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Finally have an MDD!!
- Thread starter CYB3RBYTE
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Heh, my MacBook Air on Yosemite only takes about 8 seconds to fully boot from a cold start. Perhaps it's that PCI SSD?
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LOL, it's not all that loud! It runs fairly quite actually, even quieter than my 2001 QuickSilver occasionally! I plan to replace the CPU fan, as that is the noisiest component next to the PSU of course. Also, I plan to put dual 80GB HDD's into this thing, so I will plan ahead for the noise!
I have another question for someone who knows the answer: Which PSUs fail in these machines? I don't much about this, besides the fact that it is a large issue with MDDs. I want to run the MDD as a photo server and be able to access it at my school. Anyone know about this?
I believe mine had an AcBel. In the several month span I owned it I never had a power issue.
For the photo server, do you mean like remote AFP file sharing access?
Quite bluntly, they've been out for close to ten years. The ones that would fail likely HAVE failed. Same story with any G5 that isn't liquid cooled. The ones that would screw up likely HAVE screwed up.
Congrats on your G4. My first personal Mac was a Dual 1Ghz MDD and I love the thing. Its pretty much what made me enjoy macs and the ppc architecture. I think I paid $150+ shipping for it. It was fully loaded with a clean install of 10.4, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB Hard Drive (I think, I can't remember sadly), Radeon 9800, and an Airport Card. The original superdrive it shipped with had some issues, but it accepted my LG DVD-RW just fine. What impressed me most was the fact that it worked with a Dynex USB 2.0 PCI Card I got from best buy for $5. (you know, the one they claim only works on Windows). Overall, its a great machine. By far one of the most valuable returns for the price.
Yes I meant the AFP or I can also SSH into it using the terminal and thats how I would connect to it in the first place.
I wanted to use it as a file server since I can't keep much on my 128GB MacBook Air (even though I enjoy it quite much!), and it would be cool to be able to access it from my school or other places.
The MDD is a very nice machine- you are really going to joy it and the cult that follows owning a PowerMac
I am actually thinking of building a Hackintosh... That's not a norm for me at all, considering I don't enjoy owning a black box, and I appreciate Apple's hardware design. However, my best computer is a laptop (2009 MacBook Pro), and I don't like using a laptop as a main computer. I don't feel like purchasing an expensive desktop, and just want to pay for the components to make a nice desktop. I am thinking about building one from the guides on Tonymacx86's website, which show you the best parts to buy for a Hackintosh.
Is there any advice you can give for someone thinking about Hackintosh for the first time? I have already looked at tutorials and know what to do to obtain proper drivers, etc. I suppose I am familiar with most of the basics, and have built a computer before. Hmm... is it difficult to dual-boot into Windows? Can I install Windows regularly and then install MacOSX onto another partition, or does iBook take over the entire boot manager with its own one?
P.S. My first PowerPC Mac was an iMac G5 in 2004
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Heh, my MacBook Air on Yosemite only takes about 8 seconds to fully boot from a cold start. Perhaps it's that PCI SSD?
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LOL, it's not all that loud! It runs fairly quite actually, even quieter than my 2001 QuickSilver occasionally! I plan to replace the CPU fan, as that is the noisiest component next to the PSU of course. Also, I plan to put dual 80GB HDD's into this thing, so I will plan ahead for the noise!
Tell me if dual hard drives ends up working out for you; for some reason, having two HDs in my MDD caused it to crash intermittently. I think it may have had to do something with the 'spin down hard disks when possible' preference, but I don't know for sure... I was able to use the second HD fine, but I had to eventually remove it due to the instability.
Advice from someone who has thought of building a Hackintosh:
- Be patient. Although there are tools to ease the difficulties of building a Hackintosh, there isn't a 100% guarantee that all your hardware will work properly. I realize you plan to stick with the hardware guide, so your build should be relatively painless.
- Realize that you'll probably have a more difficult time upgrading to new releases of OS X on non-Apple hardware.
- See if you can repurpose a Power Mac G5 case into your Hackintosh build. It'll make your Hackintosh look legit.
Good luck!
I am actually thinking of building a Hackintosh... That's not a norm for me at all, considering I don't enjoy owning a black box, and I appreciate Apple's hardware design. However, my best computer is a laptop (2009 MacBook Pro), and I don't like using a laptop as a main computer. I don't feel like purchasing an expensive desktop, and just want to pay for the components to make a nice desktop. I am thinking about building one from the guides on Tonymacx86's website, which show you the best parts to buy for a Hackintosh.
Is there any advice you can give for someone thinking about Hackintosh for the first time? I have already looked at tutorials and know what to do to obtain proper drivers, etc. I suppose I am familiar with most of the basics, and have built a computer before. Hmm... is it difficult to dual-boot into Windows? Can I install Windows regularly and then install MacOSX onto another partition, or does iBook take over the entire boot manager with its own one?
P.S. My first PowerPC Mac was an iMac G5 in 2004
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Tell me if dual hard drives ends up working out for you; for some reason, having two HDs in my MDD caused it to crash intermittently. I think it may have had to do something with the 'spin down hard disks when possible' preference, but I don't know for sure... I was able to use the second HD fine, but I had to eventually remove it due to the instability.
I will try the dual 80GB HDD's once I get the money for such a upgrade
. But I am hoping it works just fine for me, my only concern is I would have to place both hard drives in the bay next to the processor, in order to avoid any slow down on the ATA bus. As far as your hackintosh interests go, why don't you find a used Mac that doesn't cost too much (like a late 2010+ Mini). You could always just scrap the mackintosh idea altogether and build a budget gaming machine.
I will try the dual 80GB HDD's once I get the money for such a upgrade
As far as your hackintosh interests go, why don't you find a used Mac that doesn't cost too much (like a late 2010+ Mini). You could always just scrap the mackintosh idea altogether and build a budget gaming machine.
Just to clear things up, I added my secondary HD to the same bay as the primary one was in. I should have tried the other bays, but it was such a relief to me that it was only my 2nd HD causing the crashes, that I immediately took it out. I don't even need 2 HDs on an MDD anyway.
Well, even though this isn't the easiest thing to do, I was thinking it would be cool to have a Windows partition on the Hackintosh, for the two Windows games I play. As for the Hackintosh itself, it's just a thought for now. The only reason I am considering it is because I want a new desktop but don't feel like paying for the premium Apple architecture. I also want to settle for something really good and not used. The last time I got a BRAND NEW computer was in 2004. Since then, I have been using hand-me-downs and computers I've acquired in the past for my collection---All of which are PowerPC Macs, except for my first non-PowerPC computer, which was a hand-me-down I got in 2012. It's a fine computer (base-model 2009 MacBook Pro 13"), but I cannot stand using a laptop as a desktop. Assuming I DO get a desktop, I want MacOSX, yet I am not concerned about Apple hardware for once this time.
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Yeah, I'm aware I may run into difficulties. It would be nice to set this up with a friend, if I can. (although I don't have final intentions to build a Hackintosh; it's just an idea I am brainstorming for at the moment).
As for the G5 case, I really want to do that; it would be such a fun project to work on, but I am shying from it because it seems very difficult. I am not one to not want to do things because they are difficult, but it seems a little ambitious for me... maybe some day.
Thanks for the article! This will definitely clear things up. The processes I had been looking up were, I guess, just more-complicated ways of doing this.
Hey- Sorry for the late reply, but I have plenty of advice for some who is considering or plans to make Hackintosh. The one I have now is my first and my only Hackintosh, and the experience has been mostly positive. My first piece of advice is to be prepared for (possibly) getting your hands dirty. The beautiful thing about Mac OS X is how simply and intuitive it is, but when you are installing it and booting it up for the first time with non-Apple hardware, you may spend and hour or two troubleshooting issues in a Unix command prompt environment. You will most likely have few issues if you pick your hardware right, which is a perfect segway into my next piece of advice. You will have to make some sacrifices in terms of hardware if you want a perfectly functioning Hackintosh. If you are in the market to spend a ton of money and get the newest, often unsupported hardware, you will have a difficult time. I can strongly recommend TonyMacX86, as you mentioned. I used it myself, and even though the hardware they use may just be a touch expensive for the power you are getting, you are almost entirely guaranteed compatibility. When it comes to installing and dual-booting Windows, the process is by no means difficult, but it does require a precise process. You have to set up two partitions on your hard-drive (although I recommend installing it on a separate drive) through the Mac OS X installer (Unibeast is the easiest method), and then install windows first, and Mac OS X second, otherwise Windows will assume priority and ignore your Mac OS X bootloader... the list goes on, if the time comes, I would pull up a guide during the process itself. Overall, building a Hackintosh is extremely rewarding (financially, and simply because the work payed off), and I highly recommend it, although there are two big caveats. There is no support from Apple for your hardware, and some updates may cause your machine to panic, which is no big deal if you back up your files. Additionally, every so often I will look down at my, well, black box, and look to its right where a Power Mac G5 sits, wishing the two would just merge. If you value Apple's aesthetics and build quality, it may be an even better idea to simply save up for a Mac, or even better, consider modifying an older mac (such as a PMG5) to house your Hackintosh as I am considering right now.
Thanks for the reply;
I have since looked up how to dual boot into Windows, and, while it IS a precise process, it's pretty simple. However, I have been thinking about it lately, and I don't think I necessarily NEED a new desktop. I was considering it, but then became discouraged by that fact. I think if anything I would save it for college, although I hope no problems arise, as dealing with the computer away from home may be trouble. That being said, I do have a Core 2 Duo Windows PC that I can try putting MacOSX on. Sure, it may be more of a challenge because of the hardware not being Hackintosh specific, but I will give it a shot. One question though: As for drivers, I am aware that in the installation, and later in Multibeast, you are given a choice of drivers for things such as ethernet. How do I know which to pick? Does it detect your board or does it list default, universal drivers that should work with most systems? (whether it be Intel, Atheros, whatever). I have seen videos on which general installation and Multibeast settings that one should choose, but I am a little stuck on hardware-specific things, such as which ethernet drivers to choose.
-Thanks
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P.S. PowerMac G5 mods are difficult, but can be done in many creative ways. I would want to do something like that, but it may be out of my reach. It is a cool thing though; it's a great way to make your Hackintosh look like a Macintosh.
While it is possible, is there a reason that you would not want to use a router's USB port? It is far less power and maintenance than dealing with a "file server" and over the Internet the speed will be about the same depending on configuration.