My experience with Hackintosh

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Well the hardware on my beast is done:

Guts:
Coolermaster 690 case
Corsair 520w modular PSU
Nexus 120mm Real Quiet case fans x 2 (front & rear)

Core:
Intel Q6600 2.4ghz Quad-core processor
Scythe Infinity 120mm HSF
8gb DDR2-800 RAM

Drives:
20x Lite-on DVD burner with Lightscribe
3.5" internal USB 62-in-1 card reader with USB port
2 x 500gb boot drives (in RAID 0)
2 x 250gb spare drives (in RAID 1)
500gb backup drive

Cards:
BFG 600mhz/768mb 8800GTX (ROM-modded into a Quadro FX 5600)
2-port Rosewill RAID 0/1 PCIe card x 2
Griffin iMic USB sound card

Everything works great! If I were to do it over again, I would get a DFI Lanparty motherboard instead of an Intel Bad Axe 2 because the Lanparty has working onboard Audio, 6 SATA ports (BA2 only has 4 working), and support for Penryn processors. Not that big of a deal though since I got a USB sound card and a couple RAID cards anyway. My system overclocks to 3ghz with hardly any heat increase, so I'm pretty happy overall. The total price for all components is a little over $1,000 less than the entry-level $2,800 Mac Pro (if you add in a keyboard and mouse, plus shipping), so I came away with huge savings, plus huge performance gains for very little money.

For comparison:

Apple Mac Pro
Single 2.8GHz Intel Xeon (quad-core)
8GB (4x2GB) 800mhz DDR2 FB-DIMMs
3 x 500GB SATA drives
Nvidia 1.5gb Quadro FX 5600

Total $7249

To be fair, my Quadro 5600 only has 1/2 the ram of the Apple model (768mb vs 1.5gb), but my CPU at 3ghz outperforms even the quad 3ghz Xeon and I didn't include the $800 Mac Pro RAID card, so there's some give and take there. So I saved at least $5,000 with my configuration, plus I can replace any part without having to go to the Apple store. It requires a little bit more maintainance as far as installing Apple Updates goes, but that's a small price to pay for what I got.

Bravo sir, Bravo. That is just insanity :beer:

 

[roastin nugs]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Lanparty:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813136043

Blood Iron:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813136038

Those two have been confirmed working 100%. They are sold out on Newegg though (well, deactivated).

Also I got dual RAID cards working today. 700mb RAID 0 to RAID 0 set transfer took a whopping 5 seconds :Q $21.99 per card on Newegg too!

so the lanparty board is 100% working with osx86? does that mean out of the box sound+lan with no weird issues?

 

[iampliny]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: iampliny

Remember that the red color is only for the Blood Iron and the black color is only for the Lanparty. Any other board names/colors have not been tested (i.e. black Blood Iron or red Lanparty = unknown). The links I posted are to the exact boards that have been tested as working, just FYI before you purchase.

Ah I see now that there are at least three different "black" boards. So we have:

- "Red" Blood Iron, confirmed working, link
- "Black" Lanparty DK, confirmed working, link
- "Black" Lanparty LT, not confirmed (may work), link
- "Black" Lanparty UT, not confirmed (may work), link


I think I'll be getting the red. Can anyone report how it overclocks?

 

[intogamer]

What LCDs are you guys using?

Get a Mac Pro case to impress for less!

 

[SKORPI0]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Netkas has some instructions for updating to 10.5.2:

http://netkas.org/?p=50

Don't download it from Software Update - you need to install it manually with some tweaks because it eats some extensions. Fairly simple though

Used the 'kalyway_hack_10.5.2ComboUpdate' (340 mb) found on "TheBay" and upgraded to 10.5.2 in about 7 minutes. Just waited for it to reboot twice while it did the upgrade.

Haven't really tried the new "Kernel" and 'video card' updates.

 

[jpetermann]

Originally posted by: SKORPI0

Originally posted by: Kaido
Netkas has some instructions for updating to 10.5.2:

http://netkas.org/?p=50

Don't download it from Software Update - you need to install it manually with some tweaks because it eats some extensions. Fairly simple though

Used the 'kalyway_hack_10.5.2ComboUpdate' (340 mb) found on "TheBay" and upgraded to 10.5.2 in about 7 minutes. Just waited for it to reboot twice while it did the upgrade.

Haven't really tried the new "Kernel" and 'video card' updates.

I did this myself tonight. Dead easy! I used that with the Kalyway 10.5.1 install disk and MBR. All in all, my Hackintosh is running sweet and smooth! 10.5.2 is awesome on the Hack and my MBP!

 

[SKORPI0]

Updated to Kernel 9.2 and video card updates. Just clicked to run program & waited < 1 minute.

I previously used Kernel 8+EFI. Update to 10.5.2 produced a 3 minute delay till desktop came up. Kernel update fixed it.

Video updates helped in the Quartz and OpenGL Graphics test.

Did a comparison with XBench from 10.5.1 and saw about 3-7% increase on results.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: intogamer
What LCDs are you guys using?

Get a Mac Pro case to impress for less!

I use Dell LCDs. The 24" High Color model is awesome and is like half the price almost of Apple's equivalent model, but better (more features - movement, inputs, etc.)

Some users use the Mac Pro case, but it's a lot of work. Personally I think it looks like a giant cheese grater

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: iampliny

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: iampliny

Remember that the red color is only for the Blood Iron and the black color is only for the Lanparty. Any other board names/colors have not been tested (i.e. black Blood Iron or red Lanparty = unknown). The links I posted are to the exact boards that have been tested as working, just FYI before you purchase.

Ah I see now that there are at least three different "black" boards. So we have:

- "Red" Blood Iron, confirmed working, link
- "Black" Lanparty DK, confirmed working, link
- "Black" Lanparty LT, not confirmed (may work), link
- "Black" Lanparty UT, not confirmed (may work), link


I think I'll be getting the red. Can anyone report how it overclocks?

I believe they both overclock quite well. Like I said, those other (more expensive!) boards may or may not work, but the ones I linked to work 100%. I'd say go with the cheaper, confirmed-working boards

 

[intogamer]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: intogamer
What LCDs are you guys using?

Get a Mac Pro case to impress for less!

I use Dell LCDs. The 24" High Color model is awesome and is like half the price almost of Apple's equivalent model, but better (more features - movement, inputs, etc.)

Some users use the Mac Pro case, but it's a lot of work. Personally I think it looks like a giant cheese grater

:thumbsup: It won't be for long until I upgrade to a 30"

 

[roastin nugs]

nevermind i answered it myself!

 

[Rheneas]

My ideal Hackintosh would be dual-bootable with 2 HDs - one dedicated to XP Pro SP2 and the other to Leopard, and I could boot either one according to my needs. Would you recommend this approach?

Thanks!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Rheneas
My ideal Hackintosh would be dual-bootable with 2 HDs - one dedicated to XP Pro SP2 and the other to Leopard, and I could boot either one according to my needs. Would you recommend this approach?

Thanks!

Sure. Separate drives is the easiest way to dual boot with Leopard on a PC - you just pop into BIOS and switch drives. Takes an extra 10 seconds to swap them.

 

[Rheneas]

Many thanks. Now I can order the PC and begin the adventure!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Rheneas
Many thanks. Now I can order the PC and begin the adventure!

I'd suggest going with that DFI motherboard. The only issue I've heard so far is that sometimes the onboard audio won't come back after waking from sleep. Personally I got an iMic USB sound card (for my BA2) so it doesn't really matter

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: intogamer

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: intogamer
What LCDs are you guys using?

Get a Mac Pro case to impress for less!

I use Dell LCDs. The 24" High Color model is awesome and is like half the price almost of Apple's equivalent model, but better (more features - movement, inputs, etc.)

Some users use the Mac Pro case, but it's a lot of work. Personally I think it looks like a giant cheese grater

:thumbsup: It won't be for long until I upgrade to a 30"

That new Dell 30" 3008 LCD is looking mighty nice! I'm curious to see what Apple has to offer, however. They said eventually all of their displays would be LED-based, so I'm wondering how long it will be until their 30" LCD is LED-based as well.

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/agreenerapple/

To eliminate mercury in our displays, we need to transition from fluorescent lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to illuminate the displays. Fortunately, all iPod displays already use LEDs for illumination, and therefore contain no mercury. We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007. Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays.

Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008.

Apple plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible.

 

[Plester]

Originally posted by: Rheneas
My ideal Hackintosh would be dual-bootable with 2 HDs - one dedicated to XP Pro SP2 and the other to Leopard, and I could boot either one according to my needs. Would you recommend this approach?

Thanks!

I use these little numbers. the door is levered and pops the drive in or out, no trip to the bios needed.

 

[bigmacattack]

just got registered here!
Because of you people, I was forced to buy the hardware to build a Hackintosh
Here is what I got:

MWAVE
1- INTEL core 2 quad q6600
1- XFX Geforce 8600 gt 256mb pci express DDR3 620mhz dual DVI
2- OCZ OCZ2RPR8002GK 2gb kit (1gb x 2) pc2-6400 800mhz 4-4-4-15 240-pin ddr2 dimm w/reaper hpc heatsink
1- ANTEC SONATA III 500 (black) ATX super mini tower case w/500w power supply 3x5.25" 2x3.5" 4x3.5"(hidden) w/front i/o connectors & 120mm case fan x 1
Order Total: $652.38

Newegg
1- ROSEWILL|RC-211 SATAII Raid Controller
Order Total: $30.97

MotherboardPro
1- DFI LanParty Dark P35-T2RS Socket 775 Motherboard
Order Total: $147.98

HDD's (have at home)

Grand Total: $831.33

Downloaded Kalyway 10.5.1 last night

Will need to get a good monitor. Wife is going to kill me over this, but, a man has to live on the edge sometimes

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: bigmacattack
just got registered here!
Because of you people, I was forced to buy the hardware to build a Hackintosh
Here is what I got:

MWAVE
1- INTEL core 2 quad q6600
1- XFX Geforce 8600 gt 256mb pci express DDR3 620mhz dual DVI
2- OCZ OCZ2RPR8002GK 2gb kit (1gb x 2) pc2-6400 800mhz 4-4-4-15 240-pin ddr2 dimm w/reaper hpc heatsink
1- ANTEC SONATA III 500 (black) ATX super mini tower case w/500w power supply 3x5.25" 2x3.5" 4x3.5"(hidden) w/front i/o connectors & 120mm case fan x 1
Order Total: $652.38

Newegg
1- ROSEWILL|RC-211 SATAII Raid Controller
Order Total: $30.97

MotherboardPro
1- DFI LanParty Dark P35-T2RS Socket 775 Motherboard
Order Total: $147.98

HDD's (have at home)

Grand Total: $831.33

Downloaded Kalyway 10.5.1 last night

Will need to get a good monitor. Wife is going to kill me over this, but, a man has to live on the edge sometimes

Ah man, that is going to make one nice machine! Make sure you get the 10.5.2 Combo update patch from Kaly too!

 

[bigmacattack]

ya brotha! all over that. So, silly question...is the patch a new OS load or 10.5.1 has to be loaded first? I read somewhere in here that the Hackintosh could do an update from Apple's website. Is that correct?

Also, I bought the raid card based on your recommendations. Does the DFI lanparty SATA raid work? I have 2x36Gb raptors and a couple of other drives. I don't mind buying another raid card, but I hate to waste all those SATA ports. Nah, screw it. If I want another raid, I'll just buy a card. 700mb in 5 sec's....smokin'

This is a really cool, educational thing, although expensive!!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: bigmacattack
ya brotha! all over that. So, silly question...is the patch a new OS load or 10.5.1 has to be loaded first? I read somewhere in here that the Hackintosh could do an update from Apple's website. Is that correct?

Also, I bought the raid card based on your recommendations. Does the DFI lanparty SATA raid work? I have 2x36Gb raptors and a couple of other drives. I don't mind buying another raid card, but I hate to waste all those SATA ports. Nah, screw it. If I want another raid, I'll just buy a card. 700mb in 5 sec's....smokin'

This is a really cool, educational thing, although expensive!!

The patch is just a patch; you need 10.5.1 installed. However, you can download Kaly 10.5.2 now, I believe - a single installer disc with 10.5.2 on it.

The DFI Lanparty's RAID does NOT work, afaik. I don't think there are any motherboards that Leopard supports onboard RAID on. Remember, to install OSx86 on your RAID set, you have to first install it to a single drive, then install the RAID5 driver (you'll see it in the downloads section at Silicon Image), then use SuperDuper to clone the single-drive installation over to the RAID set.

 

[EvilYoda]

I installed the initial Leopard release...I've since downloaded Kalyway's .1 release, but is there a "best" .2 release? iatkos?

 

[bigmacattack]

ALL MY STUFF HAS SHIPPED OR WILL SHIP TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda
I installed the initial Leopard release...I've since downloaded Kalyway's .1 release, but is there a "best" .2 release? iatkos?

Just download Kaly's 10.5.2 patch rather than the whole thing, it's much smaller (~380 megs or so).

 

[bigmacattack]

So here is the monitor I was looking at getting for my new system:

http://www.ecost.com/Detail/Mo...HUBCFVXA/40483158.aspx