Hi, first post. I've got my finger on the trigger to purchase these components was hoping somebody with more knowledge about hackintoshs could look it over and make sure there are no glaring mistakes. I based my decisions off of the lifehacker article but since it's almost a year old some of the parts have been discontinued/sold out so I found others. Here is what I got:

Newegg.com - Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - TRENDnet TEG-PCITXR 10/ 100/ 1000/ 2000Mbps PCI Copper Gigabit Network Adapter 1 x RJ45

Newegg.com - Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Yorkfield 3.0GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80569Q9650

Amazon.com: Gigabyte Core 2 Quad/P45/DDR2-1366+/A&GbE/ATX/DES Motherboard GA-EP45-UD3L: Electronics

Amazon.com: Pioneer DVR-218L 22x DVD±RW Drive with LabelFlash - (Double-layer) - DVD-RAM/±R/±RW - 22x 8x (DVD) - 40x 32x (CD) - Serial ATA - Internal - Black - Bulk: Electronics

Amazon.com: eVGA e-GeForce 9800GTX - Graphics adapter - GF 9800 GTX - PCI Express 2.0 x16 - 512 MB GDDR3 - DVI - HDTV out: Electronics

Apologies for the long first post and the noobness, thanks in advance

Originally Posted by Th0mis

Hi, first post. I've got my finger on the trigger to purchase these components was hoping somebody with more knowledge about hackintoshs could look it over and make sure there are no glaring mistakes. I based my decisions off of the lifehacker article but since it's almost a year old some of the parts have been discontinued/sold out so I found others. Here is what I got:

Newegg.com - Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - TRENDnet TEG-PCITXR 10/ 100/ 1000/ 2000Mbps PCI Copper Gigabit Network Adapter 1 x RJ45

Newegg.com - Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Yorkfield 3.0GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80569Q9650

Amazon.com: Gigabyte Core 2 Quad/P45/DDR2-1366+/A&GbE/ATX/DES Motherboard GA-EP45-UD3L: Electronics

Amazon.com: Pioneer DVR-218L 22x DVD±RW Drive with LabelFlash - (Double-layer) - DVD-RAM/±R/±RW - 22x 8x (DVD) - 40x 32x (CD) - Serial ATA - Internal - Black - Bulk: Electronics

Amazon.com: eVGA e-GeForce 9800GTX - Graphics adapter - GF 9800 GTX - PCI Express 2.0 x16 - 512 MB GDDR3 - DVI - HDTV out: Electronics

Apologies for the long first post and the noobness, thanks in advance

I am no expert, but it looks like you have the right parts on your list. You may not need to buy the Ethernet card; the on-board ethernet port works out-of-box. I used the same board and memory. I did get a better CPU cooler but I haven't heard any complaints from anyone with stock cooling (OCing?). I also used the BFG version 1GB video card (similar to yours) listed in the 1st post. A couple things to keep in mind are, Firewire is not on the board and sound is troublesome. I couldn't get mine to work so far. Also sleep doesn't function properly. However, my rig is up and running dual boot with Windows 7 Ultimate. Note: USB keyboard, mouse and sound work for me without any special configuring.

COBO-original poster- is the man that you want a thumbs up from. Maybe he will check in sometime soon and give you his "blessing". He was a BIG help to me.

Let us know how your build experience goes. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Th0mis

Hi, first post. I've got my finger on the trigger to purchase these components was hoping somebody with more knowledge about hackintoshs could look it over and make sure there are no glaring mistakes. I based my decisions off of the lifehacker article but since it's almost a year old some of the parts have been discontinued/sold out so I found others. Here is what I got:

Newegg.com - Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - TRENDnet TEG-PCITXR 10/ 100/ 1000/ 2000Mbps PCI Copper Gigabit Network Adapter 1 x RJ45

Newegg.com - Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model PDC24G6400ELK

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Yorkfield 3.0GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80569Q9650

Amazon.com: Gigabyte Core 2 Quad/P45/DDR2-1366+/A&GbE/ATX/DES Motherboard GA-EP45-UD3L: Electronics

Amazon.com: Pioneer DVR-218L 22x DVD±RW Drive with LabelFlash - (Double-layer) - DVD-RAM/±R/±RW - 22x 8x (DVD) - 40x 32x (CD) - Serial ATA - Internal - Black - Bulk: Electronics

Amazon.com: eVGA e-GeForce 9800GTX - Graphics adapter - GF 9800 GTX - PCI Express 2.0 x16 - 512 MB GDDR3 - DVI - HDTV out: Electronics

Apologies for the long first post and the noobness, thanks in advance

Your setup looks good. All that worries me is the graphics card. People have told me that they will try it but never give me any feedback if the TV-out messes up the installation. Feel free to try and give feedback on the card please.

Also, I had trouble booting from the hard drive after the installation. The EP45UD3P file installed fine but my machine won't start up from the hard drive. I have to boot from the USB and access my hard drive from there. I'm using it this way until I find a remedy. Otherwise, it is GREAT. QSC

Originally Posted by vuhuybinh

Also, I had trouble booting from the hard drive after the installation. The EP45UD3P file installed fine but my machine won't start up from the hard drive. I have to boot from the USB and access my hard drive from there. I'm using it this way until I find a remedy. Otherwise, it is GREAT. QSC

I had the same problem. I ended up re-installing from scratch and following the instructions EXACTLY and watching the videos and pausing, duplicating the steps as the video demonstrated. I did find that I missed one step, and that step was the cause of my issue. So, if may suggest, do as I did; be patient and re-do the whole installation step-by-step. The COBO method works. I am proof of it. I knew nothing about this and was able to do it.

Good luck

Originally Posted by cobo10201

Your setup looks good. All that worries me is the graphics card. People have told me that they will try it but never give me any feedback if the TV-out messes up the installation. Feel free to try and give feedback on the card please.

Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciate the guidance. I actually posted the wrong graphics card earlier (this is the one I meant to post: Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: EVGA nVidia GeForce 9800GT 1 GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card 01G-P3-N988-TR).

I am no expert, but it looks like you have the right parts on your list. You may not need to buy the Ethernet card; the on-board ethernet port works out-of-box. I used the same board and memory. I did get a better CPU cooler but I haven't heard any complaints from anyone with stock cooling (OCing?). I also used the BFG version 1GB video card (similar to yours) listed in the 1st post. A couple things to keep in mind are, Firewire is not on the board and sound is troublesome. I couldn't get mine to work so far. Also sleep doesn't function properly. However, my rig is up and running dual boot with Windows 7 Ultimate. Note: USB keyboard, mouse and sound work for me without any special configuring.

I'm buying the ethernet card based on what was said about this mobo's ethernet capabilities in the lifehacker article. Thanks for pointing out the lack of firewire, I need firewire and can't believe I overlooked this (I'm a pro audio guy and I know I will need firewire down the line). Can anybody recommend a mobo with firewire that is known to work with hackintosh? Should I just purchase a separate firewire card?

The lack of sound is a bit disconcerting, I don't care about sleep mode. I am also purchasing an audio interface (like this: M-AUDIO - FireWire 1814 - 18-in/14-out FireWire Audio/MIDI Interface w/ ADAT Lightpipe) so I can run Pro Tools (another reason I need firewire).

Sinking this much money into something that I'm not sure will work is a little unnerving , thanks for all your help guys.

Originally Posted by Th0mis

Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciate the guidance. I actually posted the wrong graphics card earlier (this is the one I meant to post: Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: EVGA nVidia GeForce 9800GT 1 GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card 01G-P3-N988-TR).



I'm buying the ethernet card based on what was said about this mobo's ethernet capabilities in the lifehacker article. Thanks for pointing out the lack of firewire, I need firewire and can't believe I overlooked this (I'm a pro audio guy and I know I will need firewire down the line). Can anybody recommend a mobo with firewire that is known to work with hackintosh? Should I just purchase a separate firewire card?

The lack of sound is a bit disconcerting, I don't care about sleep mode. I am also purchasing an audio interface (like this: M-AUDIO - FireWire 1814 - 18-in/14-out FireWire Audio/MIDI Interface w/ ADAT Lightpipe) so I can run Pro Tools (another reason I need firewire).

Sinking this much money into something that I'm not sure will work is a little unnerving , thanks for all your help guys.

I overlooked the firewire also. I need to find a card that works. I don't know which board has firewire enabled, but I already built my rig so options are limited now. I want to use my machine for "studio" work eventually so I also need my sound-possibly an add-on.

Alright, my video card arrived in the mail today and the installation for Snow Leopard was a breeze on the EP45-UD3L! Everything but sound works as soon as I booted it up. I've tried a few things but to no avail in terms of sound. How did you get yours to work, NotAMacinClue? Even if it's a bit sketchy, I'm OK with that -- at least until I order a USB solution.

Also, the dual monitor worked for me at first but now there is only picture on one monitor. It may have something to do with .kext files that I was messing around with. Has anybody else had this problem?

What is your audio chipset? And SL version?
And your video card?

Originally Posted by ratvn

What is your audio chipset? And SL version?
And your video card?

EP45-UD3L
Snow Leopard 10.6.4
GeForce 9800 GTX+