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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2016-11-22, 23:01

Quote:
Originally Posted by El Gallo View Post
Who here has built a Hackintosh? I'm pondering it myself. What are the real cons presuming price isn't a real object in terms of picking quality parts?
*raises hand*

I've had a hackintosh for over six years (wow, 2010 feels like yesterday). The key drawbacks I've encountered are:
  • Depending on <random unknown variables>, you might have to reinstall everything when there's a major 10.X upgrade. This is another reason to always keep an up-to-date backup before trying updates. Some owners report seamless in-place upgrades, though. YMMV.
  • Getting iCloud/iMessages/handoff (correction: handoff issues are due to bluetooth compatibility problems)/etc stuff to work can be sketchy because under the covers it requires sending a real machine's hardware ID to Apple. This is arguably the most problematic thing to do since you may be "stealing" someone else's hardware ID for this. Fortunately, I don't use iMessages on my desktop, and I'm hoping more services don't start relying on the hardware ID.
  • GPU support can be troublesome at first (and with system updates), and depending on the motherboard and/or dedicated GPU you get, you might have to do a bunch of poorly-documented configuration and boot flag dances to get it into a stable place. Once you find a setup that works, though, you're probably good.
  • Built-in line-out audio on motherboards can have spotty support. You might want to save the headache and just buy a cheap USB audio dongle (these usually work out of the box).
  • No support. When one day you boot up to random error codes, you're on your own, and the Internet forums are usually garbage.
  • Computer doesn't look like a space ashtray.

Clover is the way to go for bootloaders, and there are sites (I used tonymacx86's monthly buyer's guide) that produce recent compatible hardware lists. As long as you use "supported" hardware vouched by one of these guys, you shouldn't have too many troubles. tonymacx86 also has some very simple Installer.app-style tools for creating your USB boot drive (see UniBeast) and installing various drivers (see MultiBeast), but there are also plenty of pure DIY guides out there too if you want a more hands-on approach.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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