Hackintosh configuration for video editing; help?

[nomadinca]

I do photography and video editing and want to build an affordable hackintosh to take the load from my MacBook Pro; mainly for a larger screen and much faster speed (and also to secure my workability in case my laptop fails a some point)

I am a beginner in this whole thing. Once I buy the parts, I will ask for help from a friend who is quite good with configuring PCs and is recently switched to use Mac. We are willing to learn our steps, but it would be preferable not to have complicated steps.

 

Budget: around $1500-1750 and will buy probably everything from the US.

 

So far this is my parts list:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yypBzy

I created it by reading through some others' configurations, YouTube tutorials etc, but I am not sure if the parts are fully compatible with each other, or are best choices for my needs as they are selections from different lists. I either could not find a good configuration list for video editing, or the lists I found are relatively old.

 

Am I going in the right direction?

 

I wish to keep it within a budget but want to have a relatively powerful computer, while not getting parts that are unnecessarily expensive and beyond my needs.

 

I still need to pick a good monitor (21 to 27 inch) and make sure I get good cooling for the box, since I live in a country where the summers are very hot.

 

All help will be appreciated. 
I start to feel like this is beyond me and that I will fail after spending all the hard-saved money, but I am also hopeful that with some help here, I can get through this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dcai777]

That should work fine with Clover. You might want a bigger SSD though...

[nomadinca]

That should work fine with Clover. You might want a bigger SSD though...

Thanks. Could you please explain why the larger SSD?

Within my MacBook Pro, I have the 256gb and it carries all my programs, while everything else is in my additional 500gb drive. Something different when we talk about computers as opposed to laptops?

[JahStories]

with that huge budget you can easily get a new 27inch iMac and use it as a screen too for your mbp

[nomadinca]

with that huge budget you can easily get a new 27inch iMac and use it as a screen too for your mbp

If you think I can have a Hackintosh powerful enough for smooth and speedy video editing and for lower price, you have my attention

Seriously, I came up with that budget not because I have the money, but because I thought that's what I should expect to spend. If I can configure something for lower price, please tell me what I could change in my parts list (and why).

[Long Cat]

That should work fine with Clover. You might want a bigger SSD though...

 

And Chameleon too! If this is your first hack, I would recommend starting out with Mavericks/ Chameleon and experimenting with Clover once you feel comfortable.

 

As for storage... 256GB SSD is pretty standard. If you've got a 2TB HDD, it's more than enough for most people. You can always get another one if it isn't.

 

Your config would make a pretty awesome hackintosh, on par with/ exceeding the highest configuration iMac. You could save on the RAM get 16 if you don't need the full 32. But cutting anything else will just mean reduced performance.

 

For your monitor, you could also get an Apple Cinema Display - it'd work with both your Hack and Mac and give you a great experience on both. You can get them used for about $650 for the 27". Or pop for a thunderbolt motherboard and buy the newer Thunderbolt Display directly from Apple. I got a 27" ACD for my hack and would recommend it, just the little things like keyboard brightness/ volume controls and the camera all working 100% natively make it a good choice. And the screen is great too. You need a $5 mini-DP to DP adapter to connect it to a PC.

 

But a normal PC monitor is a good choice too.

 

Good luck.

[dcai777]

Thanks. Could you please explain why the larger SSD?

Within my MacBook Pro, I have the 256gb and it carries all my programs, while everything else is in my additional 500gb drive. Something different when we talk about computers as opposed to laptops?

The SSD will be a much better media when editing since it is faster. When people start commonly shooting 4K, that size will grow bigger. Also, usually SSDs with larger capacity are faster although not as fast as PCIe SSDs.

[Long Cat]

True, it just depends on what you're using your PC for.

 

Still at 256GB, even when loaded with your OS, heaps of apps and even a few VM's, you're likely to have more than 100GB left. You can use that overhead for editing and move the results to your HDD when you're done.

 

But of course, if you're not looking to save money, by all means get as bigger SSD as you want. I think with the Samsung ones, the 256GB+ models have the faster controllers.

[nomadinca]

Thanks again for the responses.
What I gather so far:
- start with Chameleon since it's my first Hackintosh. (Long Cat: why would I need to experiment with Clover later, if I already have the setup done? Is this for a future Hackintosh, if I get another one?)

- consider investing in a larger SSD.... I plan to do this in the future. Currently I work with external hard disks for projects. I use G-Tech 7200rpm; I know it's not as fast as SSD, but with the number of projects I end up working simultaneously, it's working fine to have this system for the moment, until I change my workflow and can use larger SSD as the working drive for video projects. This also helps me be on the move with my laptop, and I believe when I have the computer, it will help me carry an ongoing project when I travel.

 

- RAM: so, if I understand Long Cat, 32gb is not really necessary. I can still use the potential of my computer with 16gb, right? This can be a place to save money. Is there a reason why 24gb is never mentioned in the builds I see around? if it works, should I consider that?
Also, is there any preference between Corsair or Crucial? How much does it matter which I choose from 1600, 2133, etc?

- Display: Long Cat, I would like to have a good display since photographs and videos are central to my work, but I am not sure if I can justify $650. Is it not a bit expensive?
Also, I am not sure if I understand how the 27" ACD effects keyboard lights, volume control, etc. Could you clarify?
If I get a more economic PC monitor, can I use it with my MacBook Pro?

 

[Long Cat]

1. Clover is gaining popularity right now, in future it'll probably replace Chameleon as the default go-to bootloader for hackintosh. It provides a more mac-like experience at the cost of a steeper learning curve. For now though, Charmeleon is much easier to use and definitely what you should be using for your first OSX install. But also if you want to run Yosemite any time soon, you'll most likely need Clover.

 

2. For RAM, it really just depends on what you're doing with your PC. For example with 3D work you can never have enough, but for gaming you really don't need all that much. From my limited understanding, for video/ photo editing, CPU power is much more important than the amount of RAM you have. At a guess, 16GB would be ample for your needs. People tend to wind up with 4/8/16/32GB configurations because RAM sticks usually come in pairs (2x2GB, 2x4GB, 2x8GB, 4x8GB etc...). This is because memory performs better in a dual/quad channel configuration than if it were lumped together into one big single stick. I'd say start with 2x 8GB and work your way up if you ever need to.

 

3. You won't get any decent 27" display for less than about $600... but a good 24" you could probably find for 2-300. The ACD is an all round nice display, comes in a 24" version too. Plug in an apple keyboard and you'll be able to control the screen brightness/ speaker volume with the function keys just like you do on a MacBook. Plus you've got a camera and mic built in. You might have trouble getting that sort of seamless functionality with PC hardware on a hack. But if none of that really matters, pretty much any monitor you get will work with any PC or Mac so long as you've got the right adapters for it.

[nomadinca]

Thanks, Long Cat. I will look at monitors and report back.

 

I changed my RAM choices to 16gb ( 2x8gb DDR3 1600 Corsair Vengeance). That already saves me over $150.

 

Are there any other ways that I can bring down my cost?

Is it necessary to have both the liquid and fan coolers?

The main cost seems to be CPU and video card. Am I overkilling it with those two choices? 

 

Any smaller details that I forgot, that would make life easier? 

For example, my newer external disks have both F-800 and USB 3.  Can I find F-800 adapters so i can use the G-Techs on this machine? Or can I attach the USB3 one and daisy-chain the others without USB3 using the F-800 cables?

[MacUser2525]

Thanks, Long Cat. I will look at monitors and report back.

 

I changed my RAM choices to 16gb ( 2x8gb DDR3 1600 Corsair Vengeance). That already saves me over $150.

 

Are there any other ways that I can bring down my cost?

Is it necessary to have both the liquid and fan coolers?

The main cost seems to be CPU and video card. Am I overkilling it with those two choices? 

 

Any smaller details that I forgot, that would make life easier? 

For example, my newer external disks have both F-800 and USB 3.  Can I find F-800 adapters so i can use the G-Techs on this machine? Or can I attach the USB3 one and daisy-chain the others without USB3 using the F-800 cables?

 

You can get add in pci-e card for the firewire that is what I have for my 5.1 sound needs. Unless that graphics card you are buying is going to be used for rendering the edited video you are wasting money on it, the hd4600 on the chip is fine to output video. If you are not using the cpu video then you do not need a cpu with included video that saves cash. Oh and since you are concerned with heat not likely to be overclocking so that K series cpu is waste of money for overclocking potential you are never going to use. Firewire daisy chain only works when you have firewire connected first device in the chain USB3 first is not going to work. Where is the liquid cooling listed at I did not see it in the parts list? I have same cooler on my build same board 4770K running at 4ghz overclock 1.1v limited in BIOS outside temps at 22C today windows open it idles at 33C just done massive re-encode to x264 which uses 100% loading to do and of over an hour doing it never seen higher than 65C.

[nomadinca]

thanks for the good tips, MacUser2525. 

 

To be honest, my knowledge level is not enough to clearly understand your comments, but I do want to find answers to your questions because it does sound like I might be wasting money on somethings that I won't use.

 

whether I use CPU video or the graphics card, etc: How can I find this out? Or, which is the better way to do?

If I am not using the CPU video, then I will likely go with what you suggest and get a cpu without video. Any suggestions on the specific model? Is the i7-4770K an example to this?  Is there a code on the name of the CPU that says whether it has video included or not?

Daisy chain: I use this quite a lot, so the pci-e card is what I will go with, as you suggest.

 

I didn't realize that once I edit my list, the link to it changes. That's why you couldn't see the liquid cooling.
Here is the updated list: 
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cx4pQ7
 

I know very little about this too. Not sure if one cooler is enough, or if the fan cooler would be helpful to the liquid. Not even sure whether two systems can be installed at the same time.

 

As I understand from my readings, overclocking will be handy. So, choosing a cooling system that helps solve the heat problem will be good. 

Are you happy with your system? Was it relatively smooth to set it up?

[MacUser2525]

thanks for the good tips, MacUser2525. 

 

To be honest, my knowledge level is not enough to clearly understand your comments, but I do want to find answers to your questions because it does sound like I might be wasting money on somethings that I won't use.

 

whether I use CPU video or the graphics card, etc: How can I find this out? Or, which is the better way to do?

If I am not using the CPU video, then I will likely go with what you suggest and get a cpu without video. Any suggestions on the specific model? Is the i7-4770K an example to this?  Is there a code on the name of the CPU that says whether it has video included or not?

 

Daisy chain: I use this quite a lot, so the pci-e card is what I will go with, as you suggest.

 

I didn't realize that once I edit my list, the link to it changes. That's why you couldn't see the liquid cooling.

Here is the updated list: 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Cx4pQ7

 

I know very little about this too. Not sure if one cooler is enough, or if the fan cooler would be helpful to the liquid. Not even sure whether two systems can be installed at the same time.

 

As I understand from my readings, overclocking will be handy. So, choosing a cooling system that helps solve the heat problem will be good. 

 

Are you happy with your system? Was it relatively smooth to set it up?

 

Totally easy to setup I cloned my system drive from the Mac Pro it was replacing installed a boot loader onto the drive clone and installed FakeSMC it booted perfectly. Only thing needed is .kext for sound the latest VoodooHDA works well for this and ethernet the e1000 works for this although if doing large transfers it can drop connections so I went with add in pci-e that uses the RealtekRTL8111 by mieze you can get on here it has no such problem.

 

For the video card it seems to me you don't need it as if you were going to be doing video card assisted video rendering you would know that you did need to have it. The 4770k is example of cpu with video included with unlocked multiplier so you can do a no brain overclock like I have simply raising the multiplier leaving everything else untouched except the voltage. I did not like the ~1.3v it was using on its own so I messed around a bit and found it would run at the 1.1v resulting in ~25-30C less maximum temperature full load it was getting in the mid 90sC letting it manage the voltage itself. The 4790k you have is the next generation on in the Haswell line of cpu's the top end replacement for the 4770k I have. It has higher base speed 4ghz vs 3.5ghz and supposedly better thermal paste than the previous version so should be less heat problems if any encountered using it. To tell if the CPU you are considering has graphics on it look at the specifications on Newegg for example it tells you that 4790k has the HD4600 graphics on it most all sites tell you this if not Google on its model number will.

 

Water cooling even though I have built the vast majority of the machines I have owned in my life I have never been a big fan of it I don't like the idea of it going wrong and frying my parts, liquids and electonics don't mix well either way you go it is one or the other. So if you go liquid no air cooled cpu is needed if air cooled no liquid needed in the end it is your choice. I have no water cooling experience to advise you on it but I can say the 212 air is a damn fine cooler. Oh it never hurts to have couple of extra fans mounted in the case connected to the motherboard headers I believe there are four extra connectors on the board you can use for this to get the hot air out of it.

 

Overclocking well depending on the chip you end up with it can in my case be a better way to go the default vid (voltage id ie. default voltage it runs at) of my chip at stock was 1.12v overclocked left alone to its own management my board wanted to run that at near 1.3v overclocked to 4ghz. I can run it at the already mentioned 1.1v at that speed keeping the temps in the low to mid 60sC at 100% load for hours at a time plus my overclocked chip runs at lower temperatures that its stock settings at idle. As they say your mileage may vary it all depends on how good a chip you get when you buy, it is sort of like the lottery some are winners some are losers. All things being equal if you get 20% overclock things get done 20% faster.

[Long Cat]

As far as I know, almost all of the i5/i7 processors currently available (baring the expensive Ivy-E series) have integrated GPU's. And you definitely want an i5 or i7.

 

IMO you've already picked a pretty good CPU... changing it simply means you'll save money in exchanged for reduced performance when encoding - it's up to you to find out the balance you want.

 

As far as the graphics card goes... well if you never do anything 3D/ gaming related, and you don't use GPU accelerated anything (again this is something you'll need to research), then you may not even need a graphics card because your CPU already has the capability to drive the screen. But I wouldn't recommend this personally, Nvidia discrete graphics usually work with the least hassles on hacks. If you don't feel like you need all the power of a 770, check out the 760 or 740, both of which are significantly cheaper.

[nomadinca]

i7-4770k and i7-4790k do not seem to have much price difference, so unless the 4790k has set up issues that require more advanced workarounds, I will stick to that.

I do not expect to do 3D or gaming. If going down from 770 to 760 is not too much of a power loss, and is still plenty enough for video rendering, I will prefer to save the money and use it on the monitor.

 

I think I will also stick with the cpu liquid cooler.

 

I will try to spare time today to find the specific accessories that you guys mentioned above. I couldn't find them on the partpicker.

 

here is the latest version:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BzCwmG

[nomadinca]

hi all.. 

 

Thanks so much for the information you have given me.

 

My almost final list is here, if you have some feedback before I place the orders:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/inca/saved/LhBG3C

 

it's very similar to the Pro suggestions from the website we don't mention here. I just upgraded the Video Card to GTX 770 4gb and the mobo to Z97X-UD5H.
and the RAM in my amazon cart is actually Crucial Ballistix Tactical Trace 2x8gb 1600mhz, but I couldn't find this in the Partspicker site.

 

any accessories that I forgot?

cooling enough?

 

still searching the monitor.