Hackintosh or Full Mac?

[theEmbark]

Here's the compiled list on PCPartPicker http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Kr2XK8.

I don't know how hard you are with your CPU... but when I was shopping for my setup I also picked up a fan for the CPU but finally wasn't able to get the one I wanted ....and my CPU (i7 4770K) finally arrived with a stock fan which does the job and is not noisy at all! So you could save a bit of money there too ...especially if overclocking the CPU is not in your plan.... ...also I don't use a dedicated GPU ..but I'm not a gamer.

And don't forget that part : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007GMPZ0A/ref ... cx86com-20

Thanks for the reply Jolaff,

I actually am a little ahead if the game because my PC has both a Wifi card and cooler I'm going to salvage. I most likely will be doing some overclocking on this machine. But I will add it to the list for a true running total

[Jolaff]

Good thing if you can use your "old" parts!

Also, there will probably be a couple of used Magic Keyboard, trackpad and mice on ebay since apple just released new ones....

[theEmbark]

Just an update to anyone following this:

After much contemplation and a bit of a budget increase I have decided to go with the 5820k. The reason being I am trying to future proof the machine and in the previous build I had already maxed the motherboard out on things like RAM and Cores.

Here is a link to the new build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z4CdK8

[Peevy2000]

Just an update to anyone following this:

After much contemplation and a bit of a budget increase I have decided to go with the 5820k. The reason being I am trying to future proof the machine and in the previous build I had already maxed the motherboard out on things like RAM and Cores.

Here is a link to the new build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z4CdK8

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I've been keeping an eye on this thread because I'm trying to decide between upgrading to an iMac 5k i7 or hackintosh. Ive been looking at the 5830k X99 combo too, pretty much the same spec as your build but according to everything I've read on all the main hackintosh sites, this can be pretty tricky to get right in comparison to most of the recommended builds. It's doable but can be a lot of work, just thought I'd give you a heads up.

I'm still not sure if I can be bothered with the hassle of getting OS X to work properly on a hackintosh, the build side of it doesn't bother me at all since I've built a few PCs before. I could make life a bit easier & go for strictly tried & tested parts but like yourself I'd prefer to future proof things a bit & have a machine I'm gonna be happy be with for 4 or 5 years instead of 1 or 2.

Then the other half of me is saying just pay the extra for the iMac that'll just work right out of the box.

[theEmbark]

Thanks for the reply Peevy,

Building a hackintosh definitely pays off in the end if you are up for the long nights of frustration troubleshooting bugs and late nights on forums going back and forth trying to hash things out. The trouble of having to figure out issues as they come up and not being able to fall back on the manufacture. Those are the downsides of building a hackintosh... (as you mentioned in your post)

Macs are great. I personally love them and own a few. I also own my fair share of PC's (just use them for servers these days and a media pc). But Macs are super expensive and at the end of the day they don't make an iMac that I feel is powerful enough for my needs over the next 5 years. I have a pretty hefty IT background with time spent building customs PC's and time programming and designing for the web as well as building desktop applications. So for me this is a new challenge - something I am looking forward to. Being able to customize my Mac without paying 10-12k for a Mac Pro.

I think that if you are on the fence between building or buying you should have a strong look into your budget. If your budget allows for you to buy then save yourself the headache. If you just can't swing it still look into your budget and see if you can get into an older mac or something. If you still can't and are up for the challenge build your own.

I hope this helps with your decision!
Kevin

P.s. Anyone own these Seagate hybrid drives? I've heard good things about them being quiet can anyone confirm?

[Peevy2000]

Thanks for the advice Kevin, it's much appreciated. I'll probably mull it over for a month or so, unfortunately I don't really have the budget but I could probably stretch to it if I really have to, this is why I've been considering a hackintosh. My 2012 i7 quad core Mac mini is actually still a wee beast but since my projects have been getting more Kontakt heavy 16gb RAM just isn't enough.

Please do keep us informed here on how you get on with the X99 build, if all goes well for you I might end up doing it myself.

[Peevy2000]

Just an update to anyone following this:

After much contemplation and a bit of a budget increase I have decided to go with the 5820k. The reason being I am trying to future proof the machine and in the previous build I had already maxed the motherboard out on things like RAM and Cores.

Here is a link to the new build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z4CdK8

Just bumping this to see if you got any further on with hackintosh build? I'm still on the fence & have actually been considering a refurbed 12 core 5,1 Mac Pro.

[theEmbark]

Hey Peevy,

I am liquidating some excess guitar gear to make this build affordable haha.

This is going to be the final build list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/theembark/saved/RwPCmG

Do you have a link to the 12 core you are looking at? Unless you really want to get into a custom computer I'd probably recommend the 12 core as long as it does what you need. This is going to be quite the project for me and if I was on the fence I don't think I'd be doing it honestly. I'm hoping to be done with eBay and what not by the end of the month and be done with this by the end of March. If you aren't in any hurry I'll be posting my progress once I get the build underway.

Best regards,
Kevin

[DrGonzo]

I'm always intrigued by people who build Hackintoshes and I've been on the fence many times myself - but I always chicken out in the end.

Macs are overpriced (or underspecced) for sure, but they are extremely solid. Last summer the graphics card in my iMac died. Apple took responsibility and repaired it without it costing me anything - and my iMac is almost five years old and I don't have any extended warranty. I doubt seeing that from Dell.

But I am sure a good builder can construct a Hackintosh that works pretty darn close to a real one.

Good luck!

/C

[Peevy2000]

Hey Peevy,

I am liquidating some excess guitar gear to make this build affordable haha.

This is going to be the final build list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/theembark/saved/RwPCmG

Do you have a link to the 12 core you are looking at? Unless you really want to get into a custom computer I'd probably recommend the 12 core as long as it does what you need. This is going to be quite the project for me and if I was on the fence I don't think I'd be doing it honestly. I'm hoping to be done with eBay and what not by the end of the month and be done with this by the end of March. If you aren't in any hurry I'll be posting my progress once I get the build underway.

Best regards,
Kevin

I see your still sticking with the the X99/5820K config. Your a brave one, I've been keeping an eye on this config. at Tonymac & I see a lot of people are having problems with it especially with El Capitan as the X99 mobos aren't supported at all (yet) by Apple.

I'd most likely be getting a custom 5,1 Mac Pro from Create.pro . I can get a 5,1 3.33Ghz 12 core with a 3 year guarantee from them for about £270 more than the cost of the i7 iMac 5K with ssd. Either that or a refurb from Macbank.co.uk for about the same price as the iMac. i have no problem with building a PC, I've done it a few times before but it's all the messing about with kext files etc. I don't really wan to get into. If the x99 board was a more straight forward hack I'd probably go for it since I'd like to have at least a 6 core CPU in my next computer, especially since the latest 10.2.1 update Logic is utilising multiple cores more evenly.

I might wait to see if apple have anything new coming in March. Good luck with the build.

[JONK]

Hey Peevy,

I am liquidating some excess guitar gear to make this build affordable haha.

This is going to be the final build list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/theembark/saved/RwPCmG

Do you have a link to the 12 core you are looking at? Unless you really want to get into a custom computer I'd probably recommend the 12 core as long as it does what you need. This is going to be quite the project for me and if I was on the fence I don't think I'd be doing it honestly. I'm hoping to be done with eBay and what not by the end of the month and be done with this by the end of March. If you aren't in any hurry I'll be posting my progress once I get the build underway.

Best regards,
Kevin

I see your still sticking with the the X99/5820K config. Your a brave one, I've been keeping an eye on this config. at Tonymac & I see a lot of people are having problems with it especially with El Capitan as the X99 mobos aren't supported at all (yet) by Apple.

I'd most likely be getting a custom 5,1 Mac Pro from Create.pro . I can get a 5,1 3.33Ghz 12 core with a 3 year guarantee from them for about £270 more than the cost of the i7 iMac 5K with ssd. Either that or a refurb from Macbank.co.uk for about the same price as the iMac. i have no problem with building a PC, I've done it a few times before but it's all the messing about with kext files etc. I don't really wan to get into. If the x99 board was a more straight forward hack I'd probably go for it since I'd like to have at least a 6 core CPU in my next computer, especially since the latest 10.2.1 update Logic is utilising multiple cores more evenly.

I might wait to see if apple have anything new coming in March. Good luck with the build.

That's the configuration that I tried. So far failing miserably. Going to try a different graphics card to see if that helps. In the meantime, the 2012 Mac Pro I bought from ibuildmacs.com is working nicely. If and when I get the Hackintosh working, I'll have to sell one of them.

[fmr]

I'm always intrigued by people who build Hackintoshes and I've been on the fence many times myself - but I always chicken out in the end.

Macs are overpriced (or underspecced) for sure, but they are extremely solid. Last summer the graphics card in my iMac died. Apple took responsibility and repaired it without it costing me anything - and my iMac is almost five years old and I don't have any extended warranty. I doubt seeing that from Dell.

But I am sure a good builder can construct a Hackintosh that works pretty darn close to a real one.

Good luck!

/C

Wow! Where did you went to get that repair? My iMac MoBo suddenly died last summer. The iMac is like three years old. Apple took no responsibility, and I had to pay for a full replacement. It was almost half the price of a new similarly spec'd iMac. I wish they acted like that to me.

[DrGonzo]

I'm always intrigued by people who build Hackintoshes and I've been on the fence many times myself - but I always chicken out in the end.

Macs are overpriced (or underspecced) for sure, but they are extremely solid. Last summer the graphics card in my iMac died. Apple took responsibility and repaired it without it costing me anything - and my iMac is almost five years old and I don't have any extended warranty. I doubt seeing that from Dell.

But I am sure a good builder can construct a Hackintosh that works pretty darn close to a real one.

Good luck!

/C

Wow! Where did you went to get that repair? My iMac MoBo suddenly died last summer. The iMac is like three years old. Apple took no responsibility, and I had to pay for a full replacement. It was almost half the price of a new similarly spec'd iMac. I wish they acted like that to me.

By an official Apple retailer - I think I was lucky (if that's the right word for it) that failing graphics cards on that model were/is pretty common. That weirdly enough seem to be common with lots of Apple models these days. That's pretty much the only reason why I would try going the Hackintosh route - all Apple computers are so integrated and dumbed down that you are deep in it if something goes wrong.

/C

[theEmbark]

Hey guys,

I haven't posted on this thread in a while. Been pooling resources and thinking over my options for my build. I posted a question about how Logic Pro uses cores which made me rethink my direction. I was already contemplating a Xeon chip but this post pretty much sold me.

I hope it's okay to link to another forum. It has the 2 choices I am looking at. Basically a super computer or a refurb Mac with some upgrades.

https://www.logicprohelp.com/forum/view ... 13#p632013

Hope this helps someone. As I get started I'll post periodic updates.

Thanks again for all the help,
Kevin

[Daags]

Kevin, choose whats best for you. But I selfishly hope you'll go the super computer hackintosh route