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wfriedwald

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 1, 2017
523
48
Regarding the practice known as "Hackintoshing" - I had two very basic questions:

1. is it permissible to ask questions about "Hackintoshing" here? If so, which specific forum? If not, then does anybody have any suggestions as to where to get some basic info?

2. assuming it's okay to talk about it, most of the material I find about "Hackintoshing" talks about building a whole new machine from the ground up. I have built computers before, but with lots of difficulty and tons of help. Is it possible to just buy a basic PC and do a hackintosh-type Mac OS install? I'm sure that some prebuilt machines are more suitable than others.

thanks and I hope that these are appropriate questions,

w
 

iModFrenzy

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2015
896
873
Kamino
Regarding the practice known as "Hackintoshing" - I had two very basic questions:

1. is it permissible to ask questions about "Hackintoshing" here? If so, which specific forum? If not, then does anybody have any suggestions as to where to get some basic info?

2. assuming it's okay to talk about it, most of the material I find about "Hackintoshing" talks about building a whole new machine from the ground up. I have built computers before, but with lots of difficulty and tons of help. Is it possible to just buy a basic PC and do a hackintosh-type Mac OS install? I'm sure that some prebuilt machines are more suitable than others.

thanks and I hope that these are appropriate questions,

w

I don't know the exact forum for hackintoshing, but I can tell you this area is for iOS 11 devices. Mods will probably move this to another forum.

As for 2, unless you know a specific PC that works completely fine/has minor problems with hackintoshing. I used a Dell T3500 which worked great with hackintoshing(required its own DSDT if I recall, I needed help to do the entire process since it was much different than what I've done before), It had no native audio so I used a USB to 3.5mm adapter and it worked fine. Just do your research if you plan to buy a prebuilt for hackintoshing.
 
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Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,470
16,172
California
is it permissible to ask questions about "Hackintoshing" here?
Yes, that is fine as long as you don't discuss using pirated software to accomplish it.

I've moved your post over to the Alternatives to Mac Hardware section where you will find most of the Hackintosh discussion.
 

wfriedwald

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 1, 2017
523
48
I don't know the exact forum for hackintoshing, but I can tell you this area is for iOS 11 devices. Mods will probably move this to another forum.

As for 2, unless you know a specific PC that works completely fine/has minor problems with hackintoshing. I used a Dell T3500 which worked great with hackintoshing(required its own DSDT if I recall, I needed help to do the entire process since it was much different than what I've done before), It had no native audio so I used a USB to 3.5mm adapter and it worked fine. Just do your research if you plan to buy a prebuilt for hackintoshing.

thanks for the feedback!
how long ago did you perform that install OS process on the Dell T3500? which Mac OS are you currently running, and how is it working out? Overall, would you recommend the whole idea? questions, questions! thanks very much!
 

NoBoMac

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 1, 2014
6,257
4,944
I did a hackintosh once with a dell mini (about a year before the ipad was released) and while it was one of the most compatible netbooks at the time, it required constant updates whenever Apple released a macOS .1 or security update.

This.

I too had a Dell Mini Hackintosh for a couple of years. The Hackintosh was a very fragile thing to keep running at any software update (ie. had to be very deliberate with your upgrade steps; believe I had a 25 or so step upgrade process). And seemed like something would stop working after each update.

Moved to an iPad 3 after the Mini could no longer accept software updates. iPad was a much smoother experience, more powerful, and much better battery life than the Mini (went through two batteries). iPad made for a better travel/at-the-coffee-shop device.

They are a fun tinkering thing, can build a really nice "Mac", but if not comfortable with some level of trial and error or have a fair amount of computer administration/debug skills, could be a hair pulling experience.
 

Calebt59

macrumors member
Oct 6, 2013
42
25
Laptops are tough, but if you build desktop from scratch they are stable and will accept over air updates if you use compatible hardware.
 
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thisismyusername

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2015
476
729
Is it possible to just buy a basic PC and do a hackintosh-type Mac OS install? I'm sure that some prebuilt machines are more suitable than others.

Yes, it's possible with pre-built PCs. I used to do the hackintosh thing a lot in the past. I've done it many times, with things ranging from very non-OSX friendly Dell laptops to custom-built PCs with parts chosen specifically for running OSX. It's definitely easier if if the parts are known to work with OSX. Go on tonymacx86 and ask there about specific builds/PCs/etc before buying. Chances are there's someone who knows if it will work or not.

BTW, just know what you're getting yourself into. Even when picking and choosing parts specifically for hackintoshes, they are never as "set it and forget it" as a real Mac. I got sick of having to fiddle with stuff after software upgrades, gave up a few years ago and just went back to running Windows. Even simple things like getting multiple monitors to work can be quite a chore. I find Windows to be more stable than a hackintosh.
 
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eltoslightfoot

macrumors 68030
Feb 25, 2011
2,539
3,086
They are relatively easy these days. I wanted a blu-ray player and something I could also game on, so I set up a desktop. I have very few problems so far, and compared to back in the day it is much easier.

HOWEVER, it is still a complicated process requiring much patience. Be aware it is FAR easier to just buy a mac. :)
 

iModFrenzy

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2015
896
873
Kamino
HOWEVER, it is still a complicated process requiring much patience. Be aware it is FAR easier to just buy a mac. :)

Buying a Mac wouldn't be fun tho! :p All that frustration is fun

Anyway, I hackintoshed my Dell E6520 Laptop(Core i7,8gb,NVS4200m(Intel HD 3000 IGP is what Im using tho)) Took me all night since I was missing some obvious steps to follow but turned out great!. Heres the About my "Mac":
Screen Shot 2018-03-26 at 9.52.41 PM.png
While the serial probably doesn't matter to block out for a hackintosh, I just prefer to.

I have a Mini PCIE to A1466 BCM94360CS2 on the way so I can get native support for Handoff,Airdrop,Unlocking my hackintosh with my AW and so on.

http://forum.osxlatitude.com/index....precision-vostro-xps-clover-guide/#entry54621

This was the guide I followed incase any users with the same Dell come along(or similar) and have some motivation to hackintosh. There were some new things that I hadn't done while hackintoshing before so the experience was a little confusing but eventually I figured everything out.
 
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Mikael H

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2014
864
539
I have built computers before, but with lots of difficulty and tons of help.
To be honest, this sentence is a strong indication that you'd be better off just paying for a real Mac. Successfully hackintoshing a machine you don't have a detailed model-specific step-by-step instruction for requires a good understanding of the hardware involved.


Is it possible to just buy a basic PC and do a hackintosh-type Mac OS install?
Yes. Back in the day I successfully hackintoshed generic IBM desktop computers I've scavenged from a company that was throwing them away. If the hardware is similar enough to what Apple puts in their computers it either works out of the box, or works with a bit of tweaking. If crucial hardware is way different from what Apple uses, though, it simply will not work. For example several of the machines I scavenged couldn't display graphics without glitches; other ones could play but not record sound, and some simply wouldn't boot whatever I did.
 
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