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Build a Perfect Mac for less than $250

MrFlooD

By MrFlooD,
in Tutorials (The Genius Bar)

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GingerTea
GingerTea
Posted
Posted
I got this board yesterday and I installed kalyway 10.5.2 and everything went on smooth, no mouse tear and everything looks to be normal. My restart seems to be working after patching 10.5.5 using biketown method. I selected 9.5.0 Vanilla that comes with the shutdown and restart fix.

 

Everything is perfect, the casing size is perfect, OSX86 is perfect but I only have one small little complain over the performance. I downloaded one 720p HD trailer from Apple and I ran it using quicktime, it seems to be a little sluggish between some frames. I did some further testing to edit RAW photo using Aperture 2, I am not impress with the performance.

 

Might consider to sell this board off and opt for a better performance processor to keep up with my tasks.

 

Hi wilson, that sounds like a positive experience. :wallbash:

 

Could you please consider to post xBench scores?

 

Thanks a lot.

 

Cheers,

GingerTea

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MacInTushy
MacInTushy
Posted
Posted

 

My specs: D945GCLF2, 2gb adata 667mhz, 1tb spinpoint, Nec Sata dvdrw, lianli V350A, Seasonic 80+ 330w, original mac keyboard and mouse.

 

Installed the 5.2 kaly release, worked like a charm (recommended settings, darwin, Guid, all out of the box). Usb flash media got detected when active.

Installed the 5.3 comboup, still did what it said, yet usb flash media got detected when it was plugged in after booting. Not during os activity.

Used the kext for the GMA950, working at 1680*1050

Used the fix to mark the partition active so the dvd wasn't needed, still working ok.

 

So tried the biketown method to upgrade to 5.5 (http://mysticus.titanous.com/update.html). I could do the preinstall, upgrade from the osx site, .. but

couldn't run the post installer since it wouldn't run with the updater still open (which only had Restart highlighted and i couldn't close it) .. so i just restarted.

Now the system reboots, no problem, but then it keeps loading when you see the apple logo .. should i leave it open for a certain amount of time .. since

after 7 minutes it still is loading.. so is there a fix/commandline to bypass this issue?

 

If i should reinstall, the best method would probably be kaly 5.2 + GMA950 kext + aboutthismac pkg and don't bother about the 5.3 combo and biketown method?

Any advice is highly welcome. :unsure:

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jWin
jWin
Posted
Posted
I got this board yesterday and I installed kalyway 10.5.2 and everything went on smooth, no mouse tear and everything looks to be normal. My restart seems to be working after patching 10.5.5 using biketown method. I selected 9.5.0 Vanilla that comes with the shutdown and restart fix.

 

Everything is perfect, the casing size is perfect, OSX86 is perfect but I only have one small little complain over the performance. I downloaded one 720p HD trailer from Apple and I ran it using quicktime, it seems to be a little sluggish between some frames. I did some further testing to edit RAW photo using Aperture 2, I am not impress with the performance.

 

Might consider to sell this board off and opt for a better performance processor to keep up with my tasks.

 

Do you get a stuck mouse cursor when hovering over text edit boxes, in programs such as Microsoft Word, or Appleworks. That is my biggest gripe about the GMA950 drivers included on kalyway and every other OSX install disc. Yeah 720p is a real sluggish for me as well, its a shame the GMA950 drivers can't be edited to support 128mb of ram, the Intel board supports it but the drivers only use 64mb max.

 

The 2 main issues with this board is

1) stuck mouse cursor over text edit boxes (not web browsers)

2) no true HD sound drivers, Azalia works but only for sound output.

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H8TR
H8TR
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Just a heads up for anyone who plans on using Parallels 4 on your hackintosh. It wont work as the Intel Atom 230 or 330 don't support Intel Virtualization Technology. Parallels 3 will still work but it is sluggish. I'm starting to think that a cheap processor like a Celeron DC E1200 and a cheap 945 chipset mobo with a GeForce 7300 for graphics would have been a way better and more powerful option than using Atom.

 

EDIT: Scrap that. Intel's being really stingy. The Celeron Dual-Core and Pentium Dual-Core don't support Intel VT, nor do the Core 2 Duo E4xxx and E7xxx series processors. Only the C2D E6xxx, E8xxx or Core 2 Quads, Extremes or Core i7s.

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starobrno1
starobrno1
Posted
Posted

I´ve been reading this thread to see if anybody have any suggestion about what to do with the noicy cpu fan but no luck so far. It´s amazing how that little thing can sound like a small helicopter. So did anybody find a replacement fan for it that works good, the fan is the only backside with this cool little mobo.

 

I found this case in a local PC store got it cheap cause they been having problems selling it for some reason.

 

 

 

P1090352.jpg

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S0L
S0L
Posted
Posted

On the 720p thing - if you're finding 720p playback a little slow - try Plex out:

 

http://elan.plexapp.com/

 

Basically Plex is the Mac version of XBMC. As such it runs most DRM free content in pretty much any format you can think of. So x264/mkv etc. The latest version also suggests it may run Itunes content too - though I don't know if this stretches to video.

 

If you install it - then set the preferred playback application for the files you're trying to play use Plex - it works like a seperate media player - just launching a player window to watch your video in when you open one. Or you can run it seperately and go through the XMBC style front end.

 

Same keys seem to work as Quicktime to enter and exit full screen - command F. Cursors skip forward and back etc.

 

Before I tried Plex I was seeing dodgy 720p playback via Quicktime, Mplayer (OSX) and Itunes for some test 720p files I grabbed off the web.

 

With Plex it's far better. You still might get drops if what you're playing is really high bitrate - but it's pretty much solid for most things I've tried. It even has a good stab at some 1080p things I've got - though I think that is stretching the poor Atom/GMA950 combo a little too far :D

 

Having said this - 720p content purchased from Itunes (and run in Itunes) seems to run fine on my rig - but I'm using the Dual Core Atom mobo (D945GCLF2) - it did drop frames on the single core one I had. So if you're yet to purchase a board and have 720p playback in mind, it's worth coughing the difference to get the Dual Core version of the board.

 

Sol

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starobrno1
starobrno1
Posted
Posted
Look thru the thread, this: Kaze fan idkfa recommended. I purchased a couple and they work GREAT - very very quiet...

 

Patrick

 

Thanks, I actually did look through it but after 20 pages I must confess I gave up.

 

 

I ended up taking the fan off the chipset and just installing a 80mm fan on the case to blow across, so much quieter.

 

Yea thanks man that might be something, the topside of my case is already prepared for a fan and the hole is pretty much right over where the cpu sits. Oh man the best soloutions ... wonder why I did´nt come to think of that hmm seems my minds not going to fast from time to time ;) .

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MacInTushy
MacInTushy
Posted
Posted
Look thru the thread, this: Kaze fan idkfa recommended. I purchased a couple and they work GREAT - very very quiet...

 

Patrick

 

I was thinking on getting one of EKL's performance full copper northbridge heatsinks, or perhaps a Thermalright one.

Since the attachment system is quite different from regular NB chipsets, can anyone tell me if those aftermarket solutions

are easily mountable?

 

Ike

 

PS: I have 2 * 120mm's on 9v from lianli, and one 80mm at 5v almost dead silent ... yet that lil' intel b :D tch is damn noisy!

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sircastor
sircastor
Posted
Posted
I got this board yesterday and I installed kalyway 10.5.2 and everything went on smooth, no mouse tear and everything looks to be normal. My restart seems to be working after patching 10.5.5 using biketown method. I selected 9.5.0 Vanilla that comes with the shutdown and restart fix.

 

Everything is perfect, the casing size is perfect, OSX86 is perfect but I only have one small little complain over the performance. I downloaded one 720p HD trailer from Apple and I ran it using quicktime, it seems to be a little sluggish between some frames. I did some further testing to edit RAW photo using Aperture 2, I am not impress with the performance.

 

Might consider to sell this board off and opt for a better performance processor to keep up with my tasks.

 

What resolution are you working at? I used Kalyway 10.5.2, and updated to Kaly 10.5.3, but I only had the 1024 res, we're all dealing with tearing because we stuck a kext in.

 

I built one of these for my wife and she was thrilled because it was so much faster than her G4 wind tunnel, and she's doing photoshop stuff (CS3 on the soon-to-be cube, CS on her old tower). Methinks we've all gotten a little spoiled in modern days with our computers :D

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atomistic
atomistic
Posted
Posted
So tried the biketown method to upgrade to 5.5 (http://mysticus.titanous.com/update.html). I could do the preinstall, upgrade from the osx site, .. but

couldn't run the post installer since it wouldn't run with the updater still open (which only had Restart highlighted and i couldn't close it) .. so i just restarted.

Now the system reboots, no problem, but then it keeps loading when you see the apple logo .. should i leave it open for a certain amount of time .. since

after 7 minutes it still is loading.. so is there a fix/commandline to bypass this issue?

 

If i should reinstall, the best method would probably be kaly 5.2 + GMA950 kext + aboutthismac pkg and don't bother about the 5.3 combo and biketown method?

Any advice is highly welcome. :tomato:

 

I wouldn't bother doing the combo update to 10.5.3, just go straight from 5.2 to 5.5 using the biketown method. When the updater demands that you restart, just force-quit it and run the post installer. When the post-installer finishes, you can reboot. I had no problem doing it that way.

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ElementalMac
ElementalMac
Posted
Posted

Long-time Lurker/Lingerer, First-Time Poster.

 

I just finished reading ALL 31 pages ... I did doze off a bit in the middle, bibendum, so I'm sure I'll ask a question already listed.

 

I'm taking the dive ... I just bought my "kit" ... I didn't quite make it under the $250 mark, but I did choose the more expensive motherboard and a wireless adapter. I suspect I could have saved a bit of money by shopping around, but I've had good luck with NewEgg in the past, so I took the lazy way out and bought everything from them.

 

1. APEX MI-100 Black / Silver Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply

2. Intel BOXD945GCLF2 Atom 330 Intel 945GC Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo

3. Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5/2G

4. Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

5. LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DH-20A4P-04

6. ASUS WL-138g V2 PCI Wireless Adapter

 

Grand Total (including shipping): $257.39

 

Hopefully, it'll arrive by next weekend.

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simsim
simsim
Posted
Posted

I want to build this and I have read most of the 31 pages :-)

 

I want to use it as a headless box, no screen, and control it from my other macs.

I've seen mentions of failed attempts, but has anyone been able to use Remote Desktop(Tiger) or Screen Sharing(Leopard) to control it over the network?

 

 

edit:

 

Thanks gospel71, just what I wanted to hear.

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geefer
geefer
Posted
Posted

love the build, seems kinda hard to upgrade from 10.5.2 to the newest so i'm backing off (really haven't found a step-by-step). i wanted to be able to plug my bass into this for garageband but obviously the line in doesn't work. anyone found a way to do it? i ordered a little usb key with a line in port and i hope that works, as finding a usb sound card is proving to be quite hard. and i'd just like to be able to have the line in work without having any external hardware.

 

many thanks for the OP's posting, it's a great guide.

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gospel71
gospel71
Posted
Posted

@geefer: I use a Tascam US-122 and upgraded till 10.5.5 with netkas method (search for it and do it :) )

But... I'm a bass player too... If you need to record my advice is to go and buy the real thing... :D

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H8TR
H8TR
Posted
Posted

10.5.6 is here. Is it safe to update without patching anything?

 

picture1ke5.png

EDIT: So I bit the bullet. 10.5.6 is working. All I did was the DSDT patch that you can get from pcwiz and did the update through software update. On reboot, my computer hanged. Didn't check it out in verbose mode, I suspect it was the waiting for root device error because it didn't replace applecpupowermanagement.kext. I rebooted the computer thinking it didn't work and inserted the Kalyway 10.5.2 disc for reinstall. The computer didn't boot from disc. It booted into OS X. Now it decides to work. The only issues so far are

 

1. Resolution - Re-install the GMA 950 kernel extension

2. It broke support for PS/2 which I don't know how to fix. It may not effect most of you with USB keyboard or mouse but for those like me, I have to resort to using a USB keyboard.

3. Restart - Just install Mysticus 2 in 1 fix. openhaltrestart from Psystar may work too.

 

For those who plan on upping from 10.5.5 to 10.5.6, head over to netkas' site for pre install instructions

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