Can I run Mac OSX inside windows, or w/VMWare (or in *nix)?

[absinthe]

I've arrived at one of those junctions where I need to either re-install my PC operating system or consider buying a whole new machine. I'm actually about a year overdue for a whole new machine, and I'm thinking of an iMac. But I'd like to try out the OS before I buy.

I currently have Vista installed, and I think my PC specs appear below. Is there a particular version of VMWare (or some other virtualizer) that I can run in Vista and run OSX within that?

Or ... I'm pretty knowledgeable with Linux. If it would be easier/more effective to run a VM on a Linux platform and run OSX on that, then I'd be willing to just install a Linux distro and go that way.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks,

-abs

 

[VinylxScratches]

If you're knowledgeable with Linux I think you'd do fine with a Mac. Where I intern at, all the Linux users love Macs. I would just go to a Best Buy and try it out.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Can you run OSX in VMware on Windows?

 

[mugs]

I think it's possible to run it in VMWare, but not straightforward like running something else in VMWare.

Your initial experiences may be frustrating, because you're used to the way Windows works. Once you get used to the differences, you will probably find that you like OS X as much as Windows, maybe more. Windows has advantages in some areas, OS X has advantages in some areas.

 

[silverpig]

I had almost the exact same system as you for a while and put OSX on it in hackintosh form.

Opteron 165
DFI NF4 Ultra-D
X800XL originally, but I did the hack with a 7900GS

You can get the board to work, but it's not super smooth. I spent a few weeks playing with patches and kexts trying to get the stupid thing to work right, and finally got almost everything working but the mouse would act really funny after an hour of uptime. It'd jump around the screen like I was playing an FPS with 300 ms ping. A reboot would fix it for an hour and then it'd start happening again.

I ended up getting a Q6600 and a Gigabyte EP45-DS3L motherboard and have a 100% working hackintosh that I love.

If you want my opinion: Spend no more time on it than it takes to install VMWare, download and burn one of the OSX disks (kalyway or leo4all 10.5.2) and try to install it in the VM. If it works, it works, but my guess is it won't and you'll end up frustrating yourself to no end trying to get it to work.

If you want to try OSX you could try to find a used mac mini on craigslist. They hold their value really well so you could buy one, play with it a month or two, and then sell it for what you paid essentially.

 

[vailr]

AMD CPU's aren't as "OSX friendly" as Intel CPU's.
A 64-bit capable Intel Core Duo CPU (or i7) & Intel chipset motherboard are the best choices for building a Hackintosh.
Switching from your current setup to a decent Intel Hackintosh would cost about (Newegg pricing):
P45 chipset motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R): $100 AR
2x 2GB DDR2 memory: $50 -$70, depending on speed rating
E5200 Intel CPU: $70, (other more expensive CPU's optional)
I don't recommend using IDE HD/Optical drives, so add the cost of upgrading to SATA storage if required.
With 2 SATA hard drives, one could use the bios for selecting the boot drive: either Windows or OSX.

 

[KeypoX]

possible and very easy... might be a bit harder on linux but doable. Just google it there are guide out there.