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I am a little confused about hackintosh graphics cards

D

diamondschwin

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 2, 2002
84
0
I was interested in the lifehacker.com 900 dollar mac pro build and was just wondering how the graphics card functions since it is a PC version.


Wouldnt you need to flash the card to a mac rom to get it running or is this handled differently because of the pc motherboard bios??



Thanks:apple:
 
jzuena

jzuena

macrumors 65816
Feb 21, 2007
1,125
149
diamondschwin said:
I was interested in the lifehacker.com 900 dollar mac pro build and was just wondering how the graphics card functions since it is a PC version.

Wouldnt you need to flash the card to a mac rom to get it running or is this handled differently because of the pc motherboard bios??

Thanks:apple:
Click to expand...

The reflash is to get the card to understand EFI instead of BIOS, so you would leave the card as-is on a hackintosh since the hardware uses BIOS.
 
300D

300D

macrumors 65816
May 2, 2009
1,284
0
Tulsa
$900 will not even remotely come close to building a "Mac Pro", just a low-end wannabe Hackintrash.
 
C

CoryBoyUSA

macrumors member
Aug 7, 2007
80
0
Other than it not being in a pretty case by Apple, if it meets or exceeds the specs of a Mac Pro, how does it not "remotely come close" to one? Please elaborate, 'cause I'm really curious to see the reasoning behind that statement.

300D said:
$900 will not even remotely come close to building a "Mac Pro", just a low-end wannabe Hackintrash.
Click to expand...
 
300D

300D

macrumors 65816
May 2, 2009
1,284
0
Tulsa
CoryBoyUSA said:
if it meets or exceeds the specs of a Mac Pro
Click to expand...
For $900? Bull.

how does it not "remotely come close" to one?
Click to expand...
Have you actually priced out the components of a real Mac Pro?

you do know you can buy a lot of computer for 900 right...
Click to expand...
With the computational power and build quality of a Mac Pro, no you can't. $900 will get you some low-end Core i7 powered heap of cords thrown together in a generic case. And it certainly won't buy you a Mac other than a Mini or a hacked :apple:tv
 
dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,131
4,110
5045 feet above sea level
300D said:
For $900? Bull.


Have you actually priced out the components of a real Mac Pro?


With the computational power and build quality of a Mac Pro, no you can't. $900 will get you some low-end Core i7 powered heap of cords thrown together in a generic case.
Click to expand...

build quality?
computational power?

yes, you can....simply look at benchmarks.

remember not EVERYONE needs a dual socket cpu mb either which really drives the cost nor server grade cpu's over desktop cpus or server grade ram when most dont need anything more than regualr desktop ram. server grade does not boost performance in terms of benchmarking

but you also alluded to 900 being a low end hackintosh which is flat out false

when you build your own system, you can control the build quaility of the components
 
C

CoryBoyUSA

macrumors member
Aug 7, 2007
80
0
300D said:
Have you actually priced out the components of a real Mac Pro
Click to expand...

Have I personally? No. Have you? Apparently you have some wisdom the rest of us do not, hence my request for you to elaborate, versus answering questions with questions. Please enlighten us with the breakdown of how we can't create a system that has equal or greater specs that runs OS X just as well.
 
300D

300D

macrumors 65816
May 2, 2009
1,284
0
Tulsa
dukebound85 said:
remember not EVERYONE needs a dual socket cpu mb either which really drives the cost nor server grade cpu's over desktop cpus or server grade ram when most dont need anything more than regualr desktop ram. server grade does not boost performance in terms of benchmarking
Click to expand...
Then buy a single CPU model Mac Pro, thats why they have them.

What do you do if you can't afford an Audi? Buy a VW.

but you also alluded to 900 being a low end hackintosh which is flat out false
Click to expand...
No, I stated a fact that $900 will build a low-end Hackintrash.

when you build your own system, you can control the build quaility of the components
Click to expand...
No you can't. You're stuck using consumer parts from a list of known compatible components.
In addition, how about control of R&D? Component layout? Cooling zones? The OS being designed with your machine's exact specs and components in mind? Something that doesn't need gay lights and viewing windows to look cool?
Didn't think so.

CoryBoyUSA said:
Have I personally? No. Have you?
Click to expand...
It doesn't take a genius to use google.

Apparently you have some wisdom the rest of us do not
Click to expand...
Not just wisdom, common sense.

how we can't create a system that has equal or greater specs that runs OS X just as well.
Click to expand...
Thats extremely easy, OSX isn't licensed to run on anything but Apple-built hardware. Since you don't work on Apple's design team (you wouldn't be here if you did) it would be pretty darn hard to build an Apple machine.
 
dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,131
4,110
5045 feet above sea level
300D said:
Then buy a single CPU model Mac Pro, thats why they have them.
Click to expand...

lol you missed my point
No, I stated a fact that $900 will build a low-end Hackintrash.
Click to expand...

clever play on words. 900 is not low end for a hackintosh
No you can't. You're stuck using consumer parts from a list of known compatible components.
Click to expand...

consumer parts? LOL, you do know that mac parts are consumer too right...

In addition, how about control of R&D? Component layout? Cooling zones? The OS being designed with your machine's specs and components in mind? Something that doesn't need gay lights and viewing windows to look cool?
Didn't think so.
Click to expand...

ah apple defense at its best.

R&D? cooling zones? component layout? what makes you think pc's dont incorporate any of this? lol

oh and i dont use "gay lights" *gasp*

oh nevermind that many of the same components macs used can easily be bought for a pc
quite amusing

regardless, the fact is that many hackintoshes outperform macpros is very easily found by google
It doesn't take a genius to use google.
Click to expand...

lol indeed. try it

the claim was that a hackintosh cant give macpro performance and it can easily as evidenced by a simple search

Thats extremely easy, OSX isn't licensed to run on anything but an Apple-built hardware. Since you don't work on Apple's design team (you wouldn't be here if you did) it would be pretty darn hard to build an Apple machine.
Click to expand...
we arent building apple machines, we are making machines that run osx.
 
UltraNEO*

UltraNEO*

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2007
4,057
15
近畿日本
How is a hackintosh when it comes to online software updates? does it work like a real mac? or are you stuck with the version installed?
 
UltraNEO*

UltraNEO*

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2007
4,057
15
近畿日本
Diseal3 said:
I can see this getting ugly real fast.
Click to expand...

Well, that depends on the indevidual and how they wish to take it. Personally I don't think it's a bad thing for users to build windows boxes to run MacOS. If anything it's all positive! After all, if there's a million hackintosh users out there, then there's a million more MacUsers - so to speak.

Looking at your common Intel Mac machine, if you strip away all the custom casing/housing, it's essentially a PC anyway.

dukebound85 said:
i did it not for the money aspect, but for the fact that i wanted a challenge
Click to expand...

Challenges are always fun!!!

So can you use any board for a hackintosh box? Or is the mobo and components fairly sensitive?? ...as you can see, i know nothing about them.
 
N

nanofrog

macrumors G4
May 6, 2008
11,719
3
UltraNEO* said:
So can you use any board for a hackintosh box? Or is the mobo and components fairly sensitive?? ...as you can see, i know nothing about them.
Click to expand...
It will depend on the method you use, and what you may consider acceptable for "success". ;) :p

For example, the EFI emulation + Vanilla Kernel will work on most anything to some degree. Every single part may be functional, maybe not, if there's no kext for it, and the ones built into OS X won't make some aspect (component) work.

In researching the board we're both using for example, there's no solution to use the Marvell SAS chip on it. :eek: I can live with that. :D Someone else may not be able to though, as they want to boot off a SAS drive.

It just depends on the specifics for the user IMO. ;)
 
300D

300D

macrumors 65816
May 2, 2009
1,284
0
Tulsa
dukebound85 said:
i did it not for the money aspect, but for the fact that i wanted a challenge.
...
You need to pick compatible components.
Click to expand...

Oh, so you wanted the "challenge" of assembling parts made to work with each-other from a list of known "OSX compatible" parts. Skill busting.

UltraNEO* said:
After all, if there's a million hackintosh users out there, then there's a million more MacUsers - so to speak.
Click to expand...

Apple is a hardware company, not a software company. It doesn't matter if a million people pay the $30 for OSX, Apple doesn't make any meaningful profit from it.
 
K

Kristenn

macrumors 6502
Aug 30, 2009
490
1
I don't have anything against Hackintosh per say. But I'm a little shocked that people are allowed to talk about this stuff here >>

With it being mainly a Apple Rumors website. You think it wouldn't be allowed :confused:
 
N

nanofrog

macrumors G4
May 6, 2008
11,719
3
300D said:
Apple is a hardware company, not a software company. It doesn't matter if a million people pay the $30 for OSX, Apple doesn't make any meaningful profit from it.
Click to expand...
Going by recent events, Apple's become a device/gadget company (iPods, iPhones, :apple:TV,...., i.e. portable devices in particular). These they still design. The aquisition of P.A. Semiconductor bears this out, as it will produce the silicon for such devices specifically tailored to Apple's product lines.

The computers however, specifically the MP, and to a lesser extent the iMac are afterthoughts these days. Apple's even admitted this to some extent at least.

Ive's designs the case. ODM's do the rest of it (Intel, Foxconn,...).
 
G

goMac

Contributor
Apr 15, 2004
7,662
1,694
CoryBoyUSA said:
Other than it not being in a pretty case by Apple, if it meets or exceeds the specs of a Mac Pro, how does it not "remotely come close" to one? Please elaborate, 'cause I'm really curious to see the reasoning behind that statement.
Click to expand...

For me, the problem with building an i7 is you can't do 8 cores and you can't do dual processor configurations. At that point, you might as well go Xeon, and you might as well get a Mac Pro.

You could argue that not everyone needs 8 cores, but that still means a real Mac Pro will blow away a Hackintosh in benchmarks. They aren't comparable, don't pretend they are.

It's a bit like someone saying that a netbook is comparable to a real notebook. They both have their uses, but it's plain stupid to pretend they are the same class of machine.
 
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