djspacee Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 I know this topic has probably been done to death here, but i'm building a machine from scratch for running os x as the main o/s, and i would really like some advice on motherboards and RAM from the people who know about them and have done the same. I've read that the Gigabyte GA-945GZM-S2 is a very good board to get and would like a good explanation as to why? i've also heard that the ASROCK 945 motherboards are good and that theyre along the same lines as the gigabyte ones. I think that the 945 chipset is probably the best to go for because i know that the intel macs (well most of them, my macbook certainly does) use this chipset, I've also read posts about people using the p965 chipset and wondered what compatability issues could arise when using this instead of a 945g. my plan is to get a motherboard like the above and 2GB of RAM (maybe 4GB if i can afford it), some people where saying Kingston RAM is a good brand to get, i know my Macbook takes Kingston RAM and is this the brand of ram that the other macs use or are there other high quality alternatives? I've already bought a Intel core 2 Duo 2.4 G/Hz processor and a Liteon DVD writer to burn my DVDs, so i to just find the RAM and motherboard at this stage so that i can start putting this machine together in my old computer case, until i can spare some more cash for a new one. (obviously the components are most improtant and i'd like to spend my earnings buying decent hardware, before getting a new case later on when ive got some more cash.) Advice is much appreciated. i was also planning to get a Geforce card, (not sure which yet, maybe the 7300 or 7600) and two 250 gig western digital caviars. Any advice on these is aslo welcome. Thanks Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackintom Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Don't buy old hardware like 945 chipsets, P35 is great, new, and not so expensive. Check the wiki for compatibility You'll find tutorials in the genius bar Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-424366 Share on other sites More sharing options...
djspacee Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 Cheers mate, i'll have a look now.Alright mate, had a look at P35 chipset motherboards. They look good. How could i be sure though that this will be compatible with mac os x (as there is only one board mentioned with this chipset, and it appears to have had a lot of problems) I know intel chipsets are best for compatibilty, but i know that most of the macs use intel gma 950 graphics, which would mean a 945 chipset (correct me if i'm totally wrong), so that would mean compatability issues. does uphucks install dvd have support for the P35 chipset? would i be walkin up {censored} creek (so to speak) if i bought one?I want to have the least number of issues when installing os x as possible really because i'm not amazing when it comes to doing things in the terminal, (i want to try and build the most compatible machine possbile so i don't get 2 many probs)Also, what brand motherboard do you think is the best to get? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-424496 Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackintom Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 There is two brands that works well: Asus & Gigabyte People rather go with Asus, as I did for a long time, but now I'm going with Gigabyte. The GA P35-DS3P is great, only sound doesn't work but you can add a 10$ PCI sound card and you're good to go. Some people of trust are using it for weeks and are pretty happy with it. It's cheap, powerful, OC like mad, and ready for the "Core 2 Penryn" You'll install uphuck 1.4i flawlessly But you'll need a GPU like a 7600 GS for example. 40$ on ebay. I've just sold mine. Almost every nvidia 7X00 works, or you can choose a Sapphire X1950XT 256Mb if you need 3D for gaming. About Ram, don't choose Kingston, you'd rather take Crucial Ballistix. BTW, what is your budget ? PS: you are right, 945 with GMA 950 is quite good, but it's really getting old... and absolutely not compatible with the very next generation of CPU. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-424536 Share on other sites More sharing options...
djspacee Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks mate. Currently my budget is whatever i get from week to week, im usually able to spend around £100 a week (200 US dollars) buying computer components (i'm a music student doing a summer job), and i recon i'll be able to do that for 3 to four weeks, and will be gettin a student loan in September. I already have a Macintosh keyboard, an alright widescreen TFT monitor and microsoft 2 button mouse (which is essential for os x), as well as the other things i've bought recently (DVD burner and proc) so i recon about $600 - $800 (US) over the next month. i've already got a microsoft 2 button mouse, macintosh keyboard and 19" widescreen TFT monitor, and a ATX case and 500 watt power supply from my old computer, so the budget is solely for internal hardware. (unless i can't use the power supply, which im yet to find out about).Just a few questions about your post.....Why use Crucial Ballistix?Why are people starting to prefer gigabyte above asus?I'm ready and have the cash to spend about 160 USD on a motherboard this weekend, are there many other alternatives than the GA P35-DS3P?i would prefer something a bit cheaper, as english prices are more expensive than in the states the price of that mobo here is $200 + P&P, and i've got a work experience week comin up next week, so need to save a bit for that.if i was going to buy this board i'd probably have to wait at least a week... the reason i was considering the mobo this week was that i saw the 945 boards are about 50 - 75 pounds (100 - 150 USD) and that would fit with other things i need to buy this week.I'd like to buy the motherboard, RAM and hard drives in the next few weeks, and then the G/fx card basically when i can (hopefully sooner than later)... was thinking maybe the RAM and hard disks would be the thing to buy this week, and a decent motherboard two weeks from now, when ive got a bigger pay packet to spend. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-424602 Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackintom Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks mate. Currently my budget is whatever i get from week to week, im usually able to spend around £100 a week (200 US dollars) buying computer components (i'm a music student doing a summer job), and i recon i'll be able to do that for 3 to four weeks, and will be gettin a student loan in September. I already have a Macintosh keyboard, an alright widescreen TFT monitor and microsoft 2 button mouse (which is essential for os x), as well as the other things i've bought recently (DVD burner and proc) so i recon about $600 - $800 (US) over the next month. i've already got a microsoft 2 button mouse, macintosh keyboard and 19" widescreen TFT monitor, and a ATX case and 500 watt power supply from my old computer, so the budget is solely for internal hardware. (unless i can't use the power supply, which im yet to find out about).Just a few questions about your post.....Why use Crucial Ballistix?Why are people starting to prefer gigabyte above asus?I'm ready and have the cash to spend about 160 USD on a motherboard this weekend, are there many other alternatives than the GA P35-DS3P?i would prefer something a bit cheaper, as english prices are more expensive than in the states the price of that mobo here is $200 + P&P, and i've got a work experience week comin up next week, so need to save a bit for that.if i was going to buy this board i'd probably have to wait at least a week... the reason i was considering the mobo this week was that i saw the 945 boards are about 50 - 75 pounds (100 - 150 USD) and that would fit with other things i need to buy this week.I'd like to buy the motherboard, RAM and hard drives in the next few weeks, and then the G/fx card basically when i can (hopefully sooner than later)... was thinking maybe the RAM and hard disks would be the thing to buy this week, and a decent motherboard two weeks from now, when ive got a bigger pay packet to spend. First of all, I'm your neighboor... I live in Paris, France, even if I'm in Athens, Greece, those days... 50 to 70 pounds for a 945 !!! Watch out, you're about to get stolen ! The GA P35-DS3P I'm talking about is less than 110€, that means 74 pounds ! That's why I'm advising it without a doubt, it's a bargain compared to what it has in the stomach. I've just sold the perfect 945 for 30 pounds... and was happy. Crucial is a sub copany of Micron, which provides the ram chips for EVERY other brands like OCZ or Corsair, for their high end kits. Crucial Ballisitx PC-5300 has the same chips that OCZ PC-8800, whose sticks are 3 times more expensive... No problem about your PSU, it will do the work... but later, don't forget to upgrade it for a corsair or Seasonic PSU... PSU is more important than what people think... If you want more advises, PM me, I'll give you my ichat adress and we will talk about it in the next few days. Cheers, Tom Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-424703 Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoarthing Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 djspacee - Hi - I'm in the UK & have been through this at firsthand. Given you've made the extremely sensible decision to start with a C2D; the biggest hassles tend be: 1) onboard sound [getting it to work] - if you're real picky about sound you can get an external firewire box, like this Behringer. 2) graphics [getting it to work with CI/QE acceleration] - basically get a 256MB NV 7300/7600/79xx of whatever brand suits your budget/noise-tolerance. 3) IDE/PATA [getting an install DVD to run if it is or has to be attached to a non-supported Southbridge/3rd-party controller]. . . . . other things to perhaps think of are 'clockability [C2Ds overclock well; but Speedstep power-saving won't work], & future upgradeability [many motherboards will not accept 'Penryn' (45nm) upcoming C2Ds, & many more will not accept the new G0-stepping '1333MHz' xx50 C2Ds]. Sleepstate support tends to be overlooked; but can be important to some folk. DDR2 brand/type is a bit of a side-issue, unless you want to overclock a low-multiplier [6300/6320/6350 C2D to 3GHz or so]. Prices are low right now, & any name-brand [*not* boutique-w/-shiny-spreaders] 400MHz 'PC6400' working at the JEDEC standard 1.8v VDIMM will be fine. Crucial/Micron 1GB sticks are £40 each [free postage], the Kingston [usually-Nanya-based] valueRAM equivalent can be bought for £34 each [free postage] - I along with many others bought 4x sticks of this Elixir [Nanya own brand] stuff at £25 each plus £4 postage & can recommend it. HDDs - nothing makes your system feel brisker every time you use it than booting off a Raptor [16MB cache models] - the 74GB model is under £100; I would suggest getting one of these for the OS & a Samsung F1 [the highest areal-density HDD so far made] for mass storage when they are available in the UK [a few weeks] - these will be very fast, quiet, & exceptionally cheap per GB. Motherboard - I went with Asus' high-end consumer-board, the P5WDH-Deluxe solely because of the excellent OS X/Linux [Gentoo] knowledge-base & compatibility. This uses the i975X/ICH7R chipset & has a known-working onboard sound installer-package inclusive of optical-out. It was expensive; but can now be bought at around £100 now other trendier motherboards are on sale. It supports 1333MHz C2Ds with the latest BIOS; but is not yet sorted for 45nm support [other Asus i975X mobos are]. These forums have many threads on getting this mobo to work as perfectly as possible - this loooooong one has everything you could need. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-424756 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluejacky Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Hi,mate. I just built a new box fully running Mac OSX. You can find my hardware in my sign. I think it is better to buy some new MB, like P35 chipest. My one work well with 10.4.9 1.4i r3. USB can been rec without any add-on drivers. SATA running faster, need do some setting in bios. Network is fine with R1000.Kext. Only audio does not work. But I think will work soon with new driver. The GraphicCard, I recommend Geforce 7300GT. Because it is the standard hardware of Mac Pro. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-424847 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainetality Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 My specs: core2duo e6300@2.8ghz,Asus P5b, gainward bliss 8600gts 256,1gig ram, creative soundblaster 5.1 and M-Audio Delta soundcards. Four sata2 drives and two LG dvd writers(ide). I installed mac but its not detecting pci devices (M-Audio soundcard) even if i got proper mac drivers from manufacturer site and my graphics card is also not working primarily because i didnt install nvidia support cause if i do mac crashes during boot after install. Help please? Running osx 10.4.8 (jas Os) Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-425034 Share on other sites More sharing options...
djspacee Posted August 11, 2007 Author Share Posted August 11, 2007 Thanks a lot guys for your help, some very good advice there! i'll keep posting on this thread as i buy components and keep you updated :-) Think i'll probably go for the RAM this week as unfortunatley i can't afford to spend 100 quid on a new mobo right now, but that Elixir RAM sounds very tempting... Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-425059 Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoarthing Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 djspacee - Hi - the Asus P5K deluxe appears to have working sleep [unusual] & to be suited to the task with future support for 45nm C2Ds. It uses the new i35 chipset, so there is the *major* hassle common to most new mobos basd on this chipset family of not having working [or any] southbridge PATA [for the optical drive]: you need either a SATA optical, or a PATA<>SATA converter, or stick the optical into an external USB case for the install [jmicron 373 support can usually be enabled after the install]. Have fun Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-425067 Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_regie Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 anyone use Gigabyte GA P35 DS3R? any compatibility isue on osx86? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-425108 Share on other sites More sharing options...
djspacee Posted August 12, 2007 Author Share Posted August 12, 2007 don_regie - Thats what i wanted to ask, this is a cheaper motherboard than the P isn't it. i was wondering if anyone had tried with this motherboard and got things to work ok Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/59605-building-an-osx86-machine-for-running-os-x/#findComment-425709 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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