Questions about making a HACKintosh

J

Jackson Miller

Well-known member
Hey guys. I'm hoping some people who have gone the Hackintosh route are on here.

I currently have an imac that is holding me back and sucks with HD video. And also I need more hard drive space etc.

Well I am seriously considering saving money by building (or having my genius friend build me) a nice PC for around $1500 or so.

I have some questions that I hope someone can help me with:

1) How practical is this really?
2) Are there any unforeseen problems with software update compatibility stuff?
3) Can you run something like bootcamp with windows and Linux on it as well?
4) Are there hardware restrictions? Do you have to choose from certain PC parts or will any parts work? I saw something that indicated not everything will work.
5) Does put the actual hardware at risk if something goes wrong?
6) How isit working for you in general? Reliable?

Thanks a lot.
 
I think the question you should ask is, "is going through all this crap really worth it just to use FCP?"
 
If you have about $1500 for a Hackintosh build, why not save an extra $500 and buy a refurb MacPro from Apples website? I have bought 3 Macs this route and they have all worked great with no probs - the Powerbook G4 I bought 5 years ago that was refurb from them is still working great and I use Photoshop CS3 on there still.
 
Proapps with a Hackintosh isn't a good idea.

Same yourself some heartache by selling the iMac and getting a solid refurbished MacPro.
 
If you want to tinker more than you want to edit have your buddy build you the hackintosh but just be prepared to hold your breath every time a software update rolls and and when problems surface (and all computers have problems) it could be harder to trouble shoot because you are running on unsupported hardware.

Like the others have said, the peace of mind of running on proper hardware is worth more than a few bucks you might save putting together a hackintosh. As the geeks say, Linux is only free if your time is worth nothing. :beer:


-Andrew
 
1) How practical is this really?

Well, if YOU know how to do it, it might be practical. I made a Hackintosh, but it really is a kids computer. I didn't know how to install the OS and stuff, so I had a friend do it. HE knows what to do, I don't. Since I don't, I don't find it very practical.

2) Are there any unforeseen problems with software update compatibility stuff?

Yes. You have to download a special hacked version of the OS and install that, make sure all the BIOS settings are done properly. And you can NEVER run the system updates....because they might mess with the machine working right. The only updates would be from another hacked OS install...

3) Can you run something like bootcamp with windows and Linux on it as well?

Just install TWO hard drives and have separate OSs on that...or partition the main HD.

4) Are there hardware restrictions? Do you have to choose from certain PC parts or will any parts work? I saw something that indicated not everything will work.

Correct. You have to get VERY SPECIFIC parts for this. There are lists for compatible parts.... not just any logicboard will do. This is why Macs are so stable... they only use specific parts, where PCs...especially if you build them... can have any NUMBER of parts that might not work properly with the OS and drivers and all that.

5) Does put the actual hardware at risk if something goes wrong?

What?

6) How isit working for you in general? Reliable?

It is fine for my kids. The friend who showed me is running FCP on the one he made, with a Decklink capture card. But he is the HIGHLY technical guy who knows how to get the hacked OS and the proper parts an how to set the BIOS and do all of that....and troubleshoot all of that.

$1500 will get you a pretty good refirb MacPro, even a decent refirb MacBook Pro. I have bought refirbs for the past 4 years...all good buys.
 
If you're a hobbyist I don't see anything wrong with that, but if it's for a business why even bother putting yourself or the client through something like that ?
 
If you're a hobbyist, by all means, have fun with the hackintosh. But if you have to ask the questions you are, you should NOT build a hackintosh to run Pro Apps on.

Patrick
 
Remember that installing Mac OS on non-Apple hardware is a direct violation of the EULA, and can leave you open to lawsuits, or worse.
 
Wowzers. Alright, thanks guys. I just have no money really and need a crapload of other stuff. But I guess this isn't a place I can cut costs. It's just disappointing that the specs on the PC my buddy built for $1400 match up to Mac Pros costing 5k.
 
For what its worth.

1. They're stable (if you know how to build them)
2. A core i7 computer that Geekbenches nearly as well as a $3200 Mac Pro can be had for $900.
3. I am considering selling my Mac Pro after having experiencing with a couple of sub $1000 Hackintoshes.
4. Again - I swear. I did not believe this until I saw it first hand. THEY ARE AT LEAST AS STABLE AS MACS. When you build them you have to do it right. You have to set the BIOS perfectly. As long as you choose your pieces right, they work like a charm.
5. At work I have a $5000 one year old Mac Pro. It Geekbenches just over 10,000. The $900 core i7 860 based hackintosh I just worked with Geekbenches 9,000 (with less ram and a cheap graphics card to boot)
 
Ryan,

How does it compare speed wise when actually exporting and/or rendering from the various apps in the FCP suite? I ask because the ProApps can be very driver dependent and perform much differently than benchmarks would lead people to believe. For example, the Nvidia 8800GT card actually performs worse than the ATi 2600 in Motion and Color even though the Nvidia is a more powerful card w/twice as much RAM. When benchmarked outside of the ProApss though the 8800GT kills the 2600. It boils down to Apple having written better drivers for the ATi card than the Nvidia card.

Also, do you have any I/O cards in the machine (Matrox, BM, AJA, etc.,), if so how simple was it to get them up and working?


-Andrew
 
To be fair to the situation, the EULA is a contract, not a law.

So it is not illegal, but violates the EULA.

And the EULA requires an "Apple branded" computer, what ever that means.

That being said, it still isn't worth the potential for trouble.
 
I'm not saying you can't build a good working machine - and you can build it for less - and it's almost as good as last year's MacPro. But unless you're willing to invest the time and effort it takes to understand just what you're doing, forget it. And stable, yes... but AS stable as a real Mac? No way.

And yes, I do know what I'm doing, I've built many Hacks over the last few years...

Patrick
 
I have built two machines recently. Both have performed perfectly stable. I have been running multiple overnight renders without issue. In fact, two days ago my mac pro kept on crashing doing one specific task in motion. I got so pissed that I said "let's give it a try" and migrated to a hackintosh. The issue didn't happen.

I have built using guides from insanely mac as well as this blog.
http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/


I have used both an MXO 2 mini with max and a blackmagic intensity pro without issue. I also have been using pro tools le with an mbox 2. The only program that won't install is neoscene. It says "program only works with intel mac" when you try and install. Pretty interesting, I think.
 
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