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The Merged Hackintosh Thread

What describes you?

  • No way would I build a hackintosh

    Votes: 349 23.0%

  • I'd consider it if Apple doesn't provide a new Mini or headless iMac in the next three months

    Votes: 185 12.2%

  • I'm considering it right now

    Votes: 578 38.2%

  • I already built one

    Votes: 403 26.6%
  • Total voters
    1,515
The main advantages are you can get a computer running leopard for $775 with a 2.66GHz, 4GB memory, and a 256mb video card.

No mac can match that, and never will, mac hardware is expensive for a reason it's really good quality and will last.
Also to other posters psystar just came out with update 10.5.3 you just download it from their site.

The main disadvantages are you could be stuck with a 10.5.3 computer if Apple ever does anything. Reliability is a gigantic question. One good thing is you'll never be bricked your computer will just be stuck at the point in leopard development when Apple reacts.
Also you don't get ilife '08, even thought he specs sound great they won't run as well as having mac versions of the same specs.
Also psystar customer support isn't existent, I don't know if Final Cut Express 4.0 will work straight from the disc or any software for that matter.

I think it comes down to reliability, knowing your computer will work for along time and everything in your computer will be supported for a long time just ask PowerPC owners.
When you're comparing $775 to the 2.66 GHz imac with 4GB memory the cost is 1355 with the education discount and 2GB memory from OWC.

So it's $580, but psystar doesn't come with mouse, keyboard, or monitor and isn't supported, no isight or plain smoothness of a mac.

It's up to you
I'm going to get an imac though, probably 2.66 GHz
 
trevoristight said:
The main advantages are you can get a computer running leopard for $775 with a 2.66GHz, 4GB memory, and a 256mb video card.

No mac can match that, and never will, mac hardware is expensive for a reason it's really good quality and will last.
Also to other posters psystar just came out with update 10.5.3 you just download it from their site.

The main disadvantages are you could be stuck with a 10.5.3 computer if Apple ever does anything. Reliability is a gigantic question. One good thing is you'll never be bricked your computer will just be stuck at the point in leopard development when Apple reacts.
Also you don't get ilife '08, even thought he specs sound great they won't run as well as having mac versions of the same specs.
Also psystar customer support isn't existent, I don't know if Final Cut Express 4.0 will work straight from the disc or any software for that matter.

I think it comes down to reliability, knowing your computer will work for along time and everything in your computer will be supported for a long time just ask PowerPC owners.
When you're comparing $775 to the 2.66 GHz imac with 4GB memory the cost is 1355 with the education discount and 2GB memory from OWC.

So it's $580, but psystar doesn't come with mouse, keyboard, or monitor and isn't supported, no isight or plain smoothness of a mac.

It's up to you
I'm going to get an imac though, probably 2.66 GHz
Click to expand...

Add bluetooth, firewire, upgrade the proc to 2.66Ghz, upgrade RAM from 2 to 4GB and make the video card comparable (8600GT 512 vs iMac HD2600 256) and you get to $1079. Less than $300 difference with no monitor, no iLife and no Apple support.

Name SKU Price Quantity / Update Subtotal
Open Computer
Case Model: Black/Silver v2
Intel Processor: Core2Duo/2.66GHz E6750 (+ $150.00)
Hard Drive: 250GB 7200RPM SATA
Graphics Processor: GeForce 8600GT 512MB (+ $110.00)
Firewire: 3 x IEEE 1394 (+ $50.00)
Operating System: OS X 10.5 Leopard (+ $155.00)
Memory: 4GB DDR2 800 (+ $70.00)
Wireless PCI Express N Card: Included (+ $99.00)
Additional Optical Drive: None
Additional Hard Drive: None
USB Bluetooth Dongle: Included (+ $45.00) OPN15501 $1,078.99
$1,078.99
Subtotal: $1,078.99
Click to expand...
 
Insanely Mac is a good resource for information on all things hackintosh. I have to say, though, that the headache of software update problems, etc, may be more cost in time and frustration than the difference in price to just buy a real Mac.
 
yellow said:
If it's a PowerComputing clone (it's not likely it still works, since they were total POS), then I have your OS right heeyah. :)
Click to expand...

LMAO a piece of history! :D

flopticalcube said:
Add bluetooth, firewire, upgrade the proc to 2.66Ghz, upgrade RAM from 2 to 4GB and make the video card comparable (8600GT 512 vs iMac HD2600 256) and you get to $1079. Less than $300 difference with no monitor, no iLife and no Apple support.
Click to expand...

Remember a Mac is NOT just a run of the mill PC in a pretty case. Trust me. I build PC's and use Mac's as well. There is a MAJOR difference in quality between a Mac and building your own PC.
 
ckurowic said:
Remember a Mac is NOT just a run of the mill PC in a pretty case. Trust me. I build PC's and use Mac's as well. There is a MAJOR difference in quality between a Mac and building your own PC.
Click to expand...
Not really. A Mac is just a PC with different software. Maybe you were building poor quality PCs. I find most Mac hardware to be on the better side but I certainly could build a comparable or better quality one myself. Psystar doesn't but that's their problem.
 
Okay.

flopticalcube said:
Not really. A Mac is just a PC with different software. Maybe you were building poor quality PCs. I find most Mac hardware to be on the better side but I certainly could build a comparable or better quality one myself. Psystar doesn't but that's their problem.
Click to expand...

Okay, then build us a Mac Pro from parts we could buy online or from a store.
 
Sure. Start here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&N=2010200302 1071321504&bop=And&Order=RATING

choose a motherboard that best suits your needs, there's 110 dual Xeon mobos at newegg alone, (rather than the one Apple insists you need), add processors, RAM and peripherals to suit your needs. Bingo. I recommend the Tyan Tiger mobo as it seems to be very popular. By building your own you can choose parts that are rated the highest for reliability rather than parts that will guarantee a 35% profit margin. You can choose a cheap case and a quality hard drive, if you choose.

At any rate, hackintoshes are not about getting something to be as close to an Apple as possible, they are about price/features/quality. Is a Mac Pro better than a Dell dual Xeon workstation? Why? Does Apple hand select the parts for "higher quality" ahead of time? I doubt it. Most Apples are built in the same factories that PCs are made in. Maybe the Mac Pro is an exception but I doubt it. I have had fewer problems with my Macs than off-the-shelf PCs I've had but I have had fewer problems with PCs that I built myself. The problem is that the time you need to invest to find out what works best and then shop around, order and assemble is just not worth it to me anymore. Apple makes a nice compromise for me in time/quality and I wouldn't want to piss around with patches and have updates break on me. All this does not mean that Apple hardware is in any way VASTLY superior to ALL PC systems. Its more or less the same and people should just get used to it.
 
Yep

flopticalcube said:
At any rate, hackintoshes are not about getting something to be as close to an Apple as possible, they are about price/features/quality. Is a Mac Pro better than a Dell dual Xeon workstation? Why? Does Apple hand select the parts for "higher quality" ahead of time? I doubt it. Most Apples are built in the same factories that PCs are made in. Maybe the Mac Pro is an exception but I doubt it. I have had fewer problems with my Macs than off-the-shelf PCs I've had but I have had fewer problems with PCs that I built myself. The problem is that the time you need to invest to find out what works best and then shop around, order and assemble is just not worth it to me anymore. Apple makes a nice compromise for me in time/quality and I wouldn't want to piss around with patches and have updates break on me. All this does not mean that Apple hardware is in any way VASTLY superior to ALL PC systems. Its more or less the same and people should just get used to it.
Click to expand...

Well said.

I do believe that Macs are more than the sum of their parts. Everything works together because it was specifically crafted/programmed/made to.
 
not sure if anyone said its an ugly box thats on the floor or desk that takes up precious space/ and off topic is snow leopard going to be 32 and 64 bit or just 64bit
 
But the clone

I say buy the clone. With any luck, they'll improve the OS update process. And, if enough people buy the clones, maybe Apple will get the idea that they need to offer a real mid level Mac.

For those recommending the Mac Mini... the Mini is a joke at this point. It is a laptop in a desktop case. The Mac Pro is way too expensive. Wake up Apple. You need to provide a mid level desktop!
 
dandaley said:
I say buy the clone. With any luck, they'll improve the OS update process. And, if enough people buy the clones, maybe Apple will get the idea that they need to offer a real mid level Mac.

For those recommending the Mac Mini... the Mini is a joke at this point. It is a laptop in a desktop case. The Mac Pro is way too expensive. Wake up Apple. You need to provide a mid level desktop!
Click to expand...

lots of us buy macs not just for the os but also the looks and originality of a mac or atleast i do and not every one knows about bios and crap to do a hackintosh
 
yep

dandaley said:
I say buy the clone. With any luck, they'll improve the OS update process. And, if enough people buy the clones, maybe Apple will get the idea that they need to offer a real mid level Mac.

For those recommending the Mac Mini... the Mini is a joke at this point. It is a laptop in a desktop case. The Mac Pro is way too expensive. Wake up Apple. You need to provide a mid level desktop!
Click to expand...

Yep, Apple is about to go out of business any day now. I'm sure that mid-level desktop will save them.

Of course the mini is a laptop in a desktop case...but seriously, it's REALLY small. That alone scores some points. What can't it do?
 
You should never buy a premade PC, just make one yourself from newegg, especially if its a hackintosh. The Psystar is not the perfect hackintosh anyways, there are better motherboards out there which are more compatible.

On monday there will be a new method of OSX86 released called EFI-X. Its a USB device that allows you to install an unpatched retail version of OSX. Nobody knows how much it will cost or how well it works though. If its as good as it sounds then it will end up taking the "hack" out of "hackintosh"

2. Expandable things that arent supported on a Mac probably arent supported on your Mac Clone. Unless there are osx86 drivers for whatever you are trying to install.
Click to expand...
Actually hackintoshes have very good hardware support, way better than real macs. You can use pci cards as long as they have mac drivers (the real mac drivers work fine). The video card support is the biggest bonus, almost all PC video cards work. On a real mac only very few PC video cards have the possibility of working, and to get them to work you have to flash them to EFI which is a dangerous procedure. On a hackintosh you can use nvinject, titan, or natit kexts to use PC video cards without flashing and at full speed (some cards dont work but most if not all the popular ones work perfectly).

Remember a Mac is NOT just a run of the mill PC in a pretty case. Trust me. I build PC's and use Mac's as well. There is a MAJOR difference in quality between a Mac and building your own PC.
Click to expand...
What is better about them? Its all generic PC parts. Its even an Intel motherboard, the main difference is it has EFI instead of bios. You can get much MUCH higher quality parts on newegg designed for the overclocker.
 
stainlessliquid said:
On monday there will be a new method of OSX86 released called EFI-X. Its a USB device that allows you to install an unpatched retail version of OSX. Nobody knows how much it will cost or how well it works though. If its as good as it sounds then it will end up taking the "hack" out of "hackintosh"
Click to expand...

I've heard much about the upcoming EFI-X, and it intrigues me. However until it is actually released it is vaporware as far as I'm concerned. I have trouble believing it could really be that easy, and their website offers little or no concrete information. In fact the time I went to their site, half the pages didn't work.
In short, I'll believe it when I see it.
 
dandaley said:
I say buy the clone. With any luck, they'll improve the OS update process. And, if enough people buy the clones, maybe Apple will get the idea that they need to offer a real mid level Mac.
Click to expand...
This is the same logic as those who say "Don't buy guess on Tuesday and Exxon Mobil will listen" Apple isn't going to do this until everyone boycotts this. Cupertino has a monopoly on their hardware and software, and I don't think they are really taking it to an extreme or failing on quality.

dandaley said:
For those recommending the Mac Mini... the Mini is a joke at this point.
Click to expand...
Umm... at what point. It's better then buying a used G4 iMac for $500.

dandaley said:
The Mac Pro is way too expensive. Wake up Apple. You need to provide a mid level desktop!
Click to expand...
Umm...I believe the Mac Pro is comparable to the Dell at similar specs?

And umm...iMac?, Old G5, Upgraded Mini,
 
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