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JBLanteigne
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JBLanteigne
JBLanteigne
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Ok, I know these posts get repetitive, but I'm trying hard.. so I read a few of them and instead of simply asking: "what should I buy?" I already have a couple of pieces in mind.

 

Basicly I need seven computer parts (for now). I will be using my old hdds, I'm planning to change them later:

 

WB 160gb 7200 rpm.

seagate 320gb 7200 rpm.

 

I need to buy these:

 

CPU: I'm still not sure between the intel E8400 (dual core 3ghz 6m cache) and the intel Q6600 (quad core 2,4ghz 8mb cache) I'm planning to use both OS X and Vista, with the following softwares: Final Cut Studio 2, Adobe CS 3, Nikon Capture NX, Ableton Live, Renoise (I know this one doesn't support quad core yet) and a bunch of vsts which I'm not sure if they support quad core)

 

I would be subject to run more than one of these at the time..

 

MOBO: I'm really not sure about that one. I read here that Gigabytes boards are good.. some say ASUS are great too.. I'm really looking for a suggestion. I will be using DDR2 ram (I want 4 slots) I don't need more than one PCI-E slot (one graphic card) and two PCI slots is a minimum. I'm thinking of overclocking..

 

RAM: I found this: OCZ 2x2gb DRR2 1066 and if I ever need more, I would buy another set to get 8gb.

 

GFX: First I had in mind the Geforce 9600GT but I read that it's not yet supported.. and I saw many who chose the 8800GT. I think it's a good choice.. any prefered brand? I don't know much about GFX cards. I'm looking for past experience and advices here. I want to run the softwares that I said earlier (mostly Final Cut) and be able to use 2 monitors.

 

CASE: COOLER MASTER CM 690 I built a computer with it recently and I found it quite amazing for the price.

 

CPU FAN and PSU: I don't know yet.. I'll choose once I have chosen my other pieces...

 

I also have a M-Audio Audiophile 2496 and I read that it doesn't work with os X 86.. I'll keep it for now and once my computer is built and working, I'll sell it and buy something else.. One thing at the time :)

 

So, I really need your help, advice, tips, anything!

 

Thanks!

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Synaesthesia
Synaesthesia
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Posted

Get the Quad core Q6600. A brilliant chip for your needs. Gigabyte...Asus...other brands...they all work. Look at the wiki, and I'm sure you can come up with something. The Gigabyte P35 range is awesome. Also the P45 motherboards work now with the Boot-132 method.

 

Ram is good.

 

Graphics card - Go for a 8800GT or Ati 3870

kdb424
kdb424
Posted
Posted

As for graphics I would say any Nvidia 8800GT and you should be good.

Ram 4 GB's sounds good

I personally would go quad core, as the next mac (snow leopard) will be better for more cores, so think ahead!

Case is whatever is good for you. I think you know what you are doing for the most part. Check out the osx86 tool by ~pcwiz. The last version that is coming out REALLY soon will find drivers for you if that is what you are worried about, so keep that in mind. I have tested a beta and it is amazing. It even found drivers for a Macbook pro. lol. He knows what he is doing. I HIGHLY recommend checking that out if you are newer to this or just need help, or want to be lazy. lol. Anything else that you can't decide?

JBLanteigne
JBLanteigne
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Ok.. I think I'm ready, I'll order the pieces soon..

 

I installed kalyway 10.5.2 on my old pc and I didn't have much trouble.. so I guess everything will go fine on that new hackintosh.

 

I'll probably get the GA-EP35-DS3P mobo... or should I go with P44?

 

I'll be back once I need help with either the installation or drivers :)

 

Thanks a lot.

somnomac
somnomac
Posted
Posted

A thought for the cooler would be the ASUS Silent Squares - solid cooling capacity at a barely noticable noise level, plus they're compatible with a variety of sockets.

 

For quad core cpus asus recommends the

Silent Square EVO (@22dBA according to the spec sheet)

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=16&am...amp;modelmenu=1

 

So far i use the

Silent Square Series - for our project studio on a Athlon 64 3000+

and

Silent Square Pro - at home on the same processor.

The SSP has the advantage of a manual interface (ie a knob for a 3.5" slot) for controlling the fan speed. On the other hand it's stated in the manual that both models are designed for up to dual core processors, but maybe that's just so because they date back to before quad-cores.

 

Since you do audio, maybe you're interested in how we got our studio pc to a noise level where you have to move the mouse to see if the computer is off or just screensaving. If so, just holler :rolleyes:

JBLanteigne
JBLanteigne
Posted
  • Author
Posted
A thought for the cooler would be the ASUS Silent Squares - solid cooling capacity at a barely noticable noise level, plus they're compatible with a variety of sockets.

 

For quad core cpus asus recommends the

Silent Square EVO (@22dBA according to the spec sheet)

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=16&am...amp;modelmenu=1

 

So far i use the

Silent Square Series - for our project studio on a Athlon 64 3000+

and

Silent Square Pro - at home on the same processor.

The SSP has the advantage of a manual interface (ie a knob for a 3.5" slot) for controlling the fan speed. On the other hand it's stated in the manual that both models are designed for up to dual core processors, but maybe that's just so because they date back to before quad-cores.

 

Since you do audio, maybe you're interested in how we got our studio pc to a noise level where you have to move the mouse to see if the computer is off or just screensaving. If so, just holler :lol:

 

Of course I'm interested!

 

About the ASUS fan.. I remember using the Lion Square for a friend's pc that I've built. the stats say that it's 16dBA. I remember that his computer was very quiet but I still could hear something, it was his gfx card fan... I also remember how nice it looked in his case... (and I happen to be using the same..)

somnomac
somnomac
Posted
Posted

ok, omitting the dead ends and zig-zagging in our journey to a silent pc, here's the list of the few things that really made a difference:

  • using a passively cooled gfx-card (obviously) - we went with a matrox p650, but there are passive gforce 8800, 9500, radeon 3870, you name it...
  • replacing 3 smaller harddisks (what madness!) for a silent 1TB drive, namely a western digital caviar green WD10EACS - not that fast (about a third slower than a spinpoint iirc) but very silent, very very low vibration and - compared to others - very reasonable temperature levels (as a bonus, the power consumption is lower too)
  • removing all unnecessary drive cages in the case - we heard something vibrate, found the sinner, didn't need it, it had to go
  • making a pillow for the harddisk and moving it to the bottom of the case - the hd stands on the 4 screws in its bottom holes (this sounds weird), they stand on very soft foam (so airflow between the drive and the foam is possible), the soft foam lies on two layers of harder foam, the harder foam rests on the case. this sandwich swallows all vibrations emanating from the drive. to prevent the hd from wandering off, we fastened a single cable strap around all said items but the last layer of hard foam.
  • replacing the cpu cooler and setting its speed range to 1300-1800 rpm
  • using a semi-passively cooled PSU. atm i don't know model or brand, but i'm pretty sure that there are better ones out there. plus it's not an optimal solution: every 45 minutes or so we have to manually turn the psu-cooler to maximum power for 5 minutes to hold the temperature, and then it's loud as hell. since by then the outboard equipment heated the room to about 28 degrees celsius we have to take a break and ventilate the whole room anyway, so it's no big deal, but still, there may be a better solution.
  • streamlining the air supply - using 3 fans very similar to these: http://www.silenx.com/ixtremaprofans.asp?sku=ixp-54-14 - one is drawing in in front of the hd (thus cooling it) at the low end of the front side, one is drawing in at the side and cooling the pci cards (gfx & audio dsp), one is blowing out at the top of the rear. they say you'll get the best results if intake and emission volumina are about equal, because then there's minimal airflow through cracks and slits in the case - which may eventually vibrate or whistle. i tend to belive that, but in our case the ratio 2:1 works too - ymmv.
    stating the obvious: cold air in at the bottom, hot air out at the top.
  • removing grills in front of case fans - that took a bit of destructive willpower, but it killed some low-level whistling, because there was too much solid metal and too few holes in the grills. we replaced them with very coarse wiremesh and a thin layer of those aquariumfilterplasticspongethingies (to keep the dust out) and just gaffer-taped them to the outside of the case
  • i'm not sure if this really made a difference, but quite early we purchased and installed a so called "silencing kit", a bunch of very heavy very dense adhesive rubber foam patches that cover about the whole inside of the case. increasing the mass of the case can't be a bad thing with lowering the resonance frequency and all, but i doubt that the system would be any louder without this doohickey

phew, maybe that was a bit overdescriptive, but it literally took us years to quieten the (formerly) noisy {censored}, and quite a few people ripped us off good. so if somebody else can benefit from our ordeal, it somehow lessens my pain :(

 

ps: we learned most of the useful stuff from thomas, a co-worker of my studio partner. thank you, thomas.

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