$400 Hackintosh rig with 10.5.4

[dmw16]

I assume only certain 9800GTX's will work?

Any word on where there might be support for the newer cores?

 

[fyleow]

..

 

[DW in UT]

New possibility for a "Hack Mini" coming soon from Shuttle.

http://www.smartplanet.com/new...hts-with-low-power.htm

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10023036-1.html

Seems to use the new Atom chip, which worked nicely with osx86 on the Intel boards, so this may as well. Not sure on the onboard video, though. Seems to be GMA 950 (same as recent Mac Minis) which would be promising. Possible available in Sept, price unknown so far.

-------------------

edited to add specs from Shuttle's own forum:

http://us.shuttle.com/scgforum...=678&mpage=1&key=&#678

 

[mshan]

I read that the 1.6 gHz Atom is about equivalent to an 800 mHz Pentium M (?)

Is this enough power (single core, too) to run Leopard smoothly?

(I would be particularly interested in Core Audio and Core Video, as my audio device would be an Apogee Duet, and I would like to run the Front Row Interface full screen 1920 x 1080 on something like a Samsung LN46A550)

 

[DW in UT]

Originally posted by: mshan
I read that the 1.6 gHz Atom is about equivalent to an 800 mHz Pentium M (?)
Is this enough power (single core, too) to run Leopard smoothly?

There are several threads at the other main message board on hackintosh-ology (?) about the ease with which the Atom/intel board combo works. (In the Wind, the Asus EEE, and in custom built systems using the $80 Atom/IntelBoard combo.) And dual Atom chips are said to be coming soon, but I don't know if current boards will take them as simple upgrades.

No, it is not anywhere near the leading edge of performance. The point with this one, to me, is the compactness. The entire computer box can now be smaller than my first external hard drive was 8 years ago. That's why it is comparable to a Mac Mini, not a Mac Pro. Different systems for different needs and different users. Not everyone needs or wants cutting edge. Some put a higher priority on size, style, ease of install, etc.

Might work even better (faster) with 10.4.x than with 10.5.x, but reports do indicate good results out of the box with 10.5.x.

 

[KeypoX]

someone please get the ati 4850 working please!

 

[leglez]

I am finally about to get back into the hackintosh. I gave up on the 9800 GX2. I am in the process of trading it and $110 for (2) 8800 GTs with a warranty till 2011, and a Raptor X with a warranty till 2013. I can then sell the 8800GT to a friend to make my money back.

 

[Zaap]

I'm sure Steve Jobs will have the 2008 vintage ATI and nVidia cards ready just in time for the MacPro 2010.

 

[KeypoX]

Originally posted by: Zaap
I'm sure Steve Jobs will have the 2008 vintage ATI and nVidia cards ready just in time for the MacPro 2010.

yeah prob which sucks... also there is word that the driver is in 10.5.5 update. But it hasnt worked yet with the alpha versions

 

[Case10]

$27 - 256mb Zotac Fanless 7300GT 16x PCI Express Video Card - is no longer available on newegg.com

Time for a September 2008 edition?

Also, is there any reason you didn't go with a drive like the:

Pioneer Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 32X CD-RW 40X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827129023

...instead of the $30 - 20x Lite-on DVD burner with LightScribe

BTW, writing this post from my $900 HackBook Pro (HP dv9700t). Vanilla install, works perfect except for sleep.

PS Anyone have a HP dv6700t variant that has sound working OOB? If so, which sound chip is it using? Where can I find a list of sound chips that work OOB?

 

[mshan]

I think OP likes the LightScribe function.

I just bought the Pioneer 216 and it is awesome, and to my eyes, it seems to produce a better picture (less jitter?) than the Pioneer 215 I also recently bought. A thread over at SPCR says they think it is also significantly quieter. CD Freaks seem to prefer the 215, but I think this is because the firmware is more mature and reliable with current dual layer DVDR.

I got each Pioneer for $30 shipped and that seems to be about as low as they go (I think they are built to a higher price point than Sony NEC Optiarc 7200 series, which also uses the highly regarded NEC chipset):
Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7200S - $24 shipped today
Pioneer DVR-216 - $30 shipped seems to be a very competitive price for this particular drive

edit: nice cheap combined Sata power/data cable: Link

 

[Zaap]

The Lite-on from the OP is SATA, vs the Pioneer being IDE.

Personally, I prefer to keep everything SATA on my builds these days, unless I need more than 2 SATA hard drives. That said, just about any decent optical drive of either type should work fine. I've had no problem using IDE or SATA models from Lite-on, Pioneer, Sony, LG or Samsung. (This of course, assuming the board used has no problems with the IDE controller and OSX, as some motherboard types do.)

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Case10
$27 - 256mb Zotac Fanless 7300GT 16x PCI Express Video Card - is no longer available on newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...033&Tpk=zotac%207300gt

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: mshan
I think OP likes the LightScribe function.

Yup -

1. $30
2. SATA
3. Lightscribe
4. Dual-Layer
5. 20x DVD burner
6. 100% Mac compatibility

I use them in all of my builds for those reasons. Lightscribe is just an added benefit

 

[fyleow]

..

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: fyleow
If you are using a 45 nm chip like suggested in this thread you must install a non vanilla kernel or switch from PC-EFI to Chameleon

Details here

Awesome, thanks for the link!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Case10
Time for a September 2008 edition?

Got a special September edition planned out. Look for it in a week or so

 

[leglez]

Well I am back up and running. I got a 150GB Raptor X last night and took the 9800GX2 out and went ahead and started installing everything again with the 7300GT. Everything is running perfect again and with the raptor and 8GBs of RAM it boots at around 10 seconds. I traded the 9800GX2 for 2 8800s and some extras. So I am just going to use the 8800 in it until there is support for something like the 9800GX2 or HD 4870.

 

[ColdFusion718]

Originally posted by: leglez
Well I am back up and running. I got a 150GB Raptor X last night and took the 9800GX2 out and went ahead and started installing everything again with the 7300GT. Everything is running perfect again and with the raptor and 8GBs of RAM it boots at around 10 seconds. I traded the 9800GX2 for 2 8800s and some extras. So I am just going to use the 8800 in it until there is support for something like the 9800GX2 or HD 4870.

Wow! Is that from the time you press the power button until it gets to the desktop? I have to turn off AHCI otherwise it won't boot. It takes about 20 seconds from power on to desktop for me. I'm using a Q6600 CPU with 8 GB of ram.

 

[leglez]

No that is from the time the logo pops up till the desktop loads. It is total around 20-30 seconds from the time I press the power button.

 

[scootermaster]

Is there a September/HTPC recipe coming soon? I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a new system.

Random question: What's the cheapest/coolest/quietest (i.e. passive cooling) CUDA-enabled GPU that's Hackintosh compatible? I believe anything 8000 series will support CUDA. Doesn't need to do anything for games.

 

[Psycho Donut Killer]

The suspense is killing me. As soon as the new thread is posted I am ordering components for my first Hackintosh.

 

[Zaap]

Unless you want to wait for an i7 (Nehalem) based system, I'm not sure all that much has changed, PDK.

 

[scootermaster]

Originally posted by: Zaap
Unless you want to wait for an i7 (Nehalem) based system, I'm not sure all that much has changed, PDK.

Yeah, I know. I'm still looking for the following, hoping for some advice:

- Best bang for the buck processor, with no overclocking needed (i.e., cool, so likely some sort of 45nm C2D)
- Good mobo with rock-solid compatibility
- Fanless/quiet GPU that supports CUDA (8000 series and above, no gaming really needed)

That's about it. That, and someone to buy my old system.

Also, hackintosh dual-booting is a pain, right?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: scootermaster
Is there a September/HTPC recipe coming soon? I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a new system.

September guide is a laptop, going to see if 10.5.5 comes out before releasing it, if not soon then I'll just go ahead with the 10.5.4 method.

HTPC guide is just waiting on Plex to get out of beta