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Build Your Own Mac for $199

Swad

By Swad

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While it was always possible (although costly and time consuming) to cobble together a PowerPC Mac from old and new parts, hardly anyone did it. Now that Apple has introduced OS X for Intel processors, however, it’s conceivable that you could soon be building your own Mac from scratch.

 

One user, CEpeep, shopped around and found everything you’d need to build your own Intel Mac for under $200 - no rebates, no refurbs. Sure, the case is a little ghetto, it's got a 20 gig hard drive, and it’s no Millennium Falcon in terms of speed, but it runs Quartz Extreme and everything else that Tiger x86 requires. Most of us could actually build one for less with a few spare parts we have lying around…well…actually all over.

 

Obviously, there are still many reasons why you’ll want to buy a true Mac – Apple quality and support, the current lack of a legal x86 OS X, etc. But it’s interesting to think that the days of the do-it-yourself Mac may be just around the corner.

 

The list:

Case $9.95: http://www.buypcdirect.com/product.asp?pf_id=cas-ge-lp600

Motherboard $52.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813157075

Processor $60.77: http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=CELE-315BX&src=fr

512 RAM $38.00: http://store.yahoo.com/pcmemory-stores/25pc26stoemf.html

20 Gigabyte HD $25.95: http://www.etech4sale.com/hardware/partinfo-id-1852.html

DVD Drive $12.00: http://www.compuvest.com/Description.jsp?iid=107882

 

Total: $199.66

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guyin916
Considering that 10.4.5 is more strict with regard to hardware, I'd go out on a limb and say maybe. Since I haven;t really tried this, we'd need someone to confirm. But still, 10.4.3 isn't broke, so why not just use that? You can still grab some 10.4.5 kexts if you need to, and everything runs great.

 

This reminds me of those black thursday laptops people were trying to get OS X to run on.

 

well, i'm thinking of building up a little computer.. quiet one.. for linux and xp.. but why not go for osx also? *shrugs*

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JustK

I have done it to :

 

Asrock P4Dual 915GL 50 €

Celeron D 330 (Overclock 3Ghz) 50 €

1 Go DDR400 60 €

40Go HDD (SATA 8Mo cache) 50 €

ATI 9700 Pro 128Mo 70€

DVD-RW Samsung 40 €

D-Link DWL-G520 (For AirPort Extreme) 20€

micro ATX Box 40€

 

A perfect Mac running OSX 10.4.5 flawlessly for 380€.

 

I just need a Mac Keyboard and Mouse now to complete it.

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blackrunnero

Hi there !

I've tried and I've tried and I've tried and I've tried and I've tried and

 

I installed 10.4.6 and everything's fine BUT AUDIO. I've tried both rear and front panel an both BIOS options(HD or Azalia). I installed and edited the ktexts in all ways I found on internet with vendor and device id's in any order... ANYBODY succeded? plsss tellus. Have Luck!!! :censored2:

 

10.4.6 on Asus P5GDC-Deluxe

Intel PIV Prescott 3Ghz, 64bit support

2GB DDRII

GeForce 6600LE

3x160 Maxtor sata2, 1x WDC120 sata 2

OSX86 running on its own HDD

ICH7 C-media 9880 audio

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DickPeter
Hi there !

I've tried and I've tried and I've tried and I've tried and I've tried and

 

I installed 10.4.6 and everything's fine BUT AUDIO. I've tried both rear and front panel an both BIOS options(HD or Azalia). I installed and edited the ktexts in all ways I found on internet with vendor and device id's in any order... ANYBODY succeded? plsss tellus. Have Luck!!! :)

 

10.4.6 on Asus P5GDC-Deluxe

Intel PIV Prescott 3Ghz, 64bit support

2GB DDRII

GeForce 6600LE

3x160 Maxtor sata2, 1x WDC120 sata 2

OSX86 running on its own HDD

ICH7 C-media 9880 audio

 

::cough cough:: I'm sorry, there was dust about an inch thick on this topic.

:graduated:

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Moop
While it was always possible (although costly and time consuming) to cobble together a PowerPC Mac from old and new parts, hardly anyone did it. Now that Apple has introduced OS X for Intel processors, however, it’s conceivable that you could soon be building your own Mac from scratch.

 

One user, CEpeep, shopped around and found everything you’d need to build your own Intel Mac for under $200 - no rebates, no refurbs. Sure, the case is a little ghetto, it's got a 20 gig hard drive, and it’s no Millennium Falcon in terms of speed, but it runs Quartz Extreme and everything else that Tiger x86 requires. Most of us could actually build one for less with a few spare parts we have lying around…well…actually all over.

 

Obviously, there are still many reasons why you’ll want to buy a true Mac – Apple quality and support, the current lack of a legal x86 OS X, etc. But it’s interesting to think that the days of the do-it-yourself Mac may be just around the corner.

 

The list:

Case $9.95: http://www.buypcdirect.com/product.asp?pf_id=cas-ge-lp600

Motherboard $52.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813157075

Processor $60.77: http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=CELE-315BX&src=fr

512 RAM $38.00: http://store.yahoo.com/pcmemory-stores/25pc26stoemf.html

20 Gigabyte HD $25.95: http://www.etech4sale.com/hardware/partinfo-id-1852.html

DVD Drive $12.00: http://www.compuvest.com/Description.jsp?iid=107882

 

Total: $199.66

 

Some time has passed since the original posting of this these links, and as such some of them ddon't link to specific parts on their respective webpages. Does anyone have the specific part list for this $200 machine? I wouldn't mind getting one, but I don't know which parts to get.

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guyin916
Some time has passed since the original posting of this these links, and as such some of them ddon't link to specific parts on their respective webpages. Does anyone have the specific part list for this $200 machine? I wouldn't mind getting one, but I don't know which parts to get.

 

the ideal motherboard would be one that has at least a gma 950 and a dual core w/ vt (if parallels is desired). the price is still above 200 dollars. i have not looked at other video cards yet.

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Korrupted

If you mean custom select parts for a laptop and build it with a custom case, not really. Laptop hardware is designed for a specific case, typically. If you mean buying a laptop that's already been made, why not try the Wiki to see which laptops are the most compatible?

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cyrana

Ok, someone here build a 13.3" laptop for less than Apple sells it. :)

 

I don't think you can build a very 'future proof' Mac for $200 anyway. As some others have posted, a dual-core processor with VT and GMA950 is really about the minimum. IMHO, of course.

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Mr530

why do people want to do this???

 

this is not even acceptable if you ask me.

 

512 mb of ram... when buying a computer 1 gig should be the minimum if u want a chance to last for more than 6 months

 

20 gb harddrive... my ipod has more space than this.... (although it costs more too ahhahah)

 

the proccessor... first off celrons are well... not that great not to mention this one is only clocked at 2.2 ghz. its gonna be slow.

 

well if you ask me this computer would only be good for surfing the internet and using microsoft office. some more advanced programs could be used for the patient user.

 

people be smart and spend a few hundred more bucks and get a computer with MUCH better performance!

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rogabean
why do people want to do this???

 

this is not even acceptable if you ask me.

 

512 mb of ram... when buying a computer 1 gig should be the minimum if u want a chance to last for more than 6 months

 

20 gb harddrive... my ipod has more space than this.... (although it costs more too ahhahah)

 

the proccessor... first off celrons are well... not that great not to mention this one is only clocked at 2.2 ghz. its gonna be slow.

 

well if you ask me this computer would only be good for surfing the internet and using microsoft office. some more advanced programs could be used for the patient user.

 

people be smart and spend a few hundred more bucks and get a computer with MUCH better performance!

 

Newer Celeron D's are not that bad. I have one on one of my systems and run quite a few things with no problem. Nor is 2.2GHz all that bad given the current state of software...

 

I'll agree 512MB RAM isn't that great these days, but it does fine. My main system only has 512 and I've never had too much of an issue. My other systems have 1GB though.

 

This system would be fine for a lot more then just surfing and office as you put it. Hell I'd run World of Warcraft on that machine and personally guarantee it would be fine.

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Mebster

The thing I worry about if I was to build a system is would it be supported when the monthly update release cam out, never mind the next OSX version. You might spend £/$200-2000 building a dream machine only to have it all fall apart or at the least be stuck in one place while the rest of us move on.

 

Anyone have any thoughts about this?

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poofyhairguy
The thing I worry about if I was to build a system is would it be supported when the monthly update release cam out, never mind the next OSX version. You might spend £/$200-2000 building a dream machine only to have it all fall apart or at the least be stuck in one place while the rest of us move on.

 

Anyone have any thoughts about this?

 

Thats why you get a cheap one.....

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