

Show HN: Mac Pro equivalent using i7 - ittan
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1SE0q

======
xionon
How is this "equivalent?"

The Xeon E5 in the Pro is faster and costs at least $100 more. I'm not sure
how these motherboards compare in quality. The ECC memory memory in the Pro is
faster and more reliable. This also doesn't have Thunderbolt, onboard WiFi, or
Bluetooth 4.

Last, this is big, loud, and hideous.

If the point was, "you can build an equivalent computer for $1000 less," it
misses the point, widely.

~~~
JimmaDaRustla
"Loud?" I wouldn't call a Noctua cooler loud.

~~~
aroch
The HAF cases are built around optimizing airflow not acoustics, so they're
pretty fan-noisey

~~~
JimmaDaRustla
Air flow doesn't have to be noisy - quality 120mm fans in no way are noisy. If
the GPU fans bug you, you can get some Arctic Acceleros, so quiet.

------
cschneid
And? Does it run OSX? Is this anything other than an ad? Does it have a unique
case styling that may or may not be better?

Why did you post this?

~~~
aroch
Yes it would run OSX (On the vanilla kernel too, just need to inject FakeSMC
and an AppleHDA mod). AMD's newest offerings are obviously supported under
Mavericks as well as 10.8.5

~~~
cschneid
So "sorta, not really" is the answer. It's a potential hackintosh, with all
the associated hassles that come along. (updates break your hackintosh? Hope
you didn't want to get work done today).

And it's in an ugly case.

With less useful hardware (Xeon vs i7, memory quality).

It's going to not have workstation level build quality. For instance, my older
mac pro has literally 1 cable run inside the case (power to the gfx card).
Everything else is slotted in, and done on board. No self-built system I have
is built that well.

I doubt I can get applecare on this system. So when things go wrong, I have
15ish different supplies to go through RMAs with (for better or worse).

Basically this "article" makes zero sense. It's just a link to a bunch of
parts. Is it just advertising / affiliate?

~~~
aroch
I was just answering if it would run OSX...I by no means think it's on par
with the new Mac Pro specs or build quality wise

> So "sorta, not really" is the answer. It's a potential hackintosh, with all
> the associated hassles that come along. (updates break your hackintosh? Hope
> you didn't want to get work done today).

Well..no, not really. Builds with recent Intel CPUs are pretty stable, even
across upgrades. One of my hackintoshes (which was built because it took Apple
Too Damn Long(TM) to update the MacPro line) has made the jump from Lion > ML
> Mavericks with little to no issue. The biggest problem when upgrading was on
the windows side going XP-x64 > Win7 when Win7 wouldn't install and then I
realized that SSD wasn't in slot 1 during the install. The only issue I've had
with my OSX disk was Win8 corrupting it's volume headers (which are easy
enough to repair in 5mins)

------
ittan
This build is conservative when picking a R9 280X, because the performance
level of AMD Firepro D300 (dual) is currently unknown. You can always drop in
R9 290X (or two...)

~~~
drill_sarge
Difference between Radeon and Fire Pro is only in the driver
certification/support.

edit: also this thread is kinda pointless, because it should be well know that
you can build the same machine for much less money when going by the raw
specs.

------
fcorr
If you had to use a Xeon and ECC Ram the price would end up higher.

The performance might not be any better, but the comparison would be.

------
beedogs
This is not at all equivalent to a Mac Pro.

------
Systemic33
Don't buy the Cooler Master HAF X, unless you don't mind a big, bulky, noisy
(HAF = High Air Flow = Lots of vents).

~~~
JimmaDaRustla
Second person to mention that it would be "loud". Quality 120mm fans and good
air flow means lower RPM to achieve higher air flow, and your internal
components need to work less because the temperature is cool.

[http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1522158](http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1522158)

I have a Corsair Carbide, friend has a HAF 932. Loudest components are those
not part of the case - PSU and GPU.

If you want good silence, do a little research - Seasonic PSU, Arctic Accelero
cooler for GPU if you are gaming or crunching lots of data, SSDs (naturally),
Noctua CPU fan. Far, far, far from loud.

Edit: NewEgg even has a search tool, over 1200 reviews on the Canadian site.
Doing a search on "noise" brings back mostly results commending it on how
quiet it is: [http://bit.ly/16wK3Yr](http://bit.ly/16wK3Yr)

------
mmastrac
Does this work as a Hackintosh?

