Hardware recommendations for an OEM 8-core Mac Pro equivalent

[Mr. Bungle]

Hi,

 

I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on my first Hackintosh. I want to avoid potential problems and hassles, and minimize any troubleshooting time by building a system very close to an OEM Mac Pro (specifically the dual-processor quad-core version just released).

 

I'm very concerned that I buy the right motherboard and other hardware for this project. I can't afford to spend $2000+ on a system only for it to not be OS X friendly. I've done a lot of research, but it seems to have more to indecision than to have answered my questions.

 

So far, the only hardware item that I've pinned down is a pair of Intel E5620 processors. The next steps are motherboard and memory, and I'll probably stick to an ATI Radeon 5770 video card (not sure which brand?) unless anyone has alternative recommendations.

 

So, keeping that in mind, I would really appreciate recommendations for:

 

• motherboard
  
• memory
  
• video card (ideally < $200)
  
• sound card (nothing too fancy, ideally < ~$100)
  
• any other hardware
  

I plan to use this primarily as a video editing workstation, running an SSD for the OS and apps, some SATA drives in RAID for video capture and storage, and at least 2 and as many as 4 monitors. My memory goal is 8-12 GB. My budget is flexible, but I'd like to stick to mid-range hardware, nothing too costly.

 

I would also be very open to suggestions for desktop-class hardware if that's feasible and wouldn't create any more potential problems running (stably) or configuring OS X. I've read articles saying that ECC memory is a must when running 8+ GB, and others that say it's not worth it unless you need a die-hard server, which I don't need. I don't want a system that crashes daily, but weekly would probably be OK if I can save some money.

 

Also, links to any build guides that you would recommend or tried & true hardware configurations would be very much appreciated.

 

Thanks for any help!