If I make a custom computer from newegg and buy the OS disk can I install OSX on it? What about if I completely whipe the HD? If not i'll just buy from Apple.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Really "nooby" Question.... (install Mac OS X on custom computer?)
- Thread starter PCtoMac-change
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If you want OS X, buy a mac. The hardware-software integration is incredible, much more than you'd get from an illegal, hacked version running on generic PC hardware
Was gonna buy one either way. Although i'm not a big gamer, I do want to play an occasional game now and then though.
For me the best thing about OSX is the hardware its running on.Since the components are specifically made for eachother theres a synergy you just can't get from typical PC setup.I'm pretty convinced half of windows stability problems is from the hardware it's used on.OSX running on a typical PC would likely be just as unstable.Kinda like putting a Ferrari engine in a Kia.You can do it,but why.
On the subject of Boot Camp, if I somehow get a virus while on Windows would it effect the Mac side of the HD? I won't be going on the internet on the XP..OP but i've actually had that happen. Just get on the internet, load up a game, and get one.
If you get a virus in bootcamp it will not be able to effect the macosx part of your harddrive.
So long as you have the right hardware.
Don't buy a Mac Mini or a MacBook and expect it to have incredible gaming performance.
So long as you have the right hardware.
or the low end imac (with the gma 950)
-PCtoMac-change
Well, another way to look at it, is get a machine with a separate GPU (I prefer upgradable/replaceable)
You can only buy PowerPC versions of MacOS X in the shops, so that cannot possibly work. The next version (Leopard) will come in an x86 version, but that will be an upgrade for existing Macintosh users only.
Apple doesn't produce any really cheap computers, but if you compare Macs with PCs that sell for the same price, you get excellent value for your money. If money is tight, go to the Apple Store website and check out refurbished Macs.
How do you know that? Apple has never done that with OS X before (except for the free 10.1 upgrade disks). So far, every retail version of OS X has been a full, non-upgrade version for $129.
Macs use EFI; non-Apple PC hardware uses BIOS.
It's possible to hack Mac OS X to run on a standard PC with a BIOS, but it's not very stable, it's not legal, and you lose some features (like booting from Firewire drives and Target disk mode).
Also, the current Mac OS X disk is for PowerPC Macs, not Intel.
Technically speaking you are right that every retail version has been a full version, as in it does not require a previous version to install and use.
On the licensing side, every retail version is an upgrade, because it only installs on Mac hardware, which shipped from Apple with a licensed copy of Mac OS.
If Apple ever chooses to allow Mac OS to be installed on non-Apple hardware (ignore the failed clones from years past), I would expect to see upgrade and full versions available. Until then, these are upgrade-licensed, fully-installable versions sold at retail.
There are plenty of motherboards out there that use EFI. Apple is not the only company that ships systems with EFI. In order to boot Windows, they have to support BIOS as well.
Well that's semantics. I think most people would say that an upgrade would require a previous version or a license number from a previous version. OS X has never been licensed to a particular computer, but to one computer at a time, so the license does not belong to the computer.
It doesn't matter. It's just that when you say it's an upgrade, I think that implies that you can't install it without a previous install or license number, which has never been the case in the past. By your definition, Apple has never sold a full version of Mac OS (I believe that the clones all came with a licensed copy of Mac OS as well).
-PCtoMac-change
Look. you can beat the sheet metal, bend the bailing wire, pound the linkages, sew the seats, and weld the wheels on, and you'll get a car that'll work pretty well, but what a PITA.
Sure, guys like yourself who like to assemble their own stuff are excluded by Apple, but please remember, you're not their market.
From a guy who's helped a few do exactly what you are proposing - it hurts.
A lot.
You might wish to consider the peace of mind of just buying one...
Look. you can beat the sheet metal, bend the bailing wire, pound the linkages, sew the seats, and weld the wheels on, and you'll get a car that'll work pretty well, but what a PITA.
Sure, guys like yourself who like to assemble their own stuff are excluded by Apple, but please remember, you're not their market.
From a guy who's helped a few do exactly what you are proposing - it hurts.
A lot.
You might wish to consider the peace of mind of just buying one...
1. Read the whole thread.
2. Stop making it sound like I am bashing them in the bolded statement.
3. It don't hurt at all, if you read what I wrote before I said i'm buying one no matter what.
And last but not least.....putting a computer together isn't a "skill" it's common sense. It's like putting together a car engine there is only one place for it to go.
-PCtoMac-change
First off, chill.
I did read the whole thread. But I apologize for the tone. I guess I did come across as imperious. It probably comes from going down this road so many times, I got wrapped up in the emotion of it. I'm just trying to help save you pain.
Also, to clarify my point, assembling your own PC works well, but when you try to get OSX to run on it, it is like pounding your own machine out.
First off, chill.
I did read the whole thread. But I apologize for the tone. I guess I did come across as imperious. It probably comes from going down this road so many times, I got wrapped up in the emotion of it. I'm just trying to help save you pain.
Also, to clarify my point, assembling your own PC works well, but when you try to get OSX to run on it, it is like pounding your own machine out.