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Hey guys! I guess this is the 1000th post asking the same thing :)

I apologize for that, but unfortunatly my knowledge in the pc sector is not that good :(

 

First of all, let me say I won't pay a penny for your help. But I could pay you back with assistance on console mods: xbox, xbox360, ps2, nintendo wii and DS...just ask and I'll be happy to give the favour back :D

 

1) no budget problems: I actually have the money for a Mac Pro, but I'd just like to build my own Hackintosh :)

2) what for? Well, surfing, photo editing, some games, dealing with lots of archives, burning dvd, compressing dvd in divx/xvid, using Parallels...not really a "heavy" usage, but still I don't want an old-born Hackintosh ;) Not looking for an extreme machine

 

About the CPU: I'm very interested in the Intel Q9550, but also the E8500 sounds pretty good!

 

The only issue is: which motherboard? I'd like something which I can use the retail dvd with, to do a clean install. No modified version of Osx, and - where possible- updates through the Apple service.

 

I guess that once you'll help me in choosing the mobo, that will be a BIG step forward!

 

I really thank you in advance for your help!

 

Sincerely

 

melagodo

Check this guide out, and use the Gigabyte P35-DS3L mobo on the parts list. (Tons of them are still available on Ebay, and a more sturdy board for Hackintosh is hard to find, though it is not the latest/greatest). I highly recommend it for a nearly flawless retail build.

My preferred board right now is the GA-EP45-DS3R. Supports all the new processors. Supports up to 16GB of RAM. RAM is cheap ~$400 (USD) for 16GB. If you require more ports or drives the GA-EP45-DQ6 is a solid board too.

As far as processor I have an E8500 and it is great bang for the buck. My new build I am setting up with a Core 2 Quad Q9550.

Check this guide out, and use the Gigabyte P35-DS3L mobo on the parts list. (Tons of them are still available on Ebay, and a more sturdy board for Hackintosh is hard to find, though it is not the latest/greatest). I highly recommend it for a nearly flawless retail build.

 

Does that mb support the Q9550? I don't think so :-(

 

The GA-EP45-DS3R (thanks MaaseyRacer) should support it, but I'm not sure If I'll be able to do a retail install...

 

any help?

 

melagodo

Does that mb support the Q9550? I don't think so :-(

 

The GA-EP45-DS3R (thanks MaaseyRacer) should support it, but I'm not sure If I'll be able to do a retail install...

 

any help?

 

melagodo

 

As pointed out, the P35-DS3L does support the Q9550- just use the right BIOS.

 

Come to think of it, as your budget isn't an issue, you will probably do best with an EP45 board (DS3R or DQ6 as suggested)- and get an EFI-X USB dongle to go with it. (About $200).

 

That's pretty much the Hackintosh state-of-the-art, with absolutely no futzing with hacks- just a straight up retail install, System Updates, the works. Check thier hardware compatiblity list- the EP45 Gigabyte boards work great- just use a video card from their list as well, and no IDE drives, only SATA.

 

 

Do you think rev. 1.0 is fine too? Unfortunately I live in Italy, and I'm not really able to find rev. 2.0 :lol:

 

melagodo

 

As pointed out, the P35-DS3L does support the Q9550- just use the right BIOS.

 

Come to think of it, as your budget isn't an issue, you will probably do best with an EP45 board (DS3R or DQ6 as suggested)- and get an EFI-X USB dongle to go with it. (About $200).

 

That's pretty much the Hackintosh state-of-the-art, with absolutely no futzing with hacks- just a straight up retail install, System Updates, the works. Check thier hardware compatiblity list- the EP45 Gigabyte boards work great- just use a video card from their list as well, and no IDE drives, only SATA.

 

I can't find it in Europe...budget is not a problem, but I don't want to spend 400$ (shipping, taxes, duties and so on) for such a dongle :P

 

And, of course, I do prefer a little of challange! Too easy in that way, I'll probably use the 123boot method :P

 

Are EP45board good enough for a retail install?

 

Which model exactly would you suggest me, considered that I'll use a Q9550?I'm not such a maniac, don't need 40 SATA ports, I just want a GOOD Hackintosh (not a monster :lol:)

 

melagodo

With the GA-EP45-DS3R you can do a retail install. I have done two now, no issues, works better than my Asus P5K-VM set up.

 

Great news! I'm going to order it so :)

 

I might bother you with a few questions....

1) video card: do you think that an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256mb would be appropriate for a retail installation? If yes, do I just need such a video card, no matter which producer (or brand, don't know the English word for it...like Sapphire or the one specifically made for the Mac Pro....are they all good for my reatil installation)?

2) what about the sata dvd burner? Any suggestions?

 

3) did you follow any specific tutorial for the retail installation of osx? I've tried using the search, but no luck for me....I'm not a complete noob, but that's the first Hackintosh I'm going to build and it's going to be a looong adventure I guess :unsure:

 

Thank you very much MaaseyRacer, you're a friend!

 

Sincerely

 

melagodo

Ok guys, this is what I chose:

 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R

 

Ali: CORSAIR VX PSU 550W

 

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550

 

Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT

 

Video Card: Radeon HD 2600 XT 256 MB 8

 

Case: Thermaltake Soprano VB1000BWS

 

RAM: DIMM 2X2GB DDR2 PC2-8500 CORSAIR C5 XMS2 DOMINATOR + AIRFLOW FAN

 

Still not sure about HD and DVD-burner and....well, the price of all of this is becoming a little more than I thought, but anyway....

 

 

Is this pc a good choice? What do you think?

 

Thank you very much in advance :thumbsup_anim:

 

mela

  • 1 month later...
Yes, basically all the Intel processors work in OSX.

If so, how about the Q8200?

 

They are cheaper than the old Q6600 and look really promising. I wanted to get one for a friend's build, but didn't want to take a chance with someone else's hardware, so I didn't get it. But for future ref, is anyone specifically running the Q8200 with a Hackintosh?

  • 4 weeks later...
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