Hackintosh alternative to Mac Mini?

[WiltsMac]

Dear All,

 

I am currently still using my ancient Power Mac G4, running OS X 10.5.8. Despite the various upgrades I've made over the years (hard drive, memory, graphics card) it is now really showing its age, and isn't really fast enough for me to work with RAW photographs and movies and TV shows from iTunes don't play back very well.

 

I have been thinking about getting a Mac Mini, but I am put off by the lack of expansion it offers. Needless to say a Mac Pro is beyond my budget! I have therefore started to think about going down the Hackintosh route, and I've been reading through these forums trying to understand all that is involved.

 

I am comfortable working with computers. I haven't built one from scratch before, but I have replaced all of the parts in my old PC many times over, including the processor. What I am less clear about is exactly what I should buy for this project, as everything seems to move so quickly in the OSx86 community, and that's where I'm hoping for some advice from the forum.

 

I'd like to build a fairly basic, but workable, Hackintosh as an alternative to buying a Mac Mini. Here are the sorts of things I'd need it to do: I'd like to be able to work with RAW photos in iPhoto and possible Aperture, and I'd like to be able to watch HD video content from the iTunes Store. I would also like to use both the Elgato USB Video Capture device to digitise my old VHS tapes, and perhaps later one of their Eye TV tuners. I have an M-Audio USB Transit sound 'card', which I'd like to be able to use if possible. It would be helpful to be able to use Windows XP or 7 in a VM, if only to transfer video from my DVD-Ram discs using software I have that only works under XP. I plan to connect to the internet using WiFi. So, 3D gaming isn't a priority, but I do want to be able to make good use of the computer, and expand it in future if the need arises.

 

In terms of the installation, I would prefer to use a Boot loader and a retail install of OS X 10.6, rather than performing any Kernel hacks (like the LifeHacker example). I'd also like to have Mac OS X recognise the processor so that I could install things like Silverlight without any issues. I'd also like to be able to install the OS updates from Apple and, once the installation is completed, boot from the internal Hard Disk.

 

I don't have many components that I plan to reuse for this project (possible only the IDE DVD-Ram drive) so I am starting with a clean slate. What would your recommendations be for a cheap but useable system? I gather that the choice of motherboard is crucial, so I would especially appreciate some views on this. I live in the UK, and prices are generally higher than in the United States, but I would hope to be able to put this together for less than the cost of a new Mac Mini.

 

I realise that this won't be something I can set up as easily as a newly purchased Mac, but I would like to take the chance to have some fun putting everything together, and perhaps save some money too!

 

Thank you in advance for any help or advice you may be able to give.

 

Best Wishes,

 

WiltsMac

[MacModifier]

Sounds like you want everything to be perfect out of the box and not have any issues or problems down the road. I don't know if that is possible. I can't speak to all the things you are wanting your Hackintosh to do but I can tell you about my Hackintosh. It is running really stable right now. Was very easy to set up. Cost more than 600 dollars though, I would say in the performance area it is closer to a Mac Pro.

 

I can speak to the Elgato USB Eye TV tuners. I have one of these and am running it perfectly on my Hackintosh, not an issue. And, I can record shows that I watch on the Elgato tuner.

 

 

As far as the easiest way of building it, I have found Lifehacker method worked great for me. Here is the link to my thread if you want to read about it.

 

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=187358

 

Last there are so many, many options out there, best of luck.

[WiltsMac]

Hi All,

Firstly thanks to MacModifier for the reply. I appreciate your taking the time.

 

Just to clarify, I’m comfortable using the command line, and as long as I can find relevant guides and drivers on the internet, I feel confident that I can make the take the necessary steps to get everything up and running. I know that this is never going to be as simple as setting up a new Mac, but I enjoy a challenge and learning new things. I was impressed with the LifeHacker install, but understand it might not always be so easy.

 

I know that I’ll have to force some extra drivers in to get everything working, and I’m not too worried about things like sleep mode, so I’m just hoping it will be possible to put together a good value system with some potential for future upgrading.

 

I just want to make sure I get off to the best possible start by using the most compatible hardware available. I don’t need anything too cutting edge, so I’m hoping to get some advice as to some reliable solutions. In particular, I want to make sure I get the best mainboard for the job, and then pair it with a solid processor and graphics card, so any advice anyone could offer about the best choices here would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for any additional advice anyone may be able to give. Best Wishes,

 

WiltsMac

 

P.S. �" Moderators �" Should this discussion be moved to the “Buying Thoughts, Reviews, and Recommendations” forum? Sorry if I have posed to the wrong place!

[kamikaze]

Personally I won't even bother with a hackintosh and go straight to a MacMini

Actually wait a few more weeks, new updates are rumored to be in the pipe.

 

The MacMini is probable the only model that is worth its price.

[Thymallus]

Hi

 

I'm new to hackintosh and looking for a thing middle of a Mac Mini and iMmac.

After reading lots of post here I hesited on a Gigabyte Motherboard [GA-G31M-ES2L (rev 1.x) or GA-G41M-ES2L or EG41MF-US2H for example, but read here and you find lot of alternative) or a little less expensive Shuttle K45.

 

This post may help you http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=99009

 

So (thank to Eliade and other work) I ordered a Shuttle K45se (seems like a K45 with an optical drive and two more USB in front) and plan to do a Snow Leopard retail install with the help of this post http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=185123

 

For CPU it will be a E5200 or E7400 (if someone have advice I'd like to know).

 

Good search.

 

PS : sorry my english is not as good as I like.

[MacModifier]

Hi

 

I'm new to hackintosh and looking for a thing middle of a Mac Mini and iMmac.

After reading lots of post here I hesited on a Gigabyte Motherboard [GA-G31M-ES2L (rev 1.x) or GA-G41M-ES2L or EG41MF-US2H for example, but read here and you find lot of alternative) or a little less expensive Shuttle K45.

 

This post may help you http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=99009

 

So (thank to Eliade and other work) I ordered a Shuttle K45se (seems like a K45 with an optical drive and two more USB in front) and plan to do a Snow Leopard retail install with the help of this post http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=185123

 

For CPU it will be a E5200 or E7400 (if someone have advice I'd like to know).

 

Good search.

 

PS : sorry my english is not as good as I like.

 

 

Wow those shuttle computers are neat, does not look like they are very expandable but man they are cheap on the wallet.

 

http://us.shuttle.com/barebone/WhereToBuy.htm

 

http://www.newegg.com/Store/Brand.aspx?Bra...amp;Tpk=Shuttle