The Hackintosh Thread

[Kaido]

http://youtu.be/oDrZTRCguLA

Here's a video overview I did of the HP ProBook 4530s 'HackBook Pro' running Mountain Lion.

As soon as I get my 1080p screen and cables, I'm planning to do another of these as a full video tutorial on doing a screen upgrade.

Ooh, I'd definitely be interested in that! What'd the screen upgrade run you? 1080p on a Cheapintosh would be pretty awesome!

 

[Zaap]

Ooh, I'd definitely be interested in that! What'd the screen upgrade run you? 1080p on a Cheapintosh would be pretty awesome!

So far my total costs for my HackBook Pro:

$360 - Laptop
$12 - OSX-compatible WiFi/BT card
$10 - 2nd bay drive caddy
$100 - 128GB SSD
$90 - LG 1080p screen (matte finish)
$20 - HP HD cable kit

Roughly $600 for a very capable dual-hard drive 1080p laptop running OSX 10.8.2.


Next planned upgrade:
roughly $110 for an i5 2540M
or $220 for an i7 2620M

So eventually, all told I'll have spent around $700 to $800 for an i5 or i7 powerhouse, still roughly half the base level 13" MacBook Pro. Granted, the actual MacBooks are superior machines, but this thing kicks ass for what it is and gets my work done; that's all I really care about.

Meanwhile, my wife got the genuine 128GB 13" MacBook Air for Christmas! Strictly legit for her. I'll eventually upgrade the internal 128GB to 256GB myself. (Easy process)

 

[Kaido]

So far my total costs for my HackBook Pro:

$360 - Laptop
$12 - OSX-compatible WiFi/BT card
$10 - 2nd bay drive caddy
$100 - 128GB SSD
$90 - LG 1080p screen (matte finish)
$20 - HP HD cable kit

Roughly $600 for a very capable dual-hard drive 1080p laptop running OSX 10.8.2.


Next planned upgrade:
roughly $110 for an i5 2540M
or $220 for an i7 2620M

So eventually, all told I'll have spent around $700 to $800 for an i5 or i7 powerhouse, still roughly half the base level 13" MacBook Pro. Granted, the actual MacBooks are superior machines, but this thing kicks ass for what it is and gets my work done; that's all I really care about.

Meanwhile, my wife got the genuine 128GB 13" MacBook Air for Christmas! Strictly legit for her. I'll eventually upgrade the internal 128GB to 256GB myself. (Easy process)

Nice! I did an Acer 4830t a few months ago with an i7-2670QM upgrade (quad chip, was surprised it worked!), that thing was insane! Plus 16 gigs of RAM and the dual-drive mod, so nice to have an SSD + storage. I wasn't crazy about the screen resolution, but it wasn't bad. Quick vid here:

http://telly.com/M0AAD

I think I'd go the HP route if I did it again though...the touchpad never really had true full support on the Acer (there was an aftermarket driver that came out, but it was never what I'd call "perfect"), plus no 1080p screen upgrade option. Very cool how many laptops you can throw it on now thanks to the HD3000/HD4000 graphics support!

 

[Subyman]

So far my total costs for my HackBook Pro:

$360 - Laptop
$12 - OSX-compatible WiFi/BT card
$10 - 2nd bay drive caddy
$100 - 128GB SSD
$90 - LG 1080p screen (matte finish)
$20 - HP HD cable kit

Roughly $600 for a very capable dual-hard drive 1080p laptop running OSX 10.8.2.


Next planned upgrade:
roughly $110 for an i5 2540M
or $220 for an i7 2620M

So eventually, all told I'll have spent around $700 to $800 for an i5 or i7 powerhouse, still roughly half the base level 13" MacBook Pro. Granted, the actual MacBooks are superior machines, but this thing kicks ass for what it is and gets my work done; that's all I really care about.

Meanwhile, my wife got the genuine 128GB 13" MacBook Air for Christmas! Strictly legit for her. I'll eventually upgrade the internal 128GB to 256GB myself. (Easy process)

You forgot the 19.99 for Mountain Lion

 

[mosslack]

http://youtu.be/oDrZTRCguLA

Here's a video overview I did of the HP ProBook 4530s 'HackBook Pro' running Mountain Lion.

As soon as I get my 1080p screen and cables, I'm planning to do another of these as a full video tutorial on doing a screen upgrade.

Nice video, I am definitely on the lookout for one of those. It's difficult to find a good laptop for making a Hackintosh, but that looks like a no brainer!

How hard was it to install the new screen, was it a direct replacement?

 

[Zaap]

Nice! I did an Acer 4830t a few months ago with an i7-2670QM upgrade (quad chip, was surprised it worked!), that thing was insane! Plus 16 gigs of RAM and the dual-drive mod, so nice to have an SSD + storage. I wasn't crazy about the screen resolution, but it wasn't bad. Quick vid here:

http://telly.com/M0AAD

That is COOL! That Acer looks like a nice notebook for a Hack, especially with 16GB of RAM. (I don't think the HP supports more than 8).

I wonder if there is actually a higher resolution screen upgrade that will fit the 4830t? As long as the screen is the right size and has the right connectors, virtually any screen should do. Luckily the HP ProBook uses a very standard screen type, so you can use virtually any screen that fits. The LG I ordered is just a standard screen that would probably work in most any 15.6" laptop. The high resolution connector is the bigger problem. That would probably be an issue with the Acer even if there is a standard screen replacement that will fit it.

You forgot the 19.99 for Mountain Lion

True! So add $20 to all those totals.

Nice video, I am definitely on the lookout for one of those. It's difficult to find a good laptop for making a Hackintosh, but that looks like a no brainer!

How hard was it to install the new screen, was it a direct replacement?

My gen of ProBook is Sandybridge and make for great Hacks as everything seems to work well OOB. (Some models have dedicated ATI graphics that have to be disabled in OSX in favor of the Intel onboard).

I'm hoping the newer gen of IvyBridge ProBook models will work just as good.

I haven't received my upgrade screen and cable yet- should arrive this week, hopefully I'll do the upgrade this weekend. From what I've seen of the upgrade process, replacing the screen itself is actually the easy part. The front bezel unsnaps and then it's fairly easy to remove the screws holding the screen in place, remove the connector and replace the panel.

The harder part is actually the HD cable. I'll have to do quite a bit of disassembly to route the cable and get to the connector on the motherboard.

It's not really an HP-authorized upgrade, but luckily people figured out that the same HD cable that works in the 17" model that comes with a 1080p screen also works for the 15.6" model and allows the resolution upgrade.

 

[Tyranicus]

So far my total costs for my HackBook Pro:

$360 - Laptop
$12 - OSX-compatible WiFi/BT card
$10 - 2nd bay drive caddy
$100 - 128GB SSD
$90 - LG 1080p screen (matte finish)
$20 - HP HD cable kit

Roughly $600 for a very capable dual-hard drive 1080p laptop running OSX 10.8.2.

I will continue building and running hackintosh desktops for the foreseeable future, but I just can't see myself running a hackbook. I have never used a PC laptop with a trackpad that even comes close to the quality of what Apple makes, and unibody aluminum feels so much more solid than plastic. Now that I've recently upgraded to a Retina MacBook Pro, that's one more reason to stay with the real thing for my laptop.

That said, that does sound like a really sweet system you have there.

 

[Kaido]

I will continue building and running mackintosh desktops for the foreseeable future, but I just can't see myself running a hackbook. I have never used a PC laptop with a trackpad that even comes close to the quality of what Apple makes, and unibody aluminum feels so much more solid than plastic. Now that I've recently upgraded to a Retina MacBook Pro, that's one more reason to stay with the real thing for my laptop.

I really hate touchpads in general. I can handle Apple's because (1) they're large, (2) they're fairly sensitive, and (3) they have nice multi-touch features, but I usually just use a small wireless mouse. However, I think I could get used to Apple's new "natural scrolling" feature - I've used a few new Macbooks with that feature in the last few months and it's surprisingly not horrible on a touchpad (mice scrollwheels are a different story lol). Sort of like flicking a piece of paper up or down...

 

[AkumaX]

I'm running a 1366 now and haven't really ever worried about SpeedStep (my comp is usually encoding a video project or rendering something in 3D at night), so mostly it's power I'm after. But since I'm at work way too much, I don't get as much of a chance to be home and play with my machine, so I dunno if 6-cores would be worth the investment.

But I really really really want to say that I have 64 gigs in my machine :awe:

Haha, well, I suppose w/ proper cooling and not having to pay for the electricity build, a full throttle CPU is fine It's not that it's bad, but it's something to be aware of. See lots of i7-3860k's w/ amazing performance...

 

[Zaap]

I will continue building and running hackintosh desktops for the foreseeable future, but I just can't see myself running a hackbook. I have never used a PC laptop with a trackpad that even comes close to the quality of what Apple makes, and unibody aluminum feels so much more solid than plastic. Now that I've recently upgraded to a Retina MacBook Pro, that's one more reason to stay with the real thing for my laptop.

I don't disagree with you at all. I still don't recommend Hackintoshing laptops in general and refuse to even try when friends ask "Hey, think I can run OSX on this if I buy one?" with some random laptop.

It's hard to beat the quality of the MacBooks, that's for sure, and to even come close with a PC one has to spend nearly the same amount anyway, so there's not much point.

Still, hacking the ProBook was motivated by curiosity and love of DIY. And the quality of this notebook isn't bad- though of course nowhere near MacBook quality. Since it's rock stable, everything works, and it was easy to set up, it's well worth it.

I agree about Apple's trackpads being great- especially now with Mountain Lion I consider it a necessity. I use a Magic Trackpad and a USB Bluetooth dongle (the built-in BT works but is flaky) as well as a mouse, and it's the perfect setup for me. I'd use a mouse with a genuine MacBook as well as I can't work in Final Cut without one.

 

[Kaido]

Now I'm getting the itch once again to move away from Gigabyte and try hacking some other brands. I see that lately there's any number of Asus, MSI and a few other makes that are great Hack candidates.

Here's another Mini-ITX candidate:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/golden-builds/73451-asrock-z77e-itx-core-i7-3770k-evga-gtx-570hd.html

Tonymac promotes hacks that work well to "Golden Builds" and lists them in his forum here:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/golden-builds/

Most are Gigabyte, but there also a few other ones that seem to work pretty well. I think for me, the H77N-WIFI will be my default recommended build, unless you need more than 16GB RAM or extra card slots. Right now I'm leaning towards the GA-Z77X-UP5 TH as the ATX board, although it's fairly expensive at $240. But I think the Mini-ITX replaces my old ATX/mATX recommendations because onboard audio works great, onboard Ethernet works great, optionally onboard HDMI (and HDMI Audio) works great with an HD3000/HD4000-capable CPU, so a lot of the requirements for having a larger board are nixed now, so the price may not be too bad for the ATX in light of that.

I'm messing around with the NUC's right now, and also have a Foxconn barebones coming that I want to mess with for the ultra-small and ultra-low-end stuff, so we'll see how that goes. My current inventory is a Gigabyte ES2L, DS3L, UD3P, and MSI X58-ProE. My current thought is to retire everything and go with Mini-ITX H77N-WIFI's across the board (i7/16GB/6870 GPU/power savings/full & modern support), but I may do the UP5 TH for my main hack. I also have the H67N-USB3 in a box that may become the HTPC. But having a homogeneous network sounds pretty good for some reason...standardized systems & swappable components. My tentative plan is:

H77N: PFsense router (dual Ethernet)
H77N: My comp (6870)
H77N: Wife's comp (6870)
H77N: HTPC for the TV (HD4000)
H77N: HTPC for the Home Theater (HD4000) & doubles as NAS

Already have the GPU's and RAM, so it'd mainly be a board/case/CPU swap to the 1155 platform. But, I also like to tinker, so the ATX might get thrown in there (plus a Blackmagic Intensity card and 32 gigs of RAM ). Dang budget!

 

[TheStu]

Is it possible to have an incompatible GPU in the build if you are using the HD3000/4000 graphics? I have a 2500k and compatible mobo, but my GPU is a 6970 which is apparently unhackable.

Can OS X use the onboard and Windows use the dedicated?

 

[mosslack]

Is it possible to have an incompatible GPU in the build if you are using the HD3000/4000 graphics? I have a 2500k and compatible mobo, but my GPU is a 6970 which is apparently unhackable.

Can OS X use the onboard and Windows use the dedicated?

Unless the BIOS allows both to be used at the same time, you would have to switch it in the setup each time you switched from one OS to the other. Not to mention switching the monitor connection. But why don't you just use the HD3000/4000 for both?

 

[TheStu]

Unless the BIOS allows both to be used at the same time, you would have to switch it in the setup each time you switched from one OS to the other. Not to mention switching the monitor connection. But why don't you just use the HD3000/4000 for both?

Because if I am booting into Windows, I am doing it to game, and that's about it.

It sounds like you're saying that some BIOSes allow both discrete and dedicated to work (and I think my existing board does), so then what would I do to make the 6970 NOT be detected by OS X and have it run off the onboard?

 

[Kaido]

Is it possible to have an incompatible GPU in the build if you are using the HD3000/4000 graphics? I have a 2500k and compatible mobo, but my GPU is a 6970 which is apparently unhackable.

Can OS X use the onboard and Windows use the dedicated?

I went with a 6870 with pretty good results, don't know if you'd consider downgrading or not due to the gaming aspect, but I've had really good luck with them so far.

I'm not sure if anyone has done an "ignore this card" setup, but I'd imagine you could do something creative via either DSDT or the Boot Plist file. Would you have like a KVM-style hardware switch to change from integrated port to the dedicated port?

 

[TheStu]

I went with a 6870 with pretty good results, don't know if you'd consider downgrading or not due to the gaming aspect, but I've had really good luck with them so far.

I'm not sure if anyone has done an "ignore this card" setup, but I'd imagine you could do something creative via either DSDT or the Boot Plist file. Would you have like a KVM-style hardware switch to change from integrated port to the dedicated port?

If ignoring the card doesn't work, and I have to spend money on a different card, I would rather spend it on something like the GTX 660 (not Ti), that is about $200, and is equal to my existing card. I wouldn't want to spend more than that on a equal card (hence not getting the Ti), and don't really want to downgrade.

Well, I have an HDMI switch that could be used, but I wonder if a HDMI splitter, but in reverse, would work.

 

[Zaap]

I feel the opposite as Kaido on this one: the 6870 is my least favorite component of my current main Hack. At the time I got it -10.7 days- it was the most recommended card for Hacks. I'm itching to replace it with an nVidia 6xx series card.

For the most part it's okay, but it's a flat out PITA to setup with dual monitors. It needs custom framebuffer boot flag in order to work correctly. It gives white-screen errors when installing ML that have to be worked around. It occasionally shows artifacts when dragging/dropping certain files to the desktop. This, plus no goodies like CUDA/FERMI support in Adobe apps, full OGL hardware support in Adobe Premiere etc.

With the nVidia cards GT/GTX 6xx I've used in ML builds (640, 650, 660 and 670) none of these problems, no problem with multi-monitors, no hoop-jumping at setup, and fully working straight OOB, and all the benefits of full hardware accel in Adobe apps.

In the old days, it was strictly nVidia for Hacks. I've strayed off that path twice (abysmal ATI 2600XT, and now the IMHO 'lackluster' 6870) and both times I've regretted it in favor of nVidia. I've personally learned my lesson- stick with nVidia no matter how good deal seems for ATI hardware.

 

[Kaido]

If ignoring the card doesn't work, and I have to spend money on a different card, I would rather spend it on something like the GTX 660 (not Ti), that is about $200, and is equal to my existing card. I wouldn't want to spend more than that on a equal card (hence not getting the Ti), and don't really want to downgrade.

Well, I have an HDMI switch that could be used, but I wonder if a HDMI splitter, but in reverse, would work.

Yeah. I wish video cards weren't such a black art and that there was a definitive "supported cards" list, but I doubt that'll ever happen

 

[Kaido]

I feel the opposite as Kaido on this one: the 6870 is my least favorite component of my current main Hack. At the time I got it -10.7 days- it was the most recommended card for Hacks. I'm itching to replace it with an nVidia 6xx series card.

For the most part it's okay, but it's a flat out PITA to setup with dual monitors. It needs custom framebuffer boot flag in order to work correctly. It gives white-screen errors when installing ML that have to be worked around. It occasionally shows artifacts when dragging/dropping certain files to the desktop. This, plus no goodies like CUDA/FERMI support in Adobe apps, full OGL hardware support in Adobe Premiere etc.

With the nVidia cards GT/GTX 6xx I've used in ML builds (640, 650, 660 and 670) none of these problems, no problem with multi-monitors, no hoop-jumping at setup, and fully working straight OOB, and all the benefits of full hardware accel in Adobe apps.

In the old days, it was strictly nVidia for Hacks. I've strayed off that path twice (abysmal ATI 2600XT, and now the IMHO 'lackluster' 6870) and both times I've regretted it in favor of nVidia. I've personally learned my lesson- stick with nVidia no matter how good deal seems for ATI hardware.

Hmm that's strange, I have a pair of XFX 1GB 6870 cards that I've had remarkably good luck with! Bummer yours didn't work out! I'm typically a die-hard Nvidia fan when it comes to Hacks, but I've used FCP-X for my last couple projects and it really seems to like ATI a lot. Plus I had a rough time getting my GTX470 to play nice and my beloved 8800GTX finally gave up the ghost The 2600XT was one of my other few ventures into ATI-land, which I only got because of the S-Video support (performance still stunk haha). Glad to hear the 6xx-series cards are working out well though!

 

[vailr]

My current thought is to retire everything and go with Mini-ITX H77N-WIFI's across the board (i7/16GB/6870 GPU/power savings/full & modern support)

Check the 2nd half of this video:
CES 2013 Video: Gigabyte Shows 4K Display Support and Thin Mini-ITX Boards:
http://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-...s-4K-Display-Support-and-Thin-Mini-ITX-Boards

 

[Kaido]

Check the 2nd half of this video:
CES 2013 Video: Gigabyte Shows 4K Display Support and Thin Mini-ITX Boards:
http://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-...s-4K-Display-Support-and-Thin-Mini-ITX-Boards

Mini-ITX Board: $120

4K Display: $25,000

D:

 

[Kaido]

Tonymac just released the 2013 CustoMac Buyer's Guide:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/325-building-customac-buyer-s-guide-january-2013.html

It's divided into 14 categories:

1. CustoMac Mini (mini-ITX): Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI
2. CustoMac Mini Deluxe (mini-ITX): Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI
3. CustoMac Budget (mATX): Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3P (mATX) or GA-Q77M-D2H (mATX)
4. CustoMac Budget (ATX): Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H (ATX)
5. CustoMac Pro (ATX): Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP5-TH or GA-Z77X-UD5H
6. CustoMac Socket 2011 (E-ATX): Gigabyte GA-X79-UD5
7. Graphics Cards: GeForce GT640, GTX650, GTX6660 Ti, GTX670 Standard, GTX670 Upgraded, GTX680 Standard, GTX680 Upgraded
8. CPUs: Intel 3.3ghz i3-3225, 3.4ghz i5-3570K, 3.4ghz i7-3770, 3.5ghz i7-3770K
9. Motherboards: Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI, GA-Z77N-WIFI, GA-B75M-D3P, GA-Q77M-D2H, GA-Z77-DS3H, GA-Z77X-UD5H, GA-Z77X-UP5-TH
10. Drives: Sandisk 120gb/240gb/480gb SSD, Seagate/WD 500gb/1TB HDD
11. CPU Coolers: Thermaltake Frio Air Cooler, Thermaltake Performer 2.0 Water Cooler, Corsair H60 Liquid Cooler
12. Power Supplies: Corsair 500w, 600w, 600w Modular, 750w Modular
13. Cases: Apex MI-008, CoolerMaster Elite 120, Thermaltake Element Q, Silverstone Sugo SG07B, Bitfenix Prodigy, Fractal Design Core 1000, Silverstone PS07, Corsair Carbide 200R/300R/500R/600T
14. Accessories: 8GB USB drive, Sony DVD drive, LG Bluray drive, Apple wired keyboard, Apple Bluetooth wireless keyboard, Logitech K50 wireless keyboard, Logitech K60 Bluetooth mini wireless keyboard, Apple Magic Trackpad, Apple Magic Mouse IOGear Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter, IOGear Bluetooth 2.1 Adapter, TP-Link PCI Express Wifi Adapter, Apple Thunderbolt to Ethernet Adapter, Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire Adapter, Seagate GoFlex FreeAgent Thunderbolt to SATA Adapter, Apple Thunderbolt Cable 0.5m/2m

 

[Kaido]

alfa147x shared a great link to an eGPU (External GPU) resource, which includes Thunderbolt GPU setups:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/e-gpu-external-graphics-discussion/418851-diy-egpu-experiences.html

 

[Kaido]

Monoprice got stock of the 27" Apple display rejects - $390, shipping March. Hot Deals discussion thread here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2294678

Microcenter also has their own model, the Auria, for $399 with more inputs:

http://www.microcenter.com/product/384780/EQ276W_27_IPS_LED_Monitor

 

[vailr]

Check the 2nd half of this video:
CES 2013 Video: Gigabyte Shows 4K Display Support and Thin Mini-ITX Boards:
http://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-...s-4K-Display-Support-and-Thin-Mini-ITX-Boards

In case you missed it: the latter part of the video shows the (as yet unreleased) Gigabyte GA-H77TN board (which uses SoDimm memory modules) installed inside of a "roll your own" iMac-type of system.
CTL / Mitac 7 Series 22" Class L5 Bare Bones All-in-One M770
http://ctl.net/ctl-mitac-l5-bare-bones-all-in-one-m770