Building a hackintosh...opinions?

[Eat Bass]

edit: disregard my question before. i returned the i5 processor and went with the i7 2600k. heres some pics of the builds minus the cpu and cpu cooler.

Case: Fractal Design R3 (with maximum number of fans)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z77 DS3H
CPU: Intel Ivy Bridge i7 2600k 3.6gHz quad core (not installed yet)
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling 13
GPU: EVGA Superclocked GTX 560
RAM: 8GB G.Skill Rip Jaws (will upgrade to 16GB in the future)
SSD: 128GB Crucial M4 Sata III
HDD: 1TB Hitachi Deskstar (will get a SSD for osx)
PSU: Thermaltake TR 750w
DVD: Sony Optiarc
Monitor: 24" Samsung LED

[wormcode]

Dunno about the processor question, but I'll say Logic and plugins run fine through virtual machines in Windows with much older specs than that, and not Intel. There's some latency, but it's gotten much better over the years. I'm sure a dedicated new machine with the software installed natively won't have much of a problem running Reason/Logic/Plugins.

[Eat Bass]

Dunno about the processor question, but I'll say Logic and plugins run fine through virtual machines in Windows with much older specs than that, and not Intel. There's some latency, but it's gotten much better over the years. I'm sure a dedicated new machine with the software installed natively won't have much of a problem running Reason/Logic/Plugins.

yeah im just having remorse thinking damn i just spent all this money on a new machine and skimped out on the processor a bit. not that the processor is a slouch or anything its a brand new generation mid/high end chip...but still.

hopefully someone who has had experience with both hyper threaded i7's and non hyper threaded i5's and using logic with many plugins or reason can give me some insight on the performance i can expect.

btw how do you guys think the desktop 3.3ghz quad core i5 chip i have listed will stack up against my 2.4ghz i7 quad core in my macbook pro? my macbook pro runs logic, reason, and as many plugins/tracks as i need without a hiccup and plenty of room for more.

[nowaysj]

Why build a second computer then? And how do u install sox if there are no install disks?

[this]

I'm running a hackintosh with similar specs, except my i5 is sandy bridge and I have a z68 motherboard. Imo the i5 is fine (at least for what I do), but I have it overclocked to 4.3ghz. Also, I think you can make logic more parallel by changing the way your project is layed out or something like that, I'll have to google that later. Oh, and I HIGHLY recommend getting an ssd, those things are the shit.

And how do u install sox if there are no install disks?

OS X Lion is pretty much download only, although you can buy a lion flash drive from apple. Most people download it and then use a tool from tonymacx86.com (great site btw) called Unibeast to make a bootable 10.7 USB with chameleon and the other stuff you need to get to the installer.

[Eat Bass]

Why build a second computer then? And how do u install sox if there are no install disks?

because im using it for gaming too and i just like to have a home machine vs being on a laptop all the time.

I'm running a hackintosh with similar specs, except my i5 is sandy bridge and I have a z68 motherboard. Imo the i5 is fine (at least for what I do), but I have it overclocked to 4.3ghz. Also, I think you can make logic more parallel by changing the way your project is layed out or something like that, I'll have to google that later. Oh, and I HIGHLY recommend getting an ssd, those things are the shit.

And how do u install sox if there are no install disks?

OS X Lion is pretty much download only, although you can buy a lion flash drive from apple. Most people download it and then use a tool from tonymacx86.com (great site btw) called Unibeast to make a bootable 10.7 USB with chameleon and the other stuff you need to get to the installer.

so im assuming you have the k version? btw is there any way that i can install lion on my hackintosh without re buying snow leopard and lion? i sold my old macbook and included the snow leopard disk. now i have a new macbook pro but with no install disk. will i have to buy snow leopard and lion again? or is there a way i can get by with only buying 1 again or preferably none? let me know if ya have any info on this. thx.

[this]

Yeah, I have the i5-2500k. You don't need snow leopard to install lion, I just bought Lion in the App Store and used Unibeast. Since you're getting an Ivy Bridge CPU you might want to read up on the situation with those if you haven't already. Afaik all you need is a new kernel and something else if you're installing 10.7.4, I'd do a lot of reading on tonymac before starting, it saved me a ton of time in the long run.

[Depone]

mate, I i did say not to use ivy bridge, Its not supported by the community or by apple yet. (might be announced at apple WWDC soon though)

Also, your specs are more than enough to run big projects, but i personally would have gone for the i7 with 8 cores hyperthreading. Mine breaks logics benchmark test

As for installation, use your macbook, buy Lion from app store, then follow the instructions on tonymacx86.com to create the unibeast usb key for installation of osx on your hack.

[Eat Bass]

Yeah, I have the i5-2500k. You don't need snow leopard to install lion, I just bought Lion in the App Store and used Unibeast. Since you're getting an Ivy Bridge CPU you might want to read up on the situation with those if you haven't already. Afaik all you need is a new kernel and something else if you're installing 10.7.4, I'd do a lot of reading on tonymac before starting, it saved me a ton of time in the long run.

kk thx for the tip.

mate, I i did say not to use ivy bridge, Its not supported by the community or by apple yet. (might be announced at apple WWDC soon though)

Also, your specs are more than enough to run big projects, but i personally would have gone for the i7 with 8 cores hyperthreading. Mine breaks logics benchmark test

As for installation, use your macbook, buy Lion from app store, then follow the instructions on tonymacx86.com to create the unibeast usb key for installation of osx on your hack.

yeah i know depone but iv been seeing more and more ivy's up and running with little work so i went for it. though an i7 sandy bridge would have been more practical. but is it really worth ripping off my cooler and rma'ing it and waiting for a new one plus a 15% stocking fee? or should i just grab a i7 ivy when the prices drop in a year.

but for the installation...basically i have to buy lion again on my macbook and save the disk image on a usb drive? it doesn't require having snow leopard first? because some of the tutorials i have seen require snow leopard first.

also how big of a thumb drive will i need?

[Depone]

Yeah, I have the i5-2500k. You don't need snow leopard to install lion, I just bought Lion in the App Store and used Unibeast. Since you're getting an Ivy Bridge CPU you might want to read up on the situation with those if you haven't already. Afaik all you need is a new kernel and something else if you're installing 10.7.4, I'd do a lot of reading on tonymac before starting, it saved me a ton of time in the long run.

kk thx for the tip.

mate, I i did say not to use ivy bridge, Its not supported by the community or by apple yet. (might be announced at apple WWDC soon though)

Also, your specs are more than enough to run big projects, but i personally would have gone for the i7 with 8 cores hyperthreading. Mine breaks logics benchmark test

As for installation, use your macbook, buy Lion from app store, then follow the instructions on tonymacx86.com to create the unibeast usb key for installation of osx on your hack.

yeah i know depone but iv been seeing more and more ivy's up and running with little work so i went for it. though an i7 sandy bridge would have been more practical. but is it really worth ripping off my cooler and rma'ing it and waiting for a new one plus a 15% stocking fee? or should i just grab a i7 ivy when the prices drop in a year.

but for the installation...basically i have to buy lion again on my macbook and save the disk image on a usb drive? it doesn't require having snow leopard first? because some of the tutorials i have seen require snow leopard first.

also how big of a thumb drive will i need?

If you have purchased Lion from the app store, you dont need to buy it again. On any machine..

this explains all dude. Just google Unibeast
http://tonymacx86.blogspot.co.uk/2011/1 ... using.html

[Eat Bass]

Yeah, I have the i5-2500k. You don't need snow leopard to install lion, I just bought Lion in the App Store and used Unibeast. Since you're getting an Ivy Bridge CPU you might want to read up on the situation with those if you haven't already. Afaik all you need is a new kernel and something else if you're installing 10.7.4, I'd do a lot of reading on tonymac before starting, it saved me a ton of time in the long run.

kk thx for the tip.

mate, I i did say not to use ivy bridge, Its not supported by the community or by apple yet. (might be announced at apple WWDC soon though)

Also, your specs are more than enough to run big projects, but i personally would have gone for the i7 with 8 cores hyperthreading. Mine breaks logics benchmark test

As for installation, use your macbook, buy Lion from app store, then follow the instructions on tonymacx86.com to create the unibeast usb key for installation of osx on your hack.

yeah i know depone but iv been seeing more and more ivy's up and running with little work so i went for it. though an i7 sandy bridge would have been more practical. but is it really worth ripping off my cooler and rma'ing it and waiting for a new one plus a 15% stocking fee? or should i just grab a i7 ivy when the prices drop in a year.

but for the installation...basically i have to buy lion again on my macbook and save the disk image on a usb drive? it doesn't require having snow leopard first? because some of the tutorials i have seen require snow leopard first.

also how big of a thumb drive will i need?

If you have purchased Lion from the app store, you dont need to buy it again. On any machine..

this explains all dude. Just google Unibeast
http://tonymacx86.blogspot.co.uk/2011/1 ... using.html

i only have lion on my macbook pro, which came with it. so i believe i will still need to purchase lion from the app store still no?

[this]

If you have the Install Mac OS X Lion.app in your /Applications folder then you don't need to buy Lion again. You can use Ivy Bridge CPUs with BridgeHelper, but ymmv. Just do some research, research, and more research.

[VirtualMark]

Ivy Bridge doesn't overclock as much as Sandy Bridge, they get quite hot when you push them.

As far as i5 vs i7, it just comes down to future proofing. The i7 is a better chip, i've never managed to push mine past 70%. As software gets more multi threaded i expect having lots of cores(or virtual cores with hyperthreading) will become more relevant.

The i5 is still a good cpu tho, i'm sure it'll be fine for running tons of plugins.

[Depone]

Yeah the only problem with my hackintosh is the HDD is slowing the whole thing! Cant wait until SSD prices come down.

[Eat Bass]

yeah i guess i sort of boned myself with the cpu. i even contacted newegg to make an exchange but i guess they dont exchange cpu's...that was news to me

oh well i guess ill just run the i5 till prices come down.

[Attila]

Why would you change out an i5? At this point i7's are really a waste of money. My 2500k rarely dips over 20% on projects with upwards of 200 tracks...and that's without overclocking. I'd focus way more on hard drives and ram (unless you're running Live of course).

[Eat Bass]

actually after nicely talking to newegg and convincing them that im a valued customer they let me send back my i5. ill have an i7 2600k on order as soon as i get the refund. its just stupid to get an i5 when i know ill upgrade it in a year. at least with the unlocked i7 it will be good for at least a few years especially by overclocking, and they run cooler than ivy bridge.

heres the new build! evrything but the cpu and cooler are in right now because obviously im waiting for my refund...

[deadly_habit]

hyperthreading i tend to leave off as it interferes with most processes, be it gaming and especially when overclocking it can cause issues
osx works a bit weird so i'd hop on the hackintosh forums and double check
by the time i was done with my build and got things all working i was running win7 x64, slackware 64, and osx with my i7 940 OC to 3.1 ghz

btw your case looks like a mini fridge

[Eat Bass]

hyperthreading i tend to leave off as it interferes with most processes, be it gaming and especially when overclocking it can cause issues
osx works a bit weird so i'd hop on the hackintosh forums and double check
by the time i was done with my build and got things all working i was running win7 x64, slackware 64, and osx with my i7 940 OC to 3.1 ghz

btw your case looks like a mini fridge

yeah i know lol but its sexy as fuck and its got all sound dampening material on the insides and optional dampening over the fan holes but i decided to put fans. 3x 120mm intake, and 2x 140mm exhaust and 1x 120mm exhaust. so she should run pretty cool.

[deadly_habit]

yea i know how that goes, i just put a heatsink in that is technically bigger than my rack case, aka it bends the top a lil when all screwed together but brought the heat down by 20 degrees celsius so i'm glad to lose a rack space
haven't found the need for comp accoustic treatment, but i will say my omni mics pick up even the low noise from my fans due to rack being in proximity
how do they stack up noise wise vs heat?