you get a Core i7 920, do get a D0(zero) stepping model, they OC much better than the previous C0 models.
I got 4Ghz without any problems.

Good luck and have fun with your build.

If someone in the UK is looking for some help where to find the parts for a Hackintosh that compares to the Quad Mac Pro I can help.

I actually bought a similar configuration to the ones in this thread for less than 1000 pounds.

Antec Three Hundred
Corsair 650w TX Series
Gigabyte GA-EX-UD5
Intel i7 920 2.66GHz Stepping D0
Corsair H50
OCZ 12GB (6x2GB PC3-10666) OCZ3P1333LV12GS
BFG Tech GeForce GTX 260 OC Maxcore 55 896MB
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB
Sony Optiarc AD-7240S 24x SATA DVD+/-RW DL
Apple Ultra-thin Keyboard

Grand total: 862.38 GBP (for the comparison... a similar Mac Pro from Apple would cost 3,219.00 GBP !!!!)

Hey Q!

Thanks for your advice! I'm taking you up on your power supply suggestion. Modular connectivity definitely seems like it would make the installation process much easier and cleaner. That's exactly the type of feedback I was hoping for. And I was looking at that Antec p183 case initially ... Psystar uses that case I think ... but due to my budget, I felt the money saved in that area and by downsizing hard drives I could move up to the UD5 motherboard.

How do I find out if this processor is a stepping model?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115202

I plan on placing the order with Newegg either today or tomorrow. Would it be ok if I consulted with you on the install since our systems are so similar? I plan on using the original Lifehacker guide as a jumping off point for my install. I'm in the process of writing up a game plan on the install and I'm going to post that here in the days to come in order to get everyone's feedback. So check back soon because I will have a lot of questions:) Thanks again!!

Hello

I paid +- 1400 euro for all the parts (new apple keyboard + Logitech MX revolution mouse), which is still 1000 euro cheaper than the base Mac Pro over here.

We don't have any big online comp shops like newegg in Europe, so I bought all my parts using 4 diff companies.
I asked 1 of the shops if they could pick out a D0 stepping model for me, but I'm not sure if a big online shop would bother doing it. You can also check your cpu revision afterwards using CPU-X.

I see your cpu cooler has a 92mm fan, I'm not sure that will be enough for the 920. I think a 120mm would push more air. I found a scythe cooler in the same price range, maybe you can check that out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835185093
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?opti...mp;limitstart=6

You can always add a 2nd 120mm cooler if you want to OC the cpu.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article63-page2.html
Coming from a noisy Quicksilver G4 800, I like my hack to be silent. I think it's better to buy the right cpu and case fans at the beginning than to change them afterwards.

I'm not sure ram OC will actualy benefit your comp speed, so I'm not sure why you want to buy the g-skill memory. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227365 is 30 usd cheaper and is faster (CL8 instead of CL9 for the g-skill) .

I would use the 30 usd on a better cpu cooler.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...8-014-_-Product


I'm not familiar with the Lifehacker guide, but I'm willing to help you out with the install.
I was planning to install 10.6 using Digital Dreamers guide, but I'm interested in your guide. I need to save up for another HDD before I can upgrade.

I like the suggestions and I'm taking your advice with the RAM. I am concerned with the size of the Scythe Mugen 2 heatsink. I'm not sure if that will fit in the Raidmax ATX-612's case. The width of the case is 8 inches. I would assume that's enough since some reviewers have reported being ok with other 120mm sized heatsinks. However I can't find any reviews of this case that have used the Scythe heatsink. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

What do you think of the COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520? It appears to hold up to the Scythe Mugen 2 in tests. It uses two 92mm fans and seems to be well reviewed for slight to moderate overclocking. Not to the level Q is currently at though.

http://verdisreviews.com/reviews/cooler-ma...ooler-review/5/
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews...per_N520_3.html

Yes that Mugen cooler does look big.
I've read some good reviews for the Cogen True cooler

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9403/?campid=bmr

but I don't think they sell it on newegg.


The Cooler Master looks fine, but it all depends on the noise the 2 fans would make.

Ok, I have my build up and running with Windows 7 so I know all the hardware is good to go. When I try to boot to the Snow Leopard install flash drive (I used the Lifehacker method to prep the flash drive) everything goes black after the gray apple screen with the rotating status indicator. Does this have something to do with my graphics card or am I messing up somewhere else? The computer doesn't seem to crash since it continues to run while this happens.

I'm thinking a workaround would be to do like Q and install 10.6 onto the hard drive while it's installed in an intel mac. Q, can you walk me through installing the GTX 260 drivers properly?

And Q, thanks for the heads up in regards to the Cogen True Cooler. For the price I thought I'd give it a go after reading the reviews. It was so easy to install and looks to be very effective. The processor idles around 29 degrees. I can't wait to overclock the 920! But first things first ...

I installed Digital dreamers script via a friends Intell Imac (usb - sata adapter) and than installed the HDD into my hack.

I also got a black screen at start up, because the video drivers were wrong for my card.

I took the hack main HDD out again and connected it to my G4 (via usb) and manually installed the evga drivers and the nvidia enabler.


-> Enabler_for_Nvidia_and_multiple_ATI_cards.pkg

http://netkas.org/?p=107



-> NVIDIA Retail Mac Driver Installer 18.5.2f16.mpkg

http://netkas.org/?p=109
look for comment no 3 for the hacked drivers DL



wow 29 degrees when idle, that's a cool cpu, my cpu temps never dips below 34 degrees. I think I need to reapply some cooler paste and do another reset of the cpu.
I OC the cpu to 3.2 Ghz and I get temps aroud 37 - 40 degrees while idle - surfing the web, itunes, ...

Thanks for the graphics enabler link Q. As I type this I'm on an intel mac running 10.6 on the hard drive that will be going in my build. I just ran the install from the first link you provided. When I tried to install the second I got a dialog saying that the system already has the needed support. So now I'm going to run DD's script using the PC-EFI v10.3 bootloader to try and get around the dsdt patch issue. If it boots and the screen doesn't go black I'll rerun the script to install the dsdt patch. It will be a few hours until I can get back to my build but I'm hoping the 1,001st try is the charm.

A big THANK YOU to Q. That did the trick! I booted into 10.6 without any issues. I reran DD's script and it's up and running. I can run the flurry screensaver without any issues so that's a huge plus. The downside is that the ethernet is not working. At this point I'm trying to establish what is working and what's not then try to tackle them one by one.

Thanks again Q! You've been a tremendous help.

I have everything working except the ethernet. Well ... it works for about two minutes every time then stops. I have the kexts installed in the system folder. I have the EthernetBuiltIn=Yes setting in the boot.plist. I tried resetting CMOS and unplugging the power supply but that didn't work.

What should I try next?

That's completely weird. I have a very similar setup to you (ditched the 2GB 4870 for a GTX 260). I've never had network issues.... I even upgraded to the newer BIOS which gives you faster boot times (faster drive scanning). I guess each mobo has different quirks.

I'm not quite ready to put this quirk on the motherboard. I'm thinking that I messed up somewhere in the install. What if I took the RealtekR1000.kext out of the repository folder and switched it with the AppleRTL8169Ethernet.kext? Would that make a difference? I'm just shooting in the dark here.

I swapped out the AppleRTL8169Ethernet.kext for the RealtekR1000.kext and there was no change. I go on YouTube and it will play for about a minute and a half then stop. I unplug the ethernet cable from one socket and plug it in the other and it will work again for around a minute and a half. I'm out of ideas. Can someone help me out?

I see I have the IONetworkingFamily.kext in my extra folder. that's of course for my 10.5.7 build.
IONetworkingFamily.kext came with the DD script.

Maybe you've been using the wrong kext?

also try to shut down the comp, switch off the psu and remove the power cable.
check your bios and see if the 2 ports are enabled.
I'm using the lower ethernet port for my connection.
try to power down your router or modem


do you also have a wifi card in the comp? I've read you can only use the ethernet port or a wifi card, not both.


good luck

I don't have a wi-fi card. Both ethernet ports work, just not for very long. I tried the IONetworkingFamily.kext but no change.

GerkX suggested that I need to change the flag to arch=i386 in the com.apple.boot.plist. When I checked DD's script I saw that this was already enabled. So genius me, I removed it to see what the results would be. Ha, that results in me getting a black screen on boot. So now I need to figure out not only the ethernet issue but how to get the GTX 260 working in 64-bit mode. I mean what's the point of running snow leopard if it's not running in 64-bit mode? Ugh.