King John Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) First post in awhile.. Honestly I didn't have the time to continue my AMD-hackintosh machine, especially with it being my main computer. Anyways, as the title says, I'm getting a new toy - specifically the Acer Aspire V3-771G-9456 For the unacquainted, this steal of a deal features the following: CPU: Core i7-3632QM @ 2.2Ghz (turbo @ 3.2) GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M RAM: 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM (upgradable to 16GB) Screen: HD+ 1600x900 / 17.3'' Storage: 750GB HDD (optional 2nd HDD/SDD bay included!) Misc: Gigabit Ethernet, BT 4.0 HS, USB3.0, Memory Card Reader (Pretty Standard) First off, what I want to end up with is an acceptable 10.7 or 10.8 machine. So somethings that'll be difficult (I assume): HM77 Express Chipset Third-gen Core i7 Dolby Digital sound option (not really an issue if standard sound works) Full graphics capability And pardon me in advance if this sounds like a guide. I'm more or less passively asking for tips and tricks. This is how I'm planning for it to go down: Install a rough vanilla 10.6.3 base with working LAN drivers. Update to 10.6.8 for App Store Download and install 10.7 to a DVD Install 10.7 vanilla OVER 10.6.8 Update to 10.7.4 (current?) Install Nvidia's Fermi drivers (I believe my card's a fermi-based?) / figure out what's not working. Install multiple Kext packages, rewrite the bootlist for needed flags and pointers ???? profit (possibly fork out $ for 10.8) So of course there's bound to be issues, but I hope to do some self-help for that. I plan on learning DSDT editing, as well as creating drivers for my own system. If you have anything to add, programs to recommend, or any advice to give in general, please feel free to post! Edited April 12, 2013 by PookyMacMan No discussion of tonymac tools is allowed on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theconnactic Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 nVidia Optimus doesn't work under OSX. Other than that, a gorgeous machine: wish you all success and leave you an advice: don't use Voldemort's spells and tools - they'll do more evil than good in the long term. All the best! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King John Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 I see, so I did a little reading and I assume that's what prevents my GPU from killing my battery? If so, it might be a little more trouble than what it's worth. I plan on using it for College, so battery life is pretty critical. And the sad part is that it's really all I've ever used. Could you recommend '3rd-party' applications to cover what i've been using? I've been using dark arts since '11 it seems ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theconnactic Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 No, you won't be able to switch between cards under OSX. With Optimus systems, i think you gotta stick to the integrated graphics card, the Intel HD4000. The upside of it is that your battery life could actually improve, since the HD4000 - weaker than the nVidia discrete card - won't use as much power as the other. All the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King John Posted April 12, 2013 Author Share Posted April 12, 2013 I see, and I wasn't aware the board came with a integrated/dedicated option. I didn't see it anywhere.. must be my attention to detail haha ^^; The Intel HD4000 would be easier to work with, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theconnactic Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 Yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3.14r2 Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I see, and I wasn't aware the board came with a integrated/dedicated option. I didn't see it anywhere.. must be my attention to detail haha ^^; Most "i" series CPUs now has a build-in VGA (on the CPU itself, rather then a separate chip on MB AFAIK). So one need to look for the certain few models that are not GPU equipped if on-board VGA is not needed. Though I don't know if GPU-less CPU option is available for notebooks. IMO Optimus is PITA even on Windows 7. Apple has its own implementation of switching between the cards (Nvidia has nothing to do here). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King John Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 So to bump this thread and hopefully get some feedback from the higher ups.. which bootloader should I use? I've always used Voldemort's programs, and without them im just the slightest bit lost.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3.14r2 Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 ...which bootloader should I use?If you have an UEFI motherboard, then Clover. If it's plane simple BIOS, then Chameleon (installed and configured manually so you could know what/where/how) or again Clover. IMO BTW once you know how the stuff works, Chameleon installation is quite easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King John Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Edit: I have the worst BIOS in the world, the notorious Insyde h2o. Some people have had success patching over the existing BIOS with a hacked version.. but more than 80% have reported hard bricks for their machines... Chameleon doesn't boot either, it gets to the RAM Disk loading, then a blank screen. I'm not sure how to go about this.. frankly im pretty pissed about buying a laptop that only allows for Windows 7 / 8 (7 barely...) Darn, and I was looking forward to experimenting with Ubuntu and Mac OSX... I'm giving Insyde a piece of my mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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