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Ask HN: Hackintosh vs Mac Mini

2 points by siquick 11y ago

I would like to have a desktop running OSX. I already have a MBA and the main reason for liking Macs is OSX, machine build quality and the trackpad. As the latter two are not relevant to desktops, I have considered a PC running OSX. I'm not too interested in having to do too much sysadmin on it - how are Hackintosh systems and can anyone recommend one?

huydotnet 11y ago
As an ex-hackintosh user, and current Mac user -- instead of dealing with Hackintosh main problems (kernel panic and finding suitable drivers,...), I recommend you buy a Mac Mini. Or you can build your own desktop with customized hardware that suitable with your hackintosh version. But be carefully, it still headache and you will give up your right to update your Mac OS in the future... (because the risk of the drivers)
rahimnathwani 11y ago
"I'm not too interested in having to do too much sysadmin on it" Buy a Mac. Or just buy a MiniDP-DVI adapter for your MBA.
stephenr 11y ago
Why is build quality not relevant for desktop machines?
WaltPurvis 11y ago
Depends on how much computing power and expansion ability you need. If a Mac Mini has enough for your needs then it's hard to beat the ease of just buying one of those. OTOH, I built a Hackintosh because I wanted lots of CPU, drive bays, etc., and an equivalently spec'd Mac Pro would have cost more than twice as much. (This was before the current trash can version of the Mac Pro came out — not sure what the price differential is now.) Getting my Hackintosh up and running was a breeze. Assembled it in an hour, installed OS X, everything ran perfectly. I have had zero problems upgrading from OS X 10.8 to 10.9 and 10.10. It's slightly more involved than just clicking the upgrade button in the app store, but not too bad (i.e., it'll take you about an hour to create a bootable installer on a thumb drive, etc.). Point version upgrades (e.g., from 10.10.4 to 10.10.5) are not an issue — you can just upgrade through the app store as usual. You do have to wait a few weeks for the Hackintosh community to work out the kinks for new major versions of OS X, e.g., I don't think you can upgrade to El Capitan right now unless you're really brave, instead you'll have to wait a month or two. (That hasn't bothered me, since I'd never consider upgrading a Mac to a .0 release anyway.) I'm not planning to build a Hackintosh again -- my next desktop will either be a standard Mac Pro or retina iMac -- but it's really not a headache at all to build and maintain a Hackintosh, if that's what you want to do.
- guiambros 11y ago
  > e.g., I don't think you can upgrade to El Capitan right now unless you're really brave, instead you'll have to wait a month or two. This. If you're patient enough to wait a month or two for the community to figure out what is safe to upgrade, then it may work. Otherwise, be prepared to spend hours/days dealing with kernel panic, without sound, and having to fiddle with .kext to make it boot again.
guiambros 11y ago
I used to have a Hackintosh a few years ago, and decided it wasn't worth it. The maintenance cost troubleshooting drivers and dealing with crashes at every system update is simply too high, and will offset any advantages you get by using your own hardware. I ended opting for a kvm, so I can easily switch between my linux desktop, and my mba/mbp, and still leverage desktop/keyboard/mouse. Works like a charm.

2 points by siquick 11y ago

huydotnet 11y ago

As an ex-hackintosh user, and current Mac user -- instead of dealing with Hackintosh main problems (kernel panic and finding suitable drivers,...), I recommend you buy a Mac Mini. Or you can build your own desktop with customized hardware that suitable with your hackintosh version. But be carefully, it still headache and you will give up your right to update your Mac OS in the future... (because the risk of the drivers)

rahimnathwani 11y ago

"I'm not too interested in having to do too much sysadmin on it" Buy a Mac. Or just buy a MiniDP-DVI adapter for your MBA.

stephenr 11y ago

Why is build quality not relevant for desktop machines?

WaltPurvis 11y ago

Depends on how much computing power and expansion ability you need. If a Mac Mini has enough for your needs then it's hard to beat the ease of just buying one of those. OTOH, I built a Hackintosh because I wanted lots of CPU, drive bays, etc., and an equivalently spec'd Mac Pro would have cost more than twice as much. (This was before the current trash can version of the Mac Pro came out — not sure what the price differential is now.) Getting my Hackintosh up and running was a breeze. Assembled it in an hour, installed OS X, everything ran perfectly. I have had zero problems upgrading from OS X 10.8 to 10.9 and 10.10. It's slightly more involved than just clicking the upgrade button in the app store, but not too bad (i.e., it'll take you about an hour to create a bootable installer on a thumb drive, etc.). Point version upgrades (e.g., from 10.10.4 to 10.10.5) are not an issue — you can just upgrade through the app store as usual. You do have to wait a few weeks for the Hackintosh community to work out the kinks for new major versions of OS X, e.g., I don't think you can upgrade to El Capitan right now unless you're really brave, instead you'll have to wait a month or two. (That hasn't bothered me, since I'd never consider upgrading a Mac to a .0 release anyway.) I'm not planning to build a Hackintosh again -- my next desktop will either be a standard Mac Pro or retina iMac -- but it's really not a headache at all to build and maintain a Hackintosh, if that's what you want to do.

guiambros 11y ago
> e.g., I don't think you can upgrade to El Capitan right now unless you're really brave, instead you'll have to wait a month or two. This. If you're patient enough to wait a month or two for the community to figure out what is safe to upgrade, then it may work. Otherwise, be prepared to spend hours/days dealing with kernel panic, without sound, and having to fiddle with .kext to make it boot again.

guiambros 11y ago

I used to have a Hackintosh a few years ago, and decided it wasn't worth it. The maintenance cost troubleshooting drivers and dealing with crashes at every system update is simply too high, and will offset any advantages you get by using your own hardware. I ended opting for a kvm, so I can easily switch between my linux desktop, and my mba/mbp, and still leverage desktop/keyboard/mouse. Works like a charm.