Cindori Custom: Building an i7 Hackintosh

[GMink]

Nope... 3dmark06. But... a little bit different video card setup than my original 9800 gt oc...

That score was with 2 4870's in crossfire.

Unfortunately the fan on the 2nd card runs WIDE OPEN the entire time I'm in OS X... and I'm there more than win 7... so have pulled one card and am going to sell that off as well as my Sparkle 9800 GT OC.

I still get a somewhat respectable 18409 with a single card.

LOL

That makes more sense I get around 18,900 with a singe HD4870

I had 2x running in crossfire but like you said the second one just sits there and makes noise in OSX (a lot of noise) and I could never get the second one to work at all in SL.

I have a feeling that by June-July we should see a HD58xx in the lineup from Apple

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Another small update:

Replaced the stock Corsair H50 fan with a pair of Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1450 fans, in push-pull exhaust configuration, and it has dropped the load temperatures down by almost 10C
The Corsair fan was not loud as such but had a certain tone, the pair of GTs are now totally silent in operation. All I can hear now is the Radeon 4870 fan spinning away so that will be next on my hit-list...

Did you switch it around when you went to push-pull to exhaust out the back or still go with Corsairs pull in from the back install? I replaced one of my 2 cooler masters with a Scythe S-Flex fan... I switched mine around to blow out the back when I changed the fan and am seeing decent temps... under full load my peak has been 71 c.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

LOL

That makes more sense I get around 18,900 with a singe HD4870

I had 2x running in crossfire but like you said the second one just sits there and makes noise in OSX (a lot of noise) and I could never get the second one to work at all in SL.

I have a feeling that by June-July we should see a HD58xx in the lineup from Apple

No doubt.. the card never runs the fan that high even under heavy 3d load. OS X just put's it in wide open and man was that loud!!!

That would be awesome... will definitely pick up a 5870 when that time comes! We should be close to the performance of a 4870 crossfire rig with a single card with less heat and less current pull.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

So all of my parts arrived today and as I was watching sn0le's hackintosh videos, I was wondering two things.

1) Is Empire EFI a better install method than kakewalk?

2) For my notcua NH-D14 cooler, should I be using different thermal paste than the one that comes with it. Sn0le uses the stock cooler with the i7 920, but chooses to scrape off the paste on the stock cooler and use the Artic thermal paste.

2x on question #1... I still have no sound in OS X with my GA-X58A-UD3R, wondering if a different EFI/install method might help.

 

[GMink]

2x on question #1... I still have no sound in OS X with my GA-X58A-UD3R, wondering if a different EFI/install method might help.

This should work http://www.kexts.com/view/334-binary_patched_applehda.kext_for_alc889.html

 

[tag1]

I'm thinking about going with the H50 vs the megahalums I'm running now. I don't think it will improve temps but I know it should be much quieter for the same OC.

Hey Gmink if you give me a couple of days after I build my system I can give you a review on how quiet the NH-D14 is. It is rated at 19db and is known to be one of the quietest coolers on the market.

Techinical questions for you guys: I opened the NH-D14 while checking out all my ordered parts (haven't had time to build yet) and there are smudges on the bottom of the heatsink at the site of the heat transfer square area (don't know what to call it). Is this a problem at all and what is the best way to clean it?
I imagine that because it is just transferring heat it shouldn't be an issue, but I want to make sure before I build. My guess is that these are just fingerprints, but it is brand new so I am not sure.

 

[GMink]

Hey Gmink if you give me a couple of days after I build my system I can give you a review on how quiet the NH-D14 is. It is rated at 19db and is known to be one of the quietest coolers on the market.

Thanks, it's one of the best on the market too.

I'm pretty happy with my setup right now anyway, just gets loud under load. At idle it doesn't make any noise at all.

So I read that you have all your stuff delivered! congrats! now put it all together and enjoy

 

[tag1]

What is the best way to ground yourself to avoid static buildup without a wrist band? Unfortunately, the only room where I can build my computer is carpeted and I will be working on a ping pong table.

Would rolling out a plastic mat to stand on help?

 

[thedarkhorse]

2x on question #1... I still have no sound in OS X with my GA-X58A-UD3R, wondering if a different EFI/install method might help.

what method did you use? I used kakewalk with the same motherboard and it was as simple as installing osx on a mac, and everything worked instantly(including sound - analog and digital). The only thing I needed to install extra was the ati 4870 driver which is included with kakewalk.

 

[Rankrotten]

Did you switch it around when you went to push-pull to exhaust out the back or still go with Corsairs pull in from the back install? I replaced one of my 2 cooler masters with a Scythe S-Flex fan... I switched mine around to blow out the back when I changed the fan and am seeing decent temps... under full load my peak has been 71 c.

Originally I had one original Corsair fan sucking out the back of the case and getting high temps of 78-79C, two Scythe GTs top out at 68-69C. My overclock is a "quick and dirty" one and therefore may be running too much voltage and thus heat from the CPU but I'm happy with 68C flat out.

 

[fhall1]

What is the best way to ground yourself to avoid static buildup without a wrist band? Unfortunately, the only room where I can build my computer is carpeted and I will be working on a ping pong table.

Would rolling out a plastic mat to stand on help?

Look online, go to Cyberguys (or wherever has the best deal) and spend $5 or so on an ESD wristband that clips to the case.

A plastic mat won't be any better than your carpet - perhaps worse - the stray electrons from your carpet will simply ride all over the plastic surface, onto you, onto whatever you touch. If you don't have a wristband, try to stand in one place once you get to your assembly area (don't shuffle your feet around) and make sure you touch a metal part of the case before you touch any sensitive components (CPU, memory, motherboard).

 

[Tom Sawyer]

This should work http://www.kexts.com/view/334-binary_patched_applehda.kext_for_alc889.html

Gave that a try and still no joy... get the "No output devices found" under Sound Preferences.

System Profiler does see the Intel Hi Definition Audio though.

 

[Rankrotten]

Gave that a try and still no joy... get the "No output devices found" under Sound Preferences.

System Profiler does see the Intel Hi Definition Audio though.

This will get your sound working, you have the same type of board and sound chip as me (X58A, ALC889)...

If system profiler is showing your Intel Hi Definition Audio as Audio ID:889 then your DSDT is correctly configured. Download this file: Audio Kexts. Place LegacyHDA in /Extra and AppleHDA in System/Library/Extensions rebuild kext permissions and caches and you should have sound on reboot.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

This will get your sound working, you have the same type of board and sound chip as me (X58A, ALC889)...

If system profiler is showing your Intel Hi Definition Audio as Audio ID:889 then your DSDT is correctly configured. Download this file: Audio Kexts. Place LegacyHDA in /Extra and AppleHDA in System/Library/Extensions rebuild kext permissions and caches and you should have sound on reboot.

Thanks for the help and link... unfortunately the file seems to be unavailable. I'll try to hunt the files down on the net in the mean time...

Thanks again!

 

[GMink]

What is the best way to ground yourself to avoid static buildup without a wrist band? Unfortunately, the only room where I can build my computer is carpeted and I will be working on a ping pong table.

Would rolling out a plastic mat to stand on help?

Take your shoes off, barefoot!

be sure to touch the metal on the case while you insert the cpu and handle the mb and memory.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

This will get your sound working, you have the same type of board and sound chip as me (X58A, ALC889)...

If system profiler is showing your Intel Hi Definition Audio as Audio ID:889 then your DSDT is correctly configured. Download this file: Audio Kexts. Place LegacyHDA in /Extra and AppleHDA in System/Library/Extensions rebuild kext permissions and caches and you should have sound on reboot.

Ah this may be the issue... in Sys Profiler my Audio ID is showing as 888 not 889. I think this specific board, GA-X58A-UD3R has the 888 not the 889. Will keep at it but looks like quite a few others have issues with getting the sound to work on this particular board. Bummer. But... onboard sound is typically less than great... I may just do so searching for a decent PCIe sound card that is natively supported.

 

[Rankrotten]

Ah this may be the issue... in Sys Profiler my Audio ID is showing as 888 not 889. I think this specific board, GA-X58A-UD3R has the 888 not the 889.

Sorry, my mistake. I thought you had the X58A-UD7, a close cousin to my X58A-UD5. The UD3 has a different sound chip.

 

[Shademaster]

Hi Guys!

Back again.

I am currently building my SECOND Hackintosh! The first one was such a succes that I decided to buy almost exactly the same spec again. I am also going to put the first hackintosh into it's G5 case this weekend .

I am running into a kind of nasty problem though.

I bought an Asus EAH 4870 DK/HTD/qGD5/A that will NOT run in OSX 10.6.2. I am using the legacy4800 kext and tried EVO enabler but no luck.

The rest of the machine is this spec:

-GB UD-5a X58
-12GB Ram corsair MX3 1600mhz DDR3
-1TB samsung spinpoint F3 7200 rpm
-i7 920
-Corsair H50 watercooling (much better than the thermaltake extreme ninja superduper aircool unit that is bigger than a freaking macmini)

I cloned the original Hackintosh drive onto the new disk and checked on the first machine if everything worked and it did so fine .

As soon as I put the ATI 4870 in my machine it stops working as soon as OSX starts up. It works during startup and boot sequence but not when OSX is booting. The fan also stops working and it runs extremely hot!

I have been battling these issues all day long now and I cannot find a fix. I tried the insanely mac forum and found no such problems. I bought this 4870 so I was at least a bit more sure it would work than my now perfectly functioning 4890 that is not for sale anymore .

If there is anyone that is willing to help I would be forever grateful. Is there also some sort of compatibility list for these 4870's in hackintoshes because I don't want to buy a WRONG one again if I have to return it!

Thanks again!

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Sorry, my mistake. I thought you had the X58A-UD7, a close cousin to my X58A-UD5. The UD3 has a different sound chip.

No worries... this is not looking too good really... I think I'm going to call it a fail and just pick up a card. Good excuse to upgrade from the onboard sound! Anyone have any recommendations on a PCIe Sound Card that is OS X friendly?

She is, however SMOKING fast!!

Specs:

Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R
i7 920 @ 4.00 Ghz
12gb DDR3-1600 Corsair @ 1600 Mhz
Diamond Ati 4870 1gb (slightly OC'd, not the best OC'ers)
Corsair Hydro series H50 - push-pull config exhausting out the back
CoolerMaster CM690 II
OCZ 600 watt ModXStream-Pro
100GB OWC Mercury Extreme Enterprise SATA SSD

 

[Phantom Gremlin]

Look online, go to Cyberguys (or wherever has the best deal) and spend $5 or so on an ESD wristband that clips to the case.

That's good advice. When I work in a non-ESD safe environment (e.g. my home), I also clip my wristband to a part of a computer case that I know is grounded. This isn't quite as good as also wearing a dissipative smock, etc., but the odds are 99%+ that you won't damage anything by using just the wristband.

However, I'll go further. With the "new fangled" computers and power supplies (of about the last 10 or 20 years ), a computer is rarely completely "off". So I plug the case into a power strip that's been switched off. This keeps the ground connection intact, but keeps the computer from accidentally powering up. And it also keeps you from causing damage if you happen to contact circuitry that is still active while the box is in standby. If I had a nickel for every time I got sparks while working on a box that was nominally powered off ... I might have a dollar or two.

 

[tag1]

Take your shoes off, barefoot!

be sure to touch the metal on the case while you insert the cpu and handle the mb and memory.

That's good advice. When I work in a non-ESD safe environment (e.g. my home), I also clip my wristband to a part of a computer case that I know is grounded. This isn't quite as good as also wearing a dissipative smock, etc., but the odds are 99%+ that you won't damage anything by using just the wristband.

However, I'll go further. With the "new fangled" computers and power supplies (of about the last 10 or 20 years ), a computer is rarely completely "off". So I plug the case into a power strip that's been switched off. This keeps the ground connection intact, but keeps the computer from accidentally powering up. And it also keeps you from causing damage if you happen to contact circuitry that is still active while the box is in standby. If I had a nickel for every time I got sparks while working on a box that was nominally powered off ... I might have a dollar or two.

So I currently do not have an ESD wristband. Is it really worth the wait to have one delivered?

 

[nanofrog]

So I currently do not have an ESD wristband. Is it really worth the wait to have one delivered?

It's not a bad thing to have, but it's not absolutely critical either.

The easy way to manage for now, is to leave the power cord plugged in the wall and PSU's IEC socket (assuming the grounds are all connected; some residential wiring may not be, if it's pre-code requirements, such as mid-late 1950's or older that's not been updated - general idea, as local codes may have forced it earlier than national code). Just keep one hand (or any other bare skin) on the metal portion of the case, and you're grounded at all times, just as you would be wearing an ESD wrist strap.

 

[Transporteur]

So I currently do not have an ESD wristband. Is it really worth the wait to have one delivered?

Personally I think wristbands are completely overrated.
I've been building and servicing computers for more than 10 years now, and I never had a problem with static loads, even if the machines were serviced on a carpet.

The only thing I do is to touch the case while the machine is switched off and still plugged into the socket. That should well release any static from the body.
I then plug out the power cord and start working.

 

[nanofrog]

Personally I think wristbands are completely overrated.
I've been building and servicing computers for more than 10 years now, and I never had a problem with static loads, even if the machines were serviced on a carpet.

The only thing I do is to touch the case while the machine is switched off and still plugged into the socket. That should well release any static from the body.
I then plug out the power cord and start working.

The only thing I use ESD straps for, is assembling bare PCB's (no ground attached at that point to protect the components).

 

[tag1]

So I called up my friend and it turned up he had one so i borrowed it. So I just wear it on my wrist, attach it to the computer case, and go about normally? I will be working on carpet, without socks.