Hey peoples! I am looking to build a system asap, and seeing as how Mac Pro's are just way too expensive, I'd rather pay for a copy of OS X and build an Intel Machine than buy one o'those boxes.

Setup consists of:

Asus P5N-E motherboard with SLI and Gigabit Ethernet
Core 2 Duo E6320
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
Antec 900 case
GameXStream700w psu
EVGAGeForce 8800GTS 256MB 640mb GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
DDR2 – 800 = 4 gigs
4 x Seagate 500gb Sata Drives
OS: Win XP Pro SP2, Vista 32-Bit for Bootcamp 1.2 support, OS X 10.4.9 (until Leapord arrives), and Linux (maybe not Linux though)

My initial questions are:

1) Final Cut Studio 5. I own this software and would be installing it on the PC setup. What kind of conflicts can I expect with running on such a system? I do a lot of Hi-Definition Narrative (filmmaking) work and Final Cut is pretty much my favorite Non-Linear Editor. I'll be upgrading to FCP 6 after NAB announcements. Anyone doing the same as I?

2) Motherboard: I don't see this motherboard listed as being supported in any Faqs and have not had success finding info here. I will do another search. Anyone else using this board? The main question is if I will be able to take full advantage of it's features: including SLi technology and GIGABIT ETHERNET support. THe latter being very imperative to my workflow.

3) Video Card support for OS X? Will I have it being that it's a new video card?

4) Will Bootcamp 1.2 run the same as sitting on an actual INTEL MAC PRO?

That's all I can think of now.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Bootcamp isn't necessary at all in your situation. Bootcamp is an Apple creation that lets you run Windows on a Mac. You're in the opposite position, running Mac OS on a generic and thus completely capable of running Windows, machine. Make sense?

This is a pretty big assumption, but I don't see why the built-in NIC won't work as well as it does on other Asus MOBOs. And I know I've seen threads with SLI Q&A in them somewhere.

The 8800GTS will be interesting. ;-)

Thanks for the reply. You're right, I didn't think about that. Duh. I was still in "Gahd I have to buy a Mac" mode. =PP

I am looking at the list on Wiki where some of the Gigabit Ethernet stuff doesn't work, that's my concern. It's a very important factor for me and if it doesn't work flawlessly then I shouldn't bother with this kinda deal.

When you say the 8800GTS will be interesting, do ya mean that it might not work or something?

I'd recommend the Intel D975XBX2 (Badaxe 2) over any of the other motherboards out there for C2D systems. Good, solid board and all it's extras work under OSX86. Keep in mind it officially supports Quad core CPUs. I know the cost of the board is high, but it really is worth it for everything you're looking for.

The 8800GTS is interesting because it has 256MB which can be easily detected by OSX86 video drivers, but the GPU architecture is a lot different than what the drivers were made for. AFAIK there's no support as Apple has yet to include this GPU architecture in their official products. The driver for that would probably be named NVDANV50hal.kext (latest driver is only NVDANV40hal.kext), which is nonexistent as of now until Apple integrates the new GPU in their product line.

Good luck with the video card, better to use it under Windows.

Motherboard - I'm more interested in the Asus P5N-E board. It will support all Core 2 chips from here on out, has a lot of overclocking options, and has SLi support. As well, it's cheap and trusted. At the price of the BadAXE with everything I need/am buying, I'd might as well shell out for a system I don't have'ta hack to run OS X or Windows XP/Vista; not a bad suggestion, though.

Video Card - The 8800GTS that I'm buying has 640mb, is that gonna make much of a difference with what you're talkin' about?

One thing that Apple doesn't have is the wide-range of support that Microsoft does. You never have to worry about these kinds of issues when going Windows based. Too bad I want to run Final Cut, though.

This could very well be a buy-a-mac-and-forget-it kinda deal for me. And yet again, Mac Pro's video card support is probably shabby as well.

Yep, the 8800-series (NV50) is still not in Apple's product line, meaning it doesn't have native support by the OS. It might work with VESA3.0, but then it wouldn't be able to work as well under any 3d app IMHO. Apple's support for nvidia cards only extend up to Series-7 cards (Geforce 7300, NV40), but as other series-7 cards such as the 7600GS/GT and 7900GS share the same architecture, it technically should (and it does) work for them. However, there isn't any indication yet of Apple adding support for NV50 cards, so I can't guarantee that it'll work at all.

If you really want to run OSX86 without any problems, I'd suggest you to take a look at OSX86 Wiki HCL and check up on some stuff there. The cards supported by Apple aren't really cutting edge, but there's nothing you or I could do about it. Their products are not much focused into gaming, but personally I have no problems with it as long as they have a great OS.

Well, I'm not into gaming either. This system, as stated, is for film post production. And for that a stable system is really needed. I suppose I'll just have to get a PC and a Mac or just a Mac. =(

THanks for the help!

I FCP on my hack, no issues. As for film production, I really don't see the 8800 fitting anywhere, it would be better for pro apps to use a professional 3D card like a Quadro, and their drivers for Mac or Windows are solid.

I really see the 8800 as a gamer's card, not for professional post-production. I'd rather spend the money for the 8800 for a SATA RAID-0 (better yet RAID-0+1) or something like a Kona3 HD-SDI and use a 7300GT. For OpenGL I trust Quadros but hate their price.

I'm sure your rig will fly under windows, but it's still windows

DO NOT GET THIS BOARD IF YOU PLAN TO RUN 4GB OF RAM!!!!!WINDOWS OR MAC!. I have this board, and theres an issue (specifically when you use 4x1gb sticks to get to 4gb. IT deals with the 800 mhz bus being bad, and you have to downgrade them to below 667 and up the northbridge voltage (due to bad design). If you do get the board (which, other than that, is pretty decent) pm me and i'll give you instruction on how to make it work. just to let you know though, you cannot run 4 stick of ram at the full 800 mhz.