Build Your Own Mac? (Not Hackintosh)

[Gregintosh]

Hey guys,

I was thinking today and I was wondering how possible it would be to build your own mac desktop using various apple parts. Perhaps buy a broken macbook or something that still has a good motherboard, toss in a good processor, build it into a custom case and create basically your own xMac.

Perhaps if someone knew much about the actual electric side of computers they could figure out a way to even modify the motherboard and pop in a good video card.

It would definitely run a genuine Mac OS X because it would actually be built from mac parts.

Obviously this would cost more money than a hackintosh, but perhaps if deals on broken macs could be found on ebay, craigslist, gumtree, etc. it would be possible to still save money over buying a mac pro or whatever.

So any thoughts and ideas?

 

[AlexisV]

You'd just be removing an existing Mac logic board and putting it in a new case though wouldn't you?

It would probably be possible, but it would just look like any old naff desktop PC.

 

[Big Boss Man]

I would just buy a used Mac or previous generation new Mac. Why go through all the effort of tracking down a bunch of parts that will all work together? I doubt you would really save that much in the end. Also, you may wind up spending a lot of money on something that does not work in the end.

 

[reebzor]

you'd probably spend more on a macbook with a broken screen than you would on a used mac mini

 

[iLog.Genius]

I wouldn't really recommend it. By building, I'm assuming you're picking parts from different machines? If you don't build appropriately, you may build a computer that won't even work at the end since Apple puts together computers that are specific (firmware plays a part on which parts should/would) work. Unless you're taking a previous model, and picking parts and building it exactly, even that could be time consuming.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I was thinking today and I was wondering how possible it would be to build your own mac desktop using various apple parts. Perhaps buy a broken macbook or something that still has a good motherboard, toss in a good processor, build it into a custom case and create basically your own xMac.

So... you're talking about making a laptop. Actually, not making anything whatsoever, since you can't change the processor in a MacBook. You'd be building a laptop.

Perhaps if someone knew much about the actual electric side of computers they could figure out a way to even modify the motherboard and pop in a good video card.

So... you're talking about making a Hackintosh, not using a motherboard from any Mac whatsoever.

It would definitely run a genuine Mac OS X because it would actually be built from mac parts.

It would very probably not run at all.

...it would be possible to still save money over buying a mac pro or whatever.

So buy a Mac Mini!

 

[vga4life]

A 2009 mac mini upgraded to 4GB and a fast SSD (or better, a pair of fast SSDs in RAID0 with one in the optical bay) is as much of an xMac as most people would need.

 

[old-wiz]

Hey guys,

Perhaps if someone knew much about the actual electric side of computers they could figure out a way to even modify the motherboard and pop in a good video card.

So any thoughts and ideas?

Modifying a laptop motherboard? Have you ever looked at one? they are assembled by machines using surface mount technology and modifying one is not trivial task. A uber-geek from MIT (or similar) might do it with lots of resources, but it would be a quite a challenge. "Pop in a good video card"? The laptops don't use regular video cards - you'd have to do a lot of work.