Asmodiel Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Hi there! Lately I found the possibility of a Mac x86 (aka Hackintosh) and well, I'm new to all the materia. So what I wanted to ask you is, well, is my hardware (that later on in the topic) capable of installing one of the releases I've read about lately (I don't really know which one, so that is another question). The problem with this is, that I've a x64 processor... Well, it is capable of virtualising a x86 process but I think this is not really the point of having a Mac OS X86 on a x64 processor, is it? I've searched through the hardware database and well... it is not really full of new hardware ... of course when I'm a "newcomer" with this hardware I'd donate my gained knowledge to the community with a well commented instruction on how you have to do it So now my hardware (it's a quite new laptop): Model Name: Dell Studio 1537 Motherboard: Intel AGTL+ (at least Everest says so ) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P 8600 (2.40 Ghz, 3MB L2 Cache, 1066 Mhz FSB, x64) [Everest just said that it is x86 capable...] Chipset: North Bridge: Intel Cantiga PM45 | South Bridge: Intel 82801IM ICH9M RAM: 4 GB DDR 2 SDRAM [2x2GB] (800 Mhz) Wireless Card: Intel 5100 (I have a iPod Touch, maybe I could use that as a "temporary" Wifi station when working on my Hack...just an idea ) Graphic Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3400 Series (256 MB) I think it should do it... When you have some questions to me, just ask. I hope I could answer them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srs5694 Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I think we need to be clear about some terminology, which you're using loosely: [strong]x86[/strong] -- refers to any member of the Intel 80x86 family (80286, 80386, 80486, etc.), including Pentiums, Pentium Pros, etc., as well as compatibles made by AMD, Cyrix, and others. [strong]i386[/strong] -- Refers to the 80386 specifically, or often to subsequent models in the x86 line (80486, Pentium, etc.) or compatibles. Variant terms, such as i486, can be used to refer to higher-level CPUs in this line. [strong]IA32[/strong] -- Refers to any 32-bit-capable CPU in the Intel x86/i386 line -- that is, i386 or above. IA32 CPUs used to dominate the desktop and small server marketplaces, but they're pretty rare in new systems today. [strong]x86-64[/strong] -- Refers to the AMD64 or EM64T 64-bit extensions to the x86/i386 architecture. (I think one or two smaller manufacturers also make x86-64 CPUs, but I don't recall the details.) The CPUs in most consumer computers today are x86-64 CPUs. [strong]IA64[/strong] -- Refers to the Intel Itanium 64-bit CPU family. This was a variant of the IA32 architecture, but it's not the common one today; Itanium CPUs are used mostly on servers and obscure types of hardware. The x86-64 architecture, invented by AMD, beat out the IA64 architecture in the marketplace. The term x64 is one I don't recognize. Based on your CPU name, I believe you mean x86-64, although I've not reviewed Intel's product listing to be sure there isn't an IA64 CPU with the "Core Duo" name. I'm certain that some (perhaps all) Core Duo CPUs are x86-64 models. The terms x86, i386, and IA32 are often used interchangeably. For the most part, this is fine, although there are fringe cases (like the ancient 80286) where this can cause confusion. The x86-64 CPUs, to the best of my knowledge, are all capable of running x86 code (even ancient DOS versions) without use of an emulator, and they can switch dynamically between 32- and 64-bit code, so you can run a 32-bit executable in a 64-bit OS. Mac OS X includes both 32- and 64-bit code, although I believe it's mostly favored 32-bit code until recently; with OS X 10.6, Apple is now pushing the use of 64-bit code. AFAIK, all Intel-based Apple Macs run on x86-64 CPUs. I don't know offhand if any version of OS X can be run on 32-bit x86 CPUs, even with the help of modified kernels like Voodoo XNU. The IA64 CPUs, to the best of my knowledge, are all capable of running x86 code, but not as well or as seamlessly as x86-64 CPUs can. The IA64 64-bit extensions are incompatible with the 64-bit extensions of x86-64. I've never heard of anybody running Mac OS X on IA64 hardware. So the bottom line is that your CPU is probably compatible with Mac OS X. I'm not familiar enough with your other hardware to comment on it. I suggest you check the OSx86 database and/or do some Google searches on the relevant chipsets and "OSx86" to learn more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmodiel Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 I think we need to be clear about some terminology, which you're using loosely: [strong]x86[/strong] -- refers to any member of the Intel 80x86 family (80286, 80386, 80486, etc.), including Pentiums, Pentium Pros, etc., as well as compatibles made by AMD, Cyrix, and others. [strong]i386[/strong] -- Refers to the 80386 specifically, or often to subsequent models in the x86 line (80486, Pentium, etc.) or compatibles. Variant terms, such as i486, can be used to refer to higher-level CPUs in this line. [strong]IA32[/strong] -- Refers to any 32-bit-capable CPU in the Intel x86/i386 line -- that is, i386 or above. IA32 CPUs used to dominate the desktop and small server marketplaces, but they're pretty rare in new systems today. [strong]x86-64[/strong] -- Refers to the AMD64 or EM64T 64-bit extensions to the x86/i386 architecture. (I think one or two smaller manufacturers also make x86-64 CPUs, but I don't recall the details.) The CPUs in most consumer computers today are x86-64 CPUs. [strong]IA64[/strong] -- Refers to the Intel Itanium 64-bit CPU family. This was a variant of the IA32 architecture, but it's not the common one today; Itanium CPUs are used mostly on servers and obscure types of hardware. The x86-64 architecture, invented by AMD, beat out the IA64 architecture in the marketplace. The term x64 is one I don't recognize. Based on your CPU name, I believe you mean x86-64, although I've not reviewed Intel's product listing to be sure there isn't an IA64 CPU with the "Core Duo" name. I'm certain that some (perhaps all) Core Duo CPUs are x86-64 models. The terms x86, i386, and IA32 are often used interchangeably. For the most part, this is fine, although there are fringe cases (like the ancient 80286) where this can cause confusion. The x86-64 CPUs, to the best of my knowledge, are all capable of running x86 code (even ancient DOS versions) without use of an emulator, and they can switch dynamically between 32- and 64-bit code, so you can run a 32-bit executable in a 64-bit OS. Mac OS X includes both 32- and 64-bit code, although I believe it's mostly favored 32-bit code until recently; with OS X 10.6, Apple is now pushing the use of 64-bit code. AFAIK, all Intel-based Apple Macs run on x86-64 CPUs. I don't know offhand if any version of OS X can be run on 32-bit x86 CPUs, even with the help of modified kernels like Voodoo XNU. The IA64 CPUs, to the best of my knowledge, are all capable of running x86 code, but not as well or as seamlessly as x86-64 CPUs can. The IA64 64-bit extensions are incompatible with the 64-bit extensions of x86-64. I've never heard of anybody running Mac OS X on IA64 hardware. So the bottom line is that your CPU is probably compatible with Mac OS X. I'm not familiar enough with your other hardware to comment on it. I suggest you check the OSx86 database and/or do some Google searches on the relevant chipsets and "OSx86" to learn more. Hello Rod, Thank you for the awesome explaination (well, I'm in a brilliant mood today ), I've learned a lot from this So, actually, according to Everest, my CPU is x86, x86-64, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3 and SSE4.1 (Didn't think this information would be of importance, sorry :roll:) So as I understood your post, in your opinion my CPU is capable of running Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) and it is the same (well at least for me as an unexperienced user ) if I use the 32Bit or the 64Bit version of the OS. Am I right? Please correct me if I'm mistaken. By the way: Which Version/Release of OS X would you suggest to me? btw: I used "x86" for 32 Bit and "x64" for 64 Bit systems, I think I should rethink this system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srs5694 Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 So, actually, according to Everest, my CPU is x86, x86-64, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3 and SSE4.1 (Didn't think this information would be of importance, sorry :roll:) So as I understood your post, in your opinion my CPU is capable of running Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) and it is the same (well at least for me as an unexperienced user ) if I use the 32Bit or the 64Bit version of the OS. Am I right? Please correct me if I'm mistaken. Yes, with the caveat that I'm unfamiliar with the specific CPU model you've got, as well as with the details of what Intel CPUs work best with OS X. In terms of the basic capabilities, though, your CPU seems adequate. By the way: Which Version/Release of OS X would you suggest to me? The "latest and greatest" is 10.6 (aka "Snow Leopard"). It's still somewhat bleeding-edge on non-Apple hardware. No, strike that: Even 10.5 ("Leopard") is bleeding-edge on non-Apple hardware; 10.6 bleeds a bit more. There are quite a few 10.5 distributions -- repackagings of the stock Apple OS with new or better (for Hackintoshes) drivers, etc. Which one works best depends on the hardware, and it can be hard to predict. Personally, I've had good luck with iPC; but others find that it doesn't work so well. Some people like Kalyway, or iAtkos, or iDeneb, or various others. If you go the route of a 10.5 distribution, you'll just have to pick one and try it. If it doesn't work, try another. Tools to install from a stock retail DVD, such as Boot-132, exist for both 10.5 and 10.6 -- but if you go with 10.6, be sure to find the right boot tool to install it, since the 10.5 tools reportedly don't work with 10.6. (I've not yet upgraded to 10.6.) If you want to install OS X on non-Apple hardware, be prepared for lots of experimentation, rebooting of installations, etc. If you're up for this sort of thing, then go ahead. If not, then either stick with Windows (or Linux or some other OS designed for commodity hardware) or buy a real Apple Mac. btw: I used "x86" for 32 Bit and "x64" for 64 Bit systems, I think I should rethink this system Yes. Use standard terminology. "x86" could be interpreted as either a shortening of "x86-64" or a corruption of "IA64." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmodiel Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 Well the problem with buying a Mac is the money. It is just unmoral for me to spend like the double for something that (for just the hardware) I could get for half the price (don't shoot me for not sticking to 100% proved stats ) from DELL or TOSHIBA And thank you for the help, I'll look what I could find ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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