- Joined
- Oct 1, 2015
- Messages
- 16
- Motherboard
- Asrock Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac
- CPU
- i5-7500
- Graphics
- HD 630
- Mac
- Mobile Phone
vernonlloyd Skylake Build: Core i5-6500 - GA-Z170N-GAMING 5 - 32GB RAM - Intel HD 530
Components
GIGABYTE GA-Z170N-GAMING 5 LGA1151 Intel Z170 Mini-ITX Motherboard
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014W2000Q/
Intel Core i5-6500 Skylake 3.20GHz LGA 1151 65W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80662I56500
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010T6CWI2/
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OAJ412U/
CRUCIAL TECHNOLOGY 16GBx2 32GB Kit, DDR4 2133 DIMM 288 CT2K16G4DFD8213
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015YPB1NK/
Cougar QBX Computer Case
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZV5YKY6/
SilverStone Technology 450W SFX Form Factor 80 PLUS GOLD Modular Power Supply, Active PFC ST45SF-Ghttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B008VQ2Y4K/
Broadcom BCM94352Z DW1560 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WLAN + Bluetooth 4.0 M.2 NGFF Mini Card 867Mbps
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0156DVQ7G
Already Owned
WD Black 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache 2.5-Inch Hard Disk Drive WD7500BPKX
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DSUTX3O/
HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5-Inch 1TB 7200 RPM SATA III 32MB Cache Hard Drive 0J22423
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B4QESVQ/
Dell UltraSharp U2715H 27-Inch LED-Lit Monitor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P0EQD1Q/
Logitech G502 Proteus Gaming Mouse
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IRHE892
Apple Wired Keyboard with Numeric Keypad MB110LL/B
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DPF08E/
Comments
My previous Mac machine, a custom built MacBook Pro 15" early 2011, served me well until I was hit by Radeongate. Apple had a free repair program but unfortunately they refuse to fix mine. This led me to decide to build a hackintosh system. I wanted it small, fast and reliable so I opted for a CustoMac Mini based on the July 2016 Buyer's Guide.
Motherboard
Although I am not going to overclock, I decided to spend an extra to acquire GA-Z170N-GAMING 5 instead of GA-H170N-WIFI. It has Intel Controller on USB 3.1 for future proofing.
CPU
The Core i5-6500 is the best bang for the buck CPU for around $200. My work involves running one to three virtual machines and figured the i5-6500 should be enough to get me started.
Memory
I just got the slowest and cheapest 32GB Kit from Crucial. I think the memory speed doesn't really add that much oomphh to the overall system performance.
Case
I like good designs and was looking at NCASE, Cerberus, Taku and DAN Cases. They are really great but very expensive! The Cougar QBX showed up while I was searching. I like the design and most importantly, the price is cheap. It can support a full-size video card and ATX power supply.
Power Supply
I plan to acquire a full-size video card preferably the Nvidia GTX 1070. From what I read, if I put a full-size ATX power supply, the video card needs to bend in an uncomfortable level. The Silverstone SFX PSU will prevent that problem with full-size video cards. I calculated the system load using OuterVision Power Supply Calculator - eXtreme Outer Vision and 450W is enough for my needs.
Other
The Western Digital 750GB was salvaged from my MBP. The HGST 1TB is my external/backup drive.
Installation
- I followed ammulder's [GUIDE] El Capitan on the GA-H170N-WIFI and Anachronaut's boot entries fix thread.
- I used a Sandisk Extreme 64GB USB3.0 flash disk for UniBeast installer
- My motherboard's firmware is F4
- I used a MacBook Pro 13" 2011 to get El Capitan
From Ammulder's Guide (with some changes specific to my build)
- Get El Capitan
- Other Things to Download (Specific to my build):
- UniBeast
- MultiBeast
- Clover Configurator
- KextBeast
- attachment h170n-wifi-intel-config.aml
- USBInjectAll.kext
- BIOS Settings
- I loaded Optimized Default Settings
- BIOS Features
- Windows 8/10 Features = Other OS
- Storage Boot Option Control = UEFI Only
- Peripherals
- Initial Display Output = IGFX
- Legacy USB Support = Auto
- XHCI Hand-off = Enabled
- Chipset
- Internal Graphics = Enabled
- DVMT Pre-Allocated = 512MB
- DVMT Total Gfx Mem = MAX
- Prepare Bootable USB Drive Installer
- I skipped step 7
- Install El Capitan
- Post-Installation Configuration
- In step 4, in addition to ALC1150, I also selected 100 Series Audio
- I skipped step 5 and 6
- In step 7, I chose iMac17,1
- I skipped step 15
- In step 21, the maximum memory that I can set per slot is only 8GB and I need 16GB. I set it to 8GB initially. (fix is at my installation video log 25:26)
- In step 27, my audio was not working when it came back from reboot.
- Again, I followed step 2,4,9,10 and 25. The audio was working after that.
- Appendix: Windows 10 Dual Boot (same drive)
- Prepare Windows 10 USB on a Windows Computer
- I use Universal USB Installer because the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool did not recognized my USB flash drive.
- Install Windows 10
- Fix Dual Booting
- Prepare Windows 10 USB on a Windows Computer
(July 27, 2016): There was an issue with my computer time where if I login to Mac then Windows and vice-versa, the date and time in both Windows and Mac does not sync. Followed a fix from SwampFox82 - Fix incorrect time in Windows + OSX dual boot thread.
(July 29, 2016): In the BIOS under BIOS Features, set Windows 8/10 Features = Windows 8/10 UEFI and CMS = Disabled. This fixed Clover Boot Screen distorted graphics.
(August 17,2016): The replacement WiFi/Bluetooth m.2 card has arrived. Followed Ammulder's Guide, Post-Installation Configuration:
- Step 15
- Step 16
- Step 17
- Step 25
- Intel HD 530 HDMI port @ 2560x1440 @ 60Hz
- USB3.0 ports (Full speed on all ports)
- Sleep
- Audio ports front and back
- WiFi and Bluetooth (using the Dell DW1560 (BCM94352Z chip) m.2 WiFi/Bluetooth card)
What Doesn't Work
- WiFi and Bluetooth card that came with the motherboard
To Be Tested
- USB Type-C
To Be Addressed
- USB3.1 (I tried my USB3.0 flash drive and it didn't work but the USB mouse and keyboard worked.)
- Boot screen distorted graphics (just a very minor cosmetic problem)
My installation log video
UPDATES:July 26, 2016: Updated installation notes. Added 7. Appendix: Windows 10 Dual Boot (same drive)
July 27, 2016: Fixed incorrect time in Windows and OSX Dual Boot.
July 29, 2016: Fixed Clover Boot Screen distorted graphics.
August 17, 2016: Replaced motherboard WiFi/Bluetooth card with Dell DW1560 (BCM94352Z chip) m.2.
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