Updating the Gigabyte BIOS

Updating the BIOS of a Gigabyte motherboard is very easy (and safe, thanks to the Dual-BIOS).

There are several alternatives for this:

• The Q-Flash Utility (embedded in the BIOS),
• The @BIOS Windows utility
• The FLASHSPI.EXE MS-DOS utility (included with the BIOS update)

Unpacking the Gigabyte BIOS without Windows

Before moving on to installing the OS, let's take care of updating the BIOS.
Gigabyte publishes (quite often) updated BIOS with new features and fixes.
So let's download and unpack the new BIOS.

Finalizing the build

OK, we are almost there...

It's time to start cabling the components.

No special surprises here, just follow the instructions on the motherboard's manual.

A couple of tips though:

• OS X supports the SATA controller included in the P55 chipset, so we'll use the Blue SATA connectors.
  Connect the HDD to SATA2_0, and the DVD to SATA2_1.
• When connecting the Front Panel Audio, use the HD-Audio connector, not the AC'97 one.

Now for the fun part...

Installing Hard Drive and DVD

Of the many nice features included in the Antec Sonata Designer 500 are the 3½" HDD suspension mechanism and 5¼" Universal Drive doors.

Lets see how helpful these are for the installation...

Installing the Mugen-2 Rev.B CPU Cooler on the GA-P55M-UD4

Installing a massive heatsink that requires a backplate might be intimidating for some.
However, the back-plate and bolt-thru mechanism are much more sturdy and stable than the tension-mount or plastic push-pins most small heatsinks use.

While the instructions included with the Scythe's Mugen-2 Rev.B are very easy to follow, here are some tips.

Installing the Motherboard

Assembling a PC requires a little practice... and a couple of free hours to burn.
Personally, I've been doing this for almost 30 years, so it's become kind of second nature.

Following these simple steps, our PC will be ready in little time for installing and running OSX.

The Lnx2Mac Build Components

Picking the right hardware components for your Hackintosh build is a bit more challenging than building a regular PC, as OS X was designed with Apple Hardware in mind only.

Not doing this, can result in an installation "polluted" with custom drivers (in the best case), or to a combination which just can't run OS X...

So, wondering which components I used ?

Lnx2Mac Blog

Hi, I'm known as Lnx2Mac in the tonymacx86 Hackintosh Forum.

I've been developing software and hacking hardware since the early '80s... The good part of them on Unix and Linux.

In 2008, I switched my main system (a Linux Laptop) to a MacBook Pro.

Wanting to add a Desktop companion to it, I decided to play and build a Hackintosh.

Started this blog to collect my notes, hoping it will also help others.
If you, like me, get a kick out of hacking and tweaking, are planning to make the transition from Linux, or are just building a Hackintosh and looking for solutions... Stay around !

I'd love to hear your comments !

Lnx2Mac