Help with my setup

[georges_k]

I shamefully wrote quick replies to other thread in order to be able to post. I will not do it again promise!

 

I am pretty new to hackintosh, and I've been considering for a while and I think I am going to make the move in the next few weeks.

 

I had this question on hackint0sh forums but I didn't get any replies yet so I am hoping this forums can help me.

 

I am from Australia and everything over there is expensive (2900usd for a imac i7 with standard 4gb ram) so I decided to try to build a hackintosh.

 

My budget is about $1500 and the computer will be used for heavy photoshop and aperture work.

 

Here is what I am considering ordering from newegg via freight forwarding:

• DVD: Cheap DVD Burner
  
• BOX: XCLIO Windtunnel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
  
• HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA
  
• VIDEO: EVGA GeForce 9800 gtx 512mb
  
• POWER SUPPLY: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W Power Supply
  
• MISC: SIIG 3-Port FireWire PCI Express Card
  
• RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
  
• CPU: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz
  
• MOBO: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5
  

 

Am I missing anything?

Is it overkill with what I am planning to do? (especially with the video card)

Would I be better off with 1600 ram instead of 1333?

Is the 930 better than 920 or is there a lot of trouble making it work?

I plan to use it with a 27" Dell U2711 IPS screen, would it work? Would the card be able to handle 2 of them?

 

I apologize for all the questions

 

Thanks for reading!

 

-G

[Freaky Chokra]

I shamefully wrote quick replies to other thread in order to be able to post. I will not do it again promise!

 

I am pretty new to hackintosh, and I've been considering for a while and I think I am going to make the move in the next few weeks.

 

I had this question on hackint0sh forums but I didn't get any replies yet so I am hoping this forums can help me.

 

I am from Australia and everything over there is expensive (2900usd for a imac i7 with standard 4gb ram) so I decided to try to build a hackintosh.

 

My budget is about $1500 and the computer will be used for heavy photoshop and aperture work.

 

Here is what I am considering ordering from newegg via freight forwarding:

• DVD: Cheap DVD Burner
  
• BOX: XCLIO Windtunnel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
  
• HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA
  
• VIDEO: EVGA GeForce 9800 gtx 512mb
  
• POWER SUPPLY: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W Power Supply
  
• MISC: SIIG 3-Port FireWire PCI Express Card
  
• RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
  
• CPU: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz
  
• MOBO: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5
  

 

Am I missing anything?

Is it overkill with what I am planning to do? (especially with the video card)

Would I be better off with 1600 ram instead of 1333?

Is the 930 better than 920 or is there a lot of trouble making it work?

I plan to use it with a 27" Dell U2711 IPS screen, would it work? Would the card be able to handle 2 of them?

 

I apologize for all the questions

 

Thanks for reading!

 

-G

 

Hi George.

 

Welcome to the iHack scene.

Firstly, something you can read here:

Intel Core i7 930:

http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLBKP

 

Intel Core i7 930:

http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLBEJ

 

Obviously, there are differences between both the 930 & 920. 920=2.66GHz and 930=2.80 GHz.

Moreover, it states that the L3 cache on 930 is running at full speed of the processor, i.e. @ 2.80Ghz!

This makes for blazing fast performance.

Moreover, you choice of graphics card is perfect. I too own a 9800GT 512MB card. It's pretty fast and gets the job done.

It is also one of those cards that require minimal editing in the DSDT, or in 2 of the main Apple developed KEXTs. Etc, you'll come to know soon.

About the card being able to handle 2 monitors, you need to have the graphics section figured out correctly, as mentioned above.

 

Additionally, it is a bit outdated, as newer GTS/GTX250 and upwards are available. 250 and 260 are nothing but highly factory overclocked 9800s. But higher ups are actually different. And then, there are newer models, the 300 and 400 series. 300 Series is out, and 400 is still being toyed with, by nVidia's in-house gamer fanatics.

Both are way expensive. Hence, this one is the best bet -> 9800GTX.

 

The Gigabyte motherboard too seems to be perfect, coz there have been lot of developments for the P35 chipset.

 

Lastly and (MOST importantly!), I'd not recommend the Seagate Drive. Really! Here's the reason.

Go in for anything else. Best Bet = Western Digital drives.

 

And, probably go in for 2 1TB hard disk drives. That way you can have dual boot systems, with a spare partition for installing Leopard as a fixing tool.

In case, Snow Leopard gets screwy at times. And you need to fix things using another working OS X.

 

BTW, your rig makes me go green! it isn't an overkill. Probably, future proof for a year.

In fact, if you haven't read, the 9800gtx is a bit outdated now. But that things works, gives more than expected performance, and is "CHEAP"!

 

Adios, Mate!

 

Regards,

Freaky Chokra

[Hangten]

@georges_k

"Would I be better off with 1600 ram instead of 1333"

Only if you overclock, Other than that it won't matter triple channel DDR3 already over saturates.

 

You should be able to run at a smooth 3.8ghz - 4ghz very easily on all cores turbo enabled as well.

Buy a decent cooler like a Thermalright True 120

[georges_k]

Thanks for the welcome Freaky Chokra!

I changed the hard drive and added one like you said.

I didn't buy it yet but I will soon.. can't wait!

 

@hangten, I am a bit wary of overclocking, would it shorten the cpu life?

[Mackilroy]

Overclocking is perfectly safe as long as you have a good cooler and don't push it too far. 4 GHz is certainly achievable with a good air (or maybe water too, I don't know) cooler.

 

Once you get all of your parts, I highly recommend the Kakewalk install method. I used it for my i7 hackintosh, and so far everything has worked with almost no extra effort. I did have to run the ATI program that it comes with once I installed my 4890, but you won't have that issue. I haven't tried wireless yet, but I have a USB model on the way that I'll try Tuesday. We'll see what happens then.

[georges_k]

Overclocking is perfectly safe as long as you have a good cooler and don't push it too far. 4 GHz is certainly achievable with a good air (or maybe water too, I don't know) cooler.

 

Once you get all of your parts, I highly recommend the Kakewalk install method. I used it for my i7 hackintosh, and so far everything has worked with almost no extra effort. I did have to run the ATI program that it comes with once I installed my 4890, but you won't have that issue. I haven't tried wireless yet, but I have a USB model on the way that I'll try Tuesday. We'll see what happens then.

 

Thanks for the reply Mackilroy, I may throw in a good fan and give a try at overlocking then

[joe307]

Since you are just running a single graphics card, you could go with the 650w version of that PSU to save a few bucks.

 

My build was only $1250 USD with shipping and that doesn't include the mail-in rebates. If you have $1500 to throw around, you might consider a 30gig SSD for the OS and apps, then a 500gig for storage unless you really need the 1.5TB.

 

That case is pretty huge but it will probably be nice when you are hooking everything up. It got a little tight in the Antec 902 because of where the SATA ports are on the motherboard.

[benraymond]

I shamefully wrote quick replies to other thread in order to be able to post. I will not do it again promise!

 

 

Shamefully I am doing the same thing. It's hard to find threads to drop comments in, but I am doing my best. Good luck on your hackintosh build!

[hiqu]

I've U2711. It works with my 10.5.8 build on a desktop. I get the full 2560x1440 resolution (DVI).

 

However, with my HP8530W laptop, I can use it only on VGA (2048x1152 only). DVI out doesn't

work. Have played with lot of injectors, NVCAP etc no luck so far.

[mrmacdoo]

if i am going to overclock an i7, should I get a heat sink or a dedicated cpu fan or what?

[Mackilroy]

AFAIK they don't call them heat sinks… get either a good air cooler such as Megahalems or a water cooler such as the Corsair H50.

[cgXR]

Hello InsanelyMac Community!

 

Since I don't have the 5 posts required to start topics yet and because my question is quite similar I will ask it here:

 

 

I thought about building a hackintosh for quite some time and now I feel the time has come to do so.

My Macbook has grown old and I need a machine with stronger computing capabilities for my studies now. I want to be able to produce complex CAD drawings and carry out mechanical simulations. I'm also looking forward to a faster Adobe Lightroom as I'm handling many photos.

 

The Processor of choice would be either the i5 750 4x2,67 or the i7 860 4x2,80, which are both Socket 1156, because they seem to be powerful yet somewhat affordable. I guess the motherboard would be some P55 model then but I absolutely don't know which one to get. A fast graphics card would be nice, I am planning on getting one of the newer nVidia 200 series cards. Maybe a GTX 275 if that model is supported.

However, all of this is just a direction so you guys have an idea of what I am planning to build. The finished computer (incl. Case, RAM, DVD Burner and HDD) shouldn't be more expensive than 1000€, which are around 1300US$.

 

Can you provide me with a list of hardware I should get? I want a clean and stable 10.6.3 install with the ability to boot into windows as most CAD applications are win only. Also, where do I find suitable installation instructions that guide a newbie like me through the process?

 

Many thanks in advance,

cgXR

 

 

 

edit: One more thing. A motherbord that supports SLI would be very nice, so that I can add a second graphics card later for multi monitor support and even faster graphics.

[guntasr]

I've U2711. It works with my 10.5.8 build on a desktop. I get the full 2560x1440 resolution (DVI).

 

However, with my HP8530W laptop, I can use it only on VGA (2048x1152 only). DVI out doesn't

work. Have played with lot of injectors, NVCAP etc no luck so far.

 

Hi, I'm also building my rig and planning to get the U2711, could you please tell me which graphics card you're using?

Thanks!

[cgXR]

Hey folks, give me an opinion on this hardware list please:

 

• CPU: Intel Core i7 860 4x2,80GHz - 258€
  
• Mobo: Asus P7P55D Deluxe - 188€
  
• GPU: XFX HD5770 XXX - 150€
  
• HDD: WesternDigital WD7502 ABYS 750GB - 94€
  
• DVD-Burner / BlueRay Combo: LG CH08LS10 - 80€ (will a blueray drive work?)
  
• Power: be quiet! PurePower L7 530W - 60€ (do I need more Watts?)
  
• RAM: Kingston HyperX 8GB Set w/ CL7 7 7 20 - 225€
  
• Case: Cooler Master CM 690 - 60€
  

That's a total of 1115€ - which is quite a lot, but that would be a very fast system. BTW, how significant would the loss in performance be if i use an i5 750 and only 4 Gigs of RAM instead (which would save me 160€) ?

[guntasr]

Hey, my two cents:

1. The performance difference between the i5 750 & the i7 860 IMO does not justify the cost, check out the rough benchmark at http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/108?vs=109

2. Not sure about the compatibility of the ASUS, generally Gigabyte's MB's are the most compatible and easiest to get running. The GA-p55m-ud2 / p55-usb3 are good, but don't offer SLI though

3. Sucks but ATI 5xxx cards not supported(yet), there's some rumors about Apple using the 5750 in the new iMac's but nothing concrete yet, Apple expected to announce something in early June at their conference. Something comparable would be the GTS 250 or even better the GTX 260.

Btw do you already have a monitor? If so what resolution will you be working at and will you be playing games?

4. HDD: Not too sure about the performance of these, but have a look at the WD black specs and compare, good thing about the Blacks is the 5 year warranty which nobody else offers, even WD gives it only on their black line, not on the green or blue

5. If getting the GTS 250, would recommend a corsair 550, else for GTX 260 the corsair 650. Somesay even the 550 would be enough for the GTX 260, but the price difference is marginal and always good to have room.

6. If you're going to be doing a lot of CAD would recommend more RAM, no need for anything fancy, 8 GB would be good.

 

[cgXR]

Alright, thanks for your advice.

 

So I'll stick with the i5 750.

 

For the Mobo, how about the GA-P55A-UD4? It's got SLI and USB3.0 as well as SATA3-RAID

 

GTX260 Cards seem to be out of stock in many online stores here in germany, however a local store sells the ASUS EN GTX 260 Glaciator Plus w/ 896MB for 180€ and the MSI GF GTX260 Twin Frozr OC w/ 896MB for 194€.

GTS250 Cards are widely available for 105 - 125€, for example the XFX GTS250 Zalman Fan Edition w/ 1024MB for 120€ (hope that's a quiet one)

From a price/performance ratio point of view, which one would you suggest? How come that the GTS250 models have more Graphics RAM than the GTX260?

 

As for the HDD, thanks for the advice, I'm going to get the WD6401AALS 640GB for only 58€ and add another one later if necessary.

 

 

Monitor: For now I'll stick with an old Acer model, don't know what resolution it has. Later I'm gonna buy one with Full HD. Of course I'm looking forward trying out some new games after three years on a macbook but in the end gaming isn't that important. And besides, my friends here at the university mainly play CS and C&C Generals, I won't need no fancy PC for that games :-D

Emphasis is on computing, CAD, simulation softwares

 

Again, thanks for your answer!

[guntasr]

Hey,

I'm very sorry, my bad, I goofed up on the CPU part above(it sank in halfway through), if you'll be using it a lot for CAD would recommend the i7 860/930 since they have 8 threads as opposed to the i5's 4 threads only. That is where the i7's would stand out. Check out the benchmarks - http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/108?vs=109 - to see if your program of choice is listed there.

 

For CAD/simulation the CPU is more important then the GPU(unless its the Quadro's, which are not supported by the macs, mainstream gfx cards won't make much of a difference)

Also for CS and similar games the GTS 250 should be more then enough, even the 9800GT would do, if it's not a high resolution. For price to performance ratio they are roughly equal since the price to performance differential is almost equivalent to the price jump, more benchmarks here http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2010-ga...,2131.html?prod[4001]=on&prod[4004]=on&prod[4011]=on

The gfx card to use depends a lot on the resolution, the higher the res, the beefier the card you need.

 

The mobo looks good too, check out the tonymac site for more info, he's got good guides.

Also, one last thing, when you install Win 7/XP make sure it's 64 bit, 32 bit will only recognize 3GB of ram + 1 gb of gfx card!

 

Good luck, your system's going to be a pretty fast!

[machinist]

For the Mobo, how about the GA-P55A-UD4? It's got SLI...

Almost all (Gigabyte) motherboards are SLI compatible.

 

http://xdevs.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.30

[hiqu]

Hi, I'm also building my rig and planning to get the U2711, could you please tell me which graphics card you're using?

Thanks!

 

I'm using EVGA 9500GT.

[guntasr]

@hiqu

thanks!

 

 

@machinist

thanks, did not know that trick!

[cgXR]

Thanks for all the answers!

 

 

I understand that an i7 CPU is more suited for my purposes, but from what I read so far, the i7 930 would be a far better choice then the i7 860, as it's faster while being only marginally more expensive. But this model is a socket 1366 CPU and a motherboard for that processor is around 50€ more expensive. All in all this would add roughly 150€ (in comparison to the i5 750 system) which i don't know is really necessary. Besides, is the Intel X58 supported by MacOS anyway? How about the installation process, is it as pain-free as it's said to be on a P55 mobo?

Wouldn't I then rather get DDR3 2200 RAM? Oh an help me with this one; what's the big difference between the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R and the GA-X58-UD5 models, besides the fact that the second one has two LAN adapters. Why is it 70€ more expensive?

 

 

And, how about that BlueRay-Reader/DVD-Burner Combo, will it work?

[Mackilroy]

Yes, X58 is supported. I'm using the EX58-UD5 and Core i7-930 in my hackintosh. The installation was also very easy – I used Kakewalk.

 

If you don't want to spend that much more, the i7-860+P55 combo is perfectly fine. Plenty of people using hackintoshes with that processor and motherboard.

[cgXR]

Let's say I'm gonna build a i5 750 + P55 Hackintosh. Which of the available Gigabyte P55 Mobo should i buy? Where's the big difference between the UD3 - UD7 boards; coz I can't find any in the hardware specs...?

[Mackilroy]

I'd go with the P55-UD4 or the Micro-ATX variant of such. There's a lot more information regarding P55-based hacks here.

[cgXR]

Thanks everyone!

 

 

How about Radeon HD 5xxx Cards... To me a 5770-model seems to have the best price/performance Ratio. Is there absolutely no way building a hackintosh with these cards??

 

regards