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Help me build my college computer


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I'm looking to build a desktop for college that should be quick and able to last those 4 years. I'm currently running an old Sempron 1.8ghz so I'd like a bit of a speed upgrade....

 

My current plan is to do a Hackintosh based off the i7-920 cpu, 4gb ram, 500gb hard drive, decent vid card.

 

Here's a list of my ideas so far.

 

i7-920 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115202

 

Not sure on mobo, but cheaper = :dev:

 

Gskill 4gb ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820231193

 

9800gt vid card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814121352

 

Seagate 500gb hdd http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822148395

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I agree, this is a bad time to build a hack. New macs are coming out very soon. Wait for some usb 3.0 support, possibly more video card options.

 

Also isnt core i7 chipsets triple channel, so wouldnt you want 3 sticks of ram? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227365

 

There are some cheap mobos but with usb 3 coming out now. Its just a bad time to build especially if you want it to last for 4 years.

 

This mobo seems nice, with some support http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128423

 

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showforum=45

 

not sure if they have got the usb 3.0 working with it yet. But i would just wait.

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If you wait for the summer, RAM will most likely be much cheaper (towards $70 rather than $100)

 

Core i3 might also be worth a bit more than i5, unless you really need a quad.

 

I have that exact power supply, very quiet, great quality. You'll love it.

 

You seem to have a very solid, conservative build going, but may I add, that you might like a mATX case better? I've never really been a fan of running a mATX board in a full ATX case, to me it's a strange waste of space. it also looks a bit strange.

 

But that's all personal preference right?

 

Solid looking build though, but the summer might have better prices unless you're itching for an upgrade now.

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Here's what will work: GA-P55M-UD2 microATX MB, i7 cpu, 4gb DDR3 memory (2 - 2gb sticks), 320 gb HD, Nvidia 9000 series video card (9500GT Zotac or Galaxy are my favorite), 500w PSU (make sure the one you get has the 8-pin connector for processor power), DVD burner, microATX case and Mac Retail DVD. This should come in at a price slightly less than $750 from NewEgg.

 

This is a very easy system to build. Check out tonymacx86 site for instructions, BootCD, modified DSDT and all the necessary kexts to have this system running. I just built one and went from a pile of parts in the NewEgg box to a working system in 1.5 hours.

 

Waiting for prices to come down or the next bell/whistle to mature is folly in the computer world. There will always be something 'better' and 'cheaper' next month.

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If you proceed with your build, I would go with the i7-860 and a Gigabyte P55M-UD2 motherboard with 8GB of memory. Your video card is okay.

 

Reason is that I get better performance from the i7-860 then from the i7-920 (both are sweet).

 

neil

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Here's my final list, buying from Amazon because of the problems with newegg sending out those fake i7 processors and being an extra $15 for shipping.

 

Intel Core i5 750 Processor 2.66 GHz 8 MB LGA1156 CPU I5-750BOX

Gigabyte GA-P55M - UD2 Intel Core Micro ATX Motherboard

Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 XMS3 4 GB PC3-12800 Core i5 Memory Kit

Cooler Master Elite 310 ATX, MATX Mid Tower Case with Window RC-310-SWN1-GP (Black/Silver)

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 16 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II WD5000AAKS

LG Electronics GH22NS50 22X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW Internal Drive - Bulk with Software (Black)

Corsair CMPSU-400CX 400-Watt CX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Core i7 and Core i5

Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard

 

The total is $614 right now.

 

Also to save money I already have an 8400gs or gt video card I can use (pretty sure it's compatible) and later this summer when I have another wad of cash I'll get a nicer video card instead of spending more to get a cheap card now.

 

Can someone check to make sure all of this will work before I order it? Also is this the best guide as of right now http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2009/12/ins...ectly-from.html

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Here's my final list, buying from Amazon because of the problems with newegg sending out those fake i7 processors and being an extra $15 for shipping.

 

Intel Core i5 750 Processor 2.66 GHz 8 MB LGA1156 CPU I5-750BOX

Gigabyte GA-P55M - UD2 Intel Core Micro ATX Motherboard

Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 XMS3 4 GB PC3-12800 Core i5 Memory Kit

Cooler Master Elite 310 ATX, MATX Mid Tower Case with Window RC-310-SWN1-GP (Black/Silver)

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 3.5 Inch, 16 MB Cache, 7200 RPM SATA II WD5000AAKS

LG Electronics GH22NS50 22X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW Internal Drive - Bulk with Software (Black)

Corsair CMPSU-400CX 400-Watt CX Series 80 Plus Certified Power Supply compatible with Core i7 and Core i5

Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard

 

The total is $614 right now.

 

Also to save money I already have an 8400gs or gt video card I can use (pretty sure it's compatible) and later this summer when I have another wad of cash I'll get a nicer video card instead of spending more to get a cheap card now.

 

Can someone check to make sure all of this will work before I order it? Also is this the best guide as of right now http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2009/12/ins...ectly-from.html

 

that's the same guide I used and I was up in about 4 hours after finishing the build. Also check out the guide for installing Chameleon and Kexts to the EFI, it keeps your HD a lot cleaner

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