5 ms·

Looking at the effort and cost, why don't people just buy a mac? (other then of course the fun of actually doing this)

raihansaputra 8y ago
Upgradeability is one thing. And dual-booting to Windows for gaming. But I personally use a VM for mac because I only need it for light development.
hugg 8y ago
some people really really dont want their money to go to apple
- pjmlp 8y ago
  Then they shouldn't buy OS X.
  - hugg 8y ago
    a lot of people dont buy OS X for their hackintoshes
    - pjmlp 8y ago
      So they engage in criminal activities then.
      - throwaway2048 8y ago
        copyright infringement isnt a criminal act, unless it involves reselling. It is a civil tort, and apple is free to sue.
        pjmlp 8y ago
        That depends on the jurisdiction. On most countries copying software without paying the owner is a criminal offense. How much the local authorities bother following up with this kind of crime is another matter.
        throwaway2048 8y ago
        No it is not.
        pjmlp 8y ago
        If it makes you happy to pirate stuff, by all means.
        dragonwriter 8y ago
        > copyright infringement isnt a criminal act, unless it involves reselling Wrong in the USA, criminal copyright infringement requires only that the purpose be commercial advantage or private financial gain; [17 USC § 506(a)] selling is obviously an example of this, but isn't the only possibility.
- alanfranzoni 8y ago
  No. Some people don't want insane amounts of money to go to Apple just for the brand, and then get old or shitty hardware. I'd happily pay 2000/2500 USD for a good 15" OSX laptop - but not for a stupid piece of hardware where the keyboard sucks and the touchbar gets in my way.
  - hugg 8y ago
    yes. not sure how your point makes mine null however.
    - alanfranzoni 8y ago
      My mistake. I should have replied to "then they shouldn't buy OS X".
NegativeLatency 8y ago
For only a bit more than building a gaming pc, you can also have another Mac. You just have to be a little bit careful about what parts you select. (This is why I did it)
dawnerd 8y ago
I ran a hacktintosh for a while because I needed a super powerful editing machine that you just couldn't get from Apple. It worked for a while but man it was a hassle to keep it running right.
shams93 8y ago
Once Apple moves to arm you will have no choice, hackingtosh won't have anything but an old version of macosx. The only hardware that will be able to run macosx in 2 years would be in house at Apple. For the same reason that while you can build your own Android phone from parts you would never be able to DIY an iPhone.
- IntelMiner 8y ago
  "Once Apple moves to ARM" is still pure speculation. Steve Jobs also famously sneered at Motorola about the day he "wont need them anymore". Look how well that panned out with the G5 You can run Android on just about anything with minimal effort. X86, ARM, MIPS Hell. Even the Raspberry Pi supports Android fairly well https://developer.android.com/things/hardware/raspberrypi?authuser=0 https://developer.android.com/things/hardware/raspberrypi?au...
- chrisper 8y ago
  Do you really think that all Macs that you buy today will be unsupported in 2 years?
- redial 8y ago
  Even if Apple moves to ARM, support for Intel will continue for many years. They are still supporting machines from 2009. I would say anyone running a Hackintosh is safe until 2025.
_wmd 8y ago
As someone living off a steady stream of increasingly ancient Macbooks (the last 5 have been second hand 2011 MBPs), I simply don't give two hoots about recent Mac hardware any more - touchbars, keyboards with the tactile response of a Chinese pocket calculator, no escape key!??!, moronic peripheral ports, soldered on everything, meanwhile I am still attached to the software environment. What I'd really love is a flexible modern laptop with a chipset drawing on architectural designs from the past decade, and Apple simply don't sell that combination any more. IMO the 2011 era MBP is the peak of this form factor's design, and any subsequent 'evolution' past it will always be a regression in disguise. I really want this shell with modern guts. The Chromebook Pixel comes close, but that's another walled garden I don't want to buy into. As much as I'd like to scoff at hackintosh users, a hackintosh laptop might be a viable option for someone like me to finally start breaking the chain. Windows + WSL is also on my radar, dunno if I could tolerate Windows full time again though.
- threeseed 8y ago
  Touchbars are optional. Escape key is there it is just a software key. I use vi every day and am fine with it. Moronophic peripheral ports. Strongly disagree with this one. Moving to Thunderbolt/USB-C is the best thing Apple ever did. I have one dongle for older ports but everything else I can use the same cables. I don't want another generation of 10 different peripheral ports.
  - wl 8y ago
    > Touchbars are optional. Not if you want a post-2015 15" MacBook Pro or a performant post-2015 13" MacBook Pro.
  - nerdbeere 8y ago
    Wrong, touchbars are not optional when you want to buy the 15" variant. I'm using the a new macbook (15", touchbar) since half a year now and have to say that it's the worst apple experience so far. My biggest complain is with the keyboard. Who thought of these arrow up/down keys? Also the esc key is annoying, although I got a little bit used to it.
sigkrieger 8y ago
At the time, I wanted a gaming pc, 2-3 years later I wanted something to work with and Hackintosh worked surprisingly well. Besides some caveats, I am more than impressed. My system has an i5 4590,16GB ram and an r9 380. At the time, something along these lines would have cost me double. Plus, this PC was a wip.
Bad_CRC 8y ago
There isn't an affordable machine in Apple on which I can: * attach multiple sata disks * plug two screens I don't mind that in my laptops (I'm writing this from a Macbook Air), but I need to be able to update my desktop where I store photos & stuff without buying a new computer just because I want to plug a new 4TB cheap sata drive for my photos.
- threeseed 8y ago
  Your use case works just fine on the MacBook Pro. Not sure about MacBook but it can drive two displays just fine and so I imagine adding a couple of USB-C drives wouldn't tip it over the edge ?
ThJ 8y ago
Have you seen what a spec'ed up Mac costs? Also, almost zero upgradeability. It's a bit of a hassle to install macOS and upgrade it to new major versions, yes, and I wish that was easier. If I was made of money, I'd buy a Mac Pro or a maxed out iMac.
linguae 8y ago
Short version: Apple doesn't make the hardware that some Mac users want, yet these Mac users don't want to give up macOS for Windows or Linux. For these users, the Hackintosh is a possible solution. Long version: With the exception of the iMac, Apple hasn't updated its desktop models in years. The Mac Mini hasn't been updated since October 2014, and the Mac Pro hasn't been updated since December 2013, although it is slated for a dramatic overhaul in 2019. Buying a Mac desktop today that isn't an iMac means purchasing 2013-2014 vintage hardware at premium prices. Sure, there's the iMac, but not everyone wants to buy a desktop computer that has a built-in monitor and is largely not user-serviceable (although the 27" regular iMac does have a user-accessible RAM slot). Apple does update its Mac notebook line regularly. Unfortunately, there is a sizable amount of Mac users who are not pleased with the current-generation MacBook and the MacBook Pro; there are many articles and Hacker News threads describing the complaints that these users have with the line, largely dealing with the USB-C ports, the keyboard (from its feel to its reliability), its specifications (there are many users who need 32GB RAM and more powerful processors, which are not available), and its lack of user-serviceability (even the storage is soldered). There are some people who long for a Mac equivalent of a ThinkPad T480, ThinkPad P51, or even a ThinkPad P71. Apple used to make such machines back in the early days of the MacBook Pro, but Apple's priorities have shifted to making its notebooks thin and light at the expense of other design considerations. However, despite some Mac users' disappointment with Apple's current hardware lineup, many of these users still want to use macOS, whether its due to all of the software they invested in or whether it's out of preference. Building a Hackintosh is an attempt to stay in the macOS ecosystem without being restricted to Apple's current hardware offerings.
- dvfjsdhgfv 8y ago
  > the 27" regular iMac does have a user-accessible RAM slot Wow, that's impressive! Sarcasm aside, I really don't understand how much user-hostile behavior Apple users can stand. Their products seem to be designed in a way that discourages repairs and parts replacement. In some models they even glued the battery in place! Big win for Apple money-wise, a huge loss for the whole environment.
  - 8y ago
Teknoman117 8y ago
Because I miss my Xserve which I used for continuous integration of iOS (iPhone OS at the time) apps. I'm not going to hackintosh in a professional setting, but if they expect me to do CI on a collection of iMacs they are insane. I'd love to run a couple of OS X vms on those 32 core EPYC systems for CI.
alanfranzoni 8y ago
Because Mac hardware is becoming painful and extremely expensive. When I bought my first Macbook Pro (~2009), I could go for a low-end model, then upgrade the RAM and the disk. The same was true for the Mac Pro, the Mac Mini, and (partially) for the iMac - and all those models usually received an at-least-yearly technological update. Now the Macbook Pro is non-serviceable, high-cost, shitty features (keyboard and touchbar) laptop; the Mac Pro hasn't been update since 2015 (if I recall correctly) and the Mac Mini since 2014, the latter has no quad core option and all those systems have limited upgradeability. A desktop hackintosh, if created with components from tonymacx86, is simply, really, totally great. I run one of them for years, and it simply rocked - just reinstall Multibeast after each upgrade, and you're done. Major upgrades take a more little time, but they work fine. On the contrary, laptop hackintoshes are brittle and require a lot of hand-holding and compromises. Incidentally, I think that there's a reason for Apple not cracking down on desktop hackintosh users: they don't want to lose potential customers, when they don't offer a product for such people. Many desktop hackintosh users also own a Macbook of some sort, and they would totally buy a Mac Pro or Mac Mini if it didn't totally suck, right now.
- WaltPurvis 8y ago
  > Many desktop hackintosh users also own a Macbook of some sort, and they would totally buy a Mac Pro or Mac Mini if it didn't totally suck, right now. That is me exactly. If Apple ever deigns to again sell a desktop computer in a normal, user-upgradable tower, I will buy it in a heartbeat, even if it's twice the price of comparable non-Apple hardware, and never bother with a Hackintosh again. I like MacBooks, and although I'm hesitant to upgrade to the new MacBook, I'm hopeful Apple will release better-designed models soon.

Upgradeability is one thing. And dual-booting to Windows for gaming. But I personally use a VM for mac because I only need it for light development.

hugg 8y ago

some people really really dont want their money to go to apple

pjmlp 8y ago
Then they shouldn't buy OS X.
- hugg 8y ago
  a lot of people dont buy OS X for their hackintoshes
  - pjmlp 8y ago
    So they engage in criminal activities then.
    - throwaway2048 8y ago
      copyright infringement isnt a criminal act, unless it involves reselling. It is a civil tort, and apple is free to sue.
      - pjmlp 8y ago
        That depends on the jurisdiction. On most countries copying software without paying the owner is a criminal offense. How much the local authorities bother following up with this kind of crime is another matter.
        throwaway2048 8y ago
        No it is not.
        pjmlp 8y ago
        If it makes you happy to pirate stuff, by all means.
      - dragonwriter 8y ago
        > copyright infringement isnt a criminal act, unless it involves reselling Wrong in the USA, criminal copyright infringement requires only that the purpose be commercial advantage or private financial gain; [17 USC § 506(a)] selling is obviously an example of this, but isn't the only possibility.
alanfranzoni 8y ago
No. Some people don't want insane amounts of money to go to Apple just for the brand, and then get old or shitty hardware. I'd happily pay 2000/2500 USD for a good 15" OSX laptop - but not for a stupid piece of hardware where the keyboard sucks and the touchbar gets in my way.
- hugg 8y ago
  yes. not sure how your point makes mine null however.
  - alanfranzoni 8y ago
    My mistake. I should have replied to "then they shouldn't buy OS X".

NegativeLatency 8y ago

For only a bit more than building a gaming pc, you can also have another Mac. You just have to be a little bit careful about what parts you select. (This is why I did it)

dawnerd 8y ago

I ran a hacktintosh for a while because I needed a super powerful editing machine that you just couldn't get from Apple. It worked for a while but man it was a hassle to keep it running right.

shams93 8y ago

Once Apple moves to arm you will have no choice, hackingtosh won't have anything but an old version of macosx. The only hardware that will be able to run macosx in 2 years would be in house at Apple. For the same reason that while you can build your own Android phone from parts you would never be able to DIY an iPhone.

IntelMiner 8y ago
"Once Apple moves to ARM" is still pure speculation. Steve Jobs also famously sneered at Motorola about the day he "wont need them anymore". Look how well that panned out with the G5 You can run Android on just about anything with minimal effort. X86, ARM, MIPS Hell. Even the Raspberry Pi supports Android fairly well https://developer.android.com/things/hardware/raspberrypi?authuser=0 https://developer.android.com/things/hardware/raspberrypi?au...
chrisper 8y ago
Do you really think that all Macs that you buy today will be unsupported in 2 years?
redial 8y ago
Even if Apple moves to ARM, support for Intel will continue for many years. They are still supporting machines from 2009. I would say anyone running a Hackintosh is safe until 2025.

_wmd 8y ago

As someone living off a steady stream of increasingly ancient Macbooks (the last 5 have been second hand 2011 MBPs), I simply don't give two hoots about recent Mac hardware any more - touchbars, keyboards with the tactile response of a Chinese pocket calculator, no escape key!??!, moronic peripheral ports, soldered on everything, meanwhile I am still attached to the software environment. What I'd really love is a flexible modern laptop with a chipset drawing on architectural designs from the past decade, and Apple simply don't sell that combination any more. IMO the 2011 era MBP is the peak of this form factor's design, and any subsequent 'evolution' past it will always be a regression in disguise. I really want this shell with modern guts. The Chromebook Pixel comes close, but that's another walled garden I don't want to buy into. As much as I'd like to scoff at hackintosh users, a hackintosh laptop might be a viable option for someone like me to finally start breaking the chain. Windows + WSL is also on my radar, dunno if I could tolerate Windows full time again though.

threeseed 8y ago
Touchbars are optional. Escape key is there it is just a software key. I use vi every day and am fine with it. Moronophic peripheral ports. Strongly disagree with this one. Moving to Thunderbolt/USB-C is the best thing Apple ever did. I have one dongle for older ports but everything else I can use the same cables. I don't want another generation of 10 different peripheral ports.
- wl 8y ago
  > Touchbars are optional. Not if you want a post-2015 15" MacBook Pro or a performant post-2015 13" MacBook Pro.
- nerdbeere 8y ago
  Wrong, touchbars are not optional when you want to buy the 15" variant. I'm using the a new macbook (15", touchbar) since half a year now and have to say that it's the worst apple experience so far. My biggest complain is with the keyboard. Who thought of these arrow up/down keys? Also the esc key is annoying, although I got a little bit used to it.

sigkrieger 8y ago

At the time, I wanted a gaming pc, 2-3 years later I wanted something to work with and Hackintosh worked surprisingly well. Besides some caveats, I am more than impressed. My system has an i5 4590,16GB ram and an r9 380. At the time, something along these lines would have cost me double. Plus, this PC was a wip.

Bad_CRC 8y ago

There isn't an affordable machine in Apple on which I can: * attach multiple sata disks * plug two screens I don't mind that in my laptops (I'm writing this from a Macbook Air), but I need to be able to update my desktop where I store photos & stuff without buying a new computer just because I want to plug a new 4TB cheap sata drive for my photos.

threeseed 8y ago
Your use case works just fine on the MacBook Pro. Not sure about MacBook but it can drive two displays just fine and so I imagine adding a couple of USB-C drives wouldn't tip it over the edge ?

ThJ 8y ago

Have you seen what a spec'ed up Mac costs? Also, almost zero upgradeability. It's a bit of a hassle to install macOS and upgrade it to new major versions, yes, and I wish that was easier. If I was made of money, I'd buy a Mac Pro or a maxed out iMac.

linguae 8y ago

Short version: Apple doesn't make the hardware that some Mac users want, yet these Mac users don't want to give up macOS for Windows or Linux. For these users, the Hackintosh is a possible solution. Long version: With the exception of the iMac, Apple hasn't updated its desktop models in years. The Mac Mini hasn't been updated since October 2014, and the Mac Pro hasn't been updated since December 2013, although it is slated for a dramatic overhaul in 2019. Buying a Mac desktop today that isn't an iMac means purchasing 2013-2014 vintage hardware at premium prices. Sure, there's the iMac, but not everyone wants to buy a desktop computer that has a built-in monitor and is largely not user-serviceable (although the 27" regular iMac does have a user-accessible RAM slot). Apple does update its Mac notebook line regularly. Unfortunately, there is a sizable amount of Mac users who are not pleased with the current-generation MacBook and the MacBook Pro; there are many articles and Hacker News threads describing the complaints that these users have with the line, largely dealing with the USB-C ports, the keyboard (from its feel to its reliability), its specifications (there are many users who need 32GB RAM and more powerful processors, which are not available), and its lack of user-serviceability (even the storage is soldered). There are some people who long for a Mac equivalent of a ThinkPad T480, ThinkPad P51, or even a ThinkPad P71. Apple used to make such machines back in the early days of the MacBook Pro, but Apple's priorities have shifted to making its notebooks thin and light at the expense of other design considerations. However, despite some Mac users' disappointment with Apple's current hardware lineup, many of these users still want to use macOS, whether its due to all of the software they invested in or whether it's out of preference. Building a Hackintosh is an attempt to stay in the macOS ecosystem without being restricted to Apple's current hardware offerings.

dvfjsdhgfv 8y ago
> the 27" regular iMac does have a user-accessible RAM slot Wow, that's impressive! Sarcasm aside, I really don't understand how much user-hostile behavior Apple users can stand. Their products seem to be designed in a way that discourages repairs and parts replacement. In some models they even glued the battery in place! Big win for Apple money-wise, a huge loss for the whole environment.
- 8y ago

Teknoman117 8y ago

Because I miss my Xserve which I used for continuous integration of iOS (iPhone OS at the time) apps. I'm not going to hackintosh in a professional setting, but if they expect me to do CI on a collection of iMacs they are insane. I'd love to run a couple of OS X vms on those 32 core EPYC systems for CI.

alanfranzoni 8y ago

Because Mac hardware is becoming painful and extremely expensive. When I bought my first Macbook Pro (~2009), I could go for a low-end model, then upgrade the RAM and the disk. The same was true for the Mac Pro, the Mac Mini, and (partially) for the iMac - and all those models usually received an at-least-yearly technological update. Now the Macbook Pro is non-serviceable, high-cost, shitty features (keyboard and touchbar) laptop; the Mac Pro hasn't been update since 2015 (if I recall correctly) and the Mac Mini since 2014, the latter has no quad core option and all those systems have limited upgradeability. A desktop hackintosh, if created with components from tonymacx86, is simply, really, totally great. I run one of them for years, and it simply rocked - just reinstall Multibeast after each upgrade, and you're done. Major upgrades take a more little time, but they work fine. On the contrary, laptop hackintoshes are brittle and require a lot of hand-holding and compromises. Incidentally, I think that there's a reason for Apple not cracking down on desktop hackintosh users: they don't want to lose potential customers, when they don't offer a product for such people. Many desktop hackintosh users also own a Macbook of some sort, and they would totally buy a Mac Pro or Mac Mini if it didn't totally suck, right now.

WaltPurvis 8y ago
> Many desktop hackintosh users also own a Macbook of some sort, and they would totally buy a Mac Pro or Mac Mini if it didn't totally suck, right now. That is me exactly. If Apple ever deigns to again sell a desktop computer in a normal, user-upgradable tower, I will buy it in a heartbeat, even if it's twice the price of comparable non-Apple hardware, and never bother with a Hackintosh again. I like MacBooks, and although I'm hesitant to upgrade to the new MacBook, I'm hopeful Apple will release better-designed models soon.