UK based hackintosh build

[OSX_68_UK]

Hi,

 

looking to build a system for my dad to replace his power pc based mac. Looking to go for a dual core intel, 4GB ram, 8800gt, and a good motherboard. I expect to pay around 80-90 pounds for the graphics card alone, 60-70 for the ram. I am wondering about which motherboard I should go for.

 

Has anyone built to this sort of spec? I am interested in buying the most compatible hardware I can, since it is not for me, I want as little hassle with it as possible.

 

Cheers

[dopeyo]

free advice: do NOT build a Hackintosh for an older individual. Hackintoshes are great, I love all my little Hackintoshes, but none of them have Apple Care. You might pay an extra 100 - 150 pounds for an I-mac, but it will add years to your lifespan.

 

If you were to bill your support time out at a measly 30 pounds / hour, a Hackintosh for dear old dad is definitely a money-loser. A sleep-loser. H

 

Dopey-o's 4th law of computer science: It's cheaper to spend more money.

[nano2nd]

I would normally agree re: applecare etc but I built a Hack for my son using leftover parts from a previous build. He uses it mainly for Youtube, homework and the flight sim X-Plane. I haven't had to touch it in months apart from to install a new graphics card for him - a Gainward 8800GT.

 

If you get the build right, and disable "check for system updates" it can actually be pretty end-user usable. The one I'm talking to is based on:

 

ECS945GZT-M motherboard

2GB DDR2

8800GT

160GB SATA HDD

 

Has sound, sleep/wake/shutdown, QE/CI etc. Really if you're prepared to get it to a stable point and not go for the system updates immediately, it can be fine.

 

But before I get carried away, you'll always have the concern that Hackintoshes may well be targetted specifically by Apple following their moves against commercial clone makers. I don't intend to invest any further cash in my Hackintoshes just in case they get remote-bricked in the future (I know, pretty unlikely).

[OSX_68_UK]

free advice: do NOT build a Hackintosh for an older individual. Hackintoshes are great, I love all my little Hackintoshes, but none of them have Apple Care. You might pay an extra 100 - 150 pounds for an I-mac, but it will add years to your lifespan.

 

If you were to bill your support time out at a measly 30 pounds / hour, a Hackintosh for dear old dad is definitely a money-loser. A sleep-loser. H

 

Dopey-o's 4th law of computer science: It's cheaper to spend more money.

 

Thanks for the advice, my dad is pretty computer savy, and once I set it up for him (I currently maintain various systems/various OS's) I will keep an eye on it.

 

You say that I may pay 100-150 more for an official macintosh equivalent. Can this be right? The posts I have read about hackintosh's show that they whip Apple products on most benchmarks.