Hello all,
I am new to the Hackintosh realm, but have recently gotten very excited about the possibilities. I am currently planning on doing my first build, but I am having a hard time making sure all my components will work together.
My intended use for my build will be as my primary desktop, mainly used for web surfing, powerpoint presentations, Tidal listening. Additional considerations include that I will not have immediate access to an ethernet port in its permanent location (but will for its setup) and relative ease of implantation as this will be my first build. I do not plan on any significant gaming, but would like the ability to do some basic photo and video editing in the future. I would like to use two displays, one 27 in Samsung 591 monitor I already have and ideally my old 2009 iMac in target display mode.
My overall goal budget is around 700. Basically, I'd like a functional desk top for less than the base Mac Mini with improved memory and the ability to swap out parts. Plus, I think this will be a fun project and hobby and an opportunity to learn more about computing and programming. I am a physician without much programming experience, but with helpful friend/family and boards like this, I think I have what it takes to tinker for years to come with this fun hobby.
I planned on using the gigabyte Z370N WiFi motherboard because of its feature set and reported ease of implementation. For my processor, my plans were to use the i3 8100 (unless compelling reasons dictate an upgrade to i5). I planned on 16 GB of Crucial Ballistix Sport Ram at 2400. And I would ideally like to use a 970 Samsung EVO 500 GB SSD for speed and future-proofing.
I have four main questions:
- What WiFi card will I need to ensure good speed (I have >800 MB/S coming into the house - overkill I know) and compatibility with Mojave?
- I purchased this card (Broadcom BCM94352Z DW1560), but recently saw a post that suggested another Broadcom card from MacBook Air (BCM943). Or, should I use something like the Fenvi FV-T919 for my wireless/bluetooth capability? I plan on having one M2 PCIe slot occupied (and please correct me if I'm misunderstanding something here with my motherboard) - I could spare one (I think), as long as my case (NZXT Manta) can accommodate.
- Will I be able to use two displays without a dedicated graphics card? If not with the i3, could I with the i5? I would prefer not to have to plug the monitor in after starting the computer each time, but could in the interim if the only alternative is a 200 graphics card because I'm at the limits of my budget as is.
- But just so I know, what budget graphics card would you recommend for someone who doesn't do much gaming, just primarily working on presentations with the convenience of two displays? I've read it should be an AMD card instead of NVIDIA, but otherwise know little. Also, can you still use target display mode with this build? Or do I just need a new monitor ?
- Is there anything I need to worry about using the Samsung 970 EVO for a fresh install? Do I need to have an additional SATA SSD handy? Or will a USB boot copy work to start the process?
- I have an old HDD from my laptop I switched out recently in an enclosure with USB 2.0. Would this work to get things started, or will the Samsung work out of the box? Or is this just a hassle without much benefit and I should stick to the 860 2.5" SATA drive and go from there?
- How is the DAC on the gigabyte motherboard? Looks like a pretty awesome piece of hardware. I just bought a topping d10 DAC to pair with my new JDS Labs Atom Amp - both of which I'm excited about. But if I don't need the DAC, I could always bring it back and use that to invest in the build. I use fairly easygoing HiFi Man 400ei headphones.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this long post. I have learned a lot over the past few days as I started to go down this road, but keep getting stuck in thought loops for the questions above, so I figured I would put it to the experts to set me straight. This is all very exciting, I want to do it all at once but since one of the ideal parts about this project is the modular nature of the result, I am trying to temper my excitement a bit.
PS
Below is my part picker list, which I tried to compile to hackintosh compliance with this website's buying guide (I made sure to access the sales sites through the site links here - thank you very much for putting this together)
PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/y8BxCb
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/y8BxCb/by\_merchant/
CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370N WIFI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($153.42 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($64.99 @ Adorama)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($64.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($117.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - Manta (White/Black) Mini ITX Desktop Case (Purchased For $85.98)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $19.99)
Other: Broadcom BCM94352Z DW1560 802.11AC 867Mbps Bluetooth 4.0 WIFI Card f Hackintosh (Purchased For $40.00)
Total: $662.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-26 22:42 EST-0500
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