5 ms·

Gave up on the mac pro years ago. I replaced my unkillable 2008 Mac pro with a lovely Fractal Design R5 case, a stonking 5930k overclocked at 4.5Gz on a 'posh'

Gave up on the mac pro years ago. I replaced my unkillable 2008 Mac pro with a lovely Fractal Design R5 case, a stonking 5930k overclocked at 4.5Gz on a 'posh' ASUS Mobo with 64GB of DDR. It's a 'hackintosh', sure enough, but it's fantastic. First time in 30 years I don't own a mac, that's telling. Their fault, too.

strombourg 10y ago
Had you built a hackintosh before? Any major negative experiences with compatibility / updates?
- buserror 10y ago
  Yes I had a previous hackintosh running for a few years in parallel with the Mac Pro. It's actually quite simple but it requires a bit more patience, especially during updates. It's mostly a case these days of doing the update, rebooting in 'safe' mode to install the binary third party nvidia driver, then reboot again and voila. Also, some of the original setup requires a bit of tinkering with drivers to start with (especially if you use 'recent' hardware) but it's really not more complicated than installing linux these days (and then fiddle a bit with the settings).
  - taude 10y ago
    It was the updates, and the time they took, and all the details to remember that eventually led me off of running a Hackintosh after 1.5 years. That and Windows 10 is more than good enough for me, especially as a desktop.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
- hackerboos 10y ago
  I've built one before. Updates involved losing sound. To get it back run an installer and restart. Odd kernel panics used to happen once every 3 months. Black text would scroll down the screen and you have to hard reset the system. I would keep a legit backup around but the power/price ratio cannot be beat. I'm looking at building another soon.
  - JoelTheSuperior 10y ago
    I generally recommend that people building hackintoshes get an external USB / Firewire / Thunderbolt soundcard. That way you're pretty much guaranteed to get official macOS drivers that'll work without issues.
- stingraycharles 10y ago
  Fellow hackintosh builder here. It's totally doable. If you're able to run Linux and able to understand concepts like kernel modules, you'll be perfectly fine. To get solid bluetooth support I bought a card from http://www.osxwifi.com/ http://www.osxwifi.com/ , which makes peripherals like the magic trackpad work smoothly.
- bjelkeman-again 10y ago
  For me it was just too much work to keep it up to date. But then I don't have the big power requirements, but really need/want a separate monitor. These days I probably could get away with a Mini.
- ZFH 10y ago
  Been running hackintoshes since 2007 or so. Mostly smooth sailing. Off the top of my head: - It's all about making it easy for yourself. In short, motherboard and GPU choice change the experience from 'almost effortless' to 'never gonna work'. Get a $20 USB external soundcard to get rid of any audio configuration quagmires. Get the most compatible, widely used motherboard and Nvidia GPU, so you can get support on Tonymac should you need it. Stick to wired Ethernet to avoid meddling with bluetooth and wi-fi if you can. Everything else (PSU, CPU, RAM, hard drives and case) isn't an issue. - The tradeoff is time invested into initially understanding how it all fits vs. money saved and increased knowledge of how MacOS ticks (a good thing regardless, if you're a power user). How much time depends on how much of a PC tinkerer you are already. If you already built PCs and tried getting Linux distros going it's gonna be second nature. - You'll still need to check out Tonymac when a point update comes out for tips and warnings. The easiest solution is to install the fully up to date next-to-last MacOS version (install El Capitan 10.11.6 now that we are in the Sierra cycle, for example) and keep it going until you're forced to upgrade. Staying a generation behind, both in hardware and software, is the safest strategy. Hackintosh and being on the bleeding edge don't really mix.
  - manmal 10y ago
    OTOH, being on the bleeding edge of MacOS and being productive never really mixed :)
  - JoelTheSuperior 10y ago
    In fairness I've been running Sierra just fine on my Hackintosh, though I did wait until 10.12.1. If I recall correctly the first version had issues with the Nvidia Web Drivers (some strange bugs) but they've long since been resolved. I would agree with the overall sentiment though and add that even on a legitimate Mac it's usually a good idea to hold back a bit on updating. I work with audio a lot and it's common for audio units (and Pro Tools if you use that) to break initially.
    - ZFH 10y ago
      Audio user here too. I just updated to 10.12.4 yesterday on a test install and it went without a hitch, but only because I checked Tonymac and updated Clover beforehand, which I wouldn't have done otherwise. And I'm on a old GTX 650 Ti that doesn't need the Web Drivers. Meanwhile my main 10.9.5 work install keeps gloriously chugging along.
granda 10y ago
Where do you recommend for someone that wants to build one?
- mcone 10y ago
  The TonyMac community has some great resources, including guides to the hardware: https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/march/2017 https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/march/2017 There was also a great hackintosh discussion on HN a couple days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901752 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901752
  - touart 10y ago
    Their utilities (Multibeast, Unibeast, Kextbeast...) are well-though and easy to use, but it worth noting that Tonymacx86 doesn't have any plans to open source them -- you have to trust him (no one seems to know his real name, mostly for legal reasons related to Apple I think) to execute binaries with root rights on your fresh OS, or go the Vanilla (and harder) way.
    - nik736 10y ago
      That's true and it's probably a bad idea, but I never had any problems with that. And I am using my second hackintosh in 5 years now without problems.
- post_break 10y ago
  I have a fully working hackintosh. Just take someones confirmed build and buy the exact same parts. I lucked out in that every piece of hardware (besides the wifi card) worked out of the box. It runs just like a mac, better actually, and I use it all the time.
- pier25 10y ago
  I've been building hacks (as the community calls them) since 2010. If you get a golden build and get it working it's almost like a real mac. It's possible to get everything working 100% but it's time consuming and even in the best case scenario macOS updates will probably be a pain. Another aspect to consider is noise. If you come from the Mac world you are probably spoiled by low noise or silent computers. PCs are very noisy and you will probably have spend time in research and money in expensive silent parts to solve this. Finally, a common problem with hackintoshes is wifi. I've tried everything, believe me. If you intend on using Wifi your best bet is buying the same chip Apple uses with an adapter. Many manufacturers offer their Wifi drivers for macOS but those are usually finicky or outdated. This is expensive, but it's IMO the best choice: http://www.osxwifi.com/apple-broadcom-bcm94360cd-802-11-a-b-g-n-ac-bluetooth-4-0-with-adapter-for-pc-hackintosh http://www.osxwifi.com/apple-broadcom-bcm94360cd-802-11-a-b-...
intoverflow2 10y ago
Have a Fractal Define Mini C myself, definitely desk worthy even as someone who is very fussy about product design. Has a utilitarian Richard Sapper vibe. Really wish more PC component companies focus on high quality good looking components without the gamer branding.
H1Supreme 10y ago
I'm on #3 hackintosh, and I agree, they're great. I'm using it for audio production primarily. 0 problems, and I have a lot of peripherals. The one place these fall short is graphics card support. Newer 1070's and 1080's simply do not work (unless there's some very recent developments).
- taude 10y ago
  I built my Hackintosh on the 970 platform, right when it came out. It was frustrating early on, waiting for the supported drivers, but eventually they came. What didn't go away though was having to install custom drivers with each upgrade/patch of OS X.
taude 10y ago
I ran a Hackintosh for about 1.5 years. I just recently went back to Windows 10 after the integrated Linux sub-system came out with the update. Most of the software/tools I use run in both OS X and Windows, so it wasn't a huge deal breaker for me. One thing I didn't like about the Hackintosh was maintaining it during updates, having to wait for the right NVidia web drivers, and then remembering how to update all the stuff specifically. What I did like was that I had a computer that I built for $1100 that scored about 16,000 on the Geekbench, without overclocking. Note: I still use a Mac Book Air 11" because it's the best laptop I've owned. I think the trackpad and sleep/wake functionality that just works is the best ever, and makes it really convenient. Obviously, these two killer features for me matter a lot less on a desktop. Second Note: I built mine with an aluminum Rosewill Legacy U3-S – Silver/Aluminum Case that was both compact, and really good-looking. [Edit, updated type of computer cost from $110 -> $1100]
- taude 10y ago
  I'd gladly give Apple $200/$300 have have a supported OS X running on my own hardware, BTW.
- Keyframe 10y ago
  Well, you don't have to wait for the right Nvidia drivers anymore since they've stopped releasing them. 980 GTX Ti is as far as it can go now.
  - dragonshed 10y ago
    You still need to update them in tandem with OS updates, but your point is well taken.
  - taude 10y ago
    Is this just because the newer cards are so new, or will there never be drivers released anymore? That's a bummer. And makes me feel slightly more confident on going back to Windows from Hackintosh. It likely wouldn't affect me for a few more years, since this 970-based, Intel gen 5, desktop that I built up a couple years ago, still has plenty of longevity left in it.

strombourg 10y ago

Had you built a hackintosh before? Any major negative experiences with compatibility / updates?

buserror 10y ago
Yes I had a previous hackintosh running for a few years in parallel with the Mac Pro. It's actually quite simple but it requires a bit more patience, especially during updates. It's mostly a case these days of doing the update, rebooting in 'safe' mode to install the binary third party nvidia driver, then reboot again and voila. Also, some of the original setup requires a bit of tinkering with drivers to start with (especially if you use 'recent' hardware) but it's really not more complicated than installing linux these days (and then fiddle a bit with the settings).
- taude 10y ago
  It was the updates, and the time they took, and all the details to remember that eventually led me off of running a Hackintosh after 1.5 years. That and Windows 10 is more than good enough for me, especially as a desktop.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
hackerboos 10y ago
I've built one before. Updates involved losing sound. To get it back run an installer and restart. Odd kernel panics used to happen once every 3 months. Black text would scroll down the screen and you have to hard reset the system. I would keep a legit backup around but the power/price ratio cannot be beat. I'm looking at building another soon.
- JoelTheSuperior 10y ago
  I generally recommend that people building hackintoshes get an external USB / Firewire / Thunderbolt soundcard. That way you're pretty much guaranteed to get official macOS drivers that'll work without issues.
stingraycharles 10y ago
Fellow hackintosh builder here. It's totally doable. If you're able to run Linux and able to understand concepts like kernel modules, you'll be perfectly fine. To get solid bluetooth support I bought a card from http://www.osxwifi.com/ http://www.osxwifi.com/ , which makes peripherals like the magic trackpad work smoothly.
bjelkeman-again 10y ago
For me it was just too much work to keep it up to date. But then I don't have the big power requirements, but really need/want a separate monitor. These days I probably could get away with a Mini.
ZFH 10y ago
Been running hackintoshes since 2007 or so. Mostly smooth sailing. Off the top of my head: - It's all about making it easy for yourself. In short, motherboard and GPU choice change the experience from 'almost effortless' to 'never gonna work'. Get a $20 USB external soundcard to get rid of any audio configuration quagmires. Get the most compatible, widely used motherboard and Nvidia GPU, so you can get support on Tonymac should you need it. Stick to wired Ethernet to avoid meddling with bluetooth and wi-fi if you can. Everything else (PSU, CPU, RAM, hard drives and case) isn't an issue. - The tradeoff is time invested into initially understanding how it all fits vs. money saved and increased knowledge of how MacOS ticks (a good thing regardless, if you're a power user). How much time depends on how much of a PC tinkerer you are already. If you already built PCs and tried getting Linux distros going it's gonna be second nature. - You'll still need to check out Tonymac when a point update comes out for tips and warnings. The easiest solution is to install the fully up to date next-to-last MacOS version (install El Capitan 10.11.6 now that we are in the Sierra cycle, for example) and keep it going until you're forced to upgrade. Staying a generation behind, both in hardware and software, is the safest strategy. Hackintosh and being on the bleeding edge don't really mix.
- manmal 10y ago
  OTOH, being on the bleeding edge of MacOS and being productive never really mixed :)
- JoelTheSuperior 10y ago
  In fairness I've been running Sierra just fine on my Hackintosh, though I did wait until 10.12.1. If I recall correctly the first version had issues with the Nvidia Web Drivers (some strange bugs) but they've long since been resolved. I would agree with the overall sentiment though and add that even on a legitimate Mac it's usually a good idea to hold back a bit on updating. I work with audio a lot and it's common for audio units (and Pro Tools if you use that) to break initially.
  - ZFH 10y ago
    Audio user here too. I just updated to 10.12.4 yesterday on a test install and it went without a hitch, but only because I checked Tonymac and updated Clover beforehand, which I wouldn't have done otherwise. And I'm on a old GTX 650 Ti that doesn't need the Web Drivers. Meanwhile my main 10.9.5 work install keeps gloriously chugging along.

granda 10y ago

Where do you recommend for someone that wants to build one?

mcone 10y ago
The TonyMac community has some great resources, including guides to the hardware: https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/march/2017 https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/march/2017 There was also a great hackintosh discussion on HN a couple days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901752 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901752
- touart 10y ago
  Their utilities (Multibeast, Unibeast, Kextbeast...) are well-though and easy to use, but it worth noting that Tonymacx86 doesn't have any plans to open source them -- you have to trust him (no one seems to know his real name, mostly for legal reasons related to Apple I think) to execute binaries with root rights on your fresh OS, or go the Vanilla (and harder) way.
  - nik736 10y ago
    That's true and it's probably a bad idea, but I never had any problems with that. And I am using my second hackintosh in 5 years now without problems.
post_break 10y ago
I have a fully working hackintosh. Just take someones confirmed build and buy the exact same parts. I lucked out in that every piece of hardware (besides the wifi card) worked out of the box. It runs just like a mac, better actually, and I use it all the time.
pier25 10y ago
I've been building hacks (as the community calls them) since 2010. If you get a golden build and get it working it's almost like a real mac. It's possible to get everything working 100% but it's time consuming and even in the best case scenario macOS updates will probably be a pain. Another aspect to consider is noise. If you come from the Mac world you are probably spoiled by low noise or silent computers. PCs are very noisy and you will probably have spend time in research and money in expensive silent parts to solve this. Finally, a common problem with hackintoshes is wifi. I've tried everything, believe me. If you intend on using Wifi your best bet is buying the same chip Apple uses with an adapter. Many manufacturers offer their Wifi drivers for macOS but those are usually finicky or outdated. This is expensive, but it's IMO the best choice: http://www.osxwifi.com/apple-broadcom-bcm94360cd-802-11-a-b-g-n-ac-bluetooth-4-0-with-adapter-for-pc-hackintosh http://www.osxwifi.com/apple-broadcom-bcm94360cd-802-11-a-b-...

intoverflow2 10y ago

Have a Fractal Define Mini C myself, definitely desk worthy even as someone who is very fussy about product design. Has a utilitarian Richard Sapper vibe. Really wish more PC component companies focus on high quality good looking components without the gamer branding.

H1Supreme 10y ago

I'm on #3 hackintosh, and I agree, they're great. I'm using it for audio production primarily. 0 problems, and I have a lot of peripherals. The one place these fall short is graphics card support. Newer 1070's and 1080's simply do not work (unless there's some very recent developments).

taude 10y ago
I built my Hackintosh on the 970 platform, right when it came out. It was frustrating early on, waiting for the supported drivers, but eventually they came. What didn't go away though was having to install custom drivers with each upgrade/patch of OS X.

taude 10y ago

I ran a Hackintosh for about 1.5 years. I just recently went back to Windows 10 after the integrated Linux sub-system came out with the update. Most of the software/tools I use run in both OS X and Windows, so it wasn't a huge deal breaker for me. One thing I didn't like about the Hackintosh was maintaining it during updates, having to wait for the right NVidia web drivers, and then remembering how to update all the stuff specifically. What I did like was that I had a computer that I built for $1100 that scored about 16,000 on the Geekbench, without overclocking. Note: I still use a Mac Book Air 11" because it's the best laptop I've owned. I think the trackpad and sleep/wake functionality that just works is the best ever, and makes it really convenient. Obviously, these two killer features for me matter a lot less on a desktop. Second Note: I built mine with an aluminum Rosewill Legacy U3-S – Silver/Aluminum Case that was both compact, and really good-looking. [Edit, updated type of computer cost from $110 -> $1100]

taude 10y ago
I'd gladly give Apple $200/$300 have have a supported OS X running on my own hardware, BTW.
Keyframe 10y ago
Well, you don't have to wait for the right Nvidia drivers anymore since they've stopped releasing them. 980 GTX Ti is as far as it can go now.
- dragonshed 10y ago
  You still need to update them in tandem with OS updates, but your point is well taken.
- taude 10y ago
  Is this just because the newer cards are so new, or will there never be drivers released anymore? That's a bummer. And makes me feel slightly more confident on going back to Windows from Hackintosh. It likely wouldn't affect me for a few more years, since this 970-based, Intel gen 5, desktop that I built up a couple years ago, still has plenty of longevity left in it.