whyywhy Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Hello to anyone reading this! I'm building a hackintosh and I need the forum's opinion. Now, I've read quite a lot of posts but I may have missed a few that answer some of my questions. I'm building a hackintosh and I need the forum's opinion. Now, I've read quite a lot of posts but I may have missed a few that answer some of my questions. I hope everyone will go easy on me if I did miss a major post regarding some of the same concerns/questions I have. Also, I hope I didn't post this in the wrong area of the forum; MODS please move it if I have. I apologize in advance. GOAL= Have a system running the latest version of oSX86 with full compatibility. System will be used mainly for running Pro Tools and other audio related software. I need this system to be really quiet for recording purposes. I need it to have a native HDMI port as well as dual monitor support via a 2nd DVI. I have picked out the following components for my build but would like the forum to point me in the right direction with my choices if needed. CPU= Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor CPU COOLER= Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler MOTHERBOARD= GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard RAM= CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) TR3X6G1600C7D G HDD= Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive VIDEO= GIGABYTE GV-N96TSL-1GI GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Silent Cell 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 OPTICAL DRIVE= SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner FIREWIRE= SIIG 1394 3-port PCI Card Model NN-440012-S8 ***Digidesign Recommended for Pro Tools*** PSU= Thermaltake Purepower W0121RU 600W ATX12V V2.0 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply CASE= Thermaltake Element G VL10001W2Z Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case CARD READER= Rosewill RCR-IM5001 USB2.0 75 in 1 internal Card Reader w/ 3 ports USB2.0 Hub / eSATA port My main concern at this point is the video card. Will this specific model Gigabyte be a good choice? I picked it out because it was fanless, as well as having a native HDMI port. From what I read NVIDIA cards seem to have high compatibility. This card does cost around $120 which is a little steep since I won't be playing any games. If there's another card that will do the same/better for less money please let me know. Again, fanless is important; please let me know if I'm making the right choice with this card. In closing, please state your opinions on EVERYTHING I chose; I appreciate everyone's help and hope to soon give back to this forum with any findings I make after purchasing this system. Thanks, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleIIGuy Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Your hardware list looks fine. Should work with out to many problems. I would recommend 2 hard drives in it so you can use the install method mentioned in this thread. --> http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=149505 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whyywhy Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Thanks for the reply AppleIIGuy! I did read that someone was having a small issue with the same graphics card I chose... They claim that when they change the screen resolution within OSX the screen turns blue or black or something to that effect and they have to restart the computer BUT when the computer comes back the resolution is changed to the resolution the user selected before the screen when out. Not a huge problem but more of an annoyance I guess; has this been fixed or anyone experience a similar problem? Any other suggestions on a graphics card that would fit my criteria? Thanks a lot everyone for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleIIGuy Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Thanks for the reply AppleIIGuy! I did read that someone was having a small issue with the same graphics card I chose... They claim that when they change the screen resolution within OSX the screen turns blue or black or something to that effect and they have to restart the computer BUT when the computer comes back the resolution is changed to the resolution the user selected before the screen when out. Not a huge problem but more of an annoyance I guess; has this been fixed or anyone experience a similar problem? Any other suggestions on a graphics card that would fit my criteria? Thanks a lot everyone for all your help! I have Dual 9800GT with 1 Gb ram each and they work fine with a EFI string in my boot.plist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whyywhy Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 I have Dual 9800GT with 1 Gb ram each and they work fine with a EFI string in my boot.plist Awesome! I'm getting ready to pull the trrigger on all the parts I have listed in my first post EXCEPT for the graphics card. I changed my mind about it after reading your last response. Ok, maybe I'm not understanding this whole graphics card compatibility issue. I've been looking at the Wiki for compatible graphics cards but it's sorta confusing. I see a lot of different series/chipsets (ie. 9600GT, 9800GT, etc.) listed but all of different brands and RAM capacities. Does the brand of the card matter at all or do you just need a compatible series/chipset? Again, this system will be for Pro Tools so I need it as silent as possible so I think I'm gonna stick with a fanless GPU. If your running the Dual 9800GT's then I'd like to get a 9800GT instead of a 9600GT since it's also fanless and costs only $10 more. Someone told me this is the most powerful graphics card you can buy that is fanless so I figured I can't go wrong if it's fully OSX compatible. Here's a link to the card I'd like to buy now: GIGABYTE GV-N98TSL-1GI GeForce 9800 GT 1GB Silent Cell http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814125282 Just give me the thumbs up on this particular model of this card and I'll be placing my order within minutes! Thanks again for all your help, you've been great! -Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herpaderpa Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I have a question which I never seem to understand, why are you spending so much money to get a hackintosh PC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whyywhy Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 I have a question which I never seem to understand, why are you spending so much money to get a hackintosh PC? I could understand your confusion... I fully understand that you don't need such a expensive high-end system to build a hackintosh but I think this system would better suit my needs. Do you know what Pro Tools is? If not, it's basically the standard for recording audio in the music industry. I need to run Pro Tools with little to no latency issues as well as run a good amount of plugins which well, require a lot of CPU power. That's basically the reasoning behind such an expensive build. I will also have a separate HDD running a Windows OS with equally demanding audio software. Thanks for responding; that was a good question! Now, my question about the 9800GT I have a link for still stands... I want to order this system like RIGHT NOW! hahaha Anyone have my answer!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herpaderpa Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I'll tell you something, Quad Core is only 25% faster than Dual Core. Double think for a minute, really worth that extra money? But hey if you can afford it go for it I have the 9800 GT, only reason I want Mac on my computer is to actually just to see how it would look like. other than that my windows is fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whyywhy Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Awesome! I'm getting ready to pull the trrigger on all the parts I have listed in my first post EXCEPT for the graphics card. I changed my mind about it after reading your last response. Ok, maybe I'm not understanding this whole graphics card compatibility issue. I've been looking at the Wiki for compatible graphics cards but it's sorta confusing. I see a lot of different series/chipsets (ie. 9600GT, 9800GT, etc.) listed but all of different brands and RAM capacities. Does the brand of the card matter at all or do you just need a compatible series/chipset? Again, this system will be for Pro Tools so I need it as silent as possible so I think I'm gonna stick with a fanless GPU. If your running the Dual 9800GT's then I'd like to get a 9800GT instead of a 9600GT since it's also fanless and costs only $10 more. Someone told me this is the most powerful graphics card you can buy that is fanless so I figured I can't go wrong if it's fully OSX compatible. Here's a link to the card I'd like to buy now: GIGABYTE GV-N98TSL-1GI GeForce 9800 GT 1GB Silent Cell http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814125282 Just give me the thumbs up on this particular model of this card and I'll be placing my order within minutes! Thanks again for all your help, you've been great! -Nick Will this Graphics Card be fully compatible with all ports working including dual monitor support? Will it sleep and wake normally? Is the QE / CI supported? Anyone? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whyywhy Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 Ok, maybe I'm not understanding this whole graphics card compatibility issue. I've been looking at the Wiki for compatible graphics cards but it's sorta confusing. I see a lot of different series/chipsets (ie. 9600GT, 9800GT, etc.) listed but all of different brands and RAM capacities. Does the brand of the card matter at all or do you just need a compatible series/chipset? Will this Graphics Card be fully compatible with all ports working including dual monitor support? Will it sleep and wake normally? Is the QE / CI supported? Anyone? Thanks! Well, I did some more reading while waiting for a response... I still don't have a solid answer but I think I'm just gonna go ahead and order the card anyway... Thanks everyone for your time and help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floordance Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Hey whyywhy, any news on that? Did you buy the GIGABYTE GV-N98TSL-1GI 1GB PCIe (passive cooling) and did it work out the box? I got a 8600GT at the moment and got issues with dualscreen support. Now I'm thinking about upgrading to the mentioned 9800GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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