Need Hackintosh information

[Zerosangheili]

My roommate just informed me that I could make a "Hackintosh" when I mentioned buying the new iMac. I was wondering if this is a viable solution for a beginner or if this is something only an advanced user should attempt?

I also have a (what I assume to be basic) question. Why exactly doesn't OSX run if you build a PC from scratch? Or try to install it on a pre-built. I understand that it doesn't work, but would like to know the specifics on why.

Lastly, do "Hackintosh" computers perform like a normal Mac, or do they have slight quirks that would make one less inclined to making one?

 

[MacDawg]

I personally wouldn't do it for a primary computer, especially if I didn't know a lot about what I was doing

Your best bet is to check out...

insanelymac.com
hackintosh.com

 

[VPrime]

I ran a hackintosh for my main development computer for the past 2 years and just upgraded to an iMac 27".

For the most part the hackintosh was great. I chose hardware that wouldn't cause issues (biggest part of building one). And I made sure my motherboard was one that was generally supported by the community incase anything went wrong.
It did have some quirks here and there but nothing I couldn't live with. Though some software for some reason just wouldn't install properly (like xcode). Some of the community 'drivers' were also sort of buggy.. Like me ethernet drivers, sometimes if I transfer large files over the network the computer would just freeze.
Every now and then I would get kernel panics..

Software updates are also an issue depending on hardware. As I said earlier the hardware I chose was well supported so I could just run the built in software updated with no issues. I started from 10.6.0 and did each update until 10.6.7 (this doesn't include my time with 10.5).
BUT, there is always that chance that the software update just wouldn't work. So you always have to be cautious.. Back up your files and assume the worst.

After running a hackintosh as my main computer for a couple years and now switching to an iMac.. I would say save your self the trouble and just get the real thing. It is less hassle in the long run, and if you have never done anything like it before it may even be more of a headache than you expect.

 

[Hellhammer]

While I don't try to sound rude or anything like that, but if you know so little about Hackintoshes, then it's better not to get one. If you like to play around with computers and are above the average user, then sure, but I wouldn't recommend one for an average user. You never know will an update break the whole thing so it takes time to maintenance the computer, unlike a regular, fully supported Mac or PC. There is no official support either so all you got is volunteers on certain sites.

The usual pattern seems to be that people first build Hacks but not soon after, they want to go for the real thing, i.e. a real Mac. If you already had a PC, then you could give it a go but I wouldn't start building one for that purpose, especially if you have the option to go for a real Mac.

 

[Strategy]

The initial setup was largely a pain and I spent over 10 hours trying to figure out why it wouldn't boot or why something failed, but I finally got mine running and its been stable running Lion for the past few days.

If you check the insanely mac or iboot forums and buy recommended hardware its really simple with the snow leopard retail CD and then buying lion and using xmove to upgrade it.

I now have a ghetto "Mac Pro" with my core i5 running at 4ghz.

 

[Mac7]

Very helpful community over at http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/

 

[RafaelT]

My roommate just informed me that I could make a "Hackintosh" when I mentioned buying the new iMac. I was wondering if this is a viable solution for a beginner or if this is something only an advanced user should attempt?

I also have a (what I assume to be basic) question. Why exactly doesn't OSX run if you build a PC from scratch? Or try to install it on a pre-built. I understand that it doesn't work, but would like to know the specifics on why.

Lastly, do "Hackintosh" computers perform like a normal Mac, or do they have slight quirks that would make one less inclined to making one?

Unless you love messing around with computers and not just using them, get a real Mac. If want to deal with potential problems, bugs, etc then either stick with windows or go the Hackintosh route.

 

[maflynn]

Building a hackintosh is "harder" then just getting a Mac because you have to be extremely careful in choosing your components and depending on how you install OSX, will dictate how easy/hard future updates will take.

I suggest visiting the forums over at insanelymac as they have the specific information that you're looking for.

 

[old-wiz]

Building a Hackintosh is not for a novice. Like the other posters say, if you're comfortable monkeying around and are able to diagnose odd problems, and know a good amount about the system, then it's fine.

I thought about doing it myself since I used to be the PC tech at work for a while, but decided that it wasn't worth the effort.

 

[reebzor]

I have a hackintosh that I'm using as a server (running 10.6.7 server) and it really is not for the faint of heart. I work with computers for a living and this is one of the most frustrating things I've had to deal with. The reason it's running 10.6.7 is because a lot of people reported that 10.6.8 caused a lot of problems and I didnt feel like dealing with that, or with installing Lion.

I am currently looking into taking OS X off of this machine in favor of Linux, or maybe even Windows because I just need this thing to work. I don't have the time or patience to keep messing around with this box anymore.

It's a fun project, but don't expect it to work 100% of the time, I would not recommend it for a primary machine