Tyler Morgan Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I'm building a hackintosh on a budget; it'll only be used occasionally - when I need Mac-only apps. I'm trying to keep the whole thing at around $300 or under. I've found the following components on various threads on this forum, and I'm pretty much ready to buy them. I'm relatively experienced at building systems, but not at building them for OS X. You'll notice there's no hard drive or DVD/CD drive listed; I have those already, they're both IDE; I've read of some SATA hard drive incompatibilities on here. Many components were found on Sarahbau's 'Hackintosh Deal of the Day site', at http://sarahbau.webhop.org/hackintosh/hack_prices.html (it's not working as I post this, though it was up yesterday). Any input on these components would be much appreciated. - Rosewill R318-P-BK Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811147076 $22.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16811147076 -- Intel Dual-Core E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E2160 - Retail Item #: N82E16819116036 $91.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16819116036 -- WINTEC AMPO 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) $34.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820161669 -- GIGABYTE GA-945GZM-S2 LGA 775 Intel 945GZ Micro ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813128033 $52.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813128033 -- MSI NX7300LE-TD128EH GeForce 7300LE 128MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card Item #: N82E16814127273 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814127273 -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frizbot Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 I don't know that processor. I suggest going Core 2 Duo, since I do know the 4300 lacks VT and other technology that Apple included. I don't know that motherboard, and I'm surprised if it does Core 2 Duo on 945GZ (it may). Check on that videocard. The LE part means it's the lite version I'm sure, so who knows what they've removed. I'd suggest a motherboard that does GMA950, like the D945GCL (another cheap sub-atx board, does Core2Duo), etc. That case is incredibly cheap, but ok for a cheap machine -- get a good PSU, that doesn't come with one. A good PSU will keep electricity costs down, be quiet, and not explode in a cloud of sparks and frying components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahbau Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 I don't know that processor. I suggest going Core 2 Duo, since I do know the 4300 lacks VT and other technology that Apple included. I don't know that motherboard, and I'm surprised if it does Core 2 Duo on 945GZ (it may). The specs on that motherboard say "Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium D / Celeron," so I'm sure it could use a Core 2 Duo. It's also listed in the HCL twice. One person has everything working, and the other says no network or audio, but I just think the second one didn't try hard enough, as it has the ALC888 audio chip and Marvell 88E8001 network chip, which both work fine. I'm not sure about the processor's compatibility with the board though. It's an odd one. It has the same Allendale core as the E4300, which is a Core 2 Duo, but the box says "Pentium Dual-Core." The part that I'm not sure about though is the voltage. It uses different voltage than the Core 2 Duo, Pentium D, and Celeron that are compatible with the board. I'd go on the safe side and go with an E4300 ($26 more), or maybe a Pentium D or something. The video card is listed a few times in the HCL as working (even both outputs with Natit 0.2 dual). Oh yeah. As frizbot mentioned, the case you linked has no PSU. The one currently listed on my page actually costs less and has a 350w PSU in it. It's also rated fairly well at 4 eggs. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811190050 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frizbot Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Sarah is nicer than I am, looking things up for you ;-) A 15$ case with a PSU in it....somehow I don't trust it. Keep your data backed up if you go with such a configuration. A PSU may seem to be a component that "works or doesn't", yet it's quite central for reliability, cooling, noise, efficiency, etc. There are OEM brands like Sparkle/Fortron that have good prices, while still making quality units. When it comes to cases, they are just boxes, but I've lost too much blood in cheap sharp stamped-steel cases to work with them anymore. If it can hold a 120mm exhaust fan, and you're only building it once, cheap is good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BebopBlues Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Tyler Morgan, did you actually build this system? If so, how is it running? I'm buying a system with that same GIGABYTE GA-945GZM-S2, it's not to run OSx86 but I would try it just to see how well it works out of curiosity. The parts should be here tomorrow. Sarah, that Athenatech case you linked isn't listed as micro ATX compatible, would it fit a GIGABYTE GA-945GZM-S2, which is a micro-ATX board? If it doesn't, in general, will drilling extra holes make it fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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