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I wonder if I could build a clone Mac Pro? Something really giant with 2 processors, 16GB RAM, 4TB disk space, etc. The retail Mac Pro approached $4K for what

I wonder if I could build a clone Mac Pro? Something really giant with 2 processors, 16GB RAM, 4TB disk space, etc. The retail Mac Pro approached $4K for what I want and it'd be cool to do it for less.

stuff4ben 17y ago
You might be able to do it for less, but you'd still be spending thousands of dollars to do it. Plus you don't get support. I think the sweet spot for hackintoshers is the exact market Apple is avoiding. Basically a cheap version of the Mac Pro but more powerful than an iMac. For just under a grand you can build a sweet quad core machine that blows an iMac out of the water and probably comes close to a base Mac Pro in terms of power. If I had to spend more than a grand, I would probably just buy the real thing.
- mattculbreth 17y ago
  Yeah you may be right. Another option is to go Craiglist or eBay and find someone who wants to upgrade to the latest processor and is selling theirs.
jcl 17y ago
Here's an article that tries to do just that, although it doesn't address the software side of the equation (and it's a bit dated, since it uses Harpertown instead of Nehalem processors): http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=942&tag=nl.e550 http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=942&tag=nl.e550
- mattculbreth 17y ago
  Ok cool, that's pretty close actually.
  - jcl 17y ago
    Note: if you're planning to actually build something based on these instructions, be sure to get a case that supports the Tyan motherboard's CEB mounting holes or be prepared to drill your own. Both of the Coolermaster cases mentioned in the article only have ATX/EATX mounting holes. (I'm still a little irked at George Ou for writing an article whose premise rests on the existence of a machine that he didn't even try to build.)
    - mattculbreth 17y ago
      Well that, and the fact that it doesn't even run Mac OS X. But beyond that it was exactly what I was looking for. :)
tvon 17y ago
Well, you can build something that has similar specs to a Mac Pro, a lot of people have. Check the insanelymac.com forums, there are a lot of guids and howtos there.

stuff4ben 17y ago

You might be able to do it for less, but you'd still be spending thousands of dollars to do it. Plus you don't get support. I think the sweet spot for hackintoshers is the exact market Apple is avoiding. Basically a cheap version of the Mac Pro but more powerful than an iMac. For just under a grand you can build a sweet quad core machine that blows an iMac out of the water and probably comes close to a base Mac Pro in terms of power. If I had to spend more than a grand, I would probably just buy the real thing.

mattculbreth 17y ago
Yeah you may be right. Another option is to go Craiglist or eBay and find someone who wants to upgrade to the latest processor and is selling theirs.

jcl 17y ago

Here's an article that tries to do just that, although it doesn't address the software side of the equation (and it's a bit dated, since it uses Harpertown instead of Nehalem processors): http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=942&tag=nl.e550 http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=942&tag=nl.e550

mattculbreth 17y ago
Ok cool, that's pretty close actually.
- jcl 17y ago
  Note: if you're planning to actually build something based on these instructions, be sure to get a case that supports the Tyan motherboard's CEB mounting holes or be prepared to drill your own. Both of the Coolermaster cases mentioned in the article only have ATX/EATX mounting holes. (I'm still a little irked at George Ou for writing an article whose premise rests on the existence of a machine that he didn't even try to build.)
  - mattculbreth 17y ago
    Well that, and the fact that it doesn't even run Mac OS X. But beyond that it was exactly what I was looking for. :)

tvon 17y ago

Well, you can build something that has similar specs to a Mac Pro, a lot of people have. Check the insanelymac.com forums, there are a lot of guids and howtos there.