Anyone using a Hackintosh setup?

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

Hey all

I was hoping for new Macs at today’s WWDC, as my 2012 Mac Mini’s only Thunderbolt port has failed, so I can’t use my UA Apollo audio interface - basically I have no audio inputs right now, and without Overbridge, that’s a big problem.

I’ve lived with the Mac mini for over 5 years now and it’s still quick being a quad core i7, 16gb ram and I installed SSD’s too, so it’s a shame to get rid, but the repair option is a full logic board replacement, which is quite costly and Apple won’t guarantee it for more than 3 months due to the model being over 5 years old now, so guess it’s time to upgrade!

The cost of new Mac desktop kit with any real power (top spec iMac or the base spec iMac pro) is totally overpriced and the latest Mac mini’s are badly underpowered for what I want and also embarrassingly outdated, spec wise.

I’ve seen new fully built Hackintosh options with far superior specs to the most recent non pro iMac that are comparable to iMac pro, for approx. £2000-2500 in the UK. That’s octa core - 32gb ddr4 ram - 2tb ssd nvme hard drive - nvidia 1070 graphics spec - super quick and powerful, with geek bench scores to equal the iMac pro equivalent.

I’d be happy to pass on the Apple design and get my own 4K or 5k monitor and Apple wireless keyboard and trackpad to save myself approx. £2000 on the whole package.

I hear Hackintosh is as rock solid as a factory Mac, but was just seeing if any music making studio peeps out there use such a set up and can advise if they’ve had any problems before?

Cheers :slight_smile:

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#2

In addition to OP’s post. Is a hackintosh laptop possible?

I need something a bit more powerful than my current MacBook pro, but I don’t like the specs for their current laptop range, nor the inability for upgrading anything on them.

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#3

I’ve been looking at hackintoshes too.

I’ve using Macs for audio for over 20 years and used to update my machine pretty much every year. But in the past few years base model specs have become so poor that they’re really only for consuming and any half decent spec has become STUPIDLY overpriced. I almost had a coronary when I saw the price of the iMac Pros. Jesus.

WTF Apple. Sort it out.

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#4

You can find stuff on eBay, but not really any Hackbook Pro’s, they’re mostly all desktop units:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=hackintosh&_sop=16

This website lists all compatible desktop hardware available:

https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/april/2018/

But also lists users laptop configs:

https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/high-sierra-laptop-guides.193/

So you would just need to buy the correct laptop config, install the hack platform software and then OSX on top of that.

There’s tons of blog guides on this stuff, so deffo worth reading up about it.

It’s definitely a lot easier process than it used to be a few years ago. As long as Apple continues using Intel cpu’s, the Hackintosh systems will be fine, but as soon as they start using their own cpu’s, maybe 2020>, then they’ll phase out Intel compatibility and you’ll be left with a windows or Linux machine :grin: - I think Hackintosh will be safe for at least the next 5 years.

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#5

That’s why I loved the Mac mini when I bought it - good value, well spec’d and upgradable, I would literally keep hold of it for another 2 years if the TB port worked.

Think I’m going to take the plunge and go Hackintosh, so will let you know how it goes. The machines have an eBay backed 1 year parts and labour as well as 3 years labour support, so actually better than Apple haha.

#6

I was running hackintosh on my desktop systems until 2015 - then I bought a macbook pro :slight_smile:
most important part for hackintosh is the hardware compatibility!!!

have a look at tonymacx86.com which is the way to start with.

if you have chosen the wrong hardware it can be a pain in the a** especially after upgrades (which runs fine with correct hardware) but having no video output for example anymore is not much fun afterwards.

as @Jimbo decribed the process it self is much easier than it was some years ago but keep in mind you will only get support from community that means (more or less) you should know what you are doing.

for notebooks it should be also possible:


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#7

Also ditch the apple kb and trackpad, not ergonomic at all.

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#8

Been looking into building a Hackintosh as well, the idea of a fanless one appeals to me.

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#9

Yeah I’m thinking that too. As long as you have a decent spacious case, it shouldn’t be a problem.

#10

If you can stomach a desktop, then I think that is the best option, as you get more hardware compatibility and more or less no problems with things not working. As far as support goes, I reckon I’ll buy from a Hackintosh supplier, so support won’t be an issue.

#12

There should be new Macbook Pros out soon with upgraded CPUs. I was hoping for 4-core 13" Macbook Pros to get announced at WWDC to replace my old dual-core, but I guess they will be announced fairly soon anyway.

I think with laptops at least I’d prefer to pay the Apple tax and have something that I know is going to just work for the time I own it.

#13

WWDC is not meant for new hardware.

It all just depends on the needs. Want to do VR or anything else video related a hackintosh is so much cheaper / more bang for the buck. It‘s also a lot more tinkering though. I’ll go hackintosh with the next generation of VR for sure. I just fear the price of a nice 4/5k display…

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#15

If the quad core Mac mini was still powerful enough for your audio needs I’d suggest a mid 2012 15in MacBook Pro (i.e the last model before the retina MBPs). They go for $400-700.

It’s got a quad core i7, usb3, thunderbolt and FireWire and will work with Mojave. It’s also completely upgradable - you can even pull out the SuperDrive and replace it with an SSD, giving you two internal drives. I’m running a 500GB SSD for my OS and a 1TB HDD for data and it works a treat.

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#16

I did used to have one. Suprisingly all the supported hardwares were gaming peripherals. I could installed hackintosh somewhat perfectly. when I could able to fully installed, it was running smoothly. But the only thing that didn’t worked was the sound. Since I was using that for only visual design purposes I didn’t minded it. But I ended up playing games all the time on windows boot so I sold it. But worth it. Witcher 3 was a damn nice game.

it had a config nearly a macbook pro with a quarter of it’s price. But the drawback is updating is really a hassle. You should probably pick mac just to use apple only apps (like logic. sketch etc) and most importantly plug and play stuff. I never ever ever install drivers and anything I plug with usb works definitely fine. If you’re going to hackingtosh, you’ll have lots of driver issues and deal with them via ugly terminal windows. Unless you’re a dev, it’s pretty annoying. Oh, if you update the system through the appstore, you probably might have to re config every driver from scratch. At least that was my experience.

correction: it had a config nearly like a mac pro, not a macbook pro.

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#17

Thanks Switchmode - I had looked into this as an interim stop gap, until I go for a big upgrade, when it’s worth doing so.

I’m just not super keen on second hand kit if I can help it, especially something as critical as a computer.

I’ll have a scout around for some options.

Thanks again

#18

I’ve been using home-build Hac Pro for years now. I’m on my second one. If you can put together legos, you can put together a computer. It’s not hard. Don’t buy one pre-made, it’s so much cheaper to build one with parts. I’m not sure the retailers in UK, but stay away from big-box stores like BestBuy. We have a place called MicroCenter that is “big-box” but only for computers and components. Other than that, I’d get parts from Newegg.com or TigerDirect.com

TonyMacx86.com was already mentioned and it’s a great resource. Go there and check the “buyer’s guide” and it will tell you all of what you need to know. If you use known-good compatible parts, then it will be as solid as a real mac. Only time I ever had a problem was if I did something screwy like use multiple hard drives with multiple OS versions, but that is the same thing that would get screwy on a real mac. Basically it behaves like the real thing. If you can find an old Mac Pro tower for cheap, you could use the case and maybe even the PSU, and it would LOOK like a real mac too. What’s the difference? They call it “logic-board” instead of “motherboard” and other than that, an Apple Mac Pro was just a PC in a fancy case with pre-installed software.

Logic Pro X works 100%, Final Cut Pro X works 100%, Pro Tools 10/11/12 all work fine, just got Reason 10, Ableton 10 works fine, Steam and games work fine too. Only thing that doesn’t work 100% for me is Steam Link and Steam Controller, but maybe that’s an OSX problem, not a hac-pro problem. I have a second SSD for Win10 now, though, so I confirmed it’s something with my Mac setup. Local gaming works fine, USB gear works fine, Digitakt is plug and play for USB Midi and Transfer.

Specs on mine are Intel i5 2500k (3.4GHz quad), Gigabyte GAz68mxUD2H-B3 motherboard, EVGA GTX 960sc graphics, kingston SSD, and Kingston ram (32GB). I also have an old 2011 MacBookPro that I put an SSD in it, and it works just as well.

All depends on your reason for upgrading. You could find a 2012 Mac Mini for cheap used and just put your SSD and Ram into it. IIRC, the CPU is changeable on those too, right? So if you find a 2012 i5, you could put your CPU/Ram/SSD and call it a day.

The thing about home-brew hardware is this: if the motherboard dies, you have to replace it just like your Mini. But it won’t die the first year - it might die in 5 years (unlikely, but same as Apple). In 5 years, you can’t find the same motherboard or even a compatible one. New DDR5 ram will be out, new chip sockets so your old CPU won’t fit, etc etc. I’ve been through that before. Your PSU and case, SSD/HDD/DVD will all carry over, but you might need new graphics depending on the generation also. So whenever I build a “new computer” it’s a motherboard/cpu, ram and sometimes gpu. But don’t think that Gigabyte or ASUS will warranty your motherboard and help you out 5 years later.

PC hardware is as solid as PC hardware. Apple builds their Mac computers from PC hardware. Your pick.

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#19

Thanks Kirz, I appreciate the feedback - that does sound like a bit of a pain in the ass. I think I may go for a second hand MBP, until newer models become available. Cheers

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#20

Thanks Jamie, that’s really helpful, I’m glad your experience with Hack Mac has been positive, as most feedback I’ve heard from recent users has been good, it’s just the odd horror story that has made me think twice.

I have built quite a few ultra reliable PC’s before in the past, so no stranger to this…I’m just short on time and a little lazy, so was going to get someone else to do it, but if I can save a chunk of cash, then I might just do it myself!

Will have a proper read through the TonyMacx86 stuff this evening and figure out a decent spec.

Will still look at used MBP’s, or a Mac Mini as you suggested as the other option.

Thanks again for your insight :slight_smile:

#21

Just to add, I couldn’t agree more what @Jamie just told. I did also followed Tony’smacx86 guides even bought the hardwares on their list. Pls don’t take my experience as a horror story. The only horror in my story is my lack of willpower to being productive lol.

Also if I recall correctly I thing they’ve mentioned about the sound issue of the motherboard that I got.

Just stick with Jamie’s suggestion. If I didn’t have to be mobile for my work, I’d definitely pushed my luck on hackintosh. Back then I was using a 10k powered computer for 2k pc hardwares.

Just to note, there’s also a rumor going on that Apple is going to start manufacturing their own CPU’s and drop their deal with Intel. Idk what happens to hackintosh if that happens. I remember hackintosh relies on Intel based chips.

If anyone has a better knowledge on this can you elaborate this cpu rumor? I vaguely read about it and I don’t want to mislead @jimbo :slight_smile:

#22

Thanks Kirz, I had heard other bad reports from other people, it wasn’t just you :slight_smile:

You are correct about Apple CPU’s, because when they start moving away from Intel, Hackintosh will likely be unusable as they are completely reliant on Intel chips. I think we are at least 5 years away from Apple stopping their support of Intel based systems.

If I recall, when Apple moved from IBM PPC chips to Intel chips, the support for both systems continued for around 4 years before PPC became unsupported.

I usually buy a new computer every 5 years roughly, so wouldn’t be a problem + you can always just use the computer as a Windows or Linux machine as a worst case scenario.

Thanks again :slight_smile:

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