noNix Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Please help me decide what to do. I want to build my first Hackintosh that I will be using as an HTPC driving my 32" 720p display. I will be using the machine for streaming content over the net (hulu etc) as well as installing EyeTV so I need to be able to record one show while watching another. Additionally I would like to use the machine as a central iTunes server. I intend to use an external USB DA converter for audio. and the system will be wired to my existing gigabit ethernet network Once I get the system up and running I will either add a IR reciever and use my existing Apple remote, or add a bluetooth dongle and get an Apple bluetooth keyboard and mouse. My question is wether to go for a super low cost Atom 330 Intel board and hope that it has enough horsepower to both play media and record / transcode media simultaneously, or to go for a more high end solution with a micro ATX motherboard, E5200, 4GB ram (its cheep so why not) and a fanless Zotec 7300GT card. The price difference between the systems is about a hundred bucks. Because this is my first machine I am also looking for the most trouble free install and am hoping to do a Boot 132 / Retail disc install using a 10.5.0 retail disk that I already have. I currently have and use an iMac and MacBook Air, so if I need to update the system to 10.5.6 prior to install I should be able to do that. The two systems I am considering are: Intel Atom 330 board - $80 2 GB ram - $25 SeaSonic S12 II SS-330GB 330W power supply - $50 ---------------------------- Total - $155 + tax + shipping Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L - $53 Intel E5200 - $73 OCZ Gold DDR2 800 4GB - $42 Zotac ZT-73TE250-HSL GeForce 7300GT 256MB - $29 SeaSonic S12 II SS-330GB 330W power supply - $50 ---------------------------- Total - $247 + tax + shipping I already have a big hard drive, sata DVD drive, case and fans. I have chosen the Seasonic power supply as it is highly recommended by SPCR and noise, or lack of it is important to me. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuffinFlavored Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 <br />Please help me decide what to do. <br /><br />I want to build my first Hackintosh that I will be using as an HTPC driving my 32" 720p display. I will be using the machine for streaming content over the net (hulu etc) as well as installing EyeTV so I need to be able to record one show while watching another. Additionally I would like to use the machine as a central iTunes server. I intend to use an external USB DA converter for audio. and the system will be wired to my existing gigabit ethernet network Once I get the system up and running I will either add a IR reciever and use my existing Apple remote, or add a bluetooth dongle and get an Apple bluetooth keyboard and mouse.<br /><br />My question is wether to go for a super low cost Atom 330 Intel board and hope that it has enough horsepower to both play media and record / transcode media simultaneously, or to go for a more high end solution with a micro ATX motherboard, E5200, 4GB ram (its cheep so why not) and a fanless Zotec 7300GT card. The price difference between the systems is about a hundred bucks.<br /><br />Because this is my first machine I am also looking for the most trouble free install and am hoping to do a Boot 132 / Retail disc install using a 10.5.0 retail disk that I already have. I currently have and use an iMac and MacBook Air, so if I need to update the system to 10.5.6 prior to install I should be able to do that.<br /><br />The two systems I am considering are:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121359" target="_blank">Intel Atom 330 board</a> - $80<br />2 GB ram - $25<br /><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151035"'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151035" target="_blank">SeaSonic S12 II SS-330GB 330W power supply</a> - $50<br />----------------------------<br />Total - $155 + tax + shipping<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128357" target="_blank">Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L</a> - $53<br /><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819116072" target="_blank">Intel E5200</a> - $73<br /><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820227199" target="_blank">OCZ Gold DDR2 800 4GB</a> - $42<br /><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814500025" target="_blank">Zotac ZT-73TE250-HSL GeForce 7300GT 256MB</a> - $29<br /><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151035" target="_blank">SeaSonic S12 II SS-330GB 330W power supply</a> - $50<br />----------------------------<br />Total - $247 + tax + shipping<br /><br />I already have a big hard drive, sata DVD drive, case and fans. I have chosen the Seasonic power supply as it is highly recommended by SPCR and noise, or lack of it is important to me.<br /><br /><br /><br /> I was told that Intel Atom was unable to smoothly play 720p films. http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...tNumber=9205865 That is my dream build. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1091741 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synaesthesia Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Atom 330 should play back most 720P. It won't do 1080P. But I'm leaning towards the E5200/nVidia solution - it's just way more bang for the buck... Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1091786 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I wouldn't trust the Atom for HTPC duties in OSX. It might be different if there were hardware PCI TV cards for Mac that take all the burden off the CPU for recording and playback- but that isn't the case. Flawless simultaneous playback/recording with an Atom, and no hardware accelerated TV board? Personally, I wouldn't want to rely on that. I'd go for the E5200 option, and a little bit better graphic card, IE: 9400GT. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1091888 Share on other sites More sharing options...
zim2dive Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I can't speak to hulu under OSX.. the one OSX machine I have is far too old to even attempt.. BUT under Ubuntu and under Windoze, Hulu (which is Flash) is VERY CPU intensive... ie. using the VDPAU mplayer on a 2.7GHz Athlon dual-core, I can play a movie at 5-10% CPU... When I go to Hulu, I'm using 130% (both cores) and I get some tearing. FWIW, I'm hoping to get OSX up on this same box, http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=154257 to compare performance there (the Flash drivers for Linux are generally considered to be weaker in performance.. but I see reports of Hulu trouble even on Windoze) So I can't imagine that an Atom will suffice (unfortunately), at least not if/until Adobe can learn to really use the GPUs. Along the same lines, for Hulu, the GPU may not matter much... ie. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread....18#post15916518 Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092116 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synaesthesia Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Yeah Flash is slow on OS X. It helps to get the latest version (10) Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092126 Share on other sites More sharing options...
nano2nd Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I'm in the market for the same thing right now and, after testing Boxee on various Macs and Hacks, I'm going for the following setup: E5300 CPU (it was just £8 more than the E5200) 2 GB Crucial DDR2 GA31M-S2L mATX board Asus 8400GS graphics OCZ 400W Modular PSU and I'm going to put it in one of these: If I wasn't so keen to have a Lian Li PC-V300 case, I'd probably go for a full-size ATX board like the GA-G31M-ES2L but I can't find a decent ATX case that I'd want to have on display under the TV. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092138 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrb Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I'm in the market for the same thing right now and, after testing Boxee on various Macs and Hacks, I'm going for the following setup: E5300 CPU (it was just £8 more than the E5200) 2 GB Crucial DDR2 GA31M-S2L mATX board Asus 8400GS graphics OCZ 400W Modular PSU Make sure to do retail install or you will have restart issues. Uses munky's guide in tutorials. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092281 Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioos Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 nano2nd, why the PC-V300 case? I've been looking at builds using the V350. There doesn't seem to be too much difference in the pictures, but I think the 350 looks a little bit better. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092348 Share on other sites More sharing options...
nano2nd Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Make sure to do retail install or you will have restart issues. Uses munky's guide in tutorials. Thanks - I was planning to do retail: Build via MacBook onto new HDD (connected on USB), then set bootloader etc before putting into the new build. nano2nd, why the PC-V300 case? I've been looking at builds using the V350. There doesn't seem to be too much difference in the pictures, but I think the 350 looks a little bit better. The 350 and new 351 are definitely better in terms of airflow and space. I just think the 300 looks good with the mesh front. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092361 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 If I wasn't so keen to have a Lian Li PC-V300 case, I'd probably go for a full-size ATX board like the GA-G31M-ES2L but I can't find a decent ATX case that I'd want to have on display under the TV. Nice case. I dunno about the side facing drive bays, but otherwise it's a cool looking case. I assume you meant another board, because the one you linked to is also mATX. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092363 Share on other sites More sharing options...
noNix Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 Thanks everyone for your help. I always forget what a CPU hog flash is - until I am running it and everything else crawls. Sounds like the E5200 / Gigabyte board is the way to go. Zaap, You recommended going for the 9400GT, is there one that you would particularly recommend or are they all going to work equally well ? The V300 case looks good, and if I was buying a case that might be one to get. Sort of looks like a mini MacPro meets a big hard drive case. Lots of airflow, but the side mounted optical is a bit strange. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092443 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synaesthesia Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 You recommended going for the 9400GT, is there one that you would particularly recommend or are they all going to work equally well ?nVidia 6-series, 7-series,8-series & 9-series all pretty much work. ATI 2600, 3870 & now 4850 work too. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/155026-720p-htpc/#findComment-1092770 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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