Legit vs Hackintosh ?

[nStyle]

Ultimately, will there be any difference? I am thinking not. I buy the OS, build a fast Hackintosh, what could be the difference between this and one I buy from the Apple store besides screen?

[waloshin]

If Macbook better build quality.

You also get updates.

[nStyle]

I own a MBP. Love my MBP. There is no argument in the portable scene: buying a MBP is the way to go.

I was just curious on thoughts about the desktop scene.

[Mackilroy]

You can pick your parts with a hackintosh, and it's much cheaper. I have both a 2006 Mac Pro and a hackintosh I built about a month ago, and I doubt I'll ever buy a real desktop Mac again.

Differences are that you can overclock your CPU to get much faster speeds, you can have many more USB ports, you pick your own case, you've got a desktop processor instead of a server processor… and… it's not supported by Apple. If you choose the right parts, installation will be smooth. If not, you'll have no end of headaches. I chose well, and I was up and running with OS X in about the same time it took to install OS X on my Mac Pro.

[Airforcekid]

I own a MBP. Love my MBP. There is no argument in the portable scene: buying a MBP is the way to go.

I was just curious on thoughts about the desktop scene.

Its easy to do if your tech savy just check before you update etc.

[Ravich]

This prospect interests me as well... what would the greatest obstacles be? That is, if I get a hackintosh up and running, provided I dont do OS updates, what can go wrong?

[Thunder82]

If you use hardware thats tried and true with the hackintosh scene, it'll be pretty easy. I have a desktop and a Dell m1530 that are both hackintosh machines and they both do quite well for themselves. Just make sure you do your research on different hardware before you buy ;)

[jshbckr]

This prospect interests me as well... what would the greatest obstacles be? That is, if I get a hackintosh up and running, provided I dont do OS updates, what can go wrong?

If you don't mind jumping through hoops every now and then, it's fine. If you don't depend on that machine for a living, then it's fine.

The advantage of the Mac Pro comes from the fact that everything was designed and specified to work perfectly. With a hackintosh, you've got to find drivers for all of your stuff, makes sure what you're buying isn't just a slight bit different than what you really need, etc.

It's cheaper sure, but is it worth it? It's only cheaper if your time is worthless, IMO.

[gnasher729]

Ultimately, will there be any difference? I am thinking not. I buy the OS, build a fast Hackintosh, what could be the difference between this and one I buy from the Apple store besides screen?

You can't buy MacOS X. Don't bother paying $30 for Snow Leopard; it makes installing the OS on a "Hackintosh" not one bit more legal. It is an upgrade, and it isn't licensed for installation on a non-Apple computer anyway. If you want to go illegal, at least don't be a hypocrite trying to pretend you do something legal.

[Cindori]

maintenance.


a hackintosh does not "just work". you have to manage kexts, read on hackintosh forums before you can perform OS updates, etc etc... Tinkering is fun but not in the long run. I got tired when waking up in the morning, hoping to get work done, just to realise I had made my system unbootable last night when trying to install latest bootloader.


it's the reason I sold my hack.



You can't buy MacOS X. Don't bother paying $30 for Snow Leopard; it makes installing the OS on a "Hackintosh" not one bit more legal. It is an upgrade, and it isn't licensed for installation on a non-Apple computer anyway. If you want to go illegal, at least don't be a hypocrite trying to pretend you do something legal.

there is no law, only apples EULA agreement. which is not valid in my country, Sweden. making hackintosh perfectly legal. i'm sure it's fun spewing hate on hackintoshers, but please keep your facts straight ;)

[Mackilroy]

If you don't mind jumping through hoops every now and then, it's fine. If you don't depend on that machine for a living, then it's fine.

The advantage of the Mac Pro comes from the fact that everything was designed and specified to work perfectly. With a hackintosh, you've got to find drivers for all of your stuff, makes sure what you're buying isn't just a slight bit different than what you really need, etc.

It's cheaper sure, but is it worth it? It's only cheaper if your time is worthless, IMO.
You've never built a hackintosh, have you?

Minor differences between hardware are generally very easy to get around. When I built my hackintosh, I didn't have to find any drivers – they were all automatically installed.

Also, my time is far from worthless, and my hackintosh was less than a third of the price of my Mac Pro. Well worth it, in my opinion.

[Richdmoore]

I put os x on a dell 9, which is known as the easiest netbook to covert to a Mac. I found it ok, but still a pain the the butt when system updates occurred and broke things, then having to wait for the programmers to figure out what was wrong and make a new version.

At the end of the day I installed windows xp back on the netbook and gave it away to my brother as a gift.

A year later and now I am much happier with my iPad.

I wouldn't recommend a hackintosh unless you are a computer whiz, and I would never, ever give one to a noncomputer person.

[xgman]

The advantage of the Mac Pro comes from the fact that everything was designed and specified to work perfectly. With a hackintosh, you've got to find drivers for all of your stuff, makes sure what you're buying isn't just a slight bit different than what you really need, etc.


This is what drove me to Apple in the first place. I used to build 3 or 4 custom pc systems per year including sub zero phase cooled systems and sure they could be wildly overclocked and components may or may not cost less, but you end up on an endless upgrade cycle that costs way more than any MP even if you buy one at every refresh. In addition, the actual use as opposed to fix, tweak or benchmark factor is not even close. If Apple opened up licensing to PC's, I'd probably bite, but for now I'll stick with mac pros, but if they don't release an update soon, I may go awol regardless. The overly slow upgrade cycle is nice to the extent of about a year or so, but the latest upgrade is taking way too long.

[-aggie-]

You can't buy MacOS X. Don't bother paying $30 for Snow Leopard; it makes installing the OS on a "Hackintosh" not one bit more legal. It is an upgrade, and it isn't licensed for installation on a non-Apple computer anyway. If you want to go illegal, at least don't be a hypocrite trying to pretend you do something legal.

Didn't you write that hacking iPhones are illegal in the iPhone Hacks forum? You just don't understand what legal means.

[KeriJane]

If you have to ask the question "Legit or Hackintosh" in the first place...

The smart, nice, looking out for your best interests answer: Legit!

I (being cruel and mischievous) say:
Go ahead and learn the hard way.

Have Fun,
Good Luck with that one,
Keri

[Rankrotten]

I lost two months of my life with my i7 build.

Wait, what life...

[nStyle]

Hmm... mixed opinions.

So, what is the importance of system updates? What do the updates really matter?

Why does there have to be specific hardware capabilities? Is this because OS X uses "special" instructions that only certain processors can read?

If nothing else, its more fun to tinker and try to get around Apple's closed-minded philosophy than give in immediately (though this line of thought didn't work with me for the iPad).

[Mackilroy]

Updates can be important, though they're not really necessary if the software you're going to be using changes slowly or not at all. Though Steam more or less requires 10.6.3, so if you need that you'll have to do a little more work.

We use specific hardware because either Apple uses it or it's similar to what Apple uses. For example, Apple uses the Core i5-750 and the Core i7-860, but in my hackintosh I have a Core i7-930.

[johnnymg]

maintenance.


a hackintosh does not "just work". you have to manage kexts, read on hackintosh forums before you can perform OS updates, etc etc... Tinkering is fun but not in the long run. I got tired when waking up in the morning, hoping to get work done, just to realise I had made my system unbootable last night when trying to install latest bootloader.

it's the reason I sold my hack.
....... snip............


Thanks for your continued contributions here. I have been occasionally tempted to build a Hackintosh but your comments above remind me why I have migrated away from building Win machines. :p

regards
JohnG

[jjahshik32]

I've gone the hackint0sh route 3 times (sony vaio tz, dell inspiron and a samsung nc10) and all 3 times have gone and yearned for the real deal.

Hackint0sh in my experience (spent hours and hours and days and days customizing, even kext editing my own drivers for the hardware) still feels like a broken OSX experience.

Not to mention the occassional kernel panics (only on the samsung but the sony vaio tz and dell inspiron was fine).

[Phantom Gremlin]

maintenance.
...
it's the reason I sold my hack.

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

You're one of the top poster's here regarding Hacintosh. If you've given up, that should be a big hint to those of us who are contemplating it but don't want to spend half our life fiddling.

[Mackilroy]

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

You're one of the top poster's here regarding Hacintosh. If you've given up, that should be a big hint to those of us who are contemplating it but don't want to spend half our life fiddling.

Note that he also kept fiddling with it, which is what gave him issues in the first place.

After I updated my hackintosh, I haven't been fiddling with it, and it's given me absolutely no problems.

This doesn't mean that building a hack is for you, but there are two sides to every coin.

[300D]

Hack = illegal
Legit = legal

Simple as that.

[codymac]

maintenance.


a hackintosh does not "just work".

Yes... and no...

I'll take it a step further and qualify it with "it depends." With some hardware, it's nearly as simple as the real thing... with other hardware, you're in for a nightmare trying to make it work.

[VPrime]

As others have said, it really depends on your hardware...
If you choose the right motherboard -Thigns get super easy.. Right video card- Even easier. Those are pretty much the only 2 key parts.
Gigabyte boards have the most compatibility.

Here is my setup (a bit out dated, but it gets the job done)
Gigabyte EP45-uD3P motherboard
Intel Quad Q6600 2.4ghz
4GB of DDR2
Nvidia 8800 GTS- 640mb.

With this set up I installed 10.6 with zero issues. I only had to install 1 KEXT and that is optional (It just made bonjour work with my network card). Install was quick and painless- about as easy as my macbook. (There is also a Life hacker article on this exact setup).

I have also been able to use the built in software updated with zero issues. I am currently on 10.6.3 - use the computer EVERY day. NO kernel panics, NO slow downs, NO problems. It is as stable as my macbook.
Although, the future is unknown. The next update could kill it (or at least just cause some minor issues that need fixing), and that is the risk with these. It is usually best to wait on updates and see what others say first.

This all being said, my next desktop is probably going to be a Mac Pro.. But that won't be a few years from now as this computer is working great for what I need. I don't want a macpro because I hate my hack, but I feel that it is the next step to go.. Plus any thing I build will cost around the same as a mac pro for about the same specs (Will be using server parts just like the mac pro) so I figure I would just save my self the trouble :)

[maflynn]

Personally I'm tempted, not just to build a hackintosh but rather building a desktop. OSX compatibility would be a plus since I own a MBP.

Based on the responses here, as long as you pick the hardware that's pretty close to apple's it may be a smooth install.

I'm looking at a i7-930 build that's basically equals the base MacPro (other then not being xeon processors) and I'm under a grand for everything. The MP, is 2500 at the based. My configuration, I get more ram (6gig) a larger HD and a better GPU.

That's tough to beat

[Cindori]

Some people misunderstood my post.

Can you get a hack running as stable as a Mac Pro? Why yes of course! And yes, the process can be very simple.

But let's say you start getting random kernel panics.

Is it perhaps one of the new USB peripherals you recently bought?
Is it your BIOS settings that are wrong?
Did the last update you made, mess up something?
Are your memory modules malfunctioning?
Is a kext in /Extra conflicting with something?
Are you missing something in the DSDT?

With a Mac Pro, you would get support directly from Apple.
Should your machine be out of service period, there are still very good coverage of problems and solutions on forums and, because of the Mac being very shut in and low in configurable modes, the variables that can have caused the problem are very low.

But with a hackintosh, you suddenly have so many things that can be causing the error. And don't count on support. Yes the Insanelymac forum is a very great forum. But since problems can, as I just said, depend on so many variables, it's very hard for someone to identify the cause for you. Don't be surprised if your topic goes unanswered, not only because no one has the answer but sometimes because the answer is well known and people ignore you as a silent message to "dude, use the search function".

and then you're on your own. bound to spend hours and maybe days to find a solution to your problem. Sucks to be in the middle of a work deadline then, huh?

I enjoyed planning, building, and installing my hackintosh, but as a earlier poster said, I always yearned for the real thing. I would say, if you have the money, always go for the real thing.

[cutterman]

It seems we are definitely at a turning point for the mac pro. There are far fewer compelling osx-only apps out there that would prevent power users from migrating to Windows. I priced out a top-of-the line 12 core workstation using a Supermicro X8 series board, dual 5600 Xeons, 16GB memory- all for less than $5K. It is doubtful a similarly configured MP will come in for less than 6k. It also doesnt seem likely such a build could be a successful hackintosh, unfortunately.

As a former PC user, I really like OSX. However most of my work is with Adobe CS4, so basically the same on each platform. It is tempting to consider. . .

[maflynn]

It seems we are definitely at a turning point for the mac pro.

Hasn't that always been the case? More apps on windows, I mean. As for the turning point. I agree. It seems apple is more enamored with mobile computing and desktop technology has taken a back seat.

[VirtualRain]

After having built a Hackontish HTPC I just don't see a good reason to do it. If you want to build your own hardware do so but make your life a lot easier and just use Windows for you OS. OSX brings no compelling advantages to a home built PC nd does bring plenty of headaches.

[maflynn]

OSX brings no compelling advantages to a home built PC nd does bring plenty of headaches.
Other then OSX being better then windows. Also for folks like me who already have OSX software, it makes sense if you don't want to spend the $$ for apple hardware.

I hear you on the headaches, though its subjective as to whether its worth it or not

[MacFanUK]

Like many others here, I myself have a hackintosh. The initial problems I had were due to an incompatible graphics card which I had to shell out to replace, however, that was my only issue.

The reason I went down the hackintosh route was because I wanted a tower for upgradability and the ability to have dual (identical) displays, but I couldn't afford a Mac Pro. I now don't use identical displays but even if I did, the Mac Mini now has that ability.

However...like many others, I am always yearning for the real thing so I'm currently looking at the possibility of buying an iMac or even a Mac Mini. This doesn't mean that my hackintosh isn't a capable machine, I just want to own a real Mac.

[Tutor]

Clean up

[cutterman]

@Tutor: Nice!

I don't need a new machine now, so I am content to wait and see what Apple has to offer. It was kinda fun though to put together my dream system on Newegg- Supermicro X8DAH, dual 5680's, 24GB, Radeon 5870, case and PS for $5500. I could live with that system Windows only;)

[Super_Saxy]

FWIW...

I recently built a hackintosh, and its been great.

I followed the Lifehacker guide (http://lifehacker.com/5360150/install-snow-leopard-on-your-hackintosh-pc-no-hacking-required). This took all the "figuring out" work, as I didn't have time to do the leg work myself. The guide was flawless, the build was easy, and its been amazing. All updates went flawlessly. I feel like this build is a good "halfway point" between purchasing a Mac Pro from apple and from completely building a Hackintosh on your own.

[Tutor]

Clean up

[300D]

So, how do you all get around illegally installing the OS?

[MacFanUK]

So, how do you all get around illegally installing the OS?

By buying a Mac :)

[McGiord]

The main advantages of going with an apple one are:
- top customer service even after your warranty has expired
- you will get all the software updates without any delay from a 3rd party
Hardware do fail and nowadays more than ever.

[Tutor]

Clean up

[Mackilroy]

So, how do you all get around illegally installing the OS?

It isn't illegal. It might be unethical, but Apple's EULA is not law. It's a contract.

[psingh01]

I think ultimately if you value your time and official tech support you go for the real Mac. Even if you are technically inclined and can handle building and supporting it yourself, do you really want to? For some people it's no problem, for others it isn't worth the effort.

All the PC's I've ever owned have been self-built, but after a while I just don't feel like doing that anymore. When I was in college it saved me money, now it just wastes my time. I prefer an intel Mac cause then I don't even have to build a PC anymore and would like the convenience of a warranty and support should I need it.

I'm more inclined to buy a higher end Mac Pro when it gets refreshed. I don't know if it's really cheaper to build one with the same specs (i.e. with xeons not the equivalent consumer chip). Not when you count what I lose in support.

[Rankrotten]

My Mac Pro 1.1 dual 3.0 GHz was, and still is, a fine machine but Apple will no longer support it with updates. It has a 32 bit only EFI firmware compared with 64 bit for newer Mac Pros and Apple will not issue newer firmware as their mantra is "Buy a newer supported machine". Also the same with updated PCIe graphics cards, Apple will not support them in the older Mac Pro even though they may work.

It is this nonsense that made me consider building my own i7 solution. I'll support it myself and the bonus is not having to rely on it being abandoned when the Mac Pro line next gets a refresh.

I'll grant you it's a steep learning curve but the two months spent inside the heart of this machine means that I know how it works and how to recover any problems that may crop up. I know the internal workings of this machine more intimately than I do my own wife.

Apple take note, why have you abandoned me?

[murdercitydevil]

I would definitely say, for a desktop, a hackintosh. I mean, by all means, if you have the money to spend, there's nothing like a real mac. But at the same time, going that route because people tell you osx86 is "unstable", requires you to "jump through hoops", involves constant "tinkering", is utterly retarded. Honestly, you need to try it yourself before you take someone else's word for it. My hackintosh experience was far from smooth, but the main reason being that it was my first time actually using OS X in depth to begin with. After initial confusion, troubleshooting, frustration, I know it well enough to where I need TWO third party kexts and nothing else to have a complete vanilla install on my desktop, and can get the whole thing set up in a matter of minutes should I ever need to reinstall. Here's the other thing:

People like to throw around the misconception that software updates "break" hackintosh setups. Okay, granted, I haven't been on the "scene" for that long, but I think the technology and methods have gotten advanced enough to where this is a thing of the past. In my relatively short experience with osx86, the only update that did any kind of damage to hackintosh systems was 10.6.2 and that was ONLY for netbooks with atom CPUs. Not a problem for a desktop, especially when you can customize your own hardware.

Another plus, your hackintosh will be guaranteed to be several times faster and more modern than any desktop apple ever makes, period. As long as the hardware is supported, which nearly all of it is, the sky is really the limit. SLI works now, dual monitors are no problem, new CPUs, hell last time I checked they found a way to install straight from the DVD, no need for any bootloaders.

Which brings me to my last point - the whole thing about KPs, tinkering, always swapping out kexts, etc. sounds like a load of crap to me. If that's really your experience, then you clearly have either very old components or just incompatible hardware, bad choice on your part. In my experience, even though people had a lot of difficulty getting osx86 working on my mobo, it is possible, and I have had absolutely zero problems since I got everything working initially. I haven't needed to modify a single kext, I haven't gotten a single KP, everything WORKS just like a mac does.

So I really suggest that you try it out for yourself. It's absolutely worth it if you put the time into it, because like I said, once you get it worked out and get comfortable with the process that goes into building a hackintosh, you'll love yourself for the money you save.

[Cindori]

Source on SLI for osx, Mr?

[maflynn]

My Mac Pro 1.1 dual 3.0 GHz was, and still is, a fine machine but Apple will no longer support it with updates. It has a 32 bit only EFI firmware compared with 64 bit for newer Mac Pros and Apple will not issue newer firmware as their mantra is "Buy a newer supported machine".

Apple take note, why have you abandoned me?
That seems to be one of the darker secrets of apple, in that if you're a generation behind, apple will not even provide the simplest updates. I'd not really single them out, as I believe most other manufacturers are even worse at this.

A home built computer has an advantage and that you control your own destiny in support, and updates. While this could be a disadvantage for those who don't want to deal with problems, i.e., bring it into an apple store. Ultimately I think its a better move.

[lemonade-maker]

It isn't illegal. It might be unethical, but Apple's EULA is not law. It's a contract.

It is illegal to violate the terms of a contract that you agreed to upon installation of the OS. You would would be subject to penalties determined by judgement in a court of law.

Just because you won't go to jail doesn't make not illegal. Getting caught is another matter.

[parakiet]

It is illegal to violate the terms of a contract that you agreed to upon installation of the OS. You would would be subject to penalties determined by judgement in a court of law.

Just because you won't go to jail doesn't make not illegal. Getting caught is another matter.

one could doubt the legality of that 'contract'

[300D]

one could doubt the legality of that 'contract'

Only people with no understanding of laws and no moral standards.

It isn't illegal. It might be unethical, but Apple's EULA is not law. It's a contract.

Which by definition means you're breaking a legally binding contract....which is illegal.
The EULA says you can't make copies, so why don't you make copies and sell them on eBay? Its not illegal according to you.

[lemonade-maker]

one could doubt the legality of that 'contract'

You would still have to make your claim in court. The burden of proof would be on you. Further, you would lose.

[NoSmokingBandit]

Oh please can we avoid the whole EULA pissing match for once. It doesnt matter if its legal or not, people are still going to install it on their pc, so bitching about it isnt going to do anything but piss off a lot of people are massively derail this thread.

[lemonade-maker]

Oh please can we avoid the whole EULA pissing match for once. It doesnt matter if its legal or not, people are still going to install it on their pc, so bitching about it isnt going to do anything but piss off a lot of people are massively derail this thread.

Title is "Legit vs Hackintosh". Seem like a reasonable and on topic point to discuss.

[twdawson]

I have built a hackintosh because both of my previous macs developed faults and were going to cost too much money to fix and i already had the pc parts to do it, so cost me nothing. I refuse to buy another mac when i can run osx on hardware i have.
I might consider it in the future when funds allow.

i have leopard on it and fully up to date, it runs perfect and has done so for months.

[fhall1]

Title is "Legit vs Hackintosh". Seem like a reasonable and on topic point to discuss.

I have to agree with NoSmokingBandit....every one of these threads starts out with a decent discussion of hardware and techniques and then gets ruined with post after post after post from the amateur lawyers in the group spouting about both sides of the EULA violation argument. Please leave this thread somewhat technical....there's a dozen other threads where we can fall asleep reading about pseudo-legal opinions about Apple's EULA if we so desire.

[murdercitydevil]

Source on SLI for osx, Mr?

I may have been mistaken, at least partly, about that. I thought i remembered seeing something on prasys or netkas' blogs about SLI, but it seems it either only works on the few rare nv chipsets that OS X works on, or it will work with 2 cards, but they'll be seen separately. I think though that dual-GPU cards like the 5970 will work though.

[freeman727]

If you don't mind jumping through hoops every now and then, it's fine. If you don't depend on that machine for a living, then it's fine.

The advantage of the Mac Pro comes from the fact that everything was designed and specified to work perfectly. With a hackintosh, you've got to find drivers for all of your stuff, makes sure what you're buying isn't just a slight bit different than what you really need, etc.

It's cheaper sure, but is it worth it? It's only cheaper if your time is worthless, IMO.

jshbckr hit the nail on the head. I was an ex-hackintosher. I wasted toooooo much time in updating and finding drivers. Plus there are moments (albeit rare) that I would get kernel panics. The real benefit of my hackintosh experiment was to see how awesome OS X is compared to Windows. I now have a Mac Pro and MBP, and use a hacked copy of Windows on Boot Camp anytime I really need to go into Windows. :)

[Agaetis Byrjun]

About a year and a half ago I bought what was thought to be the perfect hackintosh setup, motherboard/RAM/video card/audio interface all would run perfectly. While I did deal with all the kext and drivers issues one runs into, I was able to get the thing running perfectly. I told myself after that I would never pay the money for a genuine MP.

Now I'm going to guess that all of us ran out and bought SL the day it came out, I know I did. So it was a real disappointment when I got home and couldn't install it. I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone came up with some type of fix that would allow me to get SL running. It's now been 9 months since SL's release and I'm still running 10.5.8. I've spent hours/days trying to get 10.6 running to no avail.

So it's not just updates that can be a pain, it's a potential OS problem. So it would seem I'm stuck until I either invest in another hackintosh or put up the cash for a MP. It's just too bad I didn't think of this at the time. But I do have to say, I learned much more about OSX getting a hackintosh running than I ever did with my MBP.

I'll for sure pick up a new MP once the upcoming one is ever released.

Agaetis

[parakiet]

anyway.. that apple support, how far does it go?
i can imagine it isn't as bright a they claim it.
anyone here actually been helped by them?

[McGiord]

anyway.. that apple support, how far does it go?
i can imagine it isn't as bright a they claim it.
anyone here actually been helped by them?

Nothing is perfect. And what I can tell you is that :apple: will always be behind their products for service and support. Obviously as technology evolves the life cycle to release new products becomes shorter, therefore some things will become obsolete faster than what we were used to.

I have a MacBook late 2006, made out of cheap plastic, lesson learned avoid plastic products from China, get aluminum Macs instead. Apple had replaced the broken plastic case parts a couple of times even out of warranty.

iPhone 3G, same history about plastic: cracks. Always replaced even out of warranty.

MacBook Pro: started to experience kernel panics, RAM or motherboard faulty, it is out of warranty = flat fee of repair $310, they call it depot repair. New RAM...could be something like that, motherboard...way more.

Go to a Genius Bar for any thing and they will do a free diagnostic of what is going on, if you need customer satisfaction ask for the manager and they will do their best to make you a happy :apple: customer. They will find a way to make you happy.

If you face some Genius that are not so...ask for the manager.

Even using their website for support, you can get a direct call from a support specialist right away, and they will guide you to do diagnostics or schedule the Genius Bar appointments.

I thought that I will never need apple care, but it turns out that it is worth the price, next Mac I buy, will definitely get apple care.

Anyway there is always www.ifixtit.com for some do it yourself repairs.