My experience with Hackintosh

[SKORPI0]

Still have to figure out how to ...

1. Boot without DVD on SATA DVD drive.
2. audio in/out.
3. recognize Q6600 as a quad not a solo processor.
4. system shutdown/reboot.

Asus P5K Premium, Q6600 oc @ 3.2 GHz, 8800GTS 640mb , 2GB PC2-8500.

 

[Gooberlx2]

This is a really attractive idea. I've been interested in the idea of switching...but not at Apple's prices. I have a nice LCD so I don't want or need an imac, Mac Pros are way too expensive and Mac Minis are too weak. And there's the added benefit of being able to run XP, Vista or Linux as well.

-Edit-
One question: What about the keyboard? Does the "start" button perfectly translate into the "command" button and that's the only difference?

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
This is a really attractive idea. I've been interested in the idea of switching...but not at Apple's prices. I have a nice LCD so I don't want or need an imac, Mac Pros are way too expensive and Mac Minis are too weak. And there's the added benefit of being able to run XP, Vista or Linux as well.

-Edit-
One question: What about the keyboard? Does the "start" button perfectly translate into the "command" button and that's the only difference?

If everything is working correctly then yes, i think the start button would translate into the Command button. However, you then have the command key in a weird place (if you are used to Apple's keyboards) But that is easy enough to remedy via the system preferences (you can alter the bindings of alt, ctrl, command and caps lock, or turn them off altogether)

 

[EvilYoda]

Congrats! I've got it working on my desktop too, but it's crashed numerous times...I'm not really upset, it seems to be a memory-overflow kind of deal as it happens when I'm juggling a lot of apps. When it's working, it's working great

Hopefully once uphuck releases the final 10.5.1 iATKOS version, people will have an easier time installing. I couldn't install from DVD (numerous tries, ToH, tried the boot disk, tried formatting from a Tiger DVD, etc), but the flat image install worked flawlessly. I have audio in (mic) and out (digital coax, onboard) working, my 7900GS is supported by QE/CI and now my optical drive works too. This is with a Gigabyte P965-DS3 mobo (I think that's the model)

Everything's so smooth...now, if they really announce an ultraportable at MacWorld, I won't have to worry about any of this.

edit: I also have wifi working on my generic RAlink-based card, since they provide a mac application for it!

 

[Stiganator]

I've run x86 since 10.4.3 and I must say the initial setup can be a pain if you don't have tested hardware. But that said it taught be a lot about unix and I have some rock solid systems. Running Leopard right now and I like it a lot, I can't stand using vista anymore. Maybe I'll try server 2008 though, I've heard its better.

 

[Stiganator]

Originally posted by: SKORPI0
Still have to figure out how to ...

1. Boot without DVD on SATA DVD drive.
2. audio in/out.
3. recognize Q6600 as a quad not a solo processor.
4. system shutdown/reboot.

Asus P5K Premium, Q6600 oc @ 3.2 GHz, 8800GTS 640mb , 2GB PC2-8500.

1. I recommend a USB DVD drive, they make the process much more comfortable especially with some of the new releases.
2. Audio in/out is a tough one if you want both. You can try HDA patcher, but honestly I have spent hours to get nothing. AppleAzailia will get you stereo out. For input I bought a Microsoft LX-3000 headset, its usb and it works, the inline volume even controls the system level. Comfortable and a good mic too.

3. This is superficial, if you fire up activity monitor you will see 4 threads running.
4. You might want to look at SMBIOS or ACPI kexts. Those are the two biggest culprits.

 

[SKORPI0]

Originally posted by: Stiganator

Originally posted by: SKORPI0
Still have to figure out how to ...

1. Boot without DVD on SATA DVD drive.
2. audio in/out.
3. recognize Q6600 as a quad not a solo processor.
4. system shutdown/reboot.

Asus P5K Premium, Q6600 oc @ 3.2 GHz, 8800GTS 640mb , 2GB PC2-8500.

1. I recommend a USB DVD drive, they make the process much more comfortable especially with some of the new releases.
2. Audio in/out is a tough one if you want both. You can try HDA patcher, but honestly I have spent hours to get nothing. AppleAzailia will get you stereo out. For input I bought a Microsoft LX-3000 headset, its usb and it works, the inline volume even controls the system level. Comfortable and a good mic too.

3. This is superficial, if you fire up activity monitor you will see 4 threads running.
4. You might want to look at SMBIOS or ACPI kexts. Those are the two biggest culprits.

Thanks, haven't used Vista 64 in this system for a while. Tried the AppleAzailia kexts 3 times & no go so far , always trashed the OSX install (Kernel panic). I'll have to read the "successful installs" thoroughly to get mine functioning. You're right, activity monitor shows 4 threads running.

 

[Kaido]

Boot Camp workaround for using the partition with Parallels:

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=41085

Now you can dual-boot natively - no Boot Camp required - and still use the partition/disk in Parallels! Whoohoo!

 

[rikadik]

I currently have a 1.83 Core Duo MacBook with 2GB RAM and 200GB HDD that I use for music production in Logic. I also have Windows on here via boot camp. Having read all the great information you've provided, I think next summer I'm going to make a Mac Pro "Lite" also and make my MacBook just run OSX and do everyday stuff.

I'm thinking Q6600 with 4GB Ram and 2x 500GB drives. Even with an extra copy of Leopard, that comes in around £100 cheaper than the bottom of the line MacBook.

AWW YEAH!!!

 

[Stiganator]

The key is really the motherboard. ICH7 and ICH8 have almost perfect support, others can be a bit harder.
AppleAzailia will run almost any Realtek, Analog Devices, or HD integrated audio.
Natit does wonders for many modern nvidia cards 7300 and up.
Network can be finicky and if you have time to mess with the hardware ids, you can get a kext to work, personally I just grabbed an old 3com 905 nic and it worked with native drivers.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: rikadik
I currently have a 1.83 Core Duo MacBook with 2GB RAM and 200GB HDD that I use for music production in Logic. I also have Windows on here via boot camp. Having read all the great information you've provided, I think next summer I'm going to make a Mac Pro "Lite" also and make my MacBook just run OSX and do everyday stuff.

I'm thinking Q6600 with 4GB Ram and 2x 500GB drives. Even with an extra copy of Leopard, that comes in around £100 cheaper than the bottom of the line MacBook.

AWW YEAH!!!

By the time you order, the prices should have dropped quite a bit. The Q6600 is already at $256 shipped at eWiz and Newegg has a 4-gig kit for $85 shipped. 500 gig drives routinely go for around $99. There's a guy over on the InsanelyMac forums who just built a similar setup for Logic and loves it!

 

[adlep]

I have had my hackintosh for a while about two years ago and it has worked great. The parts were only around $300.00 or so and the build provided a great satisfaction and a valuable experience with 10.4. I have finally sold it about a year ago and got out of the scene.
Your guide is an excellent refreshment for me. I have recently played with the Mac Pro with 8GB of RAM and VMARE FUSION, so I might use your post as a roadmap to build another hakintosh 2.0, install 8 GB of RAM on it and install the VMARE Fusion on it for the seamless Windows integration (it works better than a boot camp IMO although NOT for games).

Edit: The VMARE FUSION allows you to run Windows in so called "Unity" mode where you can run all the Win applications (for example IE 7 or Office 2003) WITHOUT seeing Windows.
I have tested it with Win XP Pro and Office 2003 and antispyware and antivirus and it works awesome. The requirements?
At least 4GB of RAM and a dedicated hdd to store the Windows VM (Virtual Machine) file.
The bridge that translates between OSX Extended and NTFS must be written in assembly because everything works super fast.

 

[randomlinh]

you don't NEED 4GB of ram and a dedicated drive to run unity or coherence, it would just work a whole lot smoother if you did

 

[Kaido]

G92 support is included with 10.5.2, so you'll be able to run 8800GT cards in addition to the currently-supported 8800GTS and 8800GTX cards if all goes well

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: adlep
I have had my hackintosh for a while about two years ago and it has worked great. The parts were only around $300.00 or so and the build provided a great satisfaction and a valuable experience with 10.4. I have finally sold it about a year ago and got out of the scene.
Your guide is an excellent refreshment for me. I have recently played with the Mac Pro with 8GB of RAM and VMARE FUSION, so I might use your post as a roadmap to build another hakintosh 2.0, install 8 GB of RAM on it and install the VMARE Fusion on it for the seamless Windows integration (it works better than a boot camp IMO although NOT for games).

Edit: The VMARE FUSION allows you to run Windows in so called "Unity" mode where you can run all the Win applications (for example IE 7 or Office 2003) WITHOUT seeing Windows.
I have tested it with Win XP Pro and Office 2003 and antispyware and antivirus and it works awesome. The requirements?
At least 4GB of RAM and a dedicated hdd to store the Windows VM (Virtual Machine) file.
The bridge that translates between OSX Extended and NTFS must be written in assembly because everything works super fast.

Yeah those definitely aren't requirements for running VMware Fusion You can do it on the same hard drive with 512mb ram and it still goes pretty quick. My primary VM (XP) is on a separate hard drive and has two cores and 2 gigs of ram assigned to it and it does seem to be faster, especially in regards to the hard drive speed - reading/writing doesn't clog up my primary drive like it did on my Mac Mini. If you're building a Hackintosh and need to run VMs, I would definitely recommend a second drive...I mean, 250 gig drives are only like $70 nowadays so price really isn't an issue when it comes to large-capacity spare drives.

 

[Kaido]

Some useful resources:

The best Motherboards for OSx86

The best Video Cards for OSx86

 

[Kaido]

In other news, iATKOS (by uphuck) and Kalyway 10.5.1 (by kaly) have been released. These are two separate projects with the same goal - a single-disc OSx86 installer. The torrents are pretty slammed right now so I'd recommend waiting a bit; I believe they've hit Usenet if you want to go that route. Here are a couple discussion threads:

iATKOS release

Kalyway 10.5.1 thread

 

[Kaido]

Hardware Compatibility Lists:

Individual Components: 10.5.0 | 10.5.1

Portables: (laptops) 10.5.0 | 10.5.1

Desktops: 10.5.0 | 10.5.1

 

[secretanchitman]

Originally posted by: Kaido
G92 support is included with 10.5.2, so you'll be able to run 8800GT cards in addition to the currently-supported 8800GTS and 8800GTX cards if all goes well

oh really......? that is very interesting. i would love to run leopard on my desktop rig, and it has an 8800GTS 320MB (G90).

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Kaido
In other news, iATKOS (by uphuck) and Kalyway 10.5.1 (by kaly) have been released. These are two separate projects with the same goal - a single-disc OSx86 installer. The torrents are pretty slammed right now so I'd recommend waiting a bit; I believe they've hit Usenet if you want to go that route. Here are a couple discussion threads:

iATKOS release

Kalyway 10.5.1 thread

that would be very ideal to do, as the process as i see it now (if i understand it correctly) is a bit more involved than I'd like. yes, I'm a lazy bastard.

I wonder how much my imac would fetch...

 

[kalster]

kalyway 10.5.1 is a very nice release, everything pretty much works out of the box, haven't tried iatkos yet

 

[Noema]

Excellent post! :thumbs up;

 

[SKORPI0]

Originally posted by: kalster
kalyway 10.5.1 is a very nice release, everything pretty much works out of the box, haven't tried iatkos yet

Kalyway 10.5.1 fixed my audio, shutdown/reboot and boot without DVD problem. I've heard problems with iATKOS though. Made backup of the install with Time Machine too.

 

[Kaido]

So far I've heard that Kalyway is the best and that iATKOS has problems. Strange because Uphuck's releases are usually the way to go. I think Kaly is only like 15 years old too!

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

Kalyway has tons of drivers on the installation.