First Hackintosh <$300?

[airecken]

Hi guys,

 

Just looking for comments/suggestions and pointers before clicking the buy button.

 

Here's the configuration so far:

 

Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L S-Series Easy Energy Saver Motherboard $55.24

Cooler Master Elite 341 m-ATX Mini Tower Case Black - (RC-341C-KKN1-GP) $38.24

EVGA 01G-P3-N959TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card $66.98

Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 Processor, 2.5 GHz, 2M L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB, LGA775 $74.42

Coolmax M-500B 500W Eps Power Supply with 5 Sata Connectors ATX12V & EPS12V $35.24

PNY OPTIMA 2GB DDR2 667 MHz PC2-5300 Desktop DIMM Memory Module MD2048SD2-667 $31.95

 

I'm trying to keep costs to below $300.

 

Couple of questions

1). Is it worth it to get the faster RAM?

2). Is that videocard overkill? Just will be using for simple iphoto usage.

3). Any other recs to have more balanced system?

 

Thanks!

[broken]

Couple of questions

1). Is it worth it to get the faster RAM?

2). Is that videocard overkill? Just will be using for simple iphoto usage.

3). Any other recs to have more balanced system?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Yeah, I would get faster ram. Minimum 800 MHz, 1066 would be better. Also, if you can only afford to buy 2 gigs, buy a single 2 gig dimm, that way in the future when you decide to add more ram you don't have to toss out what you already have to get yourself up to 4 gigs. Personally, if you can fit it in, I would highly recommend just going straight to 4 gigs.

 

Video card will be fine. You can also use a 9400GT and save some cash. I personally wouldn't go any lower than the 9400GT as its what Apple is currently shipping in the Mini and Macbook's. I personally like the fanless 9400 and 9500 models. Sparkle makes some ( I have the fanless 9500GT from them) as does a couple other companies. Nothing worse than a buzzy, loud video card fan.

 

 

Do NOT buy a Coolmax power supply. Coolmax = junk. Spend a few dollars more and buy a quality psu. A good 400 watt psu is all you need. I am not sure where you are located and what shops you have to choose from. But you would be better off with something like a Corsair, Antec, BFG, Cooler Master, Enermax, OCZ and etc.

 

 

 

I have the same Elite 341 case and its fantastic. Small yet still roomy on the inside and has excellent cooling properties. Comes stock with a 120mm fan in the back, and has an empty spot up front for 120mm intake fan.

 

Here is a pic of mine:

 

 

 

 

I also use the GA-G31M-ES2L motherboard and its great. But, before you order, you might want to check with the vendor as to which version of the motherboard they are shipping. On the sticker on the outside of the box (and on the mobo) it says which revision it is. If its a rev 1.1 you are good to go. If its a rev 2.x then its built in LAN/NIC chipset has changed and currently its NOT supported by OS X. But you can always toss in a cheap-o pci network card to get around that.

[Zaap]

Nice system, broken!

 

(It's cool to see pics every now and then of people's actual setups)

[airecken]

Thanks for the reply. Nice looking system. Do you have any photos from the front on?

 

I'll go for the 1066 single ram with room to upgrade in the future. That sounds good.

 

The Sparkle 9400GT is about $20 cheaper, will there even be any noticeable difference between that and the 9600 if all this computer will be for is simple itunes, iphoto, email etc.? May that extra $20 would be more worth it for a faster CPU or more RAM.

 

Didn't know that about the Coolmax supplies. I'm in CA so there's lots of choice but hoping to avoid tax/shipping by ordering from Amazon.com since a lot of other vendors are located in CA.

 

Thanks again!

 

Yeah, I would get faster ram. Minimum 800 MHz, 1066 would be better. Also, if you can only afford to buy 2 gigs, buy a single 2 gig dimm, that way in the future when you decide to add more ram you don't have to toss out what you already have to get yourself up to 4 gigs. Personally, if you can fit it in, I would highly recommend just going straight to 4 gigs.

 

Video card will be fine. You can also use a 9400GT and save some cash. I personally wouldn't go any lower than the 9400GT as its what Apple is currently shipping in the Mini and Macbook's. I personally like the fanless 9400 and 9500 models. Sparkle makes some ( I have the fanless 9500GT from them) as does a couple other companies. Nothing worse than a buzzy, loud video card fan.

 

 

Do NOT buy a Coolmax power supply. Coolmax = junk. Spend a few dollars more and buy a quality psu. A good 400 watt psu is all you need. I am not sure where you are located and what shops you have to choose from. But you would be better off with something like a Corsair, Antec, BFG, Cooler Master, Enermax, OCZ and etc.

 

 

 

I have the same Elite 341 case and its fantastic. Small yet still roomy on the inside and has excellent cooling properties. Comes stock with a 120mm fan in the back, and has an empty spot up front for 120mm intake fan.

 

Here is a pic of mine:

 

 

 

 

I also use the GA-G31M-ES2L motherboard and its great. But, before you order, you might want to check with the vendor as to which version of the motherboard they are shipping. On the sticker on the outside of the box (and on the mobo) it says which revision it is. If its a rev 1.1 you are good to go. If its a rev 2.x then its built in LAN/NIC chipset has changed and currently its NOT supported by OS X. But you can always toss in a cheap-o pci network card to get around that.

[broken]

Thanks for the reply. Nice looking system. Do you have any photos from the front on?

 

This is the only other photo I have handy:

 

 

 

The Sparkle 9400GT is about $20 cheaper, will there even be any noticeable difference between that and the 9600 if all this computer will be for is simple itunes, iphoto, email etc.? May that extra $20 would be more worth it for a faster CPU or more RAM.

 

If you aren't interested in playing games or highish end 3d simulation type stuff, then I don't think anything more would benefit you much. Plus the 9400GT should be supported (as I know the the slower 9400m is) for OpenCL acceleration in Snow Leopard, so you are good to go on that front. Shouldn't have any troubles with high def footage and video and general GUI acceleration.

 

Besides, its so cheap, that later down the road if you do decide you need/want more 3d power, its not a big loss to get rid of.

 

 

But yeah, I would shuffle the cost savings over to buy more ram, or the next cpu step up. If it was me, it would be the ram.

[insanisst]

Hi guys,

 

Just looking for comments/suggestions and pointers before clicking the buy button.

 

Here's the configuration so far:

 

Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L S-Series Easy Energy Saver Motherboard $55.24

Cooler Master Elite 341 m-ATX Mini Tower Case Black - (RC-341C-KKN1-GP) $38.24

EVGA 01G-P3-N959TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card $66.98

Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 Processor, 2.5 GHz, 2M L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB, LGA775 $74.42

Coolmax M-500B 500W Eps Power Supply with 5 Sata Connectors ATX12V & EPS12V $35.24

PNY OPTIMA 2GB DDR2 667 MHz PC2-5300 Desktop DIMM Memory Module MD2048SD2-667 $31.95

 

I'm trying to keep costs to below $300.

 

Couple of questions

1). Is it worth it to get the faster RAM?

2). Is that videocard overkill? Just will be using for simple iphoto usage.

3). Any other recs to have more balanced system?

 

Thanks!

 

Included some good tips from others I found on Newegg. This system looks like a nice build. I agree on the faster ram 2GB 1 piece. Neweg had Kingston 2GB 1066, I think I got it for around $26. For this micro ATX, 500 watt power supply is overkill, more in keeping with a GA EP45-UD3P, also a great build. I think of your build, which I think I'll do one of these too, as a Mac Mini with some teeth on it. the E5200 overclocked, easy, will be a buttwhooper. I think their are some case and powersupply combo's out there for about $45. With the money you save, you can buy some of the other goodies people talk about below.

 

Oh yeah, check out the HP 2009M 20" monitor for about $130, sort of a Mac clone monitor. Also, spend the $49 and go with the Apple keyboard, and even the $49 Might Mouse. I know the Mighty Mouse has to be cleaned. So clean it. This system will work exactly like the Mac Mini's off the shelf for a fraction of the price.

 

 

Tech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 yearThis user purchased this item from Newegg 4/30/2009 8:06:13 AM Cheap Hackintosh

 

 

Pros: I have built 4 hackintosh boxes with this board. Absolutely wonderful! Sleep works perfectly. ALC883 audio is the only thing not completely compatible out of the box with OSX Leopard. And very easy to find kexts / EFI strings (drivers) for.

 

Have fun!

 

Cons: Max 4GB memory and 1 PCIe Video slot - not cons at this price.

 

Other Thoughts: With the right wireless adapter and a 9500GT video card you have a fully working mac.

 

Apple Video Card Rebranding names:

G100 = 9400 GT

GT120 = 9500 GT

GT130 = 9600 GSO = 8800 GS

 

D-Link DWA-542 works out of box for airport extreme. (PCI)

 

Almost any firewire card will work for time machine.

Get a PCIe 1x firewire card and good to go.

 

SYBA CL-CAM63003 is a good working low light USB Cam out of box.

 

I dont use bluetooth, but many USB dongles work, same with IR sensor if needed.

 

Check the OSX HCL wiki lists for more info.

 

(check out OSX86 tools too!) 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! ebuychanceTech Level: high Ownership: more than 1 yearThis user purchased this item from Newegg 5/18/2009 11:20:47 AM Great Hackintosh board

 

 

Pros: I have bought several of these (and its earlier revisions) and they run great. They are super compatible with leopard.

 

Cons: none

 

Other Thoughts: I will be dissappointed when they quit making this board. 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 5/18/2009 10:17:51 AM Perfect Hackintosh mobo

 

 

Pros: Bought to build a dualboot machine; XP for me and Leopard for the gf. Paired with an e5200, couldn't be happier. Cheap to assemble, easy mild oc to 3.13ghz, purrs along faster than her brand new macbook pro!

 

Cons: Small board not suited for IDE devices (though who really runs many anymore...?)

 

Other Thoughts: Perfect for hackintosh build 4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! TheQuestorTech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 2/21/2009 8:52:06 PM Updated Review

 

 

Pros: All my old points with a couple new ones. This thing works GREAT as a Hackintosh Video, Sound, Networking all work out of the box [depending on distro]

 

Cons: None

 

Other Thoughts: I slapped in an old P4 D 805 which says is unsupported and overclocked it to 3.6Ghz and toss on 10.5.5 and it works like a charm. Figure 50 for the case/psu 50 for hd 50 for mb and 75 for a cpu 25 for a DVD and you have a fully working Hackintosh for 250 bucks. Too scary for words. 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! bearpufTech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 3/23/2009 1:24:27 PM It's an Apple of a Motherboard

 

 

Pros: This is a cheap motherboard but does something quite exciting; it is running OS X.5.1 with an Intel E6550 dual core cpu and 2 Gb of RAM. in addition to running XP on another hdd. Ever since I had read an article about a year ago about making a Hackintosh I became intrigued with the idea. After finding out with the newest update to the project that one didn't even have to hack the install disk, I thought to give it a try. The chipsets on this mb along with the video drivers, lan, and sound drivers are all compatible to run OS X. Just do a google search for Hackintosh to find all one needs to know .

 

Cons: Wish it had more PCI slots

 

Other Thoughts: A very inexpensive board that is extremely versatile, that helps pave the way for cheap Apple PC's even with the expectation that one would legally purchase the OS from Apple. Understand that I've still run into some glitches with error alert noises eminating from the sound drivers, in OS X, but eventually these things will get remedied. 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: high Ownership: 1 day to 1 weekThis user purchased this item from Newegg 5/5/2009 8:29:53 AM

 

 

Pros: Using this board for a Hackintosh. Aside from the onboard video, everything worked out of box without a problem.

 

Cons: None!

 

Other Thoughts: One of the easiest boards for building a hackintosh. 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! DonnnyDTech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 3/16/2009 9:04:37 PM Hackintosh Monster!!

 

 

Pros: All I have to say is "OUT OF THE BOX!!" If you are looking for a perfect out of the box Hackintosh than look no further. I used a modified disk (idenb) and it worked great. This is also the most stable MB I have bought to date. Very small board but, seems to have everything placed nicely. A bit slower northbridge than my previous MB (ASUS P5N32-e SLI Plus) But it can be overclocked to match cpu speeds. Great board, BUY IT NOW!!!

 

Cons: Legacy support was off when first powered up not alowing my usb keyboard to boot to a disk at startup(np just enable it in the bios). Not familiar with the bios so, a little hard to get used to but, there are many options. Would like more than one case fan power connection (not a big deal).

 

Other Thoughts: I have read that you can install OS X 10.5.6 retail disk on this board while using boot-123. I will try it and post my results when I buy another one of these boards for another build.

 

Later 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 7/4/2009 11:01:01 AM Hackintosh special

 

 

Pros: Makes for a nice "hackintosh" (os86x) with Intel E5200 and evga Geforce 9500 GT.

 

Uses standard case connectors for power, HD LED, etc.

 

Cons: No Firewire on-board. Lacks external SATA port. (but, this board is $60 so what can you expect... good value for money nonetheless).

 

Other Thoughts: Audio (green line out jack), USB and ethernet work out of the box with the hackintosh (iPC 10.5.6).

 

Limited but functional support for on-board video (1024*768 @ 60 Hz). Combined with 4 GB RAM, the Intel E5200 and the Evga GeForce 9500 GT (using a generic 1GB EFI string added using the OSX86Tool app) this Hackintosh works flawlessly (I don't know how Windows works yet b/c haven't sullied my new machine with it ;-P). See the OSx86 project wiki for more help.

 

PS this is a Hackintosh-related issue but the OSx86 doesn't like it if you install Mac OS X to a PATA HD with a device (DVD RW, e.g.) connected to an SATA port (works fine if you connect a device later on... haven't tried installing to an SATA HD though). 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! noTech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 4/6/2009 12:13:24 PM First time Gigabyte Mobo Owner

 

 

Pros: It's small and worked well out of the box for my Hackintosh Build. Good Mobo for the price. I think you will be happy with it.

 

Cons: No sticker in box!

 

Other Thoughts: First time Gigabyte owner and happy I found this mobo for my latest build. I've always bought Asus in the past. I will look at Gigabyte mobo's in the future for my next build. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 week to 1 month 8/11/2009 10:47:51 PM Nice Inexpensive 775 Motherboard

 

 

Pros: Easy to setup, nice manual. Runs like a champ, easy to overclock. Easy to understand Bios.

 

Cons: Onboard video is extremely basic, but most users will probably throw in a video card anyway.

 

Other Thoughts: Runs Windows 7 RC effortlessly. Also one of the easiest boards to use as a iPC Hackintosh. Works great with e5300 and PC6400 RAM. 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: average Ownership: less than 1 day 4/30/2009 12:26:57 PM buget board

 

 

Pros: Price and performance

for this price, it's even better than an open box item.

 

Cons: Non-so far

 

Other Thoughts: With the right wireless adapter and a 9500GT video card you have a fully working mac.

 

Which 9500GT card did you get to build a hackintosh? Galaxy? 1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: high Ownership: 1 month to 1 yearThis user purchased this item from Newegg 7/15/2009 1:25:55 AM Works great w/OSX86

 

 

Pros: Cheap and lots of CPU Support. Installs Retail Leopard DVD using EFI Boot DVD. Running an E8400 @ 4Ghz & 4GB RAM. Love my cheap & fast hackintosh.

 

Cons: Max 4G Memory, Overclocking BIOS features are hidden, Onboard NIC does not support hardware VLAN.

 

Other Thoughts: I dont use onboard video/network/audio but they will work in OSX w/proper drivers. 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! JoeMoeFanTech Level: high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 8/25/2009 4:35:32 AM Great board w/limitations

 

 

Pros: Low Cost, pretty solid construction, integrated vid/snd/eth Rev. 2 (which could be a bad thing). You can easily overclock with this board as the bios is the best i've seen so far in the budget board world. The video is nothing to write home about but great for light to mild gaming, photoshoping music editing etc. etc.

It has a healthy mix of 2 PCI and PCI-E slots for expansion. It seems like a very energy concious board for windows OS, a plus if its going to be running 24/7.

 

Cons: I originally got this board for a vanilla hackintosh build but Rev.2 changed the eth chipset to Marvell. Not a con, but if you're going that route, look elsewhere. 4GB DDR2 800 ram is max for this thing. Good for most folks I would think, but just be mindful of that fact.

 

Other Thoughts: Easy to install, setup and very tweakable board. 1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 9/10/2009 3:46:11 PM EXCELLENT HACKINTOSH MOBO

 

 

Pros: + works amazingly with hackintosh

+ little sized board

+ easy to use overclocking bios

+ attractive colored board

+ very good price for intel

 

Cons: + onboard ethernet is not a realtek chipset on revision 2.0+ making it atheros which is impossible to work with macOsx/Hackintosh (got pci express ethernet to work)

 

+ wouldn't mind to see one or two more pci express slots

+ not really a con but i find it pretty pointless to add a serial port or printer port on it..

 

Other Thoughts: I think this board is the best hackintosh ive built everything on it runs amazingly! i would have liked to have the revision v1.x boards because of the realtek chipset but found an old ethernet lieing around no worries.

 

Overall im very satisfied with this board and currently OVerclocking my 2.5ghz cpu to 4ghz running Leopard 10.5.8 with full updates!!! its like a real mac! ive built other hackintoshs that were amds and nothing has come close to the stability and overall performance of this.

 

IF YOU WANT A HACKINTOSH THAT WORKS, THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOU!! BUY IT BEFORE THEY RUN OUT! Did you find this review helpful?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! N/ATech Level: somewhat high Ownership: 1 month to 1 yearThis user purchased this item from Newegg 7/28/2009 2:33:24 PM

 

 

Pros: I have three of these motherboards, two at a small office and one in an OSX86 Hackintosh. In every case I have had zero issues and everything runs just the way I want it.

 

Cons: None.

 

Other Thoughts: For the Hackintosh I used the Kalyway 10.5.2 install disk. Everything works except for built in audio. Also did not test the onboard video. Did you find this review helpful?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! NoMaxTech Level: high Ownership: 1 day to 1 weekThis user purchased this item from Newegg 4/23/2009 9:42:23 AM

 

 

Pros: This board has all the essentials. Great board for budget build. Excellent performance with dual core 2.5GHz combo processor deal. Flawless load with Vista x64.

 

Cons: No RAID, no firewire. Be sure to purchase a separate video card if you want to build a Hackintosh, as the on-board GMA 3100 is not fully supported in OSX. Chipset runs a bit hot, so make sure your case is properly cooled.

 

Other Thoughts: Vista system ratings for memory and on-board graphics increased when the 2nd SDRAM was added, so there is a benefit to dual-channel. Save the hassle and buy 2 x 2GB up front. Did you find this review helpful?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! XenomorphTech Level: average Ownership: 1 month to 1 yearThis user purchased this item from Newegg 8/27/2009 8:22:08 AM Pretty good.

 

 

Pros: Cheap. Works well for my Hackintosh (Mac OS X 10.5.8 installed).

 

Cons: Poor memory control in BIOS. It only lets you pick a divider for the RAM (and not actual speed). Having my BUS at 333 MHz (FSB 1333) gives me the choices of DDR2 885 MHz, 1110 MHz, or 1333 MHz *only* (2.66x/3.33x/4x). The G31 chipset here gets too hot to do higher than 1333 MHz FSB reliably (or at all). So the "1600 MHz FSB OC" is out of the question. And of course, even trying to set that in BIOS forces your RAM to something crazy high. The manual does NOT mention these RAM multipliers. Setting things to "Auto" does no good, as it just sets the RAM to 2.66x for me. I've tried the F8 and latest F9 beta BIOS, and they both do the same thing. I've tried 2 Gig Mushkin DDR2 RAM and 4 Gig A-Data DDR2 RAM. "Auto" in the BIOS always sets the wrong memory speeds.

 

Am I the only one with these memory issues?

 

Other Thoughts: I eventually settled on 300 MHz BUS (1200 MHz FSB), as that allowed my DDR2 800 RAM to actually run at 800 MHz.

The listing on here mentions "Realtek 8111C", which is supported natively on Mac OS X. Another reviewer said his has the Marvell chipset, which means Newegg is now selling revision 2 boards. Shouldn't they update the page listing? Did you find this review helpful?

 

Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided! jakeface1Tech Level: average Ownership: 1 week to 1 monthThis user purchased this item from Newegg 4/1/2009 9:28:29 PM Great for a hackintosh

 

 

Pros: - great hackintosh board

- cheap

- small and easy to set up

- 4 gigs ram

 

Cons: - none really

 

Other Thoughts: bought this specifically for a hackintosh. i used ideneb 10.5.6

specs:

e6400

4 gigs ddr2 800

this mobo

9600gt (used nviject 2.1 and works flawlessly)

 

machine works great and have been playing wow with no problems 0 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Did you?

[insanisst]

Hi guys,

 

Just looking for comments/suggestions and pointers before clicking the buy button.

 

Here's the configuration so far:

 

Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L S-Series Easy Energy Saver Motherboard $55.24

Cooler Master Elite 341 m-ATX Mini Tower Case Black - (RC-341C-KKN1-GP) $38.24

EVGA 01G-P3-N959TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card $66.98

Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 Processor, 2.5 GHz, 2M L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB, LGA775 $74.42

Coolmax M-500B 500W Eps Power Supply with 5 Sata Connectors ATX12V & EPS12V $35.24

PNY OPTIMA 2GB DDR2 667 MHz PC2-5300 Desktop DIMM Memory Module MD2048SD2-667 $31.95

 

I'm trying to keep costs to below $300.

 

Couple of questions

1). Is it worth it to get the faster RAM?

2). Is that videocard overkill? Just will be using for simple iphoto usage.

3). Any other recs to have more balanced system?

 

Thanks!

 

Way cool case and power supply $54 after rebate, Newegg. Very compact. Nothing against Cooler Master. I'm having my ashes put in a Cooler Master when I die. Also, look at the Cooler Master Elite desktop, $39, can fit a full ATX, be used as a desktop, tower, or HTPC case.

 

APEVIA X-QPACK-NW-BK/420 Black Aluminum 1.0 w/ ABS plastic front panel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail

 

 

Check this Zotac out at $35 after rebate. I think you can run any Nividia 9 series, made by anybody. Fanless. This system will be very quiet, E5200, OSX, very very quiet. Let's not hose things up with a noisy vid card. At this spec end I doubt you'll see a difference in a 1GB vid card. Check the outs on this, we're talking iPCTV.

ZOTAC ZT-95TEH3P-HSL GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

 

4GB, 1066 Reaper for $47 after rebate. So, let's do 12X multiplier, 266mhz, FSB 1066, Clock 3.33Ghz. How's that for your new Hack Mini?

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR10664GK - Retail

[Zaap]

May that extra $20 would be more worth it for a faster CPU or more RAM.

I'd definitely consider an E6300 vs the E5200 you listed. The E6300 is a lot more processor for the small amount more it costs- basically it gets you the faster system bus (1066), faster stock speed, and VT support for less than $10 more than the price of the E5200 on your list.

 

 

The max amount of RAM on that board is definitely a good investment.

 

Oh, yes, and don't destroy the planet with your PSU. *kidding! kidding!* But seriously, yeah- 500W is overkill for this system. Look into a decent 350-400W PSU.

[insanisst]

I'd definitely consider an E6300 vs the E5200 you listed. The E6300 is a lot more processor for the small amount more it costs- basically it gets you the faster system bus (1066), faster stock speed, and VT support for less than $10 more than the price of the E5200 on your list.

 

 

The max amount of RAM on that board is definitely a good investment.

 

Oh, yes, and don't destroy the planet with your PSU. *kidding! kidding!* But seriously, yeah- 500W is overkill for this system. Look into a decent 350-400W PSU.

 

E6300...hmm...what does VT support get me? The E5200 has been so crazy popular, Newegg went stock out, and now Amazon raised their price, where they were selling $62 shipped when I bought mine a few weeks ago. My current system is a EP45-UD3P, crazy good system with lots of upgrade potential. I am right with you on the energy saving thing. I love the 65 watt thing. These duo cores are surprisingly quick. I probably won't upgrade processors until the upper end quad core are below $100.

 

But, this low end hack intrigues me. I think it would be interesting to build a Mac Mini 66% cheaper and 33% faster, cpu and video card. I'd like to do this with a small form factor case. Not ITX. ITX is nice, but when all is said and done, I think you'll be in this same price range, and performance isn't even close.

[airecken]

Ok. Just put the order in. Will be getting it early next week and will post results when its all said and done.

 

Thanks for all the comments/suggestions!

[Zaap]

E6300...hmm...what does VT support get me?

VT support is just icing on the cake. Basically, if you run virtual OSes (say with VMware) then it can directly share CPU cores with the virtual OS, greatly improving performance. You can use virtual OSes without VT support, but not 64bit, and without the performance gain. If running VMware et al isn't important to you, then it's not a big deal.

 

Still considering that for on average about $15 more you get not only VT support, but faster bus and clock speed, and the E6300 overclocks better- to me it's a bit silly NOT to choose it over the E5200 since those extras are a steal for the price difference. It's really a full Core2Duo E7400 ($120) minus 1MB of L2, masquerading under a different product name. Both chips literally come off the same fab.

 

 

 

 

The E5200 has been so crazy popular, Newegg went stock out, and now Amazon raised their price, where they were selling $62 shipped when I bought mine a few weeks ago.

I'll just go out on a limb and say it like this: at around $20 price difference between the E5200 and E6300, it's a bit moot. You could make an argument that saving $20 is worth it for what is still an excellent chip itself- the E5200.

 

But now at less than $10 price difference ($74 is too high for the E5200)... and a person still chooses the E5200?

 

Seriously- smack yourself. Hard.

[insanisst]

VT support is just icing on the cake. Basically, if you run virtual OSes (say with VMware) then it can directly share CPU cores with the virtual OS, greatly improving performance. You can use virtual OSes without VT support, but not 64bit, and without the performance gain. If running VMware et al isn't important to you, then it's not a big deal.

 

Still considering that for on average about $15 more you get not only VT support, but faster bus and clock speed, and the E6300 overclocks better- to me it's a bit silly NOT to choose it over the E5200 since those extras are a steal for the price difference. It's really a full Core2Duo E7400 ($120) minus 1MB of L2, masquerading under a different product name. Both chips literally come off the same fab.

 

 

 

 

 

I'll just go out on a limb and say it like this: at around $20 price difference between the E5200 and E6300, it's a bit moot. You could make an argument that saving $20 is worth it for what is still an excellent chip itself- the E5200.

 

But now at less than $10 price difference ($74 is too high for the E5200)... and a person still chooses the E5200?

 

Seriously- smack yourself. Hard.

 

E6300. I like it. Let's take this a bit further. Let's make this a Super Mac Mini, real but kicking authenticity. Check out the HP 2159M LCD for $189 at Amazon. Great clarity and color, made to look like a Mac Cinema Display. Check out the Inwin Matrix Gaming Case, White at Superbiz, Silver at Newegg, around $99 delivered. Very Mac look, very small footprint, 300 watt power supply, nice design. Should be fine with a 65 watt cpu. Mac aluminum keyboard, Mighty Mouse. Finish up with Creative aluminum stand 2.1 speakers. Wonder if 9800GT low energy video would work? Any ideas there?

[Zaap]

E6300. I like it. Let's take this a bit further. Let's make this a Super Mac Mini, real but kicking authenticity. Check out the HP 2159M LCD for $189 at Amazon. Great clarity and color, made to look like a Mac Cinema Display. Check out the Inwin Matrix Gaming Case, White at Superbiz, Silver at Newegg, around $99 delivered. Very Mac look, very small footprint, 300 watt power supply, nice design. Should be fine with a 65 watt cpu.

Should be a great system.

 

I might have the kneejerk reaction of panning the Inwin case and 'mystery' 300 watt PSU.......

 

 

.....IIIIF, I hadn't used a ton of cases and PSUs by the same company in client builds. Outfitted two small companies with literally over a dozen systems using this case (pics) and this one (pics). Not a problem with a single 300W PSU- many of these machines are serving as rack-mounted render farm systems (some onboard a mobile van to do on the spot overlay rendering) each with a quad processor. 300W is more than enough juice, and I trust the Inwin brand having used them so much with no problems. (Those little micro-cases are surprisingly well built, dirt cheap, nice looking, and light weight for the uses their owners needed). I've no reason to doubt that gaming case is the same decent quality.

 

 

Wonder if 9800GT low energy video would work? Any ideas there?

Hmm... if I had to venture a guess, I'd say it should be no problem. I've noticed than an 8600GTX works fine in OSX without the 6-pin power connector- making one question what the power requirement is really needed for to begin with. So it wouldn't surprise me to learn that a low-energy 9800GT would work fine in OSX as well- it's probably just built to dispense with the falacy of requiring the 6-pin connector. Just a guess though.

[dellseppes]

Airecken,

 

Any update on this system? Is it working? Was thinking about ordering the same (but spending a bit more on the processor). Thanks!

[airecken]

Airecken,

 

Any update on this system? Is it working? Was thinking about ordering the same (but spending a bit more on the processor). Thanks!

 

Sorry wasn't able to post update sooner. Went on vacation

 

Anyway, the setup was perfect and easy to to get running. I was able to get the graphics card working natively with a simple EFI string. As far as I can tell, everything works very well (including overclocking) and was able to update to 10.6.1 without any problems. The only thing is that Geekbench always results in a KP, but I've had no other problems with any other software (firefox, safari, ilife apps).

 

I also ended up buying a separate ethernet card since I ended up with a V2 board off Amazon.com.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[L3B0]

http://www.wix.com/lebo_morojele/TechTuts/Home

Greate Article!!

Here is the link to a tutorial that worked for me and a few others check it out: http://www.wix.com/lebo_morojele/TechTuts/Home

Hope it works for you

[Milanche78]

http://www.wix.com/lebo_morojele/TechTuts/Home

Greate Article!!

Here is the link to a tutorial that worked for me and a few others check it out: http://www.wix.com/lebo_morojele/TechTuts/Home

Hope it works for you

 

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