Clarification on difference of motherboards.

[rans0m00]

So not trying to do install mac os on my pc but from what I have heard on Apple computers there is a chip on the motherboard the operating system checks for to allow you to install/run mac os.... Is this true and if so what is the name of the chip?

 

[r.j.s]

Not exactly.

OS X requires EFI to boot, rather than BIOS.

 

[rans0m00]

So no separate chip just a different version of what a avg pc user would call a bios?

 

[r.j.s]

So no separate chip just a different version of what a avg pc user would call a bios?

Well ... EFI is a different chip than BIOS. They are not interchangeable.

 

[rans0m00]

So does it even have a bios chip?

 

[r.j.s]

So does it even have a bios chip?

No, Apple motherboards do not have a BIOS. They use EFI.

 

[rans0m00]

Ok think I have an understanding of it now. Thank you for answering my questions.

 

[RedReplicant]

I suggest you make your way to a more hackintosh oriented place like http://www.insanelymac.com or http://www.hackint0sh.org

 

[maflynn]

So not trying to do install mac os on my pc but from what I have heard on Apple computers there is a chip on the motherboard the operating system checks for to allow you to install/run mac os.... Is this true and if so what is the name of the chip?

I agree with others, starting your research at insanelymac is the first order of business. You'll gain lots of information of what works and what doesn't.

Basically, OSX is written with a specific set of hardware, i.e., audio, video, memory controllers, etc. Apple controls how the motherboard is assembled and what components go on the motherboard.

Making a hackintosh basically involves finding a motherboard that has similar components so the default kexts (device drivers) will work without modification. Of course there's not too many motherboards that mirror apple's so custom kexts are required.

To further complicate the matter is that PCs (99.99%) use BIOS, a legacy method for the OS to interact with the hardware (its the layer that sits between the hardware and the OS). Microsoft and Intel developed a BIOS replacement called EFI. Its more extensible and flexible (I guess). Apple embraced this, so this now complicates turning a PC with BIOS into a hackintosh. We use a custom bootloader to kick start the OSX booting process.

I created a core i7-930 hackintosh, and while the actual act of loading OSX onto it was not complicated, finding the specific components were a bit tricky, for instance, I thought my motherboard was compatible, but later I found I should have bought the "deluxe" version not the non-deluxe version. This meant I had more work to find a process that would actually work, which I eventually did.

Choosing your components wisely will make the process of creating a hackintosh much easier.