25-07-2012, 11:45 AM
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN HACKINTOSH
[attachment=28832]
Introduction
A Hackintosh PC, as the name would suggest, is a vanilla PC (built by you or a retailer other than
Apple) running a hacked (or patched) version of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system. OS X is specifically
designed to run on Apple’s hardware line; a Hackintosh is simply non-Apple hardware using
the operating system.
Although Apple opposes the practice of hijacking their OS for use on off-brand PCs, many technology-
oriented people who don’t want to buy the hardware from Apple choose to spend a lot of time
and effort in creating a Hackintosh. There are many possible reasons:
1. Apple offers just a few hardware configurations for each of the form factors – desktop (iMac &
Mac Mini), laptop (MacBook and MacBook Pro), and workstation (Mac Pro). Many long-time
PC users are accustomed to being able to choose and customize every specific aspect about
hardware, options that are not in Apple’s offerings.
2. Upgrading and customization of Apple hardware is world-renowned for having obscenely
high prices. Upgrading from 4GB of RAM to 8GB of RAM in the Apple Store costs as much
as $200 whereas on Newegg.com the same upgrade costs $40-$50.
3. Independent movie editors build high-powered machines for a fraction of the cost of a Mac
Pro in order to use editing tools like Adobe’s Premiere Pro or Final Cut. Professional photographers
will do the same for tools like Aperture; video, graphics and design people for Avid’s
Pro Tools and musicians do it for Ableton Live and Logic Studio.
4. Rebels – there are people who will build a Hackintosh because they like the OS, but hate the
closed-source nature of it and the monolithic, controlling ways of Apple Inc. They build their
own Macs to make a point.
5. Many feel OS X is the best user interface on earth, but for the above reasons don’t want
Apple hardware. Therefore, Hackintosh.
Processor
In order to install OS X on your Intel computer,
the CPU (central processing unit or
processor) needs to support at least the
SSE2 extension, although SSE3 is preferred.
You can find out if your processor
supports this extension by visiting the manufacturer’s
website and looking at the technical
specification sheet. If you don’t know
the model number for your CPU, open Device
Manager from the Control Panel and
scroll down to the “Processor” listing.
Alternatively, you can download a small
free program called CPU-Z, which reads
the capabilities of your processor and displays
the information.
Buying a Pre-Built Hackintosh
If you’re not technically savvy or don’t have the time to sift through specification sheets, you can choose a configuration
ready-made by the great folks at kakewalk. You still have to buy and assemble the computer, but they have already
chosen compatible components for three types of Hacintoshes: Lite (for web-browsing, text and spreadsheet editing,
YouTube), Moderate (a solid configuration for hobby music, video, design) and Pro (a true workstation for professional
creative work, and will do just fine at rendering HD videos). They also provide a piece of software (free of charge) that
will automatically install Mac OS X Lion or Snow Leopard as well as all the drivers only for these specific configurations.
[attachment=28832]
Introduction
A Hackintosh PC, as the name would suggest, is a vanilla PC (built by you or a retailer other than
Apple) running a hacked (or patched) version of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system. OS X is specifically
designed to run on Apple’s hardware line; a Hackintosh is simply non-Apple hardware using
the operating system.
Although Apple opposes the practice of hijacking their OS for use on off-brand PCs, many technology-
oriented people who don’t want to buy the hardware from Apple choose to spend a lot of time
and effort in creating a Hackintosh. There are many possible reasons:
1. Apple offers just a few hardware configurations for each of the form factors – desktop (iMac &
Mac Mini), laptop (MacBook and MacBook Pro), and workstation (Mac Pro). Many long-time
PC users are accustomed to being able to choose and customize every specific aspect about
hardware, options that are not in Apple’s offerings.
2. Upgrading and customization of Apple hardware is world-renowned for having obscenely
high prices. Upgrading from 4GB of RAM to 8GB of RAM in the Apple Store costs as much
as $200 whereas on Newegg.com the same upgrade costs $40-$50.
3. Independent movie editors build high-powered machines for a fraction of the cost of a Mac
Pro in order to use editing tools like Adobe’s Premiere Pro or Final Cut. Professional photographers
will do the same for tools like Aperture; video, graphics and design people for Avid’s
Pro Tools and musicians do it for Ableton Live and Logic Studio.
4. Rebels – there are people who will build a Hackintosh because they like the OS, but hate the
closed-source nature of it and the monolithic, controlling ways of Apple Inc. They build their
own Macs to make a point.
5. Many feel OS X is the best user interface on earth, but for the above reasons don’t want
Apple hardware. Therefore, Hackintosh.
Processor
In order to install OS X on your Intel computer,
the CPU (central processing unit or
processor) needs to support at least the
SSE2 extension, although SSE3 is preferred.
You can find out if your processor
supports this extension by visiting the manufacturer’s
website and looking at the technical
specification sheet. If you don’t know
the model number for your CPU, open Device
Manager from the Control Panel and
scroll down to the “Processor” listing.
Alternatively, you can download a small
free program called CPU-Z, which reads
the capabilities of your processor and displays
the information.
Buying a Pre-Built Hackintosh
If you’re not technically savvy or don’t have the time to sift through specification sheets, you can choose a configuration
ready-made by the great folks at kakewalk. You still have to buy and assemble the computer, but they have already
chosen compatible components for three types of Hacintoshes: Lite (for web-browsing, text and spreadsheet editing,
YouTube), Moderate (a solid configuration for hobby music, video, design) and Pro (a true workstation for professional
creative work, and will do just fine at rendering HD videos). They also provide a piece of software (free of charge) that
will automatically install Mac OS X Lion or Snow Leopard as well as all the drivers only for these specific configurations.