MarkyMark1 Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I would like to build a hackintosh and have been following the forums lately. I never built a computer before and need advice picking the components. I am looking to build a computer running Leopard that I can use for video editing (Final Cut Pro & After Effects) and Photoshop. Also, I would like to include a HD TV tuner and a dual monitor set-up. I have been looking at monitors with built in HD tuners. I am not sure which way I should I go. I would like to stay within the $600-$750 price range (not including monitors). I am really unsure about the case. The ones I have been looking at have a built-in power supply, but it seems I should have good PSU. Should I buy a case and PSU separately? Another issue is I don't know what wireless card I should purchase. Also, if anyone has suggestions on a good monitor to purchase, please let me know Here are the components I have been looking at. I appreciate any feedback/advice. Motherboard: Gigabyte UD3P $110 CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 $164.99 Graphics Card: 8600 GTS $30 RAM: OCZ Gold 8GB (4 2GB) DDR2 (or should I get 2 4GB kits) $93 HD: Western Digital 640GB SATA HDD $70 DVD: Samsung $27 Case: HEC case w/ 485 Power Supply $50 or Rosewill combo $80 Card reader: Rosewill Internal Card Reader $12 Wireless Card? (Should I just use a USB adapter?) Gigabyte PCI Wireless Adapter $17 TV Tuner: Difficulty finding one compatible with Mac that is reasonably priced Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Motherboard- great. One of the best. CPU- great if you don't plan to run virtual machines with a 64-bit OS. (IE: VMware or Parallels with 64 bit virtual OSes). If that is important for you, you might step up to the Q8400 which does support VT. (Ignore user reviews that say otherwise). Graphics- perfect. Case and PSU- PSU choice is really important for this setup, for reliable clean power. First off, read the spec page on the 8600GTS under Sys Requirments. (Same for any decent graphics card- people often skip this, then have all sorts of problems that are hard to track down, but are really power related.) It says: Minimum of a 350 Watt power supply. (Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 22 Amp Amps.)Minimum 450 Watt for SLI mode system. (Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 24 Amp Amps.) An available 6 pin PCI-E power connector (hard drive power dongle to PCI-E 6 pin adapter included with card ) Bottom line, the card (and most of the better cards) draw a lot of power, and a crappy PSU will cause you no end of problems. There's no info on the first choice PSU, so I'd personally skip it and get a case + PSU that you know the stats of. The UD3P board has an eight-pin EPS12V connector. (It's not mandatory, a 4-pin ATX12V connector will also work with this board, but if you have any plans of overclocking quad processors and running a decent GPU which will also draw heavily in the 12V rails, then you should have the EPS 12V connector. The Rosewill PSU has it, and a combined 31A on the 12V rails- so it will work. The first PSU choice is an unknown- chances are it doesn't have the EPS12V connector, and maybe not enough juice on the 12V rail. I may seem like a nitpicker about PSUs, but this is one part I've learned over time to really pay attention to, whereas a lot of noobs skip over the details. A really stable, never-crashing system will revolve around a good PSU that truly matches the power needs. Other stuff looks fine. If you have the choice of similar 4GB RAM for $93, and you want to eventually go to 16GB, then I'd highly recommend the 4GB DDR2 sticks. That's a pretty stellar price for 4GB DDR2 which is hard to find. Wireless card- I don't know if that card works, but I do know this ENCORE ENLWI works perfectly with OSX. It works at full draft-N speed, unlike many of the other choices that only support B/G. Decently priced Mac TV tuners are hard to find. Given that they cost so much just for a USB tuner (generally) I always recommend just biting the bullet for the HDHomeRun twin network tuner- provided you have a home ethernet network. Yup, it's costly. But then, so is any single tuner that works for the Mac. The benefits of the HDHomerun is that it's dual tuners, it runs on the network and is available to ANY device in your house, not just the Mac, so it's like buying HDTV tuners for every PC in your house, rather than individual ones. Good luck with your build! Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1166226 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Elgato has many tv tuners for mac with the best UI, but since it's a German company I don't know if you'll find their products in the US for a decent price. The HEC case & PSU look like {censored}. Look at owners advice on newegg. A very good 400W PSU is the Corsair CX400. And I do agree with Zaap about the EPS connector, and for that reason I wouldn't recommand those Antec cases with an old Earthwatts PSU, especially for using with a Core 2 Quad. I've got one myself and will have to replace it soon. It's a little bit more expensive, but you should buy PSU and case separately. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1166286 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMark1 Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 Thank you Zaap & TomCom!! I am going to go with the Q8400 especially now that its only $10 more and with the Encore wireless card. I am still unsure about the case and PSU. I am between these options: 1) Rosewill Combo or this combo 2) Corsair 400cx PSU + Rosewill case or Antec Case I realize the Antec case is a better quality case, but is it that much better than the Rosewill(It is $25 more, but has free shipping)? Also, the Corsair seems to have the 12V Connector. Zaap, I was also wondering if the computer you reccommended in the thread:$500 Complete Mac Clone Possible?, is powerful enough to run photoshop and Final Pro (will not be used that often for video-editing). Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1167146 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Thank you Zaap & TomCom!! I am going to go with the Q8400 especially now that its only $10 more and with the Encore wireless card. I am still unsure about the case and PSU. I am between these options: 1) Rosewill Combo or this combo 2) Corsair 400cx PSU + Rosewill case or Antec Case TomCom is dead on about the Corsair PSU- I'd go with that. Corsair makes really high quality stuff- I've never had a problem with them. 30A on the 12V rail is plenty of power. I have the #2 Rosewill case (heh, my user review is even there from '07). It's really nice case, it looks good, but it does have some flimsy details like the backplate is weak, and the bay covers are a little loose and a real PITA if you push one of them out of place and need to get it back in without opening the case. The Antec is definitely nicer quality and sturdier. (I've built a system for a friend using the same Antec case as well). If you plan on doing a lot of changing or parts, moving the PC around, etc. then I'd go with the Antec. If you just build and let it sit for years doing its thing, the Rosewill will be fine. Zaap, I was also wondering if the computer you reccommended in the thread:$500 Complete Mac Clone Possible?, is powerful enough to run photoshop and Final Pro (will not be used that often for video-editing). Yes, it'll run Photoshop, even final cut just fine. The main difference is the motherboard, the microATX - it's less than half the price of the UD3P, but not as fast, not as modern, not as sturdy, and it can't take as much RAM. A lot depends on the processor you use- same choices as the UD3P since it's also a socket 775. The UD3P is a much better choice for final cut, and future-proofing. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1167196 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I won't say anything about the Rosewill case: this brand is not sold here in France. The Three Hundred is good for a high airflow gaming rig, but you'd need two more 120mm fans (at least one for the HDDs) and in the end it becomes somewhat expensive compared to much better designed mid-range Coolermaster cases. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1167393 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMark1 Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks again Zaap and TomCom! I am going to go with the Corsair PSU, but am still unsure about the case. I am between the Antec Three Hundred and the Coolermaster Elite 335. There is also this Coolermaster Centurion 5. Any suggestions? TomCom I know you mentioned using a better designed Coolermaster case. Would either of these be suitable? This is the last item I am debating. I can't wait to order everything and start my build! Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1169977 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 The Centurion 5 seems to be the only tool-less case with cable management, but its front 80mm fan is probably noisy. The other coolermaster has only 1 120mm (the front one is not included). The Antec 300 is tool-more. You'd have to screw it over and over. No front fan either for HDDs. It's a popular gamer/overclocker aimed case with high air-flow capacities you don't need for your rig. For myself, I would spend some more a get a Lancool K1, but apparently Newegg isn't selling it. The Centurion 5 isn't bad for the price, and you could buy another front fan if you bother about silence. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1170039 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Any of those cases are pretty good- all depends on which features are most important to you, and the looks. You can put two 120mm fans in the front of the Antec 300 to draw air over the hard drives. Just get one or two of these. (I really like these fans- they are nearly silent, inexpensive, and pull enough air for basic cooling. I've got several of these in my machines for the past several years nearly non-stop.) Or any other fan(s) of your choice- just be sure to keep in mind the reported dBA (noise) level. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1170054 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I won't do no war with Zaap, but you can't beat these babies: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....amp;x=0&y=0 Especially the 800rpm one, which pushes a lot of air while being inaudible. Approved by www.silentpcreview.com, the best website of its kind. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1170136 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Haha! No war here! Scythe fans are awesome- 800RPM does seem to be about the sweet spot, and 10.7dBA is pretty much silent. And at $9 the price can't be beat. Unfortunately they're not in stock right now or I'd pick up one myself. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1170556 Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsanelyOne Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Just wanted to say this is a great thread. I'm getting ready to replace my 3 year old Hackintosh with one that is well-suited for Snow Leopard. Any recommendations on graphics cards that are OpenCL supported? I use my computer mostly for work (I'm a software developer) so I use multiple concurrent Virtual Machines with dual 24" monitors. I don't do any 3D stuff or play video games. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1175077 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Graphics cards that are OpenCL supported are: • NVIDIA Geforce 8600M GT, GeForce 8800 GT, GeForce 8800 GTS, Geforce 9400M, GeForce 9600M GT, GeForce GT 120, GeForce GT 130. • ATI Radeon 4850, Radeon 4870. Caution: I guess this list taken from a French website is not complete since the GTX 285 is not there. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1175130 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMark1 Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hey, I just wanted to give everyone an update on this thread. My Hackintosh has been successfully working for two weeks now running 10.5.7! I was hesitant to post at first waiting for something to go wrong, but so far so good. My Final Specs were: Motherboard: Gigabyte UD3P $115 CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 $175 Graphics Card: 8600 GTS $30 RAM: OCZ Gold 8GB (4 2GB) $93 HD: Western Digital 640GB SATA HDD $70 DVD: Samsung SATA $27 Case: Coolermaster Elite 335 $40 PSU: Corsair 400cx $40 Card reader: nMediaPc $10 Wireless Card: Encore ENLWI $25 Monitor Acer 22 $150 Leopard: $69 Total Cost (After rebates and including tax): $903 I used Weaksauce12’s guide, http://leopardsoup.pbworks.com/ud3p, for a retail install on the UD3P which was extremely helpful and straightforward. My only concern was that my CPU core temperatures rose to about 90 degrees Celsius when running Systemload. Do you think I should buy a CPU cooler? Otherwise the temperatures have been around 50 degrees. Now that everything is working my next additions will be: New harddrive for dual boot Webcam (not sure which one yet) Install 120mm Fan CPU Cooler? Thanks again Zaap, TomCom, and Weaksauce12. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1188357 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hi again. I bought the same motherboard last week and followed the same tutorial. Very helpful indeed, though I do have issues, some not related like Flash crashes I had before, other that are new, like crashes with Vuze, the Console (!), and Time Machine not working. Everything's fine for you? Is your CPU overclocked? I'm wondering if that's not the problem for me. A memory issue, maybe. I'm checking that right now… Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1188407 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMark1 Posted June 29, 2009 Author Share Posted June 29, 2009 Hi again. I bought the same motherboard last week and followed the same tutorial. Very helpful indeed, though I do have issues, some not related like Flash crashes I had before, other that are new, like crashes with Vuze, the Console (!), and Time Machine not working. Everything's fine for you? Is your CPU overclocked? I'm wondering if that's not the problem for me. A memory issue, maybe. I'm checking that right now… Everything is working fine for me but I haven't tried overclocking yet. Also, I haven't used Vuze or Time Machine yet. I been using utorrent which I like much better. I am buying an external drive soon so I will let you know if I have Time Machine issues. Also, I have been hearing good things about SuperDuper for back up, but not an ideal Time Machine replacement (more of a "complement"). Keep me posted if the problem is overclocking related. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1188611 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 Time Machine is useful because it's really fast and you can easily restore a damaged install, but it's no that much reliable in my opinion, and above all you can't configure several backups, nor you can backup on an encrypted DMG. For that reason, I also use Déjà Vu, but it's so boring slow. Today, it took 1h15 to complete a backup of my user files! I think my memory is better supported with 2V on this motherboard. I have both 800 and 1066 modules running at 1066MHz. It worked fine at 1,8V on my previoux mobo, but not on this one. And I probably should get rid of the 1/2 coefficient of the E7200. About this Mac does not seem to recognize it: it says 2,4GHz at stock and 3GHz at 333x9,5. I noticed a "bus error" in the console. Anyway the RAM voltage was the main problem, I think. No more crashes since I changed it. The problem is it now runs f*cking hot in my case! Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1188672 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 MarkyMark1, glad you've got everything working! As for Time Machine- I notice that Kaido/Weaksauce12's guides include a 'Time Machine fix' setting in UInstaller. I've had no problem with Time Machine on UD3P boards I've set up for people, so long as I've ticked off the T M fix during the driver install. Ditto no problems with it using the ES2L boards. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1188706 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomCom Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I knew this Time Machine Fix on UInstaller, but I was afraid to mess up the whole system since I was used to distros. If you say it's okay, that's good news! Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/168524-my-first-hackintosh-build/#findComment-1188937 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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