Hello all,
Thankful for this community, I've been digging through the board in preparation for putting together my first Hackintosh build and researching similar builds and would love some thoughts on the parts I'm currently looking at. Apologies for the lengthy post.
Background
This will be the second time I've built a computer -- I built a PC a number of years ago so though I'm not a novice I am by no means a pro. I do consider myself tech savvy and have been familiarizing myself with the (thankfully thorough) OpenCore tutorials.
Current Setup & Needs
I'm looking to build a reliable and (relatively) stable Hackintosh build for daily Premiere Pro video editing and After Effects work.
I'm currently working on a 2016 Macbook Pro + Vega 56 eGPU which I would theoretically keep around for emergencies or (currently non-existent) on location edit gigs. For this system I've been using a proxy workflow in Premiere for my consistent (typically 4K to 8K RED footage) edit gigs which I have no qualms with, however obviously there's a bottleneck when I need to relink full resolution footage for color and export. I typically work off of Lacie Rugged Thunderbolt 3 drives or off the laptop's internal SSD.
I've been doing slightly more 3D/compositing work in After Effects (no Cinema4D as of yet but would like the option to learn in the future), but typically the After Effects work I do is mostly 2D graphics.
My professional work is typically split 40% Premiere, 40% After Effects, and then 20% Bridge, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
This Hackintosh build is also in line with a recent 4K camera upgrade (Sony FX6). Primarily shooting documentary films so will be amassing relatively large amounts of 4K Pro Res HQ/RAW footage which I would love to be able to scrub through and organize quickly (preferably without transcoding to proxies). I will be using an external storage solution for footage but, as you'll see in the parts list, am thinking of using 3 internal ssds for the build: 1) OS/Apps 2) Active Project Files/Media 3) Media Cache.
I am currently still on Mojave 10.14.6 on my Macbook Pro -- there were some Adobe compatibility scares when Catalina was first announced so I didn't bother to upgrade. For the new Hackintosh build I would be looking to start on the most recent stable version of Catalina. I would first upgrade my Macbook Pro to Catalina to double check to see if my Adobe apps work.
Questions
In my work I have not yet needed to boot into Windows for any reason. I do not game (aside from Civilization from time to time). Does it make sense to still have the Windows Dual Boot option available?
I am looking at this as an investment in my work and would like something that I could reliably use for a number of years. With that said, I am willing to hold off on this build if there are any upcoming hardware/software announcement that I'm unaware that could potentially affect the build. Upcoming GPU/CPU releases?
I've read that 32GB of RAM is the cost/performance sweet spot, but wanted thoughts on if I'll see noticeable performance gains relative to cost in going with 64GB
I currently have an external 10GB drive for Time Machine which I plug in from time-to-time to sync. Would it make sense to just add a HDD to the build and have that sync internally?
Though I am familiarizing myself with the initial OpenCore installation and build process, I am still slightly confused about what happens when I will need to/want to upgrade hardware or OS. If I do decide to upgrade the OS, software, or a piece of hardware, what does the process look like for updating my EFI and kexts? I am assuming that with Hackintoshes that nothing is truly "plug and play", however am wondering what the process actually looks like.
The Hackintosh Build
Here is a list of the parts I'm currently looking at. I am wondering if there are any red flags I should be aware of in terms of compatibility or if there are any other options I should consider to maximize performance and longevity of the machine. I have been referencing tonymacx86's and Open Core's lists of recommended hardware. I would be happy with a build that came out to around $2000 but realistically would be happy to spend around $3000 for a build that will allow me to work efficiently.
I have decided on a mATX build purely because it will fit under my desk.
Monitor is TBD. Would love to keep using Apple Bluetooth peripherals.
Thanks in advance,
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/fHvG2V
CPU: Intel Core i9-10850K 3.6 GHz 10-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX Z490-G GAMING (WI-FI) Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 CL16 Memory
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (OS + Applications)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Media Cache)
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Active Projects/Media)
- Aware of the necessary firmware updates for these EVO Plus drives
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Wireless Network Adapter: fenvi FV-T919 PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter
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