High end mini itx hackintosh

[Cosmos_i7]

 

Hi all,

 

I am planning to do a new build around August time. The main purpose will be for editing using Final Cut Pro X and gaming while booting into windows, really like the look of BF4 and will consider that on PC. 

 

The build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dRwk

 

The main reason why I went for ITX is I like the style of the prodigy and also I don't like the larger ATX cases, I feel they are a bit unnecessary. For example how many people actually install 3 optical drives and 6 hard drives? But anyway ITX will be the way to go for me.

 

I'm currently an iMac user. I own a late 2009 21.5 inch iMac with 3.06ghz Core 2 Duo and ATI 4670. I upgraded the RAM to 16gb and this helped with editing. But it struggles with things such as playing go pro footage uncompressed at 60fps. Also some games struggle, such as Hawken which it can just about run on low settings.

 

I plan to build a hackintosh to build a high powered machine that won't be limited like my current iMac.

 

A few issues I need to consider though. One is the PSU. With the prodigy the PSU cage is very limited and some power supplies may not fit. I need to know if the one I selected will fit or another recommendation.

 

What is the difference between board partners on stock reference coolers? Some GTX 780 cards are cheaper than others. I was wondering what the difference between these are like between Palit, Gigabyte, MSI, Gainward, Asus etc. If there is no difference then why are the prices different?

 

Has anyone built a hackintosh with the gigabyte before? How is it for overclocking etc vs something like the Asus P8z77-I deluxe?

 

One last thing about the monitor. I currently use the iMac with a 21.5 inch screen, the screen I plan to get is 27 inches 1440p. Is that a large step up and would it be uncomfortable?

 

Thanks for the help in advanced!

 

[ShadyHost]

 

 

Are you sure you want a 780? Does 10.8.3 support 700 series cards yet?

 

I haven't booted onto my OSX install for a long time. I have a 2011 MacBook Pro with 10.8.3

 

Also I suggest calling up Apple and getting yourself a copy of Final Cut Pro 7 as it is much easier to use. 

[ERSCreeper]

 

 

Hi all,

 

I am planning to do a new build around August time. The main purpose will be for editing using Final Cut Pro X and gaming while booting into windows, really like the look of BF4 and will consider that on PC. 

 

The build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dRwk

 

The main reason why I went for ITX is I like the style of the prodigy and also I don't like the larger ATX cases, I feel they are a bit unnecessary. For example how many people actually install 3 optical drives and 6 hard drives? But anyway ITX will be the way to go for me.

 

I'm currently an iMac user. I own a late 2009 21.5 inch iMac with 3.06ghz Core 2 Duo and ATI 4670. I upgraded the RAM to 16gb and this helped with editing. But it struggles with things such as playing go pro footage uncompressed at 60fps. Also some games struggle, such as Hawken which it can just about run on low settings.

 

I plan to build a hackintosh to build a high powered machine that won't be limited like my current iMac.

 

A few issues I need to consider though. One is the PSU. With the prodigy the PSU cage is very limited and some power supplies may not fit. I need to know if the one I selected will fit or another recommendation.

 

What is the difference between board partners on stock reference coolers? Some GTX 780 cards are cheaper than others. I was wondering what the difference between these are like between Palit, Gigabyte, MSI, Gainward, Asus etc. If there is no difference then why are the prices different?

 

Has anyone built a hackintosh with the gigabyte before? How is it for overclocking etc vs something like the Asus P8z77-I deluxe?

 

One last thing about the monitor. I currently use the iMac with a 21.5 inch screen, the screen I plan to get is 27 inches 1440p. Is that a large step up and would it be uncomfortable?

 

Thanks for the help in advanced!

 

 

Just a heads up, the built-in wifi does not work with OSX.

[Cosmos_i7]

Just a heads up, the built-in wifi does not work with OSX.

 

Thanks, but luckily I don't plan on using it, got an ethernet cable nearby so that should work. If I do need wifi I have a spare usb wifi dongle I could use.

[ERSCreeper]

Thanks, but luckily I don't plan on using it, got an ethernet cable nearby so that should work. If I do need wifi I have a spare usb wifi dongle I could use.

 

Just thought it could save some hassles :)

[Cosmos_i7]

Are you sure you want a 780? Does 10.8.3 support 700 series cards yet?

 

I haven't booted onto my OSX install for a long time. I have a 2011 MacBook Pro with 10.8.3

 

Also I suggest calling up Apple and getting yourself a copy of Final Cut Pro 7 as it is much easier to use. 

780 does work with OS X with the Nvidia drivers installed, use integrated graphics to get them installed.

 

I like the way Final Cut X works for me, yes it may not have loads of professional features but I find it easier to use than Adobe and I have no experience with older versions, it works for me for what I need to do. 

[ShadyHost]

780 does work with OS X with the Nvidia drivers installed, use integrated graphics to get them installed.

 

I like the way Final Cut X works for me, yes it may not have loads of professional features but I find it easier to use than Adobe and I have no experience with older versions, it works for me for what I need to do. 

Fair enough. 

 

I like editing on a Mac it felt really nice but I can't use triple monitors on OSX and switch back to Windows without standing up and changing one of my DVI cables back to the first card. I am on a 780 now but still triple monitors is a huge thing for me. 

 

You should try out Adobe Premiere CS6 on Windows. It took me about 5 mins to get used to the general feel of it.

[tk421]

 

 

Hi all,

 

I am planning to do a new build around August time. The main purpose will be for editing using Final Cut Pro X and gaming while booting into windows, really like the look of BF4 and will consider that on PC. 

 

The build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dRwk

 

The main reason why I went for ITX is I like the style of the prodigy and also I don't like the larger ATX cases, I feel they are a bit unnecessary. For example how many people actually install 3 optical drives and 6 hard drives? But anyway ITX will be the way to go for me.

 

I'm currently an iMac user. I own a late 2009 21.5 inch iMac with 3.06ghz Core 2 Duo and ATI 4670. I upgraded the RAM to 16gb and this helped with editing. But it struggles with things such as playing go pro footage uncompressed at 60fps. Also some games struggle, such as Hawken which it can just about run on low settings.

 

I plan to build a hackintosh to build a high powered machine that won't be limited like my current iMac.

 

A few issues I need to consider though. One is the PSU. With the prodigy the PSU cage is very limited and some power supplies may not fit. I need to know if the one I selected will fit or another recommendation.

 

What is the difference between board partners on stock reference coolers? Some GTX 780 cards are cheaper than others. I was wondering what the difference between these are like between Palit, Gigabyte, MSI, Gainward, Asus etc. If there is no difference then why are the prices different?

 

Has anyone built a hackintosh with the gigabyte before? How is it for overclocking etc vs something like the Asus P8z77-I deluxe?

 

One last thing about the monitor. I currently use the iMac with a 21.5 inch screen, the screen I plan to get is 27 inches 1440p. Is that a large step up and would it be uncomfortable?

 

Thanks for the help in advanced!

 

 

As far as the PSU in concerned, it might fit but I honestly would not recommend a modular PSU for this case.  I've got my current rig in a Prodigy but the power supply will fit much easier without the modular connections adding length to the PSU.  If got an XFX 550W PSU that fits great.  There is some side room in the PSU cage to hide the extra cables.  Also, I noticed you are getting a lot of nice fans.  I assume the 140mm Noctua fan is for an exhaust?  I'm not sure it will fit with the H100i in the roof.  You might want to hold off on buying that fan until to install eveything else and see if it will fit.

 

I just checked and the XFX Pro650W PSU should fit nicely.

Edited July 6, 2013 by tk421

[tk421]

 

 

Hi all,

 

I am planning to do a new build around August time. The main purpose will be for editing using Final Cut Pro X and gaming while booting into windows, really like the look of BF4 and will consider that on PC. 

 

The build: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1dRwk

 

The main reason why I went for ITX is I like the style of the prodigy and also I don't like the larger ATX cases, I feel they are a bit unnecessary. For example how many people actually install 3 optical drives and 6 hard drives? But anyway ITX will be the way to go for me.

 

I'm currently an iMac user. I own a late 2009 21.5 inch iMac with 3.06ghz Core 2 Duo and ATI 4670. I upgraded the RAM to 16gb and this helped with editing. But it struggles with things such as playing go pro footage uncompressed at 60fps. Also some games struggle, such as Hawken which it can just about run on low settings.

 

I plan to build a hackintosh to build a high powered machine that won't be limited like my current iMac.

 

A few issues I need to consider though. One is the PSU. With the prodigy the PSU cage is very limited and some power supplies may not fit. I need to know if the one I selected will fit or another recommendation.

 

What is the difference between board partners on stock reference coolers? Some GTX 780 cards are cheaper than others. I was wondering what the difference between these are like between Palit, Gigabyte, MSI, Gainward, Asus etc. If there is no difference then why are the prices different?

 

Has anyone built a hackintosh with the gigabyte before? How is it for overclocking etc vs something like the Asus P8z77-I deluxe?

 

One last thing about the monitor. I currently use the iMac with a 21.5 inch screen, the screen I plan to get is 27 inches 1440p. Is that a large step up and would it be uncomfortable?

 

Thanks for the help in advanced!

 

 

The Gigabyte board probably doesn't overclock as well as the Asus board since it lacks the awesome power delivery that the Asus board has but the Gigabyte board will be much more compatible with OS X and give you less problems.

 

As for the monitor, it will be a huge step up for you.  I'm not sure what you mean by uncomfortable though.

[delet my acc pls]

I have to say that your build is pretty solid.

The only thing to change is the psu get a 550 watt instead

[Cosmos_i7]

As far as the PSU in concerned, it might fit but I honestly would not recommend a modular PSU for this case.  I've got my current rig in a Prodigy but the power supply will fit much easier without the modular connections adding length to the PSU.  If got an XFX 550W PSU that fits great.  There is some side room in the PSU cage to hide the extra cables.  Also, I noticed you are getting a lot of nice fans.  I assume the 140mm Noctua fan is for an exhaust?  I'm not sure it will fit with the H100i in the roof.  You might want to hold off on buying that fan until to install eveything else and see if it will fit.

 

I just checked and the XFX Pro650W PSU should fit nicely.

Thanks will have a look at that PSU, I was looking around and many also recommended a non modular power supply. I still want a decent quality psu though. Also I will leave the rear 140mm until I see the clearance, since its not that important, though I do like noctua fans.

 

 

 

The Gigabyte board probably doesn't overclock as well as the Asus board since it lacks the awesome power delivery that the Asus board has but the Gigabyte board will be much more compatible with OS X and give you less problems.

 

As for the monitor, it will be a huge step up for you.  I'm not sure what you mean by uncomfortable though.

I probably will stick with the Gigabyte one then it will make it easier for me. I want to know if its worth going 1440p or is 1080p fine? If so I could save on the GPU and monitor and go for a 23 inch 1080p one instead. 

 

I have to say that your build is pretty solid.

The only thing to change is the psu get a 550 watt instead

Is there any reason to get a 550 watt? Or is it purely for clearance on the psu cage, need to find a good one that will fit.

 

Fair enough. 

 

I like editing on a Mac it felt really nice but I can't use triple monitors on OSX and switch back to Windows without standing up and changing one of my DVI cables back to the first card. I am on a 780 now but still triple monitors is a huge thing for me. 

 

You should try out Adobe Premiere CS6 on Windows. It took me about 5 mins to get used to the general feel of it.

Probably will stick with Final Cut since its what I'm used to and I don't really want to spend money on a new package. I have used CS5 before and it wasn't for me, I don't need too many professional tools, just enough for the job. I only do it for fun not for commercial use.

[delet my acc pls]

Thanks will have a look at that PSU, I was looking around and many also recommended a non modular power supply. I still want a decent quality psu though. Also I will leave the rear 140mm until I see the clearance, since its not that important, though I do like noctua fans.

I probably will stick with the Gigabyte one then it will make it easier for me. I want to know if its worth going 1440p or is 1080p fine? If so I could save on the GPU and monitor and go for a 23 inch 1080p one instead.

Is there any reason to get a 550 watt? Or is it purely for clearance on the psu cage, need to find a good one that will fit.

Probably will stick with Final Cut since its what I'm used to and I don't really want to spend money on a new package. I have used CS5 before and it wasn't for me, I don't need too many professional tools, just enough for the job. I only do it for fun not for commercial use.

The reason to go 550 is that you will not need more than that and it will be smaller and have a bigger chance of fitting

[tk421]

Thanks will have a look at that PSU, I was looking around and many also recommended a non modular power supply. I still want a decent quality psu though. Also I will leave the rear 140mm until I see the clearance, since its not that important, though I do like noctua fans.

 

 

 

I probably will stick with the Gigabyte one then it will make it easier for me. I want to know if its worth going 1440p or is 1080p fine? If so I could save on the GPU and monitor and go for a 23 inch 1080p one instead. 

 

Is there any reason to get a 550 watt? Or is it purely for clearance on the psu cage, need to find a good one that will fit.

 

Probably will stick with Final Cut since its what I'm used to and I don't really want to spend money on a new package. I have used CS5 before and it wasn't for me, I don't need too many professional tools, just enough for the job. I only do it for fun not for commercial use.

 

XFX make great PSUs.  Their components are actually made by SeaSonic and that's pretty much top of the line.  Both the XFX 550W and 650W non-modular PSU will fit with no problems at all.

 

1440p vs 1080p is purely a preference.  You might try visiting a retail store just to do side-by-side comparisons to see if it makes a difference to you.  I prefer 1440p myself, but going with 1080p is usually fine for most people and could save you a couple hundred quid in the process...  I would rather have a 1080p IPS panel than a 1440p TN panel.

[Cosmos_i7]

Ok I will probably look at the XFX power supply. Also I did use a 27 inch iMac at the Apple store and it did feel a little awkward to use. Plus I don't really want to spend too much money on a monitor. By going 1080p I can also get a cheaper GPU like a 770. But I will still look closer to the time of the build. Thanks.

[tk421]

Ok I will probably look at the XFX power supply. Also I did use a 27 inch iMac at the Apple store and it did feel a little awkward to use. Plus I don't really want to spend too much money on a monitor. By going 1080p I can also get a cheaper GPU like a 770. But I will still look closer to the time of the build. Thanks.

 

If you need any help or advice with the build, I've rebuilt my system twice in the Prodigy so far and I can give you any advice you need. Feel free to PM me.

[Cosmos_i7]

If you need any help or advice with the build, I've rebuilt my system twice in the Prodigy so far and I can give you any advice you need. Feel free to PM me.

Thanks will let you know if I have any issues, just a few questions. If I use a 770 instead and get the 550w will it be fine? I want some headroom and don't want to max the psu. The reason I say this is because with the 550w there are less cables, the 650w comes with 2 more PCI cables, which in this case would be useless. 

 

Also do you recommend going 1080p or 1440p? I'm leaning towards 1080p but 1440p is very nice to have.

[tk421]

The 550W should be fine with the 770.  You'll have some headroom to OC the CPU slightly but if you want to push or upgrade your system in the future, I would recommend a 650W unit. 

I prefer 1440p but I definitely don't own one because of the price.  Honestly, I think 1080p is fine for most users at this point and the market reflects that, since so many more 1080p displays are offered compared to 1440p.  I would go with a nice 1080p IPS display like the ASUS PA248Q if you want features like pivot, height adjustment, tilt, and swivel or you could go with the ASUS MX239H.  That latter one has only tilt but it also features an ultra-slim bezel which I find very appealing.

[Cosmos_i7]

The 550W should be fine with the 770.  You'll have some headroom to OC the CPU slightly but if you want to push or upgrade your system in the future, I would recommend a 650W unit. 

I prefer 1440p but I definitely don't own one because of the price.  Honestly, I think 1080p is fine for most users at this point and the market reflects that, since so many more 1080p displays are offered compared to 1440p.  I would go with a nice 1080p IPS display like the ASUS PA248Q if you want features like pivot, height adjustment, tilt, and swivel or you could go with the ASUS MX239H.  That latter one has only tilt but it also features an ultra-slim bezel which I find very appealing.

Thanks. I will most likely go with 1080p. The funny thing is those are the exact two monitors I was looking at. I really like them both, but i dislike the bulkiness of the Pa238q. Also the mx239h was a good option but it only has hdmi. Is that bad instead of DVI? Will there be a significant difference. Anyway this is all in the future for now but it's nice to be prepared. Thanks for your help!

[tk421]

Thanks. I will most likely go with 1080p. The funny thing is those are the exact two monitors I was looking at. I really like them both, but i dislike the bulkiness of the Pa238q. Also the mx239h was a good option but it only has hdmi. Is that bad instead of DVI? Will there be a significant difference. Anyway this is all in the future for now but it's nice to be prepared. Thanks for your help!

 

I believe DVI has a higher throughput than HDMI but since the monitor is only 1080p, I don't think it will matter.  I've connected my monitor via HDMI and DVI and I couldn't notice any difference.

[Cosmos_i7]

I believe DVI has a higher throughput than HDMI but since the monitor is only 1080p, I don't think it will matter.  I've connected my monitor via HDMI and DVI and I couldn't notice any difference.

Ok thanks will go for the MX then. Should provide me with a nice experience without spending too much.

[ShadowRaven]

Here are My recommendations for your system

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1efH7

 

[Cosmos_i7]

482537-510175-800.jpg9.jpg10.jpg11-0.jpg482540-510175-800.jpgHere are My recommendations for your system

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/1efH7

The problem with that case is it looks like compromises have to be made with stuff like the CPU cooler, also it seems far more cramped than the prodigy. The motherboard isn't compatible with hackintosh builds though.