New Hackintosh Setup w/ Overclocking

[RDSLeopard]

Hello,

 

Well I've been an avid Mac fan for many years. I've had my fairshare of macs from the powerbook to the macbook and now waiting for the macbook pro with penryn. Only problem is that I gave my laptop away and now desire to create one of the best Hackintoshes around. I work in my university's IT department and have been studying overclocking and am still confused. I just want to show my set-up and see what you (the experts) think. I'm willing to spend around $2,500 of extra cash saved over the last couple of months to buy a new computer to instead build my own hackintosh to destroy the Mac Pro hence the $2,500 price on the project

 

New Hackintosh Setup:

 

Motherboard:

Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

 

CPU:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail

 

DDR2 RAM:

Patriot eXtreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK - Retail

 

GPU:

Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2-OC GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

 

HDD:

Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

 

PSU:

HIPER HPU-4B580-MS ATX12V v2.2 580W Power Supply - Retail

 

Cooling:

CoolIT SYSTEMS EL-1000 Eliminator Thermoelectric CPU Cooler - Retail

 

GIGABYTE GH-UDUP21-VC Ball VGA Cooler - Retail

 

Thermaltake TMG SL1 A2414 80mm Blue LED Dual PCI Slot Fan - Retail

 

 

Now I want to OC the CPU to a good and stable 4.00ghz and I hope its possible with the CoolIT System with a 120mm Fan Mod. But I don't complete understand the concept of overclocking memory yet and I'm more unsure of it because not alot of people have oc'd 2gb DDR2 RAM. Let me know what you think of this setup. I choose the parts base on their compatibility and good reports people have given them. I have yet to see someone with 2gb DDR2 RAM sticks tho. I want to be able to upgrade to 8gb for video and audio editing down the line. Take a look at this setup and let me hear some suggestions on OC the CPU & Memory. I hope to have a system thats reliable but can match with the Mac Pro. O yea a 25.5" monitor is included in this setup which tops this whole setup at the $2,500 price point equal to a Mac Pro. Lastly this will all go to a Mac Pro Enclosure. I love computers and the challege of building it should be fun for me. Thank You for any help in advance.

[sheeplover]

If you like to build this power machine you really should wait 4-6 weeks until the new intel chipsets will come out.

 

For now, the 975X is the most powerfull chipset, but the new P38 should outperform it by far with additional support for the upcomming cpu generation and 1333Mhz RAM.

[RDSLeopard]

When do the p38 mobos come out. I mean I looked at ASUS just now and their Asus Striker Extreme already supports 1333Mhz FSB but if I get that then I'll have to get a DDR2 1333Mhz correct? Or am I being an . The other problem is this. If I get the Stricker Extreme LGA 775 will I be able to get the compatibility level when it comes to adding Mac OS X to it? I mean the XBX2 have the best compatibilty with no issues using JaS and the AppleHDA patcher. Seems very simple to me.

[x86now]

When do the p38 mobos come out. I mean I looked at ASUS just now and their Asus Striker Extreme already supports 1333Mhz FSB but if I get that then I'll have to get a DDR2 1333Mhz correct? Or am I being an :censored2: . The other problem is this. If I get the Stricker Extreme LGA 775 will I be able to get the compatibility level when it comes to adding Mac OS X to it? I mean the XBX2 have the best compatibilty with no issues using JaS and the AppleHDA patcher. Seems very simple to me.

 

There are P35 boards out now you may want to consider that use both DDR2 (dirt cheap now) and DDR3 (NOT cheap now). No point in spending 3 or 4 times more on DDR3 Ram if all you need to do is wait a few months for it to drop to normal levels.

 

The Intel 975 supports ECC ram though. Its more expensive of course but there may be advantages to that.

 

800 mhz DDR2 is getting cheap now. I'm seeing 2gb sticks going for just a little more than 2 one gb sticks do. 8gb is definitely doable right away.

 

Does anyone know if the Gigabyte i-Drive is OSX86 compatible?

Discussion here but its a year old: http://www.techpowerup.com/?12904

 

The case: you can do much better than a Mac Pro case unless you don't mind noise. Check out the Antec 182 and others in the line. The case design also matters if you're going to be needing outside accessible internal hard drives. Note the Mac Pro case doesn't allow that.

 

Hard drives: Don't you want to run 2 or more 10k drives in Raid 0? If so, noise is definitely going to be an issue with the Mac Pro case. Think P180 or 182 Antec or devise something yourself that puts those whining noise makers in a sound absorbing column, perhaps with your optical drive(s).

 

Noise: never use any fans less than 120mm if you can help it. You pay a high price in noise because the reduced airflow necessitates higher rpm equaling an irritating whine.

 

Xbench: I notice that some of the fastest machines there seem to be Hackintoshes. Do most of you think that Xbench is a reliable way to measure performance? If so, that would be a good place to get ideas since you can see which ideas work there.

[Azurael]

May as well by Q6600 rather than E6850 - the price is the same! They'll probably overclock to about the same final clock with a decent HSF, but you get twice the processing power with the quad :censored2:

 

And also, get a P35 board. They overclock better and are supported just as well in OS X. 975X is a dinosaur, overclocks very badly and expensive regardless of what people claim about better stability.

[RDSLeopard]

Alright then if you could with a $3000 budget...what would you get then? Considering that I want the latest and greatest stuff...ddr3 seems like the new thing and so that may be something to move over to. The X38 motherboard hasnt come out yet but im hoping when it does supposedly this month I can make my decision

[mumford]

Alright then if you could with a $3000 budget...what would you get then? Considering that I want the latest and greatest stuff...ddr3 seems like the new thing and so that may be something to move over to. The X38 motherboard hasnt come out yet but im hoping when it does supposedly this month I can make my decision

 

 

But new is not necessarily better. What you want to figure out is how to get rid of the heat. If you are running a quad and want to keep the machine silent, I think you should seriously consider watercooling.

 

After all, what good is the "latest and greatest" if it is as noisy as a hair dryer?

 

For a 3K budget, consider fanless power supply, butyl rubber, acoustic foam.

[Synaesthesia]

Alright then if you could with a $3000 budget...what would you get then? Considering that I want the latest and greatest stuff...ddr3 seems like the new thing and so that may be something to move over to. The X38 motherboard hasnt come out yet but im hoping when it does supposedly this month I can make my decision

 

How about the following: (prices are approximate)

 

CPU: Intel Q6600 - It's cheap, fast, and OC'able. ($280)

Motherboard: Asus P5KC? This is a tough one. But I say go for a P35 board since they overclock so well. ($160)

RAM: G. Skill 4gb. Get some good stuff ($180)

HDD: 2x500gb? I don't know? ($500)

GFX: : nVidia 7900gt 256mb ($180) (it's the best for now, until the 8800 works, which might be soon)

Case: Antec P182 ($150)

PSU: Antec Phantom 500 (there are many many choices) ($139)

DVD: You can get 2 for less than $100

 

So far it's sitting at $1690, you still have to buy a monitor. How about a 30" LCD at 2560 X 1600, it's still within your budget!

[RDSLeopard]

How about the following: (prices are approximate)

 

CPU: Intel Q6600 - It's cheap, fast, and OC'able. ($280)

Motherboard: Asus P5KC? This is a tough one. But I say go for a P35 board since they overclock so well. ($160)

RAM: G. Skill 4gb. Get some good stuff ($180)

HDD: 2x500gb? I don't know? ($500)

GFX: : nVidia 7900gt 256mb ($180) (it's the best for now, until the 8800 works, which might be soon)

Case: Antec P182 ($150)

PSU: Antec Phantom 500 (there are many many choices) ($139)

DVD: You can get 2 for less than $100

 

So far it's sitting at $1690, you still have to buy a monitor. How about a 30" LCD at 2560 X 1600, it's still within your budget!

 

Hey. Well here is the thing. I would love the latest and greatest but obviously there are some things that I am going to have compromise on. Here is the things that I would love to have. Let me know what you think and if this is way too out of the range of a osx86. It has to surpass a Mac Pro now and the one coming up soon.

1. I want a new mobo that uses 1333 Mhz FSB natively. Why? Look at number 2
   
2. I want to use the latest 45nm chips which is coming out shortly. November 12th from reports I've Read. Quad Core of course as some people have been saying...most likely the 45nm Quad Extreme.
   
3. DDR2 at 8GB or DDR3 at 2GB Atleast (I know that DDR3 is brand new and not many people are jumping on it yet but wouldn't getting DDR3 board make it futureproof which I definitely want)
   
4. Watercooling Is Definitely on the list already. We are talking about a 3 x 120mm Radiator for the memory, gpu, northbridge. Also a CoolIT Systems Freezone Elite CPU Cooler. Coming Soon but should be great for overclocking a hot Quad with a little bit of tweaking on the fan. Lower the noise. 40DB is craziness.
   
5. Definitely getting a Geforce 8800 GTX. I'm just seeing how the development is going
   
6. Changed My Mind on the Case. I'm getting myself a Lian Li PC V-1000B
   
7. Waiting for Leopard
   

I mean these are the things I want. Crazy? I know but he'll I do want the latest and greatest and definitely I want to outperform the Mac Pro in all aspects. Suggestions? Nice to hear some good suggestions. I have definitely changed my mind on somethings because of it.

[Synaesthesia]

That's fine. The mobo I suggested is 45nm/1333fsb capable. It can also do ddr2 or ddr3. Personally I would rather have more of the ddr2 at the current prices. The 8800 is a good choice. Particularly as ppl have gotten it working now.

 

Water-cooling is a good idea with the quad-core and 8800 in there.

 

Everything looks good! It's also a good idea to wait for Leopard.

 

Good luck with your uber-build. We're all jealous of you!

[Azurael]

DDR3 is useless until Intel move to an integrated memory controller, like AMD's, because dual channel DDR2 can easily saturate the FSB (even at 1333MT/s) anyway and the latency with DDR3 is dreadful at the moment. Since the change to an IMC is not happening 'till next platform, I wouldn't currently bother buying a board which supports DDR3 at all (it just means you get less DDR2 slots if you get one of the current batch of boards which support both.)

 

As for 45nm, I wouldn't hold off for it. Get a P35 board to keep yourself open for upgrades, but Anandtech's early tests of ES Penryn silicon are showing it to be less than 10% faster, clock-for-clock than Kentsfield, and Penryn will probably only be introduced at high-end price points anyway. My current advice is go for a Q6600 with a decent HSF on a DDR2-only P35 board and clock the hell out of it

 

Getting a native 1333MT/s CPU is also stupid, because all it means to an overclocker is you've got a lower multiplier and thus will have to be putting more stress on the mobo to get the best out of your CPU.

[Atown]

Buddy check this unit out for water cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835118015

 

Ive installed it before and its uber simple. For what your trying to do, 4ghz, your either gonna want water cooling or a pelt cooling setup. Pelt can be very difficult for those never use to OC'ing so i wouldt suggest it as of yet. But the zalman kit for beginners is a great unit

[Loyx]

Take a look here synaesthesia...

 

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=163048

 

This are the warboy expecs

 

Intel Q6600 @ 3.9Ghz (485x8) @ 1.5625v (34C)

Thermalright Ultra 120 extreme with 2x120mm 80CFM fans

ASUS P5K Deluxe/Wireless (Current FSB: 1940Mhz)

ASUS Maximus Formula SE (Currently in Shipping)

Crucial Ballastix Tracer PC2-8500 @ 1166Mhz 5-5-5-15 2.25v

BFG Geforce 8800GTX OC2 W/ GXU Bios

1 x 250GB Western Digital 16MB Cache

Soundblaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro

NZXT Black Apollo

Antec TruePower Quatto 850W

 

 

Very interesting

[nagal]

Here are my thoughts:

 

Get the Q6600. It is not hot, actually my Q6600 runs cooler than my E6600 ever thought of.

 

Do not get a 975 chipset. I say stick with a P965 as its more proven for a Hackintosh. As for P35 chipset, I am hearing lots of good things about the Abit P35 boards and plan on getting one myself soon.

 

Get memory rated higher than 800 DDR2 if you are serious about overclocking.

 

Build do not buy a water cooling setup. In the end you will come out with something a lot better.

 

 

It seems you are very new to overclocking and you are attempting to bite off a whole lot all at once. You really need to spend some time researching your build. Try www.overclock.net. It is not impossible to build a killer OCed OSx86 machine but I have doubts on whether you are going to reach 4GHz stable machine even on water. People have done it but its not as common as a lot of people make it seem to be.

[claud3]

so which is the best osx86 almost fully compatible mobo i can buy which can also overclock well?

[haroot]

I'd go with the new x38 chipset.

Right now I have an abit in 9 32 max, but I think i'm going to return it because I had an

 

ASUS Maximus Formula a month ago

and It worked fine with 10.5 and 10.4 just set the sata mode from ide to ahci, and there you go.

It overclocks well too, its #5 on 3dmarks top 10.

 

I Would go:

8800gtx

2-4gb ddr800 preferably ddr>800 for overclocking

Asus Maximus Formula (Crossfire board though btw) two pci ex 2.0 ports only DDR2

Q6600, I WOULD WAIT FOR THE NEW INTEL CHIPS THOUGH

2x 500gb = $200

 

IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO GET THE ASUS 680i BOARD TO WORK, OR THE NEW 780i BOARD LET ME KNOW.