My Gaming Hackintosh set-up

[uRabbit]

Hello there. I am most definitely a n00b when it comes to the build-a-Mac area. I have owned my MacBook Pro since late 2006 and all Macs in the family before then. The machine is getting out-dated, especially considering I like to play World of Warcraft on it. I need a machine that will out-perform the game on full settings, rather than having to struggle thru low settings.

 

Here's the list (NewEgg.com wishlist):

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...Number=11788246

 

I'm pretty sure all those are compatible. That g-card is pretty good, right?

Any suggestions, please speak up!

 

Also, I plan on using this guide:

http://lifehacker.com/software/hack-attack...-800-321913.php

 

Seems pretty up-front. I assume that once it's installed, I won't have to do anything out of the ordinary to make it function? No line commands or anything?

 

Thanks ya'll!

BTW, if you think it'd be easier to just build a PC, let me know. I'd much rather build a Mac, as I - same as most of you - totally despise Windows.

[uRabbit]

Will the 9800GTX even work? Same question with the motherboard. If it doesn't work, I might have to just install my XP SP2 on it. "/ Gotta have the best gcard on the market, especially at that price!

[Leader86]

9800GTX and 9800GTX+ works very good with EFI string or ATY_init.kext from netkas;

mobo should works as well

[uRabbit]

9800GTX and 9800GTX+ works very good with EFI string or ATY_init.kext from netkas;

mobo should works as well

 

Please excuse my newbishness, but I thought kext was unneeded after 10.5.3. And it's just a software correct?

 

The mobo is th most confusing part for me. I'm having a friend help me and he's not available to ask right now, so... Is Bluetooth, USB, and hard drive capability controlled by the motherboard? Like how many hd's I can put in there? And will I need anything extra to use USB and Bluetooth? Thanks! Can't wait!

[Zaap]

9800GTX works fine- use AquaMac's guide.

 

 

Some problems I see with that build- don't assume the Biostar motherboard will work. Personally, I hate Biostar- their quality has been really hit and miss that I've seen. Check the HCL (link in sig)- see if that board is reported working by others. Don't assume- and if someone doesn't know for sure that a board works, don't say "It should work!" Hackintosh is often very hit-and-miss. The purpose here is to recommend/review what's known to work so you don't spend $ finding out the hard way.

 

I'd recommend subbing a Gigabyte UD3P. There's tons of info around here about that board. Works great, and you can use an up to date retail guide. (That original lifehacker article is ancient).

 

I think that slot loading DVD drive may cause you more trouble than it's worth. First off- it likely won't really fit properly in the case's optical bays- either leaving you unable to fasten it in, and ugly gaps of open space. Also, it probably requires an adapter to use with standard SATA cables and power. Unless you really know how to mod things to make it work properly in your case, stick with a full-sized SATA DVD drive and save yourself much hair-pulling. It'll even be cheaper.

 

The RAM is a little anemic for a P45 board- look into some better 1066 RAM like this.

 

Finally, the PSU- cheap, but having used Apevia PSUs without problems, it'll probably be okay. The wattage is more than enough, it's not wattage with PSUs so much as quality. Personally, I'd look for a higher quality one, especially with more power-hungry motherboards. It's been discussed here often, and there's many suggestions of high quality but not super-expensive PSUs.

[uRabbit]

Wow! Thank you for the VERY informative reply!

 

I followed your advice and updated my list. Go ahead and give it a gander if you would, please.

 

As for the power supply; I really have no clue what is better and what's not. I was looking at the Corsair but I really don't know what to look for.

 

edit: Will the case suffice?

[Zaap]

uRabbit- the list looks great. That system will work great. If you're going with a retail install (using the OSX retail disk) check Weaksause12's UD3P guide in my sig. (To TomCom: yeah, I copied your idea linking to these guides in sig rather than repost 1,000x!) It'll set you up with a perfectly functioning rig with no guesswork. The board works fine with 'distro' installers as well.

 

As for PSU's- The UD3P (and other boards like it) have a 8pin EPS connector on the board, rather than the usual 4 pin. The Apevia only has the 4 pin. It'll work, but it may not provide enough power as the board really needs, depending on the load. That combined with the power requirments of the 9800GTX may be a bad combo.

 

I'd recommend a PSU that lists this: 1x 8-pin EPS12V Connector

 

All of these have the 8-pin EPS12V connector:

Rosewill RP 500 $50- I have several of these, no problems after 2+ years of use.

 

Seasonic SS-400ET $45 - I haven't used it personally, but the brand is top-notch, it has the proper 8pin connector, and it's more than enough power.

 

Corsair 400CX $54/ $44 after rebates- Great PSU, perfect for the UD3P. I've used one of them. Corsair makes great stuff, and the 80 plus efficiency rating is a major plus for lower power usage.

 

Also to consider, each of these PSUs will probably be a lot quieter than the Apevia (their PSUs I've used have been included with cases, and a little on the noisy side, but not too bad) and certainly will last longer, and supply stable power you can rely on.

 

As for the case, I find that case-choice is mostly a personal preference. Depends on the features and level of quiet/performance/looks you're looking for. I'd also read through the user reviews on newegg and see what others who have it say, pros and cons.

 

There's some case suggestions in this recent thread for others to consider.

[uRabbit]

Someone emailed me, offering to do a trade, saying he's an SDK developer for the iPhone. Here's his proposed trade:

I really need a Mac you see I am a registered iPhone developer but I need a Intel Mac to use the SDK software.

 

Would you consider a trade I have a great custom pc you could use or for gaming or sell here are the specs:

Antec P182 mid-tower case

Antec 850 watt PSU

Asus AMD motherboard socket AM2, AM2+, AM3 w/ the         new 980a SLi chipset

AMD Phenom x3 @ 2.3GHz

250GB HDD

4GB of DDR2 800 RAM

9800GT graphics card by XFX

Asus 22" widescreen HD monitor

Windows XP pro or Windows 7 RC1

Razer death adder mouse

Office 2007 Pro

Microsoft flight simulator X

 

 

Or could you maybe take payments

 

I assume Mac OS X cannot run on AMD?

[Zaap]

Trade for what?

 

I wouldn't trust that for OSX. AMD systems IF they work, only work with hacked kernels. nVidia board chipsets are bad news in general. If your goal is really to use the machine as a Mac, not mostly as a Windows PC, then I'd advise stay away from AMD. He seems to need an Intel Mac, because he wants it to work correctly.

 

If he's 'trading' for a significant deal, it could be worth it for parts- all depends on what he wants for that. The PSU (stuuupid overkill), the case, the 9800GT, the RAM, possibly the hard drive (if it's SATA- IDE, forget it) I assume a burner of some kind (again SATA), and the monitor are all platform independent. If it's actually a good trade, you could just harvest those parts and use them with an Intel board and CPU, then maybe save the AMD mobo and PSU for another system.

 

Is that a Phenom X3 or Phenom II X3? Neither is all that impressive, but the Phemom X3 just plain blows. Even against the Phemom II the Q9550 in your spec would spank it so badly it's not even funny. The machine you spec'ed in general would run circles around that setup. I used to be a big AMD fanboy- but lately, they really can't compete with Intel, sad to say. Whoever advised that person they needed an 850W PSU for that should be whipped with the power cable.

[uRabbit]

Trade for what?

 

I wouldn't trust that for OSX. AMD systems IF they work, only work with hacked kernels. nVidia board chipsets are bad news in general. If your goal is really to use the machine as a Mac, not mostly as a Windows PC, then I'd advise stay away from AMD. He seems to need an Intel Mac, because he wants it to work correctly.

 

If he's 'trading' for a significant deal, it could be worth it for parts- all depends on what he wants for that. The PSU (stuuupid overkill), the case, the 9800GT, the RAM, possibly the hard drive (if it's SATA- IDE, forget it) I assume a burner of some kind (again SATA), and the monitor are all platform independent. If it's actually a good trade, you could just harvest those parts and use them with an Intel board and CPU, then maybe save the AMD mobo and PSU for another system.

 

Is that a Phenom X3 or Phenom II X3? Neither is all that impressive, but the Phemom X3 just plain blows. Even against the Phemom II the Q9550 in your spec would spank it so badly it's not even funny. The machine you spec'ed in general would run circles around that setup. I used to be a big AMD fanboy- but lately, they really can't compete with Intel, sad to say. Whoever advised that person they needed an 850W PSU for that should be whipped with the power cable.

 

My concerns, confirmed. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking for a trade plus cash from him, but if I were to, how much do you think, if any?

 

edit: Does the Gigabyte P45 support WiFi & Bluetooth?

Also, will I have trouble installing OS X?

[uRabbit]

It is a Phenom I. He's offering trade plus $100 cash. But I'd have to spend at least $350 to replace the mobo and CPU.

 

I've got the MBP listed on eBay for $999 but I doubt it will sell for that much.

[Zaap]

Personally, I would not trade a MacBook Pro plus $100(!!) for that system if my life depended on it. (Okay, well maybe with a big enough gun held to my head, but that's how it'd have to happen!)

 

To really break it down- the only things in that system that's really worth much are the 9800GT and the Antec case. The extra $100 pretty much covers the used monitor, so that's no bargain. Everything else is lackluster at best. (These days, even a 250GB HD is hardly worth the slot it occupies vs. larger drives). I hate to bag on AMD so much, but I find the Phenoms very unimpressive. I recently compared an X4 to a Q8200- on paper the two were nearly a match, the AMD was cheaper. I did a video encoding test using the same file on both systems- the X4 took over and HOUR longer to complete. For me, that pretty much wrote the obit on me using AMD for the foreseeable future. Intel is a bit more expensive, but WELL worth it.

 

I would not trade your MBP for what's really a handful of parts. Plus, as you say, you'll still have to outlay cash to make it Mac compatible. You may be trying to help someone out, but I really think you'll get the shorter end of the deal.

[uRabbit]

Personally, I would not trade a MacBook Pro plus $100(!!) for that system if my life depended on it. (Okay, well maybe with a big enough gun held to my head, but that's how it'd have to happen!)

 

To really break it down- the only things in that system that's really worth much are the 9800GT and the Antec case. The extra $100 pretty much covers the used monitor, so that's no bargain. Everything else is lackluster at best. (These days, even a 250GB HD is hardly worth the slot it occupies vs. larger drives). I hate to bag on AMD so much, but I find the Phenoms very unimpressive. I recently compared an X4 to a Q8200- on paper the two were nearly a match, the AMD was cheaper. I did a video encoding test using the same file on both systems- the X4 took over and HOUR longer to complete. For me, that pretty much wrote the obit on me using AMD for the foreseeable future. Intel is a bit more expensive, but WELL worth it.

 

I would not trade your MBP for what's really a handful of parts. Plus, as you say, you'll still have to outlay cash to make it Mac compatible. You may be trying to help someone out, but I really think you'll get the shorter end of the deal.

 

Thank you for the reply. This is the only offer I've gotten for the MBP so it was abut tempting. Do you think my MBP will sell for more than $600 tho? Here's the eBay auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...6#ht_1321wt_948

 

edit: Also, I just thought of something... Will I need a sound card?

[Firestorm88]

That guide looks sorely outdated. I'd use these instead:

http://leopardsoup.pbworks.com/

and/or

http://auzigog.com/2008/12/23/hackintosh-20/

 

Your motherboard and CPU are the same as the one I'm going to be building. GPU is slightly different. I went with a GTX 275 instead of GTX 260. (Only $30 more for the XFX and it's a noticeable improvement from what I've read).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150387

[uRabbit]

That guide looks sorely outdated. I'd use these instead:

http://leopardsoup.pbworks.com/

and/or

http://auzigog.com/2008/12/23/hackintosh-20/

 

Your motherboard and CPU are the same as the one I'm going to be building. GPU is slightly different. I went with a GTX 275 instead of GTX 260. (Only $30 more for the XFX and it's a noticeable improvement from what I've read).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814150387

 

I've been toying with AMD options, but am not serious about them. I've read they work faster than Intels, but all the tests were with Windows.

 

Anyways... Hmm. Someone offered me $850 for the MBP.

 

Also, will I need a network card to pick up Wifi?

 

edit: Wishlist updated. Radeon 4870 added.

[uRabbit]

BTW, that guide is great! Answers so many questions and is a great step-by-step process!

 

I am feeling quite confident about my choice of hardware and am looking forward to this project!

[noNix]

BTW, that guide is great! Answers so many questions and is a great step-by-step process!

 

I am feeling quite confident about my choice of hardware and am looking forward to this project!

 

If you have a USB -> SATA drive dock or a USB external case, you can use your MacBook to install 10.5 onto your new disk, then use UInstaller (in the leopardsoup kit) to install all the rquired bits and pieces to make the machine work. Even simpler than the guide and much more mac like than messing about with boot132 and all sorts of other tools. I have built two machines this way and both worked first boot with no problems.

[uRabbit]

If you have a USB -> SATA drive dock or a USB external case, you can use your MacBook to install 10.5 onto your new disk, then use UInstaller (in the leopardsoup kit) to install all the rquired bits and pieces to make the machine work. Even simpler than the guide and much more mac like than messing about with boot132 and all sorts of other tools. I have built two machines this way and both worked first boot with no problems.

 

The sale of my MBP is helping fund my project. So, it won't be available. Haha. I'll just have to use a few CD/RW's.

 

{censored}. I have to buy another copy of OS X. >.<

[Zaap]

Even simpler than the guide and much more mac like than messing about with boot132 and all sorts of other tools.

All boot-132 does is allow the retail OSX DVD to boot. You literally use it for a few seconds to boot the machine, then immediately switch to the OSX DVD. Afterwards, you use it to boot a few times until the latest system update and drivers are in place. Nothing wrong with the USB install method, but it's not like Boot-132 really requires all that much "messing about" either. Both methods are really pretty bone simple, just different means to the same end.

[uRabbit]

All boot-132 does is allow the retail OSX DVD to boot. You literally use it for a few seconds to boot the machine, then immediately switch to the OSX DVD. Afterwards, you use it to boot a few times until the latest system update and drivers are in place. Nothing wrong with the USB install method, but it's not like Boot-132 really requires all that much "messing about" either. Both methods are really pretty bone simple, just different means to the same end.

 

What's this boot132? I didn't see anything about that in the UD3P guide.

 

Still having trouble selling the MacBook Pro. Apparently no one needs one ha.

[Zaap]

What's this boot132? I didn't see anything about that in the UD3P guide.

Weaksauce refers to it as the "Magic Boot Disc", and the auzigog guide calls it "GRUB-DFE boot cd". Both of these are custom Boot-132 CDs for the UD3P board.

[uRabbit]

Weaksauce refers to it as the "Magic Boot Disc".

 

Okay that's what I was thinking. I like the lamens terms.

[lildimsum7]

Nice list dude. Let me know how installation goes. I'm a noob too at this and I'm thinking of building a hackintosh with the same motherboard but maybe cheaper parts. Thanks to all the guys helping the OP out

[uRabbit]

I have been grooming my list and pondering whether or not I should take up this adventure. To be honest with myself, I don't have the money for a Mac Pro, so maybe it'd be worth the time to build one.

 

Here's my updated list: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...Number=11788246

 

However, I'm interested in this deal that NewEgg has going on, with processor/mobo packages. They're packagng them with the ASUS P5E Deluxe LGA 775 X48 ATX mobo. I cannot find this mobo around here, so I'm wondering if it's worked before with Hackintosh setups.

 

Thanks!

[Zaap]

I have been grooming my list and pondering whether or not I should take up this adventure. To be honest with myself, I don't have the money for a Mac Pro, so maybe it'd be worth the time to build one.

 

Here's my updated list: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWi...Number=11788246

 

However, I'm interested in this deal that NewEgg has going on, with processor/mobo packages. They're packagng them with the ASUS P5E Deluxe LGA 775 X48 ATX mobo. I cannot find this mobo around here, so I'm wondering if it's worked before with Hackintosh setups.

 

Thanks!

I'd recommend stick with the Gigabyte board- the UD3P is excellent for Hackintosh. Your build list looks good. You might consider an 80 Plus certified PSU in the same wattage neighborhood-if power efficiency is important to you.

 

I'd seriously consider using an nVidia graphic card however. I'm not even sure that card is actually compatible. Check the HCL lists (see sig) for that card, or a suitable alternative. If you're considering Snow Leopard, make sure you check the 10.6.x lists.