Is building a Hackintosh possible for a total amateur?

[Mark Frost]

I've been a mac user for about 11 years now. I don't want to switch to PC, even though I comfortable on the platform, I've always preferred the mac OS.

I'd love to build a Hackintosh as my 2007 Mac Pro and 2011 Macbook Pro don't really cut it. I've read tonymacx86 for some ideas, and quite like the look of the YoMang build in terms of how much info he puts up
http://www.tonymacx86.com/user-buil...pro-3930k-gtx670-sabertooth-x79-56k-warn.html

BUT, beyond fitting Hard Drives and RAM to my macs, I'm not really experienced with the technical side of Macs/PCs.
Do people think it's possible for someone like me to build a Hackintosh from scratch, following a guide?

Those in a similar position who have, what guide did you follow and what tips can you give an amateur?

Thanks
Mark

 

[Brett Harrison]

Yes, absolutely it's possible. You may have to do a few iterations, and work for it, but there are plenty of easy step-by-step guides and frankly, today it's just easy. It used to be pretty painful.


1. Make image backups of your present system
2. Be patient with the hardware / bios - you probably won't get it right the first or third time.
3. Once you make a successful system on OS X, make an image backup so if something goes kaput, you just restore.
4. Keep your old OS available as a boot option if possible on the new system or as a separate system, just in case. Hackintosh is very stable if done right, but it's still a hack and subject to failure if you take a misstep, have to change a hardware component or peripheral, you may have to resort to windows - even if it's just for an app that doesn't work on Mac!

Superduper is a good OS X app for image making backups of OS X systems. You can also clonezilla for Mac I believe.

Remember that windows 7 is extremely stable if you don't install random software and keep it well protected on the net. I left Hackintosh behind about a year ago and
Windows 7 is been as stable as Mac. With some choice helper applications you can set up a very swift and effective 'pro' environment. Things I miss: Spaces, the look and feel, certain Mac-only apps (an ever-shrinking field for me). The app I swapped over for (Scrivener) is now on Windows. For my Unix fix I use Linux on dual boot (esp. for VFX).

Anyway it's a lot of fun and you can set up a powerful system on Hackintosh so have fun, because you don't need to be a 1337 Hax0r to do it!

 

[Kyle Broom]

I had never built a system before and didn't really understand how one is put together, but I was able to build a really nice Hack Pro using http://www.tonymacx86.com/home.php and http://nofilmschool.com/build-a-hackintosh/. Took me about a day and a half to put everything together and install all the software. It's been over a year since I built it and I've had very few problems. Go for it!

 

[BrandonChristensen]

I just put mine together with the help of a friend who had a lot of experience. The only real tricky part was assembling the heatsink that I bought for the i7 (it wasn't the stock cooler which would have been easier).

 

[David Collard]

Here we go again...a new user not checking the threads to see there are already plenty of them on this subject.
"Why bother spending two minutes investigating when someone else can do all the work for me."

 

[Mark Frost]

Here we go again...a new user not checking the threads to see there are already plenty of them on this subject.
"Why bother spending two minutes investigating when someone else can do all the work for me."

I read all the threads over a period of hours, and there are many on Hackintoshes, but none specifically asking if a total beginner could do it.

I suggest you take your snooty "i hate noobs" attitude and go forth and multiply.

 

[Mark Frost]

I just put mine together with the help of a friend who had a lot of experience. The only real tricky part was assembling the heatsink that I bought for the i7 (it wasn't the stock cooler which would have been easier).

Thanks to Brett, Kyle and Brandon!
I'm still mulling it over.

 

[David Kuhn]

I'd rate this as a challenging build for a beginner, I've built both VM's and physical machine hackintosh's; they're picky. The key for a physical machine is to make sure the hardware and peripherals you choose are well supported/documented to be problem free with OSX. Even so... while some people seem to have reliable machines, I'd not rely on a hackintosh for any 'mission critical' tasks. I don't think MAC's are nearly as overpriced as they used to be relative to comparable PC hardware... just get a MAC unless the whole point is a learning exercise.