Mac Pro 3k = hackintosh 1.2k + GH1 1.6k

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Nik Manning

Well-known member
To hackintosh or not to hackintosh.

I want to purchase the upgrade of final cut studio but I still own a power pc G5 mac. As I was researching which new mac to purchase I ran across a hackintosh that is about as fast as a $3,000 mac pro for $1200! That is a substantial price break. I can really save some cash as this system will probably be used exclusively for video and audio production. Has anyone here decided to go this route? Anyone care to share? If I go this route I can afford the GH1,computer and still have cash left over. Whatever I buy won't be upgraded for maybe 3 years.
 
I'd definitely do it if I were you. Have you built computers before? If you haven't, don't be overwhelmed/afraid it's actually quite easy and fun.

Build it with a Core i7 920 chip. It's cheap, you can pick one up for $200 at a MicroCenter. They are the same thing as what it is in the Mac Pro, just not called a Xeon. More information about the new Mac Pro here: http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3597

I suggest you research on the anandtech forums as well. They are an INCREDIBLE resource for computer stuff, especially building your own. Everyone is very helpful as well.

Here's a thread about someone building their own Mac Pro alternative, but he doesn't say it's for a Hackintosh: http://forums.anandtech.com/message...d=2321067&highlight_key=y&keyword1=hackintosh

To build a Hackintosh you have to have the right, specific hardware, or else it won't work. I don't know much about what these components actually are (besides the fact that I know an i7 920 will work)... but here's a link to a very large thread on Hackintosh info:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=81&threadid=2163518&enterthread=y

Be sure to post on their if you have questions, and 100% post before you buy anything. Perhaps people here will know more about what you need to make a Mac Pro equivalent Hackintosh as well.
 
yabyum said:
I'd definitely do it if I were you. Have you built computers before? If you haven't, don't be overwhelmed/afraid it's actually quite easy and fun.
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You're kidding right? where does he talk about building? I would definately
Not try and build this, esp if it's his first build.

Nik Manning- are you looking at prebuilt? theres not many options.
what brand prebuilt are you looking at?
 
personally I would strongly advise against it.

One of the most important things in production equipment is reliabilty and a hackintosh is not reliable. I don't doubt you will get it working but there are so many variables involved that I wouldn't be surprised to see something break after every update. That is NOT something you want to deal with on an editing system. You can very easily build the same system and run windows if price is that much of a factor to you.

The two pieces of gear you absolutely can't make a movie without are a camera and an editing system.
 
The only thing to watch out for with a Hackintosh is that Apple can and probably will do what's in their power to break compatibility with further OS updates. That shouldn't necessarily discourage you from building or buying a pre-built one, just that you need to keep an eye on Software Update and always doublecheck the forums before installing something new, otherwise you might be out of luck until things are patched again.

The smart thing to do (other than just buying a real Mac or building a cheaper Windows system) would be to leave it alone as far as updates go once you've got a stable setup.
 
sunburst said:
You're kidding right? where does he talk about building? I would definately
Not try and build this, esp if it's his first build.

Nik Manning- are you looking at prebuilt? theres not many options.
what brand prebuilt are you looking at?
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A Hackintosh implies building it his self. It's a mac and he's not buying it from Apple... I don't know if you can buy premade Hackintoshes (probably can).... but yea.

Even if it's your first build seriously IT'S NOT THAT HARD!! I built my first computer with no problems and it ran for a good while. It's hard to mess up a computer as long as you buy the right/quality components (and don't mess around with overclocking/voltages that will shorten the computer's life span). Seriously, there are some very very very good threads on that forum that contain links to guides (see: General Hardware forum) that will tell you plainly/easily/with pictures everything that you need to do.
 
Oedipax said:
The only thing to watch out for with a Hackintosh is that Apple can and probably will do what's in their power to break compatibility with further OS updates. That shouldn't necessarily discourage you from building or buying a pre-built one, just that you need to keep an eye on Software Update and always doublecheck the forums before installing something new, otherwise you might be out of luck until things are patched again.

The smart thing to do (other than just buying a real Mac or building a cheaper Windows system) would be to leave it alone as far as updates go once you've got a stable setup.
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Yep this is an important issue. I don't think Apple would completely do something to disable all Hackintoshes... and there's a large community around it that is always finding fixes and workarounds.

As long as you're tech savvy I think it's highly worth it.

And you'll never be out of a computer because you can just put Windows on there and edit away with another NLE.
 
Serio, as long as you aren't doing stuff that requires super quick turnarounds where a minor compy setback would destroy you... you'd be much better served going with the Hackintosh route.

$1800 more to spend on the camera itself... better lenses... better stabilization systems... glide track... that's a big difference. If the money doesn't matter so much to you then, yea buy it from Apple.
 
If you want to have an editing workstation that you can be pretty sure will always work when you need it to then I'd recommend against a hackintosh system. Software like Final Cut Studio is very hardware and resource intensive. It tends to call on things for the hardware to do that other software won't. This means you will potentially be compromising stability and reliability.

If this is a hobby and you're prepared for the up and downs and frustration of things not always working the way it was intended then by all means go for it. Just don't count on it working 100% of the time. And do count on that one time when you need it to work that it won't (and that could easily happen more than once).

Also keep in mind that you will not be entitled to any support from Apple for any of your hardware or software when you do have problems. Sometimes it's not worth it to go the cheaper route. In general, one of my golden rules is you get what you pay for.

Have you thought about just going with an iMac? Those will run Final Cut Studio.
 
How stable is final cut pro anyway?

All I read is unhappy complaints about vegas 9 AND CS4.

Its like were running out of options!
 
I'm running a $500 PC I built myself for comparison. Quad core 3.0ghz amd phenom 2 with 4GB of RAM and I use vegas 9 and edit GH1 avchd 720p footage with no problems whatsoever! Smooth playback and no crashes to report.

And ya it is fantastic when you build something yourself and it runs great, but when that one thing goes wrong... it can just ruin your day. Then again, it's $1800 :)
 
I installed OSX on my PC and it works perfectly. If you pick your hardware components carefully and install the OS correctly, there's zero difference between a real Mac and a Hackintosh (Besides price, of course!)
 
vanlam said:
I installed OSX on my PC and it works perfectly. If you pick your hardware components carefully and install the OS correctly, there's zero difference between a real Mac and a Hackintosh (Besides price, of course!)
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man this board is full of tech heads!

It's cool that you did this . But this build yourself talk - is SUCH BAD advice - for the
average user - imho.

are you running the vmware hack? does it run as fast as vanilla macs?

I've built a bunch of pc systems, but even I got bleary eyed looking at those directions!

is there a one step hack - lol? I can't hack that hack!
 
The only thing at risk is Apple breaking the OS with an update, which can be pretty big (given Apple's reputation). However, some of you are talking about assembling computers like it's rocket science. It isn't.

Can you assemble a Lego kit? If the answer is yes, then the modern computer is about as hard to ASSEMBLE. I don't even call it building, because you're just pieceing the parts together.

The caveats are simple: Don't skimp on parts, and always buy from a reputable shop with a good exchange/RMA policy.

I'm currently on an i7 920 mildly over-clocked to 3.0 GHz. It's stable as hell, and I don't foresee it breaking down soon. Non-techies who don't mess around with the default settings will find that most modern hardware to be stable and reliable in a proper setup.
 
Just wanted to chime in, I was on the same boat a year ago, decided to go the hackintosh route; I built a $700 rig (2.8 Ghz Quad, 4GB Ram, 1.5TB, 22" lcd) comparable to the cheapest Mac pro configuration at that time ($2300)

I've been assembling PC's since I was 15, and even with that experience building this hackintosh required some investigating, I had my hack fully working on the 3rd install. If you want to save yourself some headaches or if you are not that well versed building computers, I would advice you to get the Efi-x usb module, which pretty much is a device that fools the PC into thinking is a Mac! :p You still need to a have certain hardware configuration to make it work, but it works and allows you to update your OSX (need to check their website before doing so)

I still don't know if it will work with Snow Leopard (crossing my fingers)
 
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There is zero reason why you would want to do this. If GH1 will be your primary camera, your probably not working for normal rate jobs and a new Imac, mac book pro or hell even the new mini would do everything you need. If you are doing real jobs and getting the at least bare bones average of $500/day for what you do... well time is money and to me anything that takes my time i look at as rate gone out the window and I GUARANTEE you will waste more than 6 days of your life over the course of owning a Hackintosh trying to get it work properly each and every time new updates come out, video cards, etc.

Hobbist - Mac Pro completely unnecessary
Pro - Pays for itself in under 2 weeks of work, will be useable for the next 5 years.
 
apple is constantly over pricing all of their computers. you can get better quality computers for cheaper from other companies. of course building your own computer would be extremely cheaper. but it takes some sort of skill. i dont know why people are always going for mac osx when people can turn to windows. i know that windows has some reliability issues but if you can get a decent computer there are rarely any problems.
 
Steve Dave said:
apple is constantly over pricing all of their computers. you can get better quality computers for cheaper from other companies. of course building your own computer would be extremely cheaper. but it takes some sort of skill. i dont know why people are always going for mac osx when people can turn to windows. i know that windows has some reliability issues but if you can get a decent computer there are rarely any problems.
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For editing systems, a mac plus FCS is actually a very competitive price compared to a dedicated PC editing system set up by a supplier who specialises in that sort of kit. Of course, if you just want a cheap PC and install the software on it you can get cheaper, but it is likely to be less reliable.

Regarding the original question, bear in mind that macs hold their value pretty well, so when it comes to selling it next time you upgrade, you will get a lot of the money back. This isn't the case with PCs. It's a it like buying a BMW or a Fiat, the Fiat is much cheaper at first, but you spend half your time mending it and when you get sick of it and have to sell, it's worth next to nothing!
 
i'm 100% running a hackintosh as we speak. i can edit and out bench mark some mac systems. depending on specs. both macs and pcs run on the EXACT same hardware now. just like "ah hem" running windows, you can get your updates otherwise. *wink, wink*. the system hardware is more compatible than a year ago. just "about' every motherboard out there can handle the vanilla kernel. i would stick to only intel CPU's as AMD hasn't had a lot of support with Mac OS. i wont' point you to specific websites to d/l the OS, but just google around. however, if you're just looking to buy a system, this company has been on the rocks with Apple but you can buy pre built Mac alternatives instead.

http://www.psystar.com/

They believe in Open Source, which mac is completely against. Better hurry and order from them before Apple shuts them down. But remember, like anyone here actually uses "technical" support, you probably won't get any. But that's what the forums are for. Right?
 
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