Mac question.

KeithRT99

KeithRT99

BOOSH.
Nov 8, 2005
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Vallejo,CA
www.soundclick.com
I remember reading in a thread a while back that you could run OSX on an intel PC, in a ghetto-rigged sort of way. What's the possibillity of this? If i were to buy/build a PC with similar, or the same specs as say a g5/mac pro, would it be possible to run osx or leopard and it be as stable as a "real" mac? Would it be possible at all? I really need a new computer and at this point i can only afford an imac or lower level mac, or a decent pc.
 
A good place to start reading would be here. If you build your own pc with the same components that a mac would have I don't think there would be a problem, but I'm not sure you can actually find said components that easy... But the link I gave you has hardware compatibility lists...

I've never tried it myself, so I don't know more than that... But Macs are not *that* stable (at least not in the crazy-people "macs never ever crash...ever" way). Mine have crashed as much as my PCs...
 
Since Macs now use intel chips, the only difference (besides the OS of course) between them and a windoze PC is the case sporting a nice shiny Apple logo. So yes, you can build your own computer from the same or similar components and get it to run as well as real Mac. But this is VERY illegal. You cannot simply go into the store and buy the boxed version of leopard and install it on your homemade PC. You must download a patched disk image from bittorent sites in order to get this to work. This is just good old fashioned piracy. Most of the money used to develop OSX comes from hardware sales - I for one want OSX to continue to be the best it can be.

A new iMac would be more than adequate for home recording anyway, just make sure you put in as much ram as possible (RAM is something I would recommend NOT buying from apple go to ramseeker.com for the best prices). In short, If you want a Mac, buy one. Oh, and +1 to what Brett said :p
 
saying the only difference is the case is completely wrong. Apple still codesigns the motherboards with Intel, and ALL the components are either designed by Apple or selected with intense scrutiny. OS X is designed to work very well with very few pieces of hardware, and thats one reason why it is so fast and efficient compared to windows.
 
Then why do these "Hackintoshes" work so well? Even with AMD chips that have nothing to do with Apple or Intel? OSX may be intended to work only with select hardware, and you do indeed need to do some tweaking to get it to run on certain hardware, but it will run perfectly on non apple or intel parts. You will get the best Mac experience by simply buying a Mac, not to mention the fact that you won't have to worry about facing criminal charges. But you most certainly CAN go to a site such as newegg.com and get very similar if not identical components to what is in today's apple computers. It's a fact.
 
For years Jobs told us PowerPC kicked PCs all over the place, fast forward, now Intel is inside Macs ! there is an irony in there lost on people who haven't been involved in the tech world for a longtime - my username should give a clue how long I have been involved !

Asus builds mobos for Apple, Apple use Intel processors, The "EFI bios" is what separates the two platforms nothing more. Apple use Seagate drives - seems some Mac Books have problems with their drives. So does that mean Seagate are rubbish - of course not.

It's almost 2008, use PC or Mac, established pros will say use Mac, Pro Tools HD, fair enough they are working and the industry is legacy based. It was 2" tape, then Fairlight/Synclavier, now its Macs and Pro Tools HD... for now.

Apple is it's own worst enemy - it wants to sell to everyone it claims, but has repeately sabotaged that goal. Jobs killed off the mac clones in the 1990s - anyone have one of those mine was great ! Apple wants you to believe it makes bespoke computers, buy one pull it apart and have a look for yourself.
Still have my PowerPC 520c laptop from 1995, rest of my machines are personal computers !

I'm thankful I don't have to edit tape with a blade myself !
 
In all fairness, everyone with a product to sell wants people to believe their claims about their product, not just just Steve Jobs and Apple. I do remember the "megahertz myth" that apple was pushing just a few years ago, and yeah, it's kinda funny that they now use the processors they were saying were inferior. I do think however that the move to Intel was primarily a cost saving one. IBM has made powerPC processors that are ridiculously powerful, but also ridiculously expensive. At the end of the day though, what does this matter? As long as OSX continues to improve and work as well as it has for me, I don't give a damn what brand the parts inside the computer are.
 
Should Nanotechnology be developed before or after A.I. ? Surely it should be after so at least we humans don't have to fight microscopic robots only regular "Terminator" ones !

From the wikipedia "Many Singularitarians consider nanotechnology to be one of the greatest dangers facing humanity. For this reason, they often believe seed AI (an AI capable of making itself smarter) should precede nanotechnology. Others, such as the Foresight Institute, advocate efforts to create molecular nanotechnology, claiming nanotechnology can be made safe for pre-Singularity use or can expedite the arrival of a beneficial Singularity."

Tech companies should at least try to keep some handle on honesty, integrity and truth. I for one would like both Apple and Microsoft to keep the above in mind and not just think about the dollar. In 2045 the dollar might not be the only consideration.
 
alright, I'll concede to NYHC's post, except for the fact that any future incremental updates to software or to OS X could totally fuck up a Hackintosh...that is also a fact

so in the short term it is definitely the cheapest option....but is it really worth it?

....and I am not REALLY well-versed on the matter, but I'd like to see some evidence (AKA benchmarks) of ANY AMD-based PC performing as well with OS X as an Intel system
 
I was going to buy a G5 from American Musical Supply using their EZ Payment plan for 5 payments of $499.

Unfortunately they no longer offer the EZ Payment Plan on Apple products. :cry:

The next closest thing is to go to the Apple Store and use a Student Discount to knock $200 bucks off for a total of $2299.

Otherwise Craigslist or Ebay would be the place to look.
 
Remy, you are absolutely correct about software auto updates turning a hackintosh into a paperweight. As I stated in my earlier post, for the best Mac experience, just buy a Mac. Everything will work as it is supposed to, and besides, piracy sucks. As for benchmarks and systems working with AMD chips, just google it. The info is out there and easy to find. And just for further clarification, I'm NOT arguing in favor of building a Hackintosh (or any other form of software piracy), I'm merely saying that they exist.
 
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