Building Future Proof Desktop for 11yo Kid for School & VM to run MAC

Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 12:17

Hi,
I want to build a future proof desktop for my kid.
He used to have windows at school but now new school has all mac & that forced me to build VM to run mac fro his learning.
For smooth VM & such future changes I am looking to build a desktop to run windows as main OS & on top of that VMs using VMware.

I have created a list
https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/VzkBmq

what do you suggest regarding my picks? Should I downgrade them or upgrade? We are not using any high-end games on pc. I don't need wireless as we have LAN at each points.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Computing Apple Computer Desktop Computer Operating System School Study

Comments

  • iDroid on 15/03/2018 - 12:34
    +1

    Not sure if this would be useful (it's not exactly what you ask for) but I recently paid $200 for a second-hand Dell Optiplex 9010 i7 3770 QC 3.4Ghz 8GB machine and its performance for price is very good.

    Benchmarks are not that far behind the i5 8400:

    https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-8400+…

    Compared to the $200 whole machine (i7 3770):

    https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-3770+…

    So about 20% difference in speed but costs less than the i5 CPU alone.

    I picked mine up for $200 on gumtree, there seems to be some at that price point most days. I chose to take one without a HDD/SSD (since I put new ones in, no need to pay for an old one to throw away).

    Something you may want to consider.

    • iDroid on 15/03/2018 - 16:56

      In fact you can probably get one of those Optiplex i7 3770 machines and an Apple iMac A1312, 27" Desktop, Quad Core [email protected], 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD for around $400 (eg: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Apple-iMac-A1312-27-Desktop-Quad…)

      So for around $600, you'll have 2 machines and less hassle.

    • Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 18:05
      +1

      Thanks. it is cheaper option but then need to update pc sooner or need to add GPU etc. i5 8400 support upto 4k alone and can still add GPU later in 2-3 years to extend life. Don't know what he will use in secondary school next year. So later can change it to gaming machine as probably he will demand.

  • Ryanek on 15/03/2018 - 13:08

    Seems fine for your purpose but I guarantee your kid will want to game on it eventually, so buy the best GPU you can afford.

    • Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 18:06

      GPU upgrade will be next step when his demand grows.

  • dazweeja on 15/03/2018 - 13:10

    My tip would be RAM. It would be pretty easy to slow that box to a crawl with a Mac VM running on top of Windows. Not that much more for 16GB:

    https://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=ddr+3200+1…

    • Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 18:09

      I was confuse whether should go for 16gb 2400 or 8gb 3200 ddr4 as i5 8400 has ddr4 bus at 2666.

  • StickMan on 15/03/2018 - 13:19
    +1

    1. 16GB+ RAM for VMs.

    2. Consider dedicated SSD for VM. Alternatively, increase capacity, as 256GB for host + VMs is pretty limiting.

    3. macOS on a VM on a Windows host isn't supported by the licence agreement - read: illegal.

    4. Your part list is $1000. Add in delivery + WindowsOS + the upgrades suggested, and you're looking at $1300+. Macbook Airs can be found around that price and will give you native macOS performance, and they last 5 years easy (16yo).

    • Diji1 on 15/03/2018 - 13:22

      It's not illegal to violate the terms of a software license.

    • Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 18:11

      I am not a fan of mac & don't know what would be his secondary school OS. making this pc such a way that I can convert it to gaming machine later by adding GPU & extra ram.

  • Tech5 on 15/03/2018 - 13:43

    With VM I guess you need more RAM. Go for 16 at least.

    Edit: Also, The M.2 might not be necessary if you can find a 2.5inch one for cheaper. Which I am pretty sure you can. Doubt you will see much difference in speed. Can get a 500gb for similar price. Or put the money into Ram/better CPU

    • Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 18:15

      Currently running VM on 120gb sata3 SSD on 8gb ram (6gb for VM). I am not sure how fast will it make by M2 but I am just following the crowd on M2 wagon. mobo has extra sata ports so scarifying 1-2 is not a problem.

  • websterp on 15/03/2018 - 15:51

    No apple fanboy but rather than tinkering around VMs and OSX illegal downloads and installs I'll do this the other way round. For your desktop budget I'll get a loaded Mac Mini so your kid could familiarise himself with OSX which happens to be the primary OS he uses at school. Then for windows I'll use bootcamp or a VM based approach.

    • StickMan on 15/03/2018 - 16:06

      Mac mini is 2014 pile of trash, do NOT get Mac Mini.

      My suggestion of macbook air 13inch is probably the cheapest/best if you go this route.

      • Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 18:17

        I am not a fan either & honestly don't know what os would be next school. so building this fast pc that I can later convert to gaming machine by adding decent GPU & ram upgrade but still confused should I go 16gb 2400 or 8gb 3200?

        • ShannonN on 15/03/2018 - 21:37

          If you know what schools he may attend next year why not ring them and ask what type of computer they use, most schools I see in qld are using macs either in tablet form or laptops don't think I've seen one that uses a wintel solution

  • No Username on 15/03/2018 - 16:48

    Why don't you go with a dual-boot of Hackintosh and Windows? Running Mac OS X on VM Ware Workstation Pro 14 is still a bit slow and the graphics aren't fully supported yet. If you live in VIC I can give you the unibeast USB.

    • Enjj0y on 15/03/2018 - 18:22

      Thanks. I have used VM & it looks safer on windows and I can have more control over VM. sometimes windows or other os update may break dual OS as it has done this in past. So prefer VM atm. Probably next school may have different OS, so if he doesn't want this pc then this will be next gaming pc upgrade.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join