The Hackintosh Thread

[hknatm]

I wouldn't build a hackintosh for production.
Just my experience, they can be great when they are working but when an update rolls in or something goes wrong, you could easily be spending a full day or weekend beating your head against a keyboard figuring it out.
And when do issues come up? Right when you are in a time crunch and need the machine to work.

I've dabbled in the hackintosh space since my first somewhere around 2005'ish.

About to finish up another hackintosh soon but only because I have a stable mac workstation and time on my hands recently.
I wish lots of patience and excellent googling skills for anyone making their primary machine a hackintosh though.
Good Luck.

love the tonymac site, wealth of knowledge there. Go read, read again, grab a drink, keep reading.

Thanks for your answer,
I have a macbookpro for mobile work situation. If i have problem i can compansate with it.
The reason i want a hackintosh , the macs really expensive where i live. And i am not able to pay that much.
Also i love to google things and solve problems.
That is why i am searching on it.
If an update doesnt applied, there is no problem i think. I am still using high sierra latest build think in that way.
Yes the process is hard but with compatible components it is really joy to use hackintosh, what i think.

 

[amgff84]

I wouldn't build a hackintosh for production.
Just my experience, they can be great when they are working but when an update rolls in or something goes wrong, you could easily be spending a full day or weekend beating your head against a keyboard figuring it out.
And when do issues come up? Right when you are in a time crunch and need the machine to work.

I've dabbled in the hackintosh space since my first somewhere around 2005'ish.

About to finish up another hackintosh soon but only because I have a stable mac workstation and time on my hands recently.
I wish lots of patience and excellent googling skills for anyone making their primary machine a hackintosh though.
Good Luck.

love the tonymac site, wealth of knowledge there. Go read, read again, grab a drink, keep reading.

I am a firm believer that opencore is creating more stable Hackintoshes to those who are more considerate to conditions when updating. I am not using my machine for work, so if something breaks I can put time into it or use others until I get around to fixing it. That really goes with any OS (Various Linux/Ubuntu distros, Windows 10, and even Mac) because any OS can break, but from my limited experience (with Hackintoshes) a broken OS on a Hackintosh can be devastating due to compatibility issues. From what I have experienced so far, opencore can be more stable (Has survived updates and an accidental Clover install, sleep and other features work as they should).

Mavis put together a decent machine a few posts back, and this would be a pretty powerful machine and if he is willing, he could probably give you some pointers and a good guide to follow.

However, I have to agree with mmomega in that I would not use a hackintosh as a machine that is relied upon to be an income-earning tool.

 

[ekwipt]

I just finished my Open Core build of my X99 system over the weekend, it takes a lot of effort, but I've hot a fresh install of 10.15.4 on my system now, I just have to work out something wrong with my bluetooth

Edit bluetooth was because I didn't plug the cable in haha

 

[robbieduncan]

Finally got my Hackintosh upgraded to Catalina. What a pain it was!

After switching NVidia->AMD graphics the installer did not want to run on reboot. I discovered having a screen connected on HDMI resolved this (and then powered up the screens on DisplayPort!). Once installed I could not boot at all. I needed to unencrypt the FileVault2 encrypted disks from Recovery Mode to get past that. I also had amazingly slow boot to FileVault login before doing that. Anyway all up and running now although on 10.15.3 (again seems to be some sort of boot issue on the 10.15.4 installer)

 

[mavis]

Mavis put together a decent machine a few posts back, and this would be a pretty powerful machine and if he is willing, he could probably give you some pointers and a good guide to follow.

Sure, I'd be happy to help. My Hackintosh has been as stable as my iMac, and (of course) much more powerful. Not to mention far less expensive than any comparable new hardware from Apple. But yeah - everything works - iCloud, Handoff, Continuity, WOL, sleep/hibernate, hardware acceleration for h.264/265, etc. Thermals and noise levels are great (again, much better than my old iMac) but that comes down to your choice of case and fan, etc.

Basically, if anyone here were to buy the same mobo+video card+wifi/Bluetooth card that I have, I could share two fully tested and rock-solid OpenCore EFIs (OpenCore 0.5.7, loading into Catalina 10.15.4) - one configured as an iMac Pro and the other as an iMac19,1. The main difference between them is the iGPU - for the iMac19,1 it's enabled, and handles video encoding/decoding - faster than just using the CPU, of course, but not as fast as the iMac Pro config. For the iMacPro1,1 config, you have to disable the iGPU in BIOS, and then the dGPU handles all encoding/decoding - it's much faster. The only disadvantage with that config is that gaming (specifically, I tested Fortnite for my kids) is noticeably worse with the iMac Pro config. So I leave it on the standard iMac config, and it works perfectly.

edit: oh yeah, I just checked my iMac Pro benchmark screenshots, and yeah - video encoding (1080p HEVC transcoded to 1080p HEVC) is almost three times faster when using the dGPU (Radeon 5700 XT) vs the iGPU, but power and temperature levels are also much higher - 96W vs 42W, and 60° vs 41° ... but again, it's three times as fast. For me, I'm willing to accept slower speed (65fps instead of 186fps) if it means my computer runs cooler and uses less energy. Although maybe it's smarter to let it run hotter, for less time ... whatever. Both configs work great, so if anyone has an identical system, I'd be happy to share.

 

[Azrael9]

Here's a build from Snazzy Labs who maintains the latest AMD 'Open' Hack' makes it even easier to make a Hack'.

So much so, he bought a 'turn key' pre-built system from Corsair (nice looking rig) and it worked just fine by all accounts ie compatible out the box. Shame Corsair don't ship to the UK. I emailed Corsair about it. No can do.

I've been using CyberPower.co.uk to put together similar spec to Snazzy Lab's other 'Mac Pro Killer' for compatability.

It has the parts list in the description. I can build something similar for £2.200.

From what I can observe with Hack's. It comes down primarily to the Motherboard and the Wireless Network Card/Bluetooth Card used.

CPUS and GPUS seem less of an issue.

Of course, there's there is the dual boot issue as well.

I can post my CyberPower build if you want a look at it.

Regards,

Azrael.
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This Hackintosh build seems to use them in a production environment with the caveat that it isn't her sole machine and she has plenty of experience building and trouble shooting them to her own stable specs.

Put together some powerful 'Mac' rigs that stomp on Apple's offerings in value and performance.

Worth checking out her lengthy list of Hack' videos.

From beginner to production environment.

Azrael.

 

[Azrael9]

...and here's the rig I'm thinking about putting together.

CPU (Processor) : AMD Ryzen 9 3900 - 12-Core 3.10GHz, 4.30GHz Turbo - 64MB L3 Cache Processor, Pro
Motherboard : Asrock X570 Phantom Gaming 4: ATX w/ RGB, PCIe 4.0, USB 3.1, SATA3, 2x M.2
Memory (RAM) : 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4/3200mhz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance LPX w/Heat Spreader)
Graphics Card (GPU) : MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB - DX12® - VR Ready, HDMI, DVI,

PSU (Power Supply) : Corsair RM850x 850W 80+ Gold Modular Gaming Power Supply

Solid State Drive (SSD) : 1TB Seagate Barracuda 120 2.5" SSD - 560MB/s Read / 540MB/s Write (2 Drives)
M.2 SSD Drive : 500GB (1x500GB) WD Blue SN550 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD - 2400MB/s Read & 1750MB/s Write (Single Drive)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive : 500GB (1x500GB) WD Blue SN550 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD - 2400MB

Wireless Networking : TP-LINK PCI-E Wireless Archer T6E AC1300 Dual Band Network Interface Card
Wireless USB Adaptor : USB Wireless 802.11AC 600Mbps USB Adapter

Compatible? It seems the motherboard/wireless/blue tooth are the main issues?

This is from CyberPower.co.uk. It's around £2.200 inc VAT.

I'd tried to include two m.2 SSD drives for fast booting. Can you make a Hack' dual boot and have the other drive PC?

Thank you for any advice you can give.

Azrael.

 

[dfritchie]

I dual boot both my skylake (intel) and Ryzen(AMD) hack.

 

[mavis]

I'd tried to include two m.2 SSD drives for fast booting. Can you make a Hack' dual boot and have the other drive PC?

Yup, you sure can. I have two 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe drives, one for Windows 10 Pro and one for macOS, and it works great. That said, I'd be tempted to go with a different brand or model for one of the drives if I did it again, just to make it easier to tell them apart when using apps/tools that only report drives by model number. It's a little confusing having two identical drives. lol

 

[th0masp]

Is there a solution for those among us who are looking for a very power-efficient (but not Mini-like gimped) hackintosh? I'm considering to replace my 2013 MP (Trashcan) which is running into hardware issues now and might force me to rescind from the purchasing contract and get my money back.

The trashcan is near silent and does only consume something like 50 watts in idle yet still has a decent GPU. I picked it specifically because I do not want a noisy, powerhungry Mac but at the same time also do not want to be restricted to an iGPU.
How could I replace that with a hackintosh that isn't some tower PC with lots of fans? 64G of RAM would be a requirement.

 

[amgff84]

...and here's the rig I'm thinking about putting together.

CPU (Processor) : AMD Ryzen 9 3900 - 12-Core 3.10GHz, 4.30GHz Turbo - 64MB L3 Cache Processor, Pro
Motherboard : Asrock X570 Phantom Gaming 4: ATX w/ RGB, PCIe 4.0, USB 3.1, SATA3, 2x M.2
Memory (RAM) : 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4/3200mhz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance LPX w/Heat Spreader)
Graphics Card (GPU) : MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB - DX12® - VR Ready, HDMI, DVI,

PSU (Power Supply) : Corsair RM850x 850W 80+ Gold Modular Gaming Power Supply

Solid State Drive (SSD) : 1TB Seagate Barracuda 120 2.5" SSD - 560MB/s Read / 540MB/s Write (2 Drives)
M.2 SSD Drive : 500GB (1x500GB) WD Blue SN550 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD - 2400MB/s Read & 1750MB/s Write (Single Drive)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive : 500GB (1x500GB) WD Blue SN550 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD - 2400MB

Wireless Networking : TP-LINK PCI-E Wireless Archer T6E AC1300 Dual Band Network Interface Card
Wireless USB Adaptor : USB Wireless 802.11AC 600Mbps USB Adapter

Compatible? It seems the motherboard/wireless/blue tooth are the main issues?

This is from CyberPower.co.uk. It's around £2.200 inc VAT.

I'd tried to include two m.2 SSD drives for fast booting. Can you make a Hack' dual boot and have the other drive PC?

Thank you for any advice you can give.

Azrael.

It's a CyberPower machine, meaning a prebuilt? You can get more value in building one yourself and there are a ton of guides if you are not familiar. And yes, you can dual boot a Hackintosh. I actually dual boot Windows off an external HDD. No prior config but it already shows up as "bootcamp" in OC boot screen.
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Is there a solution for those among us who are looking for a very power-efficient (but not Mini-like gimped) hackintosh? I'm considering to replace my 2013 MP (Trashcan) which is running into hardware issues now and might force me to rescind from the purchasing contract and get my money back.

The trashcan is near silent and does only consume something like 50 watts in idle yet still has a decent GPU. I picked it specifically because I do not want a noisy, powerhungry Mac but at the same time also do not want to be restricted to an iGPU.
How could I replace that with a hackintosh that isn't some tower PC with lots of fans? 64G of RAM would be a requirement.

Any number of mini builds, however you could do a NUC and eGPU (or even a Lenovo Tiny). There is one by Sonnet that attaches to the back of the monitor via VESA and is marginally larger than a NUC and is 100% compatible with macos. Here is the link to Sonnets page. I am looking for a way to add USB C to my M93P Tiny hackintosh so I could get one.

 

[bogdanw]

CPU (Processor) : AMD Ryzen 9 3900 - 12-Core 3.10GHz, 4.30GHz Turbo - 64MB L3 Cache Processor, Pro

Why AMD? Any update might break your system and you will probably not have native CPU power management.

 

[amgff84]

Okay folks, I came across a free Toshiba Satellite c50a with i3-3110m and hd4000 graphics and 8gb RAM. Multi part question.
No guides available so I’m going to try to hackintosh this via opencore. Should I try hfs+ on High Sierra or APFS on Catalina. I have a spinning disk drive. I could upgrade to SSD, but I’m also aware that since introduction, APFS on spinning drives, including HDD and Fusion, has worked. Thoughts and opinions?
I think opencore works as far back as High Sierra, but is that because that’s when APFS was introduced and opencore requires it?
I have ran APFS on a spinning disk for a short time recently and didn’t experience anything bad, but knowing that it wasn’t solid at the time, I switched it to hfs+ on High Sierra.
Anyone have similar machines and have successfully hackintoshed it? Looking for open core guides on similar Ivy Bridge machines as guidance so I’m not as alone, however, opencore creator does have a GitHub site with very good directions.
Thanks!
I will post results. I will also give a brief walkthrough if it will help anyone else.

Okay, so this ended up being more difficult than I had planned... but it was a partial success. OpenCore was a no-go on this machine. Way too hard!

Currently, the HackinToshiba (Satellite C50-A) is running Mojave with Clover (modified to hide the recovery partition and others). Actually, typing this up on that machine right now. I followed along with a Lenovo Mojave install, and this works on Catalina as well, but I used Mojave for compatibility on my WiFi card, which I still can't get the BT to work. It is worth mentioning that I added the SSD and maxed out the RAM to 16gb.

What's not working;
-Sleep, removed hibernate via term. (Machine "sleeps" but still uses a large amount of power. This is odd because the fans stop and screen turns off, so I don't know what is using the power).
-BT, however 2.4 and 5ghz WiFi works. So the card is half working. (Bought a bcm94352hmb to go in place).
-Brightness, but I am using the brightness slider app and it allows for a hardware shortcut, so it appears to work as usual.

Overall, this is a cheap machine and is hardly worth the time I put into it just to have a Hackintosh I can call HackinToshiba, but it was free and with the upgrades it was still under $100. These are on eBay for 50-100. I have been spoiled with my MacBooks as this machine is creaky when moving it around, so I used contact adhesive on reassembly at all contact points between the top and bottom case... Just a dab and it is no longer creaky. I would imagine this would help with any laptop, plus it isn't permanent.

Geekbench scores better than my 2008 MacBook Aluminum Unibody, but I really expected to see a better score. It was only about 1000 points better on Geekbench 4 than my MacBook in both Single and Multi core tests, however that is almost double the score on single core.

This machine now identifies as a 2012 MacBookAir5,2 and scores almost the same as one too! This would make a better Ubuntu machine, and I am really starting to consider moving to Ubuntu, that's a topic for another time, but obviously Windows works well too and I still have the HDD ready to go back in.

This wasn't to build a Hackintosh out of need, but between this and my D630 Hackintosh, these were more for hobby. I don't use laptops often and when I do I have my old mint 2008 MacBook unibody that saves its purpose quite well, but, I am also using this a practice as I might eventually replace my MacBook with a fully functioning (if that exists) Hackintosh laptop. (I have been eyeing Lenovo Ideapads, and even Thinkpads). If you are at all interested, I will supply my EFI folder along with all of the kext's I used. Directions are that of the usual Vanilla build, with a few added steps at the end to get WiFi working with this card, as well as a full functioning touchpad.

 

[Azrael9]

It's a CyberPower machine, meaning a prebuilt? You can get more value in building one yourself and there are a ton of guides if you are not familiar. And yes, you can dual boot a Hackintosh. I actually dual boot Windows off an external HDD. No prior config but it already shows up as "bootcamp" in OC boot screen.
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I didn't think you could boot Windows from an external drive... Does Windows updating disrupt your Mac boot drive?

I say that because...

Do you have the Hack' as your primary boot? And both Mac/Win as 'EFI' in bios settings?

As for the CyberPower build. Yes. It will be pre-built from my choice of 'compatible' components noted previously. (I've checked with AMD OSX site/forums. Nice site and very helpful and friendly.)

Primary reason? 0%. I can spread the £2000 inc vat cost over a year.

Thanks for the response.

Azrael.
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Why AMD? Any update might break your system and you will probably not have native CPU power management.

This is why, primarily.

A few hundred more. I'm a novice. A bit nervous about it _ and I get a warranty with CyberPower.

AMD Open has made things a lot easier, it seems. 12 cores is a very nice power/efficiency/core count equation. They've offered more innovation of late. Whilst the hack recipe instructions is more exacting...it seems to be more stable.

I've heard issues re: sleep and cpu power/heat management. And that you've got to watch Windows Update behaviour disrupting the Bios to neutor your Hack'.

So, I guess it's not without issues.

But as Hack's go? It seems easier than ever?

Here's another guy(s) who has been using it without issue 99% of the time. We even get a Hackintosh theme tune with this link...

This Hack' builder has been using it for Music, notes benches with video INtel vs AMD hacks etc from his other links/videos.

I'm trying to do my homework before pulling the trigger on this. So casting a net for advice from my fellow Mac luminaries who have gone down this route is a must.

I've been more than curious and wanting to do this for years now. If Apple offered a classic blue and white G3 style tower I wouldn't be talking about doing this. And I aint buying a £6 grand tower for a 580 Gpu and an 8 core machine.

Oh...this link was towards an issue that was troubling me. Wireless and blue tooth working on Hack's. But Morgonaut says it can be cured by buying this?

Hope it helps.

I guess if you've already got the parts that offer nominal compatibility is different to building one from the ground up with 'proven' components. Naturally, before I lay out £2000 on a system for dual boot Mac/PC I want the thing to work ergo doing my homework.

...but I'm aware this might be not be problem free or bullet proof.

Azrael.

 

[amgff84]

I didn't think you could boot Windows from an external drive... Does Windows updating disrupt your Mac boot drive?

I say that because...

Do you have the Hack' as your primary boot? And both Mac/Win as 'EFI' in bios settings?

As for the CyberPower build. Yes. It will be pre-built from my choice of 'compatible' components noted previously. (I've checked with AMD OSX site/forums. Nice site and very helpful and friendly.)

Primary reason? 0%. I can spread the £2000 inc vat cost over a year.

Thanks for the response.

Azrael.
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This is why, primarily.

A few hundred more. I'm a novice. A bit nervous about it _ and I get a warranty with CyberPower.

AMD Open has made things a lot easier, it seems. 12 cores is a very nice power/efficiency/core count equation. They've offered more innovation of late. Whilst the hack recipe instructions is more exacting...it seems to be more stable.

I've heard issues re: sleep and cpu power/heat management. And that you've got to watch Windows Update behaviour disrupting the Bios to neutor your Hack'.

So, I guess it's not without issues.

But as Hack's go? It seems easier than ever?

Here's another guy(s) who has been using it without issue 99% of the time. We even get a Hackintosh theme tune with this link...

This Hack' builder has been using it for Music, notes benches with video INtel vs AMD hacks etc from his other links/videos.

I'm trying to do my homework before pulling the trigger on this. So casting a net for advice from my fellow Mac luminaries who have gone down this route is a must.

I've been more than curious and wanting to do this for years now. If Apple offered a classic blue and white G3 style tower I wouldn't be talking about doing this. And I aint buying a £6 grand tower for a 580 Gpu and an 8 core machine.

Oh...this link was towards an issue that was troubling me. Wireless and blue tooth working on Hack's. But Morgonaut says it can be cured by buying this?

Hope it helps.

I guess if you've already got the parts that offer nominal compatibility is different to building one from the ground up with 'proven' components. Naturally, before I lay out £2000 on a system for dual boot Mac/PC I want the thing to work ergo doing my homework.

...but I'm aware this might be not be problem free or bullet proof.

Azrael.

You can't normally boot a mac from an external drive, and I'm not even sure you can with clover because my clover build won't let me, it will boot, but end up going into a boot loop until I select primary. With my opencore machine, at the boot options screen, it will show up as a bootcamp drive. Interesting? I think so.

I had an AMD FX 8350 machine and it was a nice machine! I tried AMD-OSX and I was able to get the computer to boot the USB and it eventually stopped. I gave up on that and ended up my Journey into real macs. I like the syle, hate the cost. I know Ryzen is not Bulldozer, and many people Hackintosh Ryzen machines, but I'd be wary. My FX machine was a really nice machine even for its slower CPU. Don't let my opinion stop you though, do it if you are confident. I've always been an AMD guy anyways, and I have also considered the same thing you are. I am trying to convince my old lady that I need a new machine, but I really don't. I think though, that opencore would work best, and that may even be what AMD-OSX does... I dunno.

My WiFi and BT are off of an AC600 USB and a Medialink BT 4.0 USB and they are both in a USB splitter. It works well, it's just not fancy or integrated and the Bios on my Lenovo is picky as to what card it will take. Good luck and keep us posted! I am going to start looking at prebuilt systems, only because I can finance one easier instead of putting all the different components on the credit card. I might go for something on Origin PC as they are "premium", if that exists.

 

[dfritchie]

I hacked my cyperpowerpc Ryzen machine just cause I could I have crucial SSD for macOS and WD SSD for windows.
Use Opencore to boot mac and boot windows through the bios menu, don't suggest booting windows thru OC, why emulate a mac on PC hardware to boot PC operating system? Perfer to boot it native.

 

[Azrael9]

Weekly Sales V

Weekly Sales V <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/>

www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk

What do we have here? A 12 core AMD with 5700 XT. £1300.

Azrael.

 

[handheldgames]

I built this system in February and it's been as rock-solid stable as my 2012 cmp, just much much faster.

Feb 2020 AMD Hackintosh Build ~ $2200 USD

• Ryzen 9 3900x $449
• OLOy DDR4 RAM 64GB (2x32GB) Warhawk Aura Sync RGB 3200 MHz CL16, $289
• 2x sabrent 1TB pcie 4.0 nvme SSD, $200ea
• gigabyte RX 5700XT(openBox) $389
• Gigabyte Aorus Pro WiFi motherboard, $249
• CORSAIR HX850i(refurb) $189.99
• Corsair 540 case. $125
• PCIe Apple bluetooth / Wifi adapter. (extra parts I used)
• SATAII Hitachi Ultrastar 4tb HDD for TimeMachine

Feedback on your components.

• ASROCK is decent. Not the best VRM. Gamers Nexus / Totally Overclocking on youtube has good insight on this. There is only 1 M.2 NVMe slot on this board. The Tachi may be a better choice if you want asrock. I went with Gigabyte. Considering your CPU... you may want to shell out an extra $100 for a better motherboard.
• Memory looks fine.
• GPU - looks good. I went with the Gigabyte triple fan as it came out on top in many reviews and the price was good. Avoid 5700xt with Blower fan setups.
• PSU I went for the Hxi, same size. Platinum vs gold efficiency.
• Networking - there should be boards with Wifi6 onboard that can also work with MacOS. Personally I use ethernet.
• NVMe SSD - It's a PCIe 4.0 slot so I went for faster top speed. The NVMe drives you mention are decent for PCIe 3.x. Only thought is 512Gb enough?
• SATA SSDs - No comment here. I left my SATA SSD's in my 2012 cMP.
• Hard disk for Time Machine? No need washing a SSD on this.
• Bluetooth - not on my MB so I used an apple part off the shelf. Wifi works, Bluetooth is being a PITA...

...and here's the rig I'm thinking about putting together.

CPU (Processor) : AMD Ryzen 9 3900 - 12-Core 3.10GHz, 4.30GHz Turbo - 64MB L3 Cache Processor, Pro
Motherboard : Asrock X570 Phantom Gaming 4: ATX w/ RGB, PCIe 4.0, USB 3.1, SATA3, 2x M.2
Memory (RAM) : 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4/3200mhz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance LPX w/Heat Spreader)
Graphics Card (GPU) : MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB - DX12® - VR Ready, HDMI, DVI,

PSU (Power Supply) : Corsair RM850x 850W 80+ Gold Modular Gaming Power Supply

Solid State Drive (SSD) : 1TB Seagate Barracuda 120 2.5" SSD - 560MB/s Read / 540MB/s Write (2 Drives)
M.2 SSD Drive : 500GB (1x500GB) WD Blue SN550 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD - 2400MB/s Read & 1750MB/s Write (Single Drive)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive : 500GB (1x500GB) WD Blue SN550 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD - 2400MB

Wireless Networking : TP-LINK PCI-E Wireless Archer T6E AC1300 Dual Band Network Interface Card
Wireless USB Adaptor : USB Wireless 802.11AC 600Mbps USB Adapter

Compatible? It seems the motherboard/wireless/blue tooth are the main issues?

This is from CyberPower.co.uk. It's around £2.200 inc VAT.

I'd tried to include two m.2 SSD drives for fast booting. Can you make a Hack' dual boot and have the other drive PC?

Thank you for any advice you can give.

Azrael.

 

[Azrael9]

I built this system in February and it's been as rock-solid stable as my 2012 cmp, just much much faster.

Feb 2020 AMD Hackintosh Build ~ $2200 USD

• Ryzen 9 3900x $449
• OLOy DDR4 RAM 64GB (2x32GB) Warhawk Aura Sync RGB 3200 MHz CL16, $289
• 2x sabrent 1TB pcie 4.0 nvme SSD, $200ea
• gigabyte RX 5700XT(openBox) $389
• Gigabyte Aorus Pro WiFi motherboard, $249
• CORSAIR HX850i(refurb) $189.99
• Corsair 540 case. $125
• PCIe Apple bluetooth / Wifi adapter. (extra parts I used)
• SATAII Hitachi Ultrastar 4tb HDD for TimeMachine

Feedback on your components.

• ASROCK is decent. Not the best VRM. Gamers Nexus / Totally Overclocking on youtube has good insight on this. There is only 1 M.2 NVMe slot on this board. The Tachi may be a better choice if you want asrock. I went with Gigabyte. Considering your CPU... you may want to shell out an extra $100 for a better motherboard.
• Memory looks fine.
• GPU - looks good. I went with the Gigabyte triple fan as it came out on top in many reviews and the price was good. Avoid 5700xt with Blower fan setups.
• PSU I went for the Hxi, same size. Platinum vs gold efficiency.
• Networking - there should be boards with Wifi6 onboard that can also work with MacOS. Personally I use ethernet.
• NVMe SSD - It's a PCIe 4.0 slot so I went for faster top speed. The NVMe drives you mention are decent for PCIe 3.x. Only thought is 512Gb enough?
• SATA SSDs - No comment here. I left my SATA SSD's in my 2012 cMP.
• Hard disk for Time Machine? No need washing a SSD on this.
• Bluetooth - not on my MB so I used an apple part off the shelf. Wifi works, Bluetooth is being a PITA...

Excellent feedback. It has been noted. Many components I just haven't come across (I want a decent all round and optimised and stable build ergo my not rushing into this. It's been a while since I did a PC build.)

So it's nice to have someone who has the old Mac Pro saying their Hack' build is faster and just as stable.

One motherboard pending release is MSI's 'Tomahawk 570.' I had been set on the Asrock but they are expensive. Especially the 'Creator' edition. Gigabyte are often regarded as 'thee' Mac/Hack compatible m/b.

I take your point about having a PCIE4 M/B and taking advantage of it with the m.2 drives. The reason why I went with 500 gig SSDs M.2s was to have two very fast boot drives for Win/Hack. I thought 512 gigs would be more than enough for even Windows (and Hack) to keep the main OS nimble and fast throughout it's life and less likely to suffer wear and tear by having everything on it.

And SSDs for Apps. And external SSDs for Data. My current predicament has taught me a lesson about having 'just a couple of drives.' It isn't enough. Neither is having one machine, it seems. I'll have a bigger internal drive 'Hard Disk' (which I was going to use for the one game I play...I don't want games infecting the rest of the machine. I hadn't thought about using it for timemachine but you've given me pause for thought.) I'm trying to keep boot/apps/Data/games separate.

Noted on GPU. I was going for a dual fan. I'm not entirely up to speed re: blowers vs alternatives. But a triple fan seems to make sense in terms of running cool. I'll give the gig' GPU some thought.

Also noted that you went Ethernet vs Wifi. It's probably healthier.

Noted on the PSU. Would make sense if I wanted to run an extra GPU or upgrade to the Nvidida slayer (Navi Big later this year.)

I'll see if I can spec out your build on Cyber Power. (Going with them because of the % finance offer.)

The price of your rig seems 'on point' for my budget. Basically, you can get a PC build for £1k and a Mac Hack for £1k for the combined cost of 2k....as I think of it.

Thanks again for the response. Most helpful. If there was a UK vendor that offered that as a pre-build I'd probably buy it.

Azrael.

 

[Azrael9]

Aorus X570 I AORUS PRO WIFI (Socket AM4/X570/DDR4/S-ATA 600/Mini-ITX)

In the dark, starless night, The Falcon strikes fear into the heart of its prey. Even with minimal visibility, The Falcon pinpoints its prey and patiently anticipates the perfect moment to swoop in for the kill. The Falcon with its Laser sharp gaze Dominates the darkness of night in the same mann...

www.amazon.co.uk

The top customer review is very complimentary about it.

Azrael.

 

[ekwipt]

As a side note, if you use any Adobe apps, AMD is a no go at this point. I personally wouldn't build with AMD for Mac OS at all

 

[dfritchie]

Personally I don't use Adobe and don't see why anybody is still putting up with that company's BS. To each their own. I do know that handbrake loves the extra cores and I can not get the same performance for the same price with intel. It all depends on what you use the computer for, I for example , don't use mine for work or production to make money. Mine is just for fun.

 

[handheldgames]

As a side note, if you use any Adobe apps, AMD is a no go at this point. I personally wouldn't build with AMD for Mac OS at all

According to the Morgonaut, Adobe is a go these days. Even on a threadripper.

 

[handheldgames]

Excellent feedback. It has been noted. Many components I just haven't come across (I want a decent all round and optimised and stable build ergo my not rushing into this. It's been a while since I did a PC build.)

So it's nice to have someone who has the old Mac Pro saying their Hack' build is faster and just as stable.

One motherboard pending release is MSI's 'Tomahawk 570.' I had been set on the Asrock but they are expensive. Especially the 'Creator' edition. Gigabyte are often regarded as 'thee' Mac/Hack compatible m/b.

I take your point about having a PCIE4 M/B and taking advantage of it with the m.2 drives. The reason why I went with 500 gig SSDs M.2s was to have two very fast boot drives for Win/Hack. I thought 512 gigs would be more than enough for even Windows (and Hack) to keep the main OS nimble and fast throughout it's life and less likely to suffer wear and tear by having everything on it.

And SSDs for Apps. And external SSDs for Data. My current predicament has taught me a lesson about having 'just a couple of drives.' It isn't enough. Neither is having one machine, it seems. I'll have a bigger internal drive 'Hard Disk' (which I was going to use for the one game I play...I don't want games infecting the rest of the machine. I hadn't thought about using it for timemachine but you've given me pause for thought.) I'm trying to keep boot/apps/Data/games separate.

Noted on GPU. I was going for a dual fan. I'm not entirely up to speed re: blowers vs alternatives. But a triple fan seems to make sense in terms of running cool. I'll give the gig' GPU some thought.

Also noted that you went Ethernet vs Wifi. It's probably healthier.

Noted on the PSU. Would make sense if I wanted to run an extra GPU or upgrade to the Nvidida slayer (Navi Big later this year.)

I'll see if I can spec out your build on Cyber Power. (Going with them because of the % finance offer.)

The price of your rig seems 'on point' for my budget. Basically, you can get a PC build for £1k and a Mac Hack for £1k for the combined cost of 2k....as I think of it.

Thanks again for the response. Most helpful. If there was a UK vendor that offered that as a pre-build I'd probably buy it.

Azrael.

Hey Azrael...

Glad to share some insight. I spent too much time trying to figure out what x570 board t pick out to use as a hackintosh. I haven't built a PC for close to 10 years and after all this time, it's not any more difficult. If anything, the updated case designs and UEFI firmware makes it easier. While I didn't think LED lighting would make a difference, it looks damn cool. The most difficult thing to install was the AMD wraith cooler. Watching a video on Youtube showed the easiest approach. On the subject of Youtube, I've found the OpenCore tutorials from TechTunerLife are the easiest to follow and end up with a stable / working hackintosh with one try. With this build spec, you're looking at MP 7,1 performance on a Mac Mini Budget.

Re the MSI Tomahawk - hold your breath as to when it shows up from overseas. Today there is hype, proof will show up when the product arrives in the channel and beyond the hands of reviewers.

FWIW.. I use my AMD Hackintosh as a production development workstation more than for entertainment. Although booting into windows for games and VR serves a great purpose in the evening.

 

[ekwipt]

According to the Morgonaut, Adobe is a go these days. Even on a threadripper.

I wouldn't link her to anything, she tries to get paid of other peoples work, totally against hackintosh community, plus she's running virtualisation into windows to run Adobe apps, it's not even on her mackintosh, what a fraud!

CPUs | Anti-Hackintosh Buyers Guide

Adobe Products don't always work and there is no fix for lightroom at the moment

• some fixes can be found here: Adobe Fixes