Last week Mac OS X was updated to version 10.6.8, with native kernel support for Sandy Bridge. It's now a snap to get these systems up and running with a retail Mac OS X Snow Leopard installation. At long last here are recommendations for fully compatible Socket 1155 builds running Mac OS X as the primary operating system.
All builds are fully compatible with the default iBoot + MultiBeast method. Each configuration has a pre-edited DSDT available in our DSDT Database, and will be compatible with the CustomBeast Project. And best of all, upon the release of OS X Lion, all will be fully updateable.
All builds are fully compatible with the default iBoot + MultiBeast method. Each configuration has a pre-edited DSDT available in our DSDT Database, and will be compatible with the CustomBeast Project. And best of all, upon the release of OS X Lion, all will be fully updateable.
All Builds Include:
- Gigabyte LGA 1155 Motherboard
- 2011 Intel Core i-series "Sandy Bridge" Dual-Core or Quad-Core CPU
- 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of RAM
- 1 TB Hard Drive
- Optical Drive
- Case
- Power Supply
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard Retail DVD
Not Included:
- Monitor
- USB Keyboard and Mouse
- Wifi / Bluetooth
We've included all components besides monitor, keyboard and mouse, as any standard ones will do. You can use these recommendations as a jumping off point for further customization, or as a shopping list. Prices reflect lowest totals available on Amazon.com as of June 2011, and do not include shipping, tax, or rebates.
Sandy Bridge CustoMac Build #1
Sandy Bridge CustoMac Build #2
Sandy Bridge CustoMac Build #4
Optional Accessories
Apple Magic Mouse $69.00
Apple Magic Trackpad $69.00
Optional Upgrades
Scythe Shuriken CPU Cooler: $29.95
Remember, when building your own rig, it's easy to get frustrated- don't give up! There are users with similar specs in the tonymacx86 Forum to help you out if you get stuck.
Oh, and don't forget, if you end up buying anything, click through one of the links above or in the sidebar. That way, you'll be supporting the site, as well as getting the best prices. Thanks in advance!
Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
For discussions on this and other topics, register today at tonymacx86.com!
187 comments:
This is great :) I wonder if my current build with GIGABYTE GA-H55N-USB3 would support one of this new sandy bridge cpu's, so I just upgrade my cpu.
Great job
can't waiting for Lion...!
@Mac4What
These are all Socket 1155 recommendations, and are NOT compatible with Socket 1156 CPUs/Motherboards.
Will the Gigabyte GA-H67MA-UD2H-B3 work with a I7 2600k?
@Allan
It will work- actually you can mix/match most of these components- but H67 boards will not allow overclocking- so you're best off getting one of the Z68s. Good luck!
this is purrrrfect. I'm going to be doing number 4 except just using a Z68X-UD3H-B3. Can't wait!
Any reason why you are not recommending any Nvidia cards?
My reason for asking is I need Cuda support which ATI cards do not have.
Tony,
Can we be absolutely certain that the builds will be Lion compatible? Or is there always a small cloud of uncertainty hanging around until it is released and we give it a try.
Paul
@Nick
Good question- the reason is, NVIDIA 4xx cards have major issues including unworkable situations with freeze-ups. And NVIDIA 5xx cards are not yet supported. So if you want to try and find a 8xxx, 9xxx, or 2xx, they still work- and work well. But most likely are unavailable. Check out this post for some older NVIDIA card recommendations- the higher end 2xx cards should support CUDA:
Fully Compatible NVIDIA Graphics Cards for Mac OS X
Hey Tony, Will iBoot & Multibeast be updated to support the Intel HD 3000 Graphics? Since 10.6.8 has official support for it?
Hi Tony,
Will we see support for Intel HD Graphics soon in Multibeast and iBoot?
I would enjoy a little more support for ASUS boards. Or even tutorials on how to get the community started on such a task.
The ASUS USB-BT211 apparently doesn't support OSX. Is this correct?
is there any mini itx 1155 compatible build that can be available right now?
@Mac4What
Check out this fully compatible Gigabyte ITX board:
Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3
Should work as well as any of the other Gigabyte models.
@Anonymous
On Asus 1155 stuff- the reason we haven't recommended them yet is because there are more tweaks to do to get Power Management working. Hence all of the CustoMacs for now have Gigabyte motherboards.
What about WiFi?
Thanks for all your work Tony, you're the man :D
@Anonymous
For WiFi I recommend building your own Native Airport PCI Card:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1143&start=0
Good luck!
Tony, just wanted to say thanks in advance for the awesome work putting all of this info together!
Obvious tip: get a second hard disk, to dual-boot Mac/ Win more easily.
No overclocking with H67 cards... well, that's a bummer. Is this related to those problems people had earlier with the multipliers? Is there any hope for my soon-to-be 2500k + GA-H67MA-UD2H-B3 rig?
I like this board by Gigabyte [GA-Z68XP-UD3P]. DO you see power mgmt issues, or issues related to finding DSDT support for this board?
Also looking at this video card [Sapphire 100314-2SR Radeon HD 6870] any issues with drivers here?. Thanks
This is beautiful!
Any downside to this board?
GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3
Thanks, was waiting for this post! I, also, would like to know about HD 2000/3000 graphics though. And can you post a link to an official Sandy Bridge installation guide? Thanks!
The ASUS BT211 doesn't work with OS X, the ASUS BT21 does.
BT21, not BT211. There is a difference.
Hi Tony,
Awesome work man, you and team rock the hosx scene :D.
Like another pal suggested, will this builds be compatible with lion? Should we wait before buying?
Thanks in advance.
@ Sneakz
That's what I thought, but Tony recommend the BT211
tony! i have the same build idea like you! for
Sandy Bridge CustoMac Build #4 was wondering....which brand work better for the Ati6870. Gigabyte, Asus or MSI cos when i first ask for quotation, most of the retailer recommend me to use the MSI brand...they told me is the top end among all the manufacturer. Any idea on this?
Can you Tony recommend H67N-USB3 as you recommended H55N?
I want a fully supported board, not like mine P8H67M-PRO. I sucked lot of with update to 10.6.8, and I haven't got sleep.
What about Intel's new Z68 motherboard – the DZ68DB?
Tanks a lot tonymacx86 & MacMan!! Epic!
Thinking on CustoMac Build #4,
but GA-Z68X-UD5-B3 is 80€ more than GA-Z68X-UD4-B3.
The differences between this 2 mobos are:
UD4:
CrossFire/SLI
2 x Marvell 88SE9172 chips
2 x Etron EJ168 chips
IEEE 1394 - VIA
12 phase
UD5:
2-Way ATI CrossFire/SLI
1 more PCI-E x16 at x4
Marvell 88SE9128 chip
1 x Renesas D720200 chip and 2 x VLI VL810 hubs
IEEE 1394 - Texas Instruments
20 phase
Did UD4 work fine too?
There's a main reason to buy the expensive UD5?
does this mean we can update to lion vs a fresh install? and should I get Z68 UD4 or UD5, I prefer the UD4 price but open to the UD5 if its a better match...
I have a such system but the CPU ist stuck at 1.6 Ghz (instead of 3.3).
Is there any solution.
Config:
GA-H67MA-B3
i5-2500
8 GB RAM
MacOS X 10.6.8, MultiBeast 3.7.1, BridgeHelper.
Any news about HD 2/3000 support ?
Hey Tony,
First off, terrific builds. I've been looking for a good Sandy Bridge build for a while and this is perfect. I've just got a couple questions:
Will USB 3.0 be detected as just regular USB 2.0, or is there a way for it to work at full speed? Also, will the SATA III ports work fine, or do I need to use SATA II?
Thanks a bunch!
-Michael
Hi Mr.Tony
can i get FCP7 and Protools HD and Adobe fully work
on SandyBridge And ATI Card (ex 6870)
thanks
Is it faster than X58 custom build?!
What's about Intel DH67GD? I do need internal Firewire (to connect a frontconnector) and eSata (to connect an internal card reader). Those Gigabyte boards miss them...
Many thanks for all help here, great work!
Hi there tonymac im looking at byeing build one with an i5 2400 instead will this be ok also will the all work straight out of the box with the latest iboot and multi beast or will there be some tinkering..... thanks for your time tony
kevin shepherd
Hi Tony,
Had a GA-H67MA-UD2H-B3 with a 2x2GB DDR3 1600 but then had to buy buy another pair of 1333 RAM because that's the max support with this motherboard.
Pls. re-check build #2
Also with the SSD SATA 6.0 Gbps is it now supported when plug it in the white ports?
Tony,
What about hd 3000 support? Isn't it supported natively in OS X? I don't want to spend money on descrete VGA, because I don't need it.... Please answer!
Hi Tony:
Greate respect for the greate work!
I have 2 questions:
1. Can I change the Gigabyte HD6670 to the Sapphire HD6670?
2. Can I change the Gigabyte HD6850 to the Sapphire HD6850?
@ kilaz / AxeDye
The UD4 should work as well as the UD5- no real difference- it's your choice to pick what features you want, hence Gigabyte has 20 different Z68 models :P
@Kevin
With 10.6.8, Sandy Bridge systems can use the default iBoot + Multibeast method. No extra steps required :D
@Anonymous
We're working on enabling HD 2000/3000 via Chimera- right now there's no acceleration (QE/CI). But we're hoping to get something out soon. For now- definitely purchase a graphics card.
I just got the Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 6870 but cant seem to get it working.... With Multibeast and ATI works, OSX sees it, but only one monitor.. If I run AtiConfig=6870, I get both monitors but OSX recognizes as a different card.
Hi Tony. I was hoping for this a month ago.....but built my system early. Having major problems with a 10.6.8 update on a GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3, i5-2500K, EVGA 285gtx build. Do you have any suggestions? When I upgrade to 10/6/8 finder and skype and many utilities will not launch so the computer becomes useless. Had to move back to cloned drive. Any suggestions would be great. I would also love to find out about the intel graphics and if they are supported. Thanks
Bryce
Hi,
Is there any problem if I use a sapphire graphic card instead of the gigabyte one?
I like the 3rd build, but I would like to change the amd 6850 to a 5850 (sapphire if possible). Is it fully supported?
Thanks for these great builds.
hay tony...
can i change GA-H67 with Biostar TH67+ ?
can i change HD 6670 with HD 5570 or lower?
please answer my question..
thanks!
Will the white SATA III ports work in these builds? I remember reading a while back to not use the white SATA ports for a Hackintosh, but that was for 1156 builds, not 1155. I'd like to be able to use SATA III speeds with my build, so please let me know. Thanks!
Thank you Tony. I notices there were no p67 chipset boards listed. Are they inferior to the Z68's?
Thanks in advance.
I would recommend using dual channel matched pair memory on these builds, otherwise you might encounter some problems.
I understand OS X "Lion" will be an Apple upgrade only - from its App Store and no retail DVDs. That would appear to present a problem for trying out various hardware configs -including graphic cards. Any thoughts / additional information.
@Musra/chilchalz
As long as it's a reference design and the same 6xxx number as those listed above (ie 6850) you should be fine.
@MDH
The white SATA ports function in 10.6.8
@Anonymous
Gigabyte P67 boards are just fine if you don't want to ever try to get integrated graphics support- they don't have support.
tony,
is there any reason the new shuttle that supports sandy bridge wouldn't work to do this?
im not sure if the board would work but i like the small form factor of the shuttle
thanks for the part list.
i got a i7 2600 with a msi p67a-g45
it works fine.
one things worth mentioning is that make sure that you get an apple mouse.(it took me ages and aton of frustration to get my cheappo 3rd party mouse to work,and it never work!)
but im sure a descent brand mouse will work?.(i just bought an apple wired mouse of ebay!)
Hi Tony,
The SSD drive requires SATA 6, does os support sata 6 at the moment?
Thanks
Are Intel's new DZ68DB motherboards supported?
hi, thx 4 the guide.
you always recomend gigaby graphics cards. is it the condition to use gigabyte or is the chip the condition? so can i use a msi r6850 to?
thx
Looks like there is a type on #4, should be Z68MX-UD2H-B3, the link takes you to the right board though. I just bought one over the weekend and am typing on my hackintosh right now. Glad to see my board made your recommendations
A NEW GIGABYTE MOBO CALLED
GA-Z68XP-UD3R
IS MISSING FROM THE DSDT DATABASE..
How do you compare the performance of these builds with mac ox to these builds with win7?
which is faster?
Do I have to use exactly the parts (i.e. mainboard, graphic card) you have given here or could I replace them with better/cheaper parts as long as they got the same specs?
Thanks Tony for the very good work.
Have a question for you :
Are the Etron EJ168 chips fully recognised (USB 3.0/2.0 ports)in the GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3
Thanks
Tony - do you see any reason why I couldn't use GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3? The GA-Z68X-UD5-B3 is insanely expensive!
Hello Tony,
thank you for those nice Setups. I do have a Question, when using a Hackintosh am I restricted to some Features of OSX or Apps? I do want to code in Objective C and release it on iTunes/AppStore.
Thanks in advance.
long time lurker and i've been waiting for this post! just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their hard work!
First of all, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, Tony!
I'm trying to build a Sandy bridge system w/
i7-2600K + GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 + GIGABYTE GV-R675SL-1GI (no fan!)
Will HD 6750 work with 10.6.8?
Thanks again.
I have an i5-2500K, Gigabyte H67A-UD3H-B3, and an older video card, ATI 4850. Do you think it will work? Thank you very much for your help.
Hi Tony,
I'm getting the top build of these ones, but I do need an Nvidia Card since I work in compositing, and most compositing packages works best with nvidia cards.
I've look for the list you've made, and you haven't crossed the GTX 470. Should I be fine with this card?
Thanks for everything!
Luke
Hey Tony Thanks for config idea, it's rather difficult to choose good motherboard and pc part for osx86 build, You make the thing easy :)
cheers!
JeanJean-France
Hi Tony. Will the Z68XP-UD3 work? It only has Etron USB 3.0 chips, not the Renesas, but I like the specs.
Hi Tony, what graphics card do you recommend for a Sandy Bridge CustoMac MINI ? Thanks for your great support, Daniel
Will this build run Final Cut Pro 7 or Final Cut Pro X (which I'm not so keen to buy) without any problem? I'd love to use for the machine specifically for video editing. Wondering if your Mac "Mini" can do video editing as well. Since the software cost is so high, the build whichever works, would be a huge huge saver for someone like me just starting video editing (for YouTube or some website upload). Thanks in advance!
Hi Tony,
I want to use a fanless graphics card for a very quiet CustoMac.
Will the Gigabyte GV-R675SL-1GI Radeon HD 6750 work?
I need both DVI outputs to drive 2 monitors.
Thanks so much for the Sandy Bridge builds.
Charred Water
Superb Job. Thanks very much.
Like the fact that stuff can be mix matched also.
Great great and thanks. Those are great starting points.
Hello everyone. I was wondering if Budget Build #3 would be good for gaming? I was thinking about getting an iMac and then a gaming computer later, but I might as well hit two birds with one stone and save a lot of $$$. I was also wondering if I could just use one 4gb Vengeance stick of RAM instead of two? Thanks a lot, I really appreciate everything you two! You are saving a lot of people a lot of money!
there should at least be a tutorial on how to make these build work... i bought one of those machines and i havent been able to make it work... even after following mutiple outdate tutorial on this website and others.
First of all -- THANKS! Second I think the link in the #4 build for the ram for newegg is incorrect.
What is the most powerful graphics card compatible with OSX?
Hi.
First of all thanks for putting all this info together. Is there a guide for the actual process of montage? What internal cables will I need to connect all the components?
Hi tonny i need pci slot....
which Mobo i should take???
So, correct me if I'm wrong here, I thought the magic combination for hackintoshes and x86 hardware was the combination of Sandy Bridge and UEFI. Looking at the noted boards at the Gigabyte website shows that these are traditional BIOS boards. Is this not a requirement for the suggested problem-free builds? e.g., The hackintosh article I read at reghardware.uk had said that Sand Bridge systems with UEFI were the magic ticket to problem-free (or minimal problems) in the setup process. Per Newegg window shopping, it appears MSI and Asrock have a fair number of UEFI boards while Gigabyte doesn't appear to have much if any. Some of the comments I have read about the Gb products therein indicate that even with "Hybrid" BIOS/EFI models that they are still traditional BIOS systems. All of that said, if the setup can be done without a legitimate UEFI then someone feel free to school me. :-)
Thanks for all your work Tony...Just want to know the above build are ready for New os Lion
Thanks for all your work Tony
Mr. Tony ! thanks a lot for this hard and pretty work! god job! i just thinking about make my personal mac based on your config with gigabyte's z68x-ud5 or ud7 are all working ? shutdown, reboot, sleep, speedstep, intel ht, turbo mode.. the system can sincronize tasks with all processors of a i72600k like a true real mac ? i can work with firewire with professional tools like protools e etc ?
on the intel integrated graphics can be installed?
I have purchase the necessary things to build a mac. Where would I find the guide to start?
Intel Pentium G850 + Gigabyte GA-H61M-D2-B3 + 4 GB RAM DDR3 Kingmax 1333 mhz + Nvidia 7900 GS ok for a hackintosh?
Tony, Thank you for this excellent article.
Could you please share some insight on why you chose
1) the GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 for mid range
2) the GA-Z68X-UD5-B3 for high end
over the GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 ?
It seems to a novice like me that GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 is better than GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 since it has a DisplayPort that support 2560x1600 for about the same price.
Then GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 is also ~$100 cheaper than GA-Z68X-UD5-B3. I will definitely go the the UD5 if you have a specific reason to avoid the UD3H.
Since I am trying to build a dual-boot Win7 / OS X computer, the UD3H seems to make better sense for me. With UD3H, I can use Virtu to enable Intel QuickSync video compression while running Win7.
Thanks a lot for your time and the excellent site.
Benjamin
2600k
P8P67 Deluxe
Asus 6870
4gig Dominator CL7
Is my current rig compatible? I don't see a DSDT for my current motherboard
Was wondering if these components from tomshardware.com system builder marathon from june 2011 would be compatible w/ a dual boot mac osx? Thanks for your reply
- Motherboard: ASRock Z68 Extreme4: LGA 1155, Intel Z68 Express
- Graphics: 2x MSI R6970-2PM2D2GD5: Radeon HD 6970 2 GB, CrossFire
- processor: Intel Core i7-2600K: 3.4 GHz-3.8 GHz, 8 MB Cache
- memory: G.Skill F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM: DDR3-1600 C8, 4 GB x2 (8 GB)
- hard drive: 2x A-Data S599 64 GB, SATA 3Gb/s SSD
- hard drive: Samsung F3 HD103SJ 1 TB, 7200 RPM HDD
- optical drive: LG WH10LS30 BD-RE: 10x BD-R, 16x DVD±R
- case: Lian-Li PC-9F
- Power supply: Seasonic SS-850HT: 850W, ATX12V v2.31, 80-Plus Silver
- Heat sink: Xigmatek Gaia SD1283
link to systmem builder article on tom's hardware
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/system-builder-gaming-pc,2961.html
A noob question: do these hardware configuration are full compatible with OSX? i mean do they full work out of the box with an easy installation? An other question is there a wifiPCI card that works as an airport module?
Tony, I already have a Visiontek 6870 and I was wondering if that would be compatible as well. I have a i7-2600k on the way and I am going to get the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD5-B3. I want to know if I need to sell my Visiontek and get the Gigabyte one if I have to. Thanks!
Tony, First off great work on providing this resource. I am wondering if Radeon HD 6970 or HD 6990 would be feasible alternates for build #4. Thanks for your input.
I would also love your input on the GIGABYTE GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3.
I used custoMac #4 build to safe myself some time and got kernel panic during 10.6.8 combo update. This is not what I have expected :(
@matahary
Sandy Bridge 10.6.8 Update Kernel Panics [SOLVED]
From what I can find online, it looks like the ASUS USB-BT21 is discontinued because everyone is out of stock. Since the BT-211 does not work, can we get some recommendations on other Bluetooth adapters?
Thanks
deleting ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin.kext and restart with iBoot worked. I still can,t belive it actually worked :) . If all the programs like protools and adobe cs5 work without a problem I will be more than happy to contribute to your project. Thank you!!!
how about wifi cards for desktop??any recommendations??thank you
Tony,
Thanks for all this info!
Just to make sure, have all these configurations been tested? (case fits, no KPs, etc...)
Thanks, again!
tony can you tell me of another motherboard gigabyte with a firewire port like the las build becuase i cant find it on my country ,thanks
I bought a mix of build 4 with ram, case and motherboard from 3, plus the SSD. I've tried to install about 8 different ways so far, nothing is able to get me from the DVD install to 10.6.8. It gets a KP at the end of the update. I tried the "Sandy Bridge 10.6.8 Update Kernel Panics" fix, but system utilities fails.
Also, the ram is too tall to fit in the small case, the heatsinks are huge. I had to shove my SSD adapter up to the plastic front of the case. My second hard drive will have to go in the second 5.25 bay.
Can anyone confirm that the Asus BT21 works for waking up the computer. I have bought two bluetooth units already and neither will wake my computer. According to the wiki, after 10.4 it stopped working, is this true? can anyone confirm?
http://www.tonymacx86.com/wiki/index.php/Bluetooth_Adapter_Database
Hi Tony
I Use GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3. It have function XHD (Use HDD SSD to improve performance standard HDD SATA II). I can use function XHD in Mac OS X ?
I'm confused. Are there actual official guides to these 4 specific builds in the forum? If so, can someone please provide me a link? I can't seem to find the guide to build #4 anywhere. Thanks!
Should I use the SATA II ports or the SATA III ports when installing iBoot+MultiBeast? You mentioned to use the SATA II ports for the 1156 Intel cores, but there's no mention as to the 1155 cores.
I finished the fourth build and I am amazed on how compatibly and powerful
this machine is using Snow leopard. The only change I've made is to the case as I used the Antec 900 instead.
--- Thank you tonymacx86
It seems that the i5-2500k and i7-2600k are very similar but have huge price differences. Is it really worth it to spend an extra hundred bucks for the .1 Ghz more and 2mb of cache memory?
anyone around that can give a comment onto the bluetooth adapters mentioned here? Which one should we go for - BT21, DBT-120 or the Targus? I can only find conflicting statements and at least I can confirm that the Belkin Mini USB BT Stick is not an ideal option - it will disappear after a wakeup from sleep
Hi, would any of these work without the graphics board and only with the onboard graphics card? I'm on a tight budget and would buy a ATI further along the road.
Tony and all, thanks for the great post.
Do all the new ATIs (esp the 6xxx series) work out of the box? (seing as the new minis come with ATI an not nvidias any more)
Thanks
Is there any benefit in using Z68 cards, if not using the integrated graphics?
Would P67's be a more suitable/cheaper option?
Hi
I tried everything to install OS X. But with Snow Leopard there were always a kernel panic when I tried to update on 10.6.X . And now with Lion I hoped it would finally work, but when I trie to boot the lion installation it gets a kernel panic too.
tony, i wanna know if this motherboard would work too is the gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 ???
hey tony i want to know if all of this will work for a dual boot for mac osx and windows 7:
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 (any recommendations?)
CPU: Intel Core i5 2400
PSU: Sunbeam 680W
RAM: 4GB G-Skill
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-B083L
Hard Drive: Samsung Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM
Case: Antec One Hundred
Graphics: GIGABYTE GV-R677UD-1GD Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
(any other suggestions? Around same price mane a bit more)
Would you recommend Radeon 5870 over the 6870 for a Hackintosh?
The 5870 has better performance over the 6870..
Hello !
I'm in France and I'm afraid I didn't found the Alimentation you're mentioning...
Will this one works, does it really matter ?
Corsair CX500 - Alimentation 500W ATX 12V 2.3 (Garantie 2 ans par Corsair)
I also chose that case, to replace the one you chose : Antec Performance One P183N "Full Black" - Boitier moyen tour (Edition spéciale)
Well, that's all I wanted to ask, I'll tell you when I'll be installing the system :)
Thank you guys for your blog. As soon as I get my stuff installed, I'll be considering buy you a cup of coffee (or two).
cheers !
LoL @bill alimentation=power supply ;))
yes, power supply of course, sorry…
so, do you have an answer please ?
Where can I find guides (written by Tony) to these builds?
Hey all,
Do you know if the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 will work rather than the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD5-B3? I am not sure what the differences are between each board.
I succeeded to install Mac OS X Snow Leopard but when i try to upgrade to 10.6.8, the pc crashes before the end of the process and asks me to to switch off the pc and restart it but when i do , it s rebooting in continuous loop when i choose Snow Leopard disk.
I wonder why and if it s because i dont have specific configuration ( MSI H67MA ED 55, 4GB DDR3 1333MHz and Seagate Barracuda LP 500 GB)
Thanks beforehand,
Do these builds work with Lion? Thanks for all your great work guys!
Why using 1600 MHz DDR if 1333MHz is supported by the CPU?
i did not buy Lion yet coz on mac store there are enough ppl telling that Lion slow their MAC computer. Maybe the one who are satisfied have between 8 - 16 cores Mac Pro so they dont notice Lion is slowing their computer
Tony, Sorry I know you get blasted with alot of questions. But in your Build #4 Config, will the USB3 and SATA III work at full speed?
Guys, Tony, MacMan, are you aware that Nec-Renesas D720200 chip and 2 x VLI VL810 hubs for USB 3.0 give a lot of troubles with multibeast?
My system hangs on boot and nothing seems to be fine (SL 10.6.8)
Tried with f7 and f6 bios (and user dsdt), no luck.
Any Ideas? What about lion?
My set
gigabyte ga-z68x-ud5-b3 rev. 1.0 (bios f6)
intel core i7 2600k
hdd barracuda 2T (two 1T partitions)
hdd barracuda 1T (additional)
sapphire vapor x 6870
Guys, Tony, MacMan, are you aware that Nec-Renesas D720200 chip and 2 x VLI VL810 hubs for USB 3.0 give a lot of troubles with multibeast?
my system hangs on boot and nothing seems to be fine (SL 10.6.8)!
Tried with f7 and f6 bios (and user dsdt), no luck.
Any Ideas? What about lion?
My set
gigabyte ga-z68x-ud5-b3 rev. 1.0 (bios f6)
intel core i7 2600k
hdd barracuda 2T (two 1T partitions)
hdd barracuda 1T (additional)
sapphire vapor x 6870
Hey, This thread has been really helpful in building a Hackintosh and I was wondering if the power supply would work in Build #2 Even if I change from an i3 processor to an i5 Proccesor shown in Build #2
Two questions:
1. will this setup work?:
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H67M-D2
RAM: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-ValueRAM-240-pin-PC3-10600-registered/dp/B002RYVIK8
Case: XION XON-810p-Red Micro ATX computer case
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6670
Power Supply: Corsair CX430
Optical Drive: Sony Optiarc
Hard Drive: (Two) Seagate Barracuda 750 gb IHD 600Mbps
2. Is there an external SATA port on the board? I can't find out anywhere. I need one to connect another hard drive (for W7).
Changed the setup, will this work better:
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K - Amazon / Newegg (315$)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H67M-D2 - Amazon / Newegg (80$)
RAM: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-ValueRAM-240-pin-PC3-10600-registered/dp/B002RYVIK8 (240$)
Case: XION XON-810p-Red Micro ATX computer case (40$)
Graphics: GeForce GTX 470 (230$)
Power Supply: Corsair CX430 - Amazon / Newegg (25$)
Optical Drive: Sony Optiarc - Amazon / Newegg (20$)
Hard Drive: Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 1.5TB [600Mbps; 7200rpm] (65$)
I found an article on how to partition a hard drive for W7 and OSX, so no need for an external SATA anymore.
Also, is the IHD a good one? I need a good (At least 600Mbps) 1.5TB for under 90$.
Hello Tony!
What version of Mac OS is recommended for my hardware?
CPU: Intel Core i7 2600 (sandy bridge - 1155)
Motherboard: Intel DH67BL
RAM: Kigston 1333 4GB
Chipset: H67
Power Supply: CoolMater 460
Video: onboard
HDD: Seagate 1TB 7200
Optical drive: LG supermulti
Thanks a lot!
We have the parts on order to build the i7 design. We are very excited about this. The question I have is, do you have any good recommendations on copying settings for email, itunes, final cut express, etc from our current Mac. I know cloning isn't the answer, but I'd love to be able to just copying settings instead of having to start all over again.
Hello Tony
Graphics: has to be Gigabyte what about
msi.sapphire.xfx.His or galaxy ....ok or ?
Tony,
Are there any ITX or micro atx boards that are fully compatible with build #4? If there are are there any disadvantages to using them. The one above you can't overclock and I would like to do so.
Please, IF ANYONE KNOWS THE ANSWER PLEASE COMMENT
Tony,
A follow up question. Are there any other bluetooth options? The one above is out of stock everywhere, also, does build #4 have an hdmi output?
How can i install sl or lion on CustoMac Build #2.
Is it the same way with ibook etc...
Does anyone know how many watts my PSU should be?
http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=29275
@tony
I recently purchased the high end setup #4 you recommend part for part. When going through the setup and placing the snow leopard disk in after iBoot the screen loads with an apple logo then a circle with an x in it displays on top of the logo.
I've searched many forums and found this error is called "mac osx waiting for device error". But have yet to find a solution.
One poster said he disabled USB Legacy in BIOS and that fixed it but I can't test this because it disables my usb keyboard.
Any ideas? I'm at a dead end here.
@Jason King
In my experience, that's an issue with the BIOS not being set-up properly. Go back to the BIOS and make sure you have every setting correct!
Excellent Thanks @Tonymac
I finaly enjoy my first Hackintosh.
After a few install fails i made it work with the latest 10.6.8 combo update.
The Hardware i use for my hackintosh pc is the following
Motherboard : GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3
Graphic Card: Nvidia GT240
Hard Disk : Western Digital 250GB SATA
Memory : Kingston 2X2GB DDR3 1333
CPU : Intel core i3 3.2 Socket 1155
DVD : Samsung DVDR
Intel i3 is SANDY BRIDGE so some minor changes in the installation occured.
Here are the install instructions
Stuff needed before begin installation
My motherboard came with F2 firmware but in the DSDT database only F4 firmware supported.
So i upgraded my MOBO firmware to F4.
Needed stuff.
iboot legacy - multibeast latest - BridgeHelper - UpdateHelper - Mac OSX Leopard Retail DVD - 10.6.8 Combo Update - DSDT for motherboard.
First thing is bios settings.
Enable AHCI - HPET 64-Bit Mode - First boot device DVD ROM
Save settings Restart with iboot disc inside.
After iboot completes remove iboot disc and enter the MAC OSX Leopard DVD and press F5 and ENTER
Select from disc utility HFS format Journaled and name the hard disk and erase.
Wait for the install to finish.
After the install finishes reboot and quickly insert iboot legacy disc and select the hard drive to boot
after the welcome screen appears and user creation
you are in the desktop screen.
From a usb drive copy to the desktop the following zip files
multibeast - dsdt for your mobo - BridgeHelper - UpdateHelper - 10.6.8 combo update
Do the following exactly as i say or you ll get kernel ip panic error.
This is not written in tonymacs guide
Install Update helper
Install Bridgehelper
REBOOT with iboot legacy disc.
Install macox combo update 10.6.8 DONT REBOOT
Open multibeast run Easy dsdt first
Reboot
Tick System Utilities and from drivers select Audio - APPLEHDA Rollback
Reboot
Now you have sound ready.
Open multibeast again
Tick System Utilities and from drivers select
Network - Realtek Gigabit Ethernet 2.0.6
Reboot and your network is ready.
And your Hackintosh is ready too.
Enjoy....!!
I have a gigabyte p55 board and q6600 with cartri bios that works 100% and I'm guessing as stable as a real Mac. I am looking to upgrade and as others have asked with no answer, does sleep also work perfectly on tony's recommend builds. If anyone with either of these build could answer, I'm sure many of us reading Tony's great site would appreciate it. Thanks
Hi Tony.
Would the customac #4 work with a KINGSTON. DDR3 8GB
(2X4G)1600 HYPERX CL9 instead of the Corsair Vengence Blu 1600Mhz DDR3 (16GB)?
P.D: Are these customacs fully compatible with OS X Lion?
Thank You
@rick3
It's been a few days and no one answered so I will for you. Yes the Kingston will work fine. As far as the fully compatible goes, they should be, otherwise tony wouldn't recommended them. the only problems you may have I'm guessing is troubles with usb3 may only work at 2.0 speeds (they may work fully speed though I honestly don't know), sleep and maybe other minor problems. If you have a specific board you are looking at check google or HCL lists. Regardless recommended build will get you a stable working lion build
I'm late to the party. Some of the parts are now unavailable. It would be good for this thread and the advertisers for the parts list to get an update.
I'm sure this has been covered, but can you partition a drive for a dual boot? I am thinking Vertex 3 @ 240gb
Anyone tried this mobo yet GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 ?
Hello All,
Tony great work and tremendous efforts here - appreciated.
I am ready to build the beast. The links you provide above are not all in stock
Could you create a new build with MAC speed and performance in mind. (suggest which SSD is best VERTEX EXTREME 6GB or just the 300/300 read/write?)
Also if anything is out of stock - what do we need to make sure we have when choosing the important hardware. IE:
Assuming any good case, 500 watt plus PSupply and a Core i7 Sandy Bridge
What mainboard, RAM, Video Card criteria must we stick to?
Also: I would like to have have 4 HI RES monitors running that use DVI connections
Thank you in advance!!
viva hackintosh
If I understand this correctly, I can't just build a hack and run Lion on it, I first need to install Snow Leopard - correct?
Question - If I "borrow" a friends Snow Leopard retail dvd, when I the run my legally purchased Lion install, does its license supersede the Snow Leopard license? I'd rather not run an illegal OS, but can live with running it long enough to install a legitimate OS.
Also - Jason King - did you get your sys running? I'd be extremely upset to buy that high end stuff and then not be able to run the Mac OS on it.
Nick, I am running the OCZ Vertex III 120 and it's rated at 550. The Mercury Extreme 6 gb -- according to Other World Computing -- tops out at 506 and benchmarks the OCZ Vertex III at 508. You can buy the the Vertex on eBay and anywhere else and prices are pretty good. I paid $209 for a 120. eBay lists the 240 for just under $400. But you cant find the Mercury Extreme anywhere except for owc.com -- where it sells for $550.
I also looked into power supplies and if you want to overclock this 2600k i7 AND power 4 monitors, you should get 1000 to 1200 watts rather than the 500w recommendation.
Builds are being looked at to fix unavailable items.
If you go to http://www.tonymacx86.com/viewforum.php?f=54 you will see lists of working user builds.
The custom builds are not just the 4 above, those are listed as being some of the easiest to set up.
As users get working builds on various boards they usually post their success in the forum. So check in there as well.
Hello,
I would like to build my Hackintosh.
I'm thinking that build #2 is the best for me, but it's a bit to expensive.
Can you tell me what part can I change (without CPU) ?
I have one another question: if I built it, is it gonna be fully compatible with os x leopard (I have family pack retail), and will the installation process be pretty easy ?
PS: Tonymac, your site is awesome !!!
Is Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 a good alternative option for the Sandy Bridge Customac Build #4? The board suggested is no longer available and I was wondering what the best choice would be for an alternate board in this config. Also, if I switch out the 1TB drive and put in 2 "Western Digital WD20EARS Caviar Green 2TB SATA2 3Gbps" Drives, would that affect the stability of the install? (I assume it wouldn't)
I've just bought a (2nd hand) 21.5" iMac MC812B/A for the family and am now thinking of building a Hackintosh for myself. Your Build #3 should blow the iMac out of the water for performance shouldn't it ?
Hello Tony
And what sound card you advise me? not seen any in your proposal ...
Thank you very much
First of all Tonymac u r the one going faster than speed of light!! U r great!! I am not sure if you already answered to this. Is it possible to build with your soft a 12 core?? THX for the answer (also if you don't answer thx)
Hi Tony,
I am trying MAC osx 10.6 on my
Intel i3 sandy bridge,
Intel DH67BL media series Mother board
2 GB Ram
80GB USB HDD,
usb DVD Drive
On board Display
PS2 keyboard and mouse with USB converter
Bios setting -Sata drive AHCI mode
I tried with Iboot but at the time of OSX setup start Gery Apple logo on white screen it gives error and stop,
Please tell me what is wrong? what setting I missed.
Can I load on my existing dual boot Ubuntu & win7 Sata 500 GB drive?
This may seem like a weird question. I am not doing anything crazy like playing games or stuff like that. Can I not use a graphics card and just use the onboard outputs? Do need to add a graphics card?
Thanks!
Is the radeon 5570 ok with osx lion ? Cause I need a small form factor to put it in a muscled Mac mini with this case : http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=MjI4MQ==
There is also the radeon 6570 which can feet this micro-itx case, but it's just a little expensive for a slightely more power that the 5570
In as much as the case is tiny, is it better to choose a low voltage processor ? Is there any i3, i5, i7 of this kind which can run OSX lion ?
The sound card is in the mother board ? Is there mother board with wifi integreated ?
Thank's for all this tuto. It's help a lot
First thanks so much for all of your work here everyone. So I just built the custom #1 with the Gigabyte GA-H67M-D2 ver 1.1 motherboard. I upgraded to i5 processor mentioned in #2. Everything works great with snow leopard 10.6.8 except the audio. I have tried everything I could find on the web but nothing works. I did notice that when I boot with iboot I lose my internet but my audio works(very bad but some sound). Any suggestions? The audio works great in windows 7.
Hi Tony, loving your work! Just stockpiling the parts for build #4, and the link from your page to the graphics card shows up the Gigabyte HD6870, rather than an AMD one as described. Am I able to substitute the Gigabyte card for something like an XFX HD6870 or the Sapphire one, as both of those are the same model number so I presume are basically the same card, and both are a bit easier to find in the UK than the Gigabyte one.
Cheers, and keep up the good work. ;)
And I wonder, why why why no attention is paid to those dual Xeon cpu servers that right now are roaring the second hand and overstock markets. It is a sad thing for the dual E5440 Xeon server owners. Meanwhile they'll have to hang on despite these cpu's are as a single setup very well supported.
does it works with MSI H67 motherboard (1155 socket)?
Hi Tony, I am new to this. Is there any motherboard cheaper than H67 with 1 hdmi port working with i3- 2105? Will the above hackintosh setup also work with i3-2125?
Hi, is it enough Scythe shurkien for IC-i2600k? I am not sure... and can I paste this fan cooler Noctua NH-D14 into Sandy Bridge CustoMac Build #4? is there enough space for RAM and is case enough big for this CPU fan? Thank you. ;)
Hi Tony,
I have an older G31 ES2L v2 i'm thinking of upgrading. I'm using an intel quad core 9400 overclocked to 2.92 ghz. I noticed the new mini atx you recommend. Thought this would be a good replacement.
I have an nVidia GTX 250 that's working quite well. Is my card faster than the Intel 3000 that comes with the i3 processor?
How does the i3 dual core stand up to the quad core 9400?
I'll probably go with the i5 2400, which will require a better power supply and a better fan. My power supply is rated at 450 watts, but I think 600-650 would be better. Suggestions? Most likely, I'll need a better processor fan. What are your thoughts?
Finally, will the custom DSDT you have for the motherboard work with a different processor and graphics card?
Can anyone post benchmarks for Customac 4? How future proof/upgradeable is this option?
The CustoMAC 4 is the best hardware you can get for hackintosh nowadays , right?
If you are doubting the jabra usb dongle. Don't doubt and go buy it. It works flawlessly. I used a couple different usb dongle brands and they all had different issues working correctly. The jabra usb dongle works perfectly for me.
Hi Tony,
Has anyone built one with the z68-ud3 issd? does the SSd cache work off the bat? and is it of significant improvement over the plain vanilla 7200 HDD?
Another question is whther i can Do a Raid setup (mirrored) for speed of HDD access and hackintosh it.
Can you use an old radeon 4870 with these setups.
I dont need more than that.
Hi Tony,
I'm having a hard time looking for an AMD Radeon HD 5770, will a vga pcie, Sapphire Radeon, 2gb HD 6570 ddr3, 128bit work for custom build #2?
Thanks
Hi Tony,
I'm a long time MAC user and new to the whole hackintosh scene and looking forward to making my first hankintosh.
Thank you so much for putting together an amazing site with all these tremendous resources at hand!
Keep up the great work; it's very much appreciated!
Great site, i was drawn here when they covered it on TWICH last week, cant wait to give this a try. I am probably waiting for ivybridge next year for my next build so i would like coverage of that processor n how to integrate in hackintoshing in the future when it becomes available. Also, a couple people have asked and i am wondering as well, what is the highest end video card this will support and do i have to get specific maker/model from site or will any radeon card with same specs do if i can find one on sale? I intend this machine to be a dual boot hackintosh/pc gaming rig, so the best video card i can support the better. Cant wait to build my hackintosh
Would a GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 be a suitable replacement for the MB?
I am looking to build a Lion server using the custo mac build #3, is the graphics card necessary or will the intel chip work fine for graphics, Which chip would be best for a home network setup, will the i3 suffice or should I use the i5? any opinions would be appreciated, also should I go with 8GB of ram or 4?
Hi Tony. Two weeks ago, i did custome build with gigabyte motherboard(Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD5-B3). After all was done, i did what was written, but i can*t get my sound to work perfectly. I have very low volume and sometimes it gets cracking. Is there a problem with VoodooHDA drivers? Please help, love your work.
thank u,
Jure
What about six-core i7s?
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-990X six-core Extreme Edition [3.46GHz, 1.5MB L2 + 12MB shared L3 cache]
Could you upgrade to the i5 on the Sandy Bridge CustoMac Build #1 yet still use all the other same components? That way it would basically be the same but be quad core instead of dual core?
Hi All,
Here is my build:
GA Z68MA-D2H-B3
i5 2400
2x4 RAM Kingstone
WD 500 GB HDD
Partial success with Lion 10.7.3
USB3 not working at all.
Intel HD2000 graphic working without QE.
To get this working I have removed all AppleIntelHD... kext's. Both AppleIntelHD3000Graphics... and AppleIntelHDGraphics..... Totally 9 folders/files. For this I have connected the HDD to a windows machine and just deleted this folders (under Windows the kext files apears as folders!)
In rest seems to be working.
Method:
1. Create Lion USB with Unibeast 1.1 (thank you Tony)
2. Installed Lion
3. Removed above mentioned kext's from within Windows
4. Installed with Multibeast:
a) USER DSDT for this mobo (unfortunately it removed my network)
RESTART
b) Lnx2Mac's RealtekRTL81xxx
c) Audio ALC8xxHDA+ApplHDA Rollback
d) DIsk 3rdParty SATA
That's all. Any further suggestions to improve HD2000 graphics performance are welcome.
Here is my build:
GA Z68MA-D2H-B3
i5 2500k
2x4 RAM Kingstone
WD 500 GB HDD
asus ati 5550
all work fine but audio not to do !!!
helpme please
Hi,
i want to install MAC OSX on my PC. but when i start installation with the MAC OS CD it is not showing any progress..i waited for 5 hrs..no use..
i would like to know the minimum system req for MAC..please help me out...
my PC configuration is :
intel dual core processor
mercury PIG31T mother board
2 GB RAM
250 GB HDD
I have just one question. Why have you mentioned only Gigabyte boards. I have an intel original DH67BL board with i5 2400. Is it compatible?
Will these build be upgradeable to Mountain Lion? What about compatible with the new ivy bridge processors?
Hi,
i want to install MAC OSX Lion 10.7 using the bootable USB drive created with unibeast
my PC configuration is :
INTEL Core i7 2600K Processor
Biostar TH67XE Motherboard
16GB RAM (2x8GB)
GeForce GTX 560Ti GPU
500 GB HDD
As u Mentioned here http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/04/iboot-multibeast-install-mac-os-x-on.html there should be 4 GB of RAM at the time of installation if i put 8GB will there be any problems during installation as i'm using 8GB RAM sticks do i need to buy 4GB ..please help me out...
Hi,
can istall Mac OS-X Lion 10.7.x in my PC
the specification are :
- MSI Z68A-GD80-G3
- Intel Core 17 2600K Processor
- HDD 1TB
- 16GB vengence RAM (2X8GB)
- MSI 6870 Hawk Propeller blade
- Cooler Master Elite 371
- PSU OC2-600 Watt MOD xtreme pro.
Is that compatible with OSX
THx
What is best Z77 or Z68
Hello Tony, i can't find DSDT for ASUS P8Z68-V PRO GEN3, i don't know if the DSDT ASUS P8Z68-V-PRO 1101 works for me.
Thank you.
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