Installing OS X Snow Leopard - Part Three

In Part One of this article, we gathered all required components for a smooth installation, and in Part Two we did the actual OS X install...

But we need to keep booting off a CD with iBoot... It's time to fix that !
...and while we are at it, we'll pick the optimal MultiBeast options for the GA-P55M-UD4.

Optimal BIOS Configuration

Configuring the BIOS is something that almost every PC user had to deal with.

However, it's usually full of terms than even some tech-savvy users don't understand.
This lead vendors to provide a way of choosing "Optimal" settings.

I found out that, even after using Gigabyte "Optimized settings", there's a lot to improve !

With the settings here, we'll tune the PC to optimal settings.

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.

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 ?