Okay so I've been needing a new machine, and was going to by an i7/GTX780/FusionDrive iMac, which runs about $3000. I've known about Hackintoshes for a while, so then I figured, why not build a rig with better specs than the iMac which i can customize and tailor to my needs, and for cheaper. I am trying to keep the price low as I can but without compromising quality/specs. However, I am willing to spend more if some upgrades are worth their value (I mean, I was about to drop 3k+ on a computer lol). I'm trying to build a machine that will last me 5++ years before I'd need to upgrade parts. This will use Windows for gaming and Mavericks for work(design and music) and regular use.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $324.99 @ NCIX US |
| CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler | $74.99 @ Mwave |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $209.98 @ OutletPC |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $162.84 @ NCIX US |
| Storage | Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $182.79 @ OutletPC |
| Storage | Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | $182.79 @ OutletPC |
| Storage | Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $64.99 @ Newegg |
| Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card | $529.99 @ NCIX US |
| Case | Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition ATX Full Tower Case | $169.99 @ Newegg |
| Power Supply | Corsair Professional 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $129.99 @ Newegg |
| Optical Drive | LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer | $39.99 @ Newegg |
| Monitor | Asus MX299Q 29.0" Monitor 21:9 2560x1080 | $449.99 @ Newegg |
| Total | ||
| $2513.32 | ||
I'm actually buying all of these parts off Newegg but its the same price basically. I already own an LG 1920x1080 monitor so I may wait on the ultrawidescreen one so it's only about 2k upfront to get this beast running. I already have a good mouse (Logitech G500) and decent keyboard.
Some key points I am curious about.
If my research was correct, this CPU/MoBo/GPU is compatible for Hackintoshing? I know that the GTX780s are not yet fully officially supported by NVidia on Macs, but they still work, correct?
Is the CPU cooler necessary if I don't plan on overclocking? I'll probably end up overclocking in the future and surely buy the GPU cooler then, but saving $80 from the upfront is nice.
Is there any reason I should get the UD3H instead of the UD5H? I just need the HDMI and DisplayPorts, and they have similar number of USBs etc. Is there a better performance on the UD5H or does it just have more ports/expansion capabilties? UD3H is $50 cheaper.
Can I overclock these RAM and will they still work on Mavericks? Also, if I wanted to double my RAM later on, is installation/compatibility as simple as buying another set of 16gb and plugging them in?
On one SSD I'll install Mavericks, on the other Windows, the HDD is for backup/storage. The question I have is Windows 7 or 8? I'll use Windows purely for gaming, not regular use.
Ok so the GTX770 is about $200 cheaper. The GTX780Ti is about $200 more. The 780 will more than suffice for most modern games, as well as design apps. My question is, is there a bigger jump from 770>780 or 780>780Ti? I'm looking purely at value for my money here. I'll be running 21:9 2560x1080 with occasionally a second monitor at standard 1920x1080. I'll probably overclock the 21:9 to 120Hz at some point.
Estimated wattage on PCPP is 462W. This power supply should be more than enough even if I choose to add another GTX780 for SLI down the road? 850W is $50 more if it would be worth the upgrade.
Thanks for reading this wall of text haha :)
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