Mini-ITX Hackintosh

[DarrenP]

Hi guys,

 

I'm planning to build a Mini-ITX Hackintosh. The reasoning behind this is that i have been coming to my Grandmothers house every weekend lately and will be for at least another 6 months as she doesn't have the most time left... Overall budget is $2250. So i need something that i can do my work on and still play some games while i'm up here overnight. This Hackintosh is also going to dual boot into Windows (Windows does not need to be included as i have a bunch of copies.). No overclocking will be done. However i want this build to be somewhat silence optimized. Here is my plan:

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($329.98 @ Amazon Canada) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.99 @ Memory Express) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($112.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($219.48 @ Newegg Canada) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($149.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($149.99 @ Canada Computers) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($114.95 @ DirectCanada) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($114.95 @ DirectCanada) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card  ($559.99 @ Memory Express) 

Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case  ($64.99 @ NCIX) 

Power Supply: Corsair RM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Total: $2025.79

 

The reasoning behind the two HDD's and two SSD's is one SSD and one HDD for each OS. I will be running one 1920x1080 Monitor off of this build. I would like some constructive criticism on this build. All ideas are welcome. 

 

Thanks 

 

-Darren

 

 

[Sundanc3]

Not sure what your reasoning is behind getting a 4770,  but you could save 100$ at least and just a 4670. Same thing with 16gb of ram, but if you have a good reason for it then go for it. 

I like your storage solution. It's a good idea with Hackintoshing to split up the separate OS's like that and not mix or use separate partitions. 

 

Having the Prodigy my self, I know that you will have to be creative with where you put the SSD's because with a long graphics card you will have to remove the center hard drive cage, and that only leaves two mounts in the bottom for 3.5 inch drives. There are SSD mounts in the side panel you can go for as well. Other than that the build looks like it will be a beast. 

[DarrenP]

Not sure what your reasoning is behind getting a 4770,  but you could save 100$ at least and just a 4670. Same thing with 16gb of ram, but if you have a good reason for it then go for it. 

I like your storage solution. It's a good idea with Hackintoshing to split up the separate OS's like that and not mix or use separate partitions. 

 

Having the Prodigy my self, I know that you will have to be creative with where you put the SSD's because with a long graphics card you will have to remove the center hard drive cage, and that only leaves two mounts in the bottom for 3.5 inch drives. There are SSD mounts in the side panel you can go for as well. Other than that the build looks like it will be a beast. 

I find myself constantly using more power than an i5 can put out. In my gaming desktop at home i had a 3570K, couldn't keep up with everything i was doing. So that's why i'm going i7. As to the 16GB of RAM. I find myself using more than 8 almost always. (I multi-task a lot.). Knowing that about the Prodigy now. I was thinking anyway of using some double sided adhesive to stick the SSD's to the back of the motherboard tray. 

[Sundanc3]

I find myself constantly using more power than an i5 can put out. In my gaming desktop at home i had a 3570K, couldn't keep up with everything i was doing. So that's why i'm going i7. As to the 16GB of RAM. I find myself using more than 8 almost always. (I multi-task a lot.). Knowing that about the Prodigy now. I was thinking anyway of using some double sided adhesive to stick the SSD's to the back of the motherboard tray. 

Then I say go for it! You can ghetto mount an ssd on the top of the bottom HDD cage which is what I have done, and theres always room to be creative about the last one. 

[DarrenP]

Then I say go for it! You can ghetto mount an ssd on the top of the bottom HDD cage which is what I have done, and theres always room to be creative about the last one. 

Alright thanks for the input! 

[WoodenMarker]

There's little point getting high frequency ram. 

You should really post the pcpartpicker link.

The NH-L9i isn't much better than the stock Intel cooler. I'd suggest getting a 212 Evo instead.

The Prodigy is huge for an itx case. If you want portability, you might want to look into smaller case like the CM Elite 120/130 or Node 304.