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The Merged Hackintosh Thread
- Thread starter ease718
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I finally got my hackintosh off the ground
Core i7 920
Gigabyte UD4P
6gb OCZ 1600Mhz DDR3
2x 640gb WD Caviar Black
OSes:
Snow Leopard 10.6.3
Windows 7 Ultimate 64
TinyXP
Backup Drive Seagate Baraccuda 1.5TB
Radeon ATI 3450 (only works at 1024x768 under osx just ordered 9500GT replacement)
Internet,Audio working.
I just got this all loaded and working last night. Im getting a geekbench 64 score of about 6500. I know there is alot more tweaking to be done as I see alot of people with my setup getting well over 10000. Just looking for a good starting point. any suggestions?
Core i7 920
Gigabyte UD4P
6gb OCZ 1600Mhz DDR3
2x 640gb WD Caviar Black
OSes:
Snow Leopard 10.6.3
Windows 7 Ultimate 64
TinyXP
Backup Drive Seagate Baraccuda 1.5TB
Radeon ATI 3450 (only works at 1024x768 under osx just ordered 9500GT replacement)
Internet,Audio working.
I just got this all loaded and working last night. Im getting a geekbench 64 score of about 6500. I know there is alot more tweaking to be done as I see alot of people with my setup getting well over 10000. Just looking for a good starting point. any suggestions?
I just got a hdmi cable long enough to reach from my hac to my tv. So far it is pure awesome. However, i cant seem to get audio to go through to my tv. My setup looks like this:
GTX-260's dvi port->dvi to hdmi adapter->hdmi cable->tv.
I know you can, in windows, pass audio through the dvi to a tv, but i haven't tested that yet. Im going to reboot as soon as i finish this post.
Is it possible to run audio through my 260 or will that just work in windows?
GTX-260's dvi port->dvi to hdmi adapter->hdmi cable->tv.
I know you can, in windows, pass audio through the dvi to a tv, but i haven't tested that yet. Im going to reboot as soon as i finish this post.
Is it possible to run audio through my 260 or will that just work in windows?
correct-eo. DVI doesnt support audio
speaking of hacks, im interested in making a media storage server + light folding machine + VNC/web/etc server. it would be a headless unit. i have a Fractal 8-bay case picked out, and will probably go with an i3-530, i want a low powered solution as its a server.
can anybody suggest a motherboard that will allow me a vanilla install? or isnt that possible with the i3 chipset?
It kinda does, but not officially. I had to run a cable tom the spdif header on my motherboard into my gtx260, which i hadnt had connected before. The card pretty much runs that spdif signal directly to the dvi port, no processing at all, and that can be adapted to HDMI with a div->hdmi cable or adapter.
In other words, it all works now.
So you have both audio and video going to your receiver by HDMI using a DVI to HDMI cable? That's pretty cool.
Yeah, i was playing NFS:Shift on my tv yesterday with just an hdmi cable going from my pc to my tv. My tv is only 720p, but the drop in resolution from my monitor to tv allows me to crank up all the gfx settings and it looks freaking gorgeous.
I read that it will only support 2.1 audio, but i cant test that because i dont have surround set up on that tv and i dont have a 50ft hdmi cable to run to my living room
I read that it will only support 2.1 audio, but i cant test that because i dont have surround set up on that tv and i dont have a 50ft hdmi cable to run to my living room
I had considered doing this... but I never really got good answers after looking through Insanely Mac and others.
This is probably breaking the rules for discussing the software over the pure hardware, but here it goes...
What's the best choice for installing 10.6?
As far as I'm aware the current OSX solutions are iAtkos, Kalway, etc. Except I know for a fact iAtkos v7 doesn't have 10.6, and then you get into a fun driver compatibility game.
Any tips or suggestions for a simple install?
This is probably breaking the rules for discussing the software over the pure hardware, but here it goes...
What's the best choice for installing 10.6?
As far as I'm aware the current OSX solutions are iAtkos, Kalway, etc. Except I know for a fact iAtkos v7 doesn't have 10.6, and then you get into a fun driver compatibility game.
Any tips or suggestions for a simple install?
My suggestion is to find a board that is readily usable with a vanilla install of Snow Leopard. That makes it very easy to install and update, plus the retail installer is only US$30 and you're supporting Apple to some degree.
I took a wire like this, which was in my gtx 260's box (i just ignored it when i built the pc because i didnt think of it)
and attached one end to the spdif header on my mobo (ga-ep45t-ud3lr) and the other to my card right next to the power plugs
I havent tested it in OSX yet, but in windows all i have to do is switch the audio output to the built-in spdif and it works great. spdif shows up in my Sound prefpane in osx, so it probably works, i just havent gotten around to testing yet. I'll post results when i do.
very interesting! seems like an easy process
you are using a Vanilla install? how do you like that mobo? was the install easy?
thanks ill check it all out
My suggestion is to find a board that is readily usable with a vanilla install of Snow Leopard. That makes it very easy to install and update, plus the retail installer is only US$30 and you're supporting Apple to some degree.
So by vanilla you mean a MOBO that just straight out supports installing SL without any bootloaders? As in I stick in the DVD and install? How does that work out with non-Apple peripherals (cards, processors, etc)?
No, a vanilla install is one that uses Apple's original OS X installer DVD. They all require bootloaders, but the modified installer DVDs have a lot more things that can cause problems later on. I have vanilla installs on my Asus P5K-E WiFi and P5N7A-VM boards and Chameleon.
vanilla means that the kernel will run without any modifications. that doesnot include peripherals im afraid - they will need drivers that are supported/written by others. you may have to put in extra research to buy the most compatible peripheral.
I'm looking at getting an EVGA SR-2 Motherboard with two Intel Xeon X5680 CPUs to make one of the fastest Macs possible.
I love my hackintosh, i built it in a slim HT MATX CASE
it has
2.8GHZ Pentium 4HT Prescott with Hyper Threading
1GIG DDR 400mhz Ram
GMA 900 integrated video with full quartz and core image support via kexts
60 gig 2.5 macbook hard drive going to be replaced with 200 gig 3.5
combo drive
iam running osx 10.5.2 and use it manely for light web/torrents and watching video im/chat. haven't gotten a kernal panic once.
it has
2.8GHZ Pentium 4HT Prescott with Hyper Threading
1GIG DDR 400mhz Ram
GMA 900 integrated video with full quartz and core image support via kexts
60 gig 2.5 macbook hard drive going to be replaced with 200 gig 3.5
combo drive
iam running osx 10.5.2 and use it manely for light web/torrents and watching video im/chat. haven't gotten a kernal panic once.
very interesting! seems like an easy process
you are using a Vanilla install? how do you like that mobo? was the install easy?
thanks ill check it all out
It was super easy to set up once i figured out i needed to plug it in!
So far i am really liking the ep45t-ud3lr. All i wanted was a mobo that supports at least 8gb DDR3 and was cheap. I think i paid around $85 for it on NewEgg. I am using vanilla 10.6 with Chameleon 2R3 (just too lazy to update to r4). It was super easy to set up, just a few kexts in my /Extra/Extensions folder:
And i have VooDooHDA installed in S/L/E, all x64 kexts.
I have 4gb DDr3 (1333mhz), a Q8400 (2.66GHz 4MB L2), and a gtx260 in it and it has plenty of power for anything i throw at it, which is mostly photoshop and garageband/logic.
Grr very tempting! I'm after a lower powered media server. Not yet sure if I want to go for the i3 or some variant of LGA775. I want to keep it as far below aus$500 if possible!It was super easy to set up once i figured out i needed to plug it in!
So far i am really liking the ep45t-ud3lr. All i wanted was a mobo that supports at least 8gb DDR3 and was cheap. I think i paid around $85 for it on NewEgg. I am using vanilla 10.6 with Chameleon 2R3 (just too lazy to update to r4). It was super easy to set up, just a few kexts in my /Extra/Extensions folder:
And i have VooDooHDA installed in S/L/E, all x64 kexts.
I have 4gb DDr3 (1333mhz), a Q8400 (2.66GHz 4MB L2), and a gtx260 in it and it has plenty of power for anything i throw at it, which is mostly photoshop and garageband/logic.
as the i3s can't be hacked I guess I'd go with Ubuntu server. Decisions eh?
This is a bit off topic but I'm interested in this. I have to check if my GTX 260 does this as well because it would become really helpful. Will any DVI-HDMI cable or adapter do or do you need to have a special cable?
EDIT: Good thread on the subject: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/257301-15-hdmi-adapter-audio-conundrum
I really dont know. My evga card came with a dvi-hdmi adapter and i'm using that. I do have a generic monoprice dvi-hdmi cable but its not long enough for me to use, even for testing.
Wht bother with an i3 for a server? Seems like a bit of overkill when you could just get a cheap C2D for a media hub.
Wht bother with an i3 for a server? Seems like a bit of overkill when you could just get a cheap C2D for a media hub.
im thinking about longevity here and the best way to upgrade to a more powerful gaming server in 2 years or so.
currently - im after a media server for my hard drives.
in the near future (year or 2) i was hoping to upgrade the CPU/GPU/RAM for a gaming rig, no need to upgrade mobo or whatnot. but eh idk.
i think i might just take my existing hack (E4600) and chuck that in and worry about a gaming rig laters.
Best hackintosh for June 2010?
Are there any easy to order configurations for a hackintosh in June 2010?
I've been waiting for months for the new Mac Pro and can't wait any longer.
Ideally it will have better specs than current Mac Pro, be cheaper, and run OSX Snow Leopard without any issues. (obviously).
Can you get an Alien Ware with same/better hardware? etc.
Thanks!
Are there any easy to order configurations for a hackintosh in June 2010?
I've been waiting for months for the new Mac Pro and can't wait any longer.
Ideally it will have better specs than current Mac Pro, be cheaper, and run OSX Snow Leopard without any issues. (obviously).
Can you get an Alien Ware with same/better hardware? etc.
Thanks!
So i go spdif-out through dvi to hdmi working is osx. Lol thats a mouth full!
So a quick recap:
I plugged my GTX260's SPDIF port into my motherboard's SPDIF header. I then used the included dvi-hdmi adapter to connect the 2nd monitor port to my tv through a hdmi cable.
To get sound working all i had to do was change the system output to SPDIF and set the format to 48khz@16bit in Audio Midi Setup (in Utilities folder).
Yes, my cell phone takes ****** pictures.
Idk if it works with 5.1 or not, i have no means to test it. Well i do, but i'm not lugging my computer out into my living room to test it
As far as hardware goes, my chipset is ALC888 and i'm using a x64 build of VooDooHDA, though i imagine any chipset.driver that has spdif will work fine. My tv doesnt seem to work correctly with the video signal. My mouse can travel off the bottom of the screen about 15-20pixels, though it does that in windows too so its probably just my tv.
edit:
just found that switching the audio format on the fly can cause a kernel panic, so be careful with that =o
So a quick recap:
I plugged my GTX260's SPDIF port into my motherboard's SPDIF header. I then used the included dvi-hdmi adapter to connect the 2nd monitor port to my tv through a hdmi cable.
To get sound working all i had to do was change the system output to SPDIF and set the format to 48khz@16bit in Audio Midi Setup (in Utilities folder).
Yes, my cell phone takes ****** pictures.
Idk if it works with 5.1 or not, i have no means to test it. Well i do, but i'm not lugging my computer out into my living room to test it
As far as hardware goes, my chipset is ALC888 and i'm using a x64 build of VooDooHDA, though i imagine any chipset.driver that has spdif will work fine. My tv doesnt seem to work correctly with the video signal. My mouse can travel off the bottom of the screen about 15-20pixels, though it does that in windows too so its probably just my tv.
edit:
just found that switching the audio format on the fly can cause a kernel panic, so be careful with that =o