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+--- Thread: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... (/showthread.php?tid=89869)
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The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - anonymouse1 - 12-20-2009
...for me. Today. With my needs, and my budget.
More seriously, this is where I've arrived after thinking this through as thoroughly and multi-dimensionally as I can. If anyone has any thoughts pro or con on any of these points, please post 'em up in a reply.
It looks to me like there are three basic Hackintosh options in a roughly equivalent price
range, give or take maybe $200. I'm skipping over the RAM, case, HD, video card, etc., as those
would be much the same price for any of these three builds. (maybe DDR3 Ram is a bit
more?)
QuadCore Socket 775 Build
Q9550: $170
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3L: $75
Total: $245
Pros:
- 95 watt power consumption at normal speed
- 12MB of cache
- Reliably overclockable to 3.4Ghz without increasing voltage
- Socket 775 has the most guides, advice, blogs, etc. of any of these three options. Has the most scripts, install packages, etc.
- Motherboard designs quite mature.
- Can get maximum memory throughput by installing RAM in banks of 2 sticks.
- Least expensive of the three options
- Intel has stopped developed of the C2Q line. Highly unlikely to get faster/better chips in the future.
Socket 1156 Build (i5/i7)
GA-P55M-UD2 $105 ($134 if you get the version with the USB3, etc.)
i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz $150
Total: $255
Pros:
- 95 watt power consumption at normal speed
- 8MB of L3 cache; 1MB of L2 Cache
- Reliably overclockable to 3.8 Ghz without increasing voltage
- Somewhat future-proof, as Intel has just started marketing chips for Socket 1156
- Only $10 more than Socket 775 build.
- Motherboard design very young; reports of boards burned out due to heat from overclocking
- Turbo Boost not available for Hackintoshes
- Fewest scripts, installs, guides, blogs, etc. of the three platforms. Appears to be the most difficult of the three platforms to get up and fully running.
- Can't run OS 10.5.
Socket 1336 Build (i7)
i7 920 $190
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R $180
Total: $370
Pros:
- Reliably overclocks to 3.8Ghz without voltage boost
- Mature motherboard design
- Most futureproof
- High number of install guides, scripts, blogs, etc.
- The most powerful processors (albeit most expensive) are available for this build
- Likely to retain the most value of the three options
- Most expensive build, by at least $120
- 135W power consumption at normal speed
- Turbo Boost not available for Hackintoshes
Discussion
If I were a student, or had a lot of time on my hands and not so much money, or really want to hack around a lot, the 1156 build would be my choice, hands down. Not even a question.
But none of those fit me. I'm working, sometimes 55 hours a week, with a 2 year old daughter, and my wife is recovering from Lyme disease. When I look at the 1156 forums, I see many more discussions of "I haven't got Ethernet/Audio/etc. working" than for the other builds. I don't have the time for an 1156 build.
So that leaves me with either the 775 or the 1336 builds. I'm leaning a bit towards the 775, both because it's a chunk cheaper (look, if I had more money I'd buy a Mac Pro, so for me right now, $120 is a good piece of change), and because I bet I can get a 775 build up and running in an afternoon.
The lack of the futureproofing does bug me, but I think that the 775 build will last me for at least two years, and at that point I can drop in a new i7 motherboard and CPU from a future board. Then again, I'd have to buy more RAM then.....
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - marksomebodyelse - 12-20-2009
The LifeHacker guide NO BRAINER Hackintosh Is the way to go. You can use most Nvidia cards so some money can be saved by using a GT 8600 card.
Since you say that time is a luxury then this is the way to go.
Spend a little more and get the UD3P version of the mother board.
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - Dick Moore - 12-20-2009
I'd go 775, 'cause I did. I've rarely gone more than 2 years without some kind of new machine, so the need to upgrade at some point is just a given of computer life. Money and time are both important, but getting up and running in a couple of hours looks dang handy to me, and the machine will rock.
Here's a pretty good guide (in addition to the "No Brainer)" it is essentially what I did --
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=180954
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - Panopticon - 12-20-2009
...some money can be saved by using a GT 8600 card.
The 8600 series is outdated.
For $50 or less you can get a 210 series or a 9x00GT card with 512MB. PCI-e 2.0 x16 w/ DDR2 memory and dual monitor capable. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187093
Same price you'd pay IF you could find a new 8600GT.
:priate:
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - sekker - 12-20-2009
Save the cash and time and spend them on your daughter!
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - Will Collier - 12-20-2009
I picked the 1366 option. Quite happy with it (although my board, the UD4P, has already been discontinued).
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - marksomebodyelse - 12-20-2009
Panopticon wrote:
...some money can be saved by using a GT 8600 card.
The 8600 series is outdated.
For $50 or less you can get a 210 series or a 9x00GT card with 512MB. PCI-e 2.0 x16 w/ DDR2 memory and dual monitor capable. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187093
Same price you'd pay IF you could find a new 8600GT.
:priate:
Panopticon Check out this 8600Gt card with dual DVI Cheaper card
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - blusubaru - 12-20-2009
775 all the way in your situation. I have the exact same board and CPU. Make your first one an easy one. Get it up and going to understand the process. Get an external USB audio device of some such and everything else will work right away using the LifeHacker link noted above.
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - Panopticon - 12-20-2009
Panopticon Check out this 8600Gt card with dual DVI Cheaper card
I had, previously:
- Outdated {it is a close-out}
- only 256MB
- It's NOT PCI-e 2.0 compliant
- Has only FAIR user reviews on the internets.
- Noisy, no fan control.
- Depends on getting a $25 Rebate from PNY!
NO Rebate cards-
$39.99 shipped free: SPARKLE SXG210512D2-NM GeForce 210 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187093
{Fan cooled, reportedly silent.}
$44.99 shipped free: SPARKLE SFPX94GT1024U2 GeForce 9400 GT 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187037
{I have the 512MB version of this one, no fan; runs cool & silent.}
If you search newegg, you can find 2x0 & 9x00 series cards even less with rebates.
:priate:
Re: The Ultimate and Definitive Hackintosh Hardware Selection Guide.... - JonMantham - 01-24-2010
Definitely go with the 775 option in your position. I went with the 1156 option but that's only because I have lots of spare time.
Jon