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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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pabloX

It seems like everyone is getting WAY off topic with this one, could we please get back on to it?

 

I would like to know if anyone has bought the exact same products as listed on the $199 Mac list?

 

The RAM listed is 266, when I think it needs DDR333 or 400 to work. Also, someone said the Case wasn't good because it would interfere with cooling.

 

I am looking to buy the exact same stuff, and would like to hear a success story.

 

thanks

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pandy
It seems like everyone is getting WAY off topic with this one, could we please get back on to it?

 

I would like to know if anyone has bought the exact same products as listed on the $199 Mac list? 

 

The RAM listed is 266, when I think it needs DDR333 or 400 to work. Also, someone said the Case wasn't good because it would interfere with cooling.

 

I am looking to buy the exact same stuff, and would like to hear a success story.

 

thanks

 

 

Well tbh I'd given up on getting a reply about that, it would seem everyone who bought stuff changed it around and tweaked it a little.

 

However, out of pure frustration I phoned the head tech at Asrock (eastern origin very hard to understand) and he said that with a Celeron D clocked at 533 the board would work with 266 ram.

 

I would imagine this is because half of 533 is 266, that's how he explained it to me.

 

He said if you want to use a P4 with an 800mhz FSB you need to use either 333 or 400mhz ram.

 

I would imagine that Asrock are pimping this board as hard as possible toward the "build a low end P4 system" crowd, trying to make a P4 system look cheap whilst forgetting about the Celeron.

 

So, according to Asrock themselves with a 533 Celeron D and 266 ram you shouldnt have any problems.

 

There, nicely back onto the topic :(

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physh

I have the following :

 

Antec Minuet II

Asrock P4Dual-915GL

Pentium 4 2.533 GHz (SSE2) FSB 533 + Thermalright SLK900 copper heatsink + Papst 90 mm fan

2*256 DDR SDRAM PC3200 Kingston Value

40 Gb Maxtor DiamondMax 8 PATA with SATA converter (Silicon Image)

Pioneer DVD reader 106S

 

I installed it from the Generic-tiger.iso image available you know where...

 

The installation was fine but the keyboard doesn't work (so, I can't go through the registration).

 

Some help is needed before I buy a cheap chinese USB keyboard.

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exy

Hi,

 

are you using PS/2 or USB keyboard? try USB one.

 

I did not came accross KB/mouse issue niether w/ iso image nor patched DVD

installation. I'm using wireless keyboard n mouse via PS/2.

 

exy

 

I have the following :

 

Antec Minuet II

Asrock P4Dual-915GL

Pentium 4 2.533 GHz (SSE2) FSB 533 + Thermalright SLK900 copper heatsink + Papst 90 mm fan

2*256 DDR SDRAM PC3200 Kingston Value

40 Gb Maxtor DiamondMax 8 PATA with SATA converter (Silicon Image)

Pioneer DVD reader 106S

 

I installed it from the Generic-tiger.iso image available you know where...

 

The installation was fine but the keyboard doesn't work (so, I can't go through the registration).

 

Some help is needed before I buy a cheap chinese USB keyboard.

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cyrana

I'd just like to note that that ASRock board does have problems with ADD2-N cards, so don't get one if you want to use the onboard video over DVI with one of those cards.

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blahsucks

I really, really recommend buying a PC (or building one) that will ALSO run Windows. You can't be dependent on this dev release; no one is sure if the final will be so easy to fix.

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drcreek

I did a quick glance though so flame me if if you heard this before.

 

What other hardware could i use since newegg is in the US and i'm in the UK and fancy building me a "hackintosh". I can't aford an Offical Mac, don't fancy linux & I'm fed up with Windows which i'd still use but only for gaming. So Could someone with more knowhow of mainly motherboards help me find a kit in the uk http://www.ebuyer.com is quite well known as the cheapest around.

 

If anyone could i'd be pleased as punch. but i think it should go in the first post anyway. as a UK/Eruope alturnative

 

 

(forgive spellings and grammer, so dyslexic i can't spell G.C.S.E)

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pandy

God what a piggin nightmare !

 

8 hours ago I was happily sitting here typing a reply when my system froze and rebooted.

 

8 hours of troubleshooting later and I can safely say that 266 ram DOES NOT WORK in those asrock boards.

 

Admin, I would remove the link to that DDR, find some 333-400 and replace it <_<

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physh
God what a piggin nightmare !

 

8 hours ago I was happily sitting here typing a reply when my system froze and rebooted.

 

8 hours of troubleshooting later and I can safely say that 266 ram DOES NOT WORK in those asrock boards.

 

Admin, I would remove the link to that DDR, find some 333-400 and replace it <_<

 

It depends of your processor...

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Omega01

What do you think of the following constellation for an intel-Mac:

 

1 Asus P5GDC-V Deluxe

1 Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 630

2 Buffalo DIMM 512 MB DDR2-533

1 Maxtor 7Y250M0

1 Apple Keyboard

1 Apple Mouse

 

Has acutally anybody tried, using the original Apple USB Keyboard and Mouse with OSX86?

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pandy
It depends of your processor...

 

 

533 bus celeron d.

 

I was assured by asrock my ram would work...

 

Oddly the ram that didnt work was crucial ram, however, the other ram I have works perfectly and I am now on my macintel.

 

I havent installed that other OS yet, but ill get back to you when I do ;)

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Reiab
Has acutally anybody tried, using the original Apple USB Keyboard and Mouse with OSX86?

 

Yes, it works just fine. But it's not necessary, a standard USB keybord will work, the windows key sends the same input signal as the Mac button, so it all works out ;)

~Reiab~

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bluedragon1971
Has acutally anybody tried, using the original Apple USB Keyboard and Mouse with OSX86?

 

No, but I may try it later. I have the USB keyboard and mouse from an old PowerMac G3. I have no reason to believe that it wouldn't work right though. I've used my Microsoft Natrual Keyboard Pro on both PowerPC and x86 versions of OS X and it behaves exactly the same on both.

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pandy

OK here it is.

 

It's not finished yet but as soon as the other parts arrive it will be.

 

Thoughts guys?

 

I might enter it into a mod competition, not sure yet :)

 

Its set to change pretty much over the next couple of weeks, and itll only get better :D

 

 

Clicky - Radiomactive

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Mage66

I bought the ASROCK Logic Board, and a Celeron D 2.9ghz Processor from Tiger. I already had a 20gb IDE Hard Drive (Apple), and a DVD ROM. I bought a case locally at CompUSA.

 

I also have RAM here.

 

But, after getting it mostly together I have several questions..

 

1. The motherboard only has ONE IDE Port. So, the HD and the DVD Drive share the same channel. This is going to slow the HD down to the access speed of the DVD ROM.

 

2. How does one get the image onto the Hard Drive? I've downloaded DD, and followed the instructions on the webpage for putting the image from the VMWARE version onto my drive, but it won't work.

 

It says the source image cannot be opened because it is already in use. Except, I'm NOT using it, and never did. I simply expanded the Gzip file to a directory.

 

Once I get this image onto an IDE HD, can I transfer it to a SATA Drive? Does anyone have that working?

 

Is there an easier way to get the OS onto my drive and have it be as fast as possible?

 

Thanks!!!

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Guest terry
1. The motherboard only has ONE IDE Port. So, the HD and the DVD Drive share the same channel. This is going to slow the HD down to the access speed of the DVD ROM.
No, generally it's not slowing it down (due to independent device timing). Only in the very rare case when you try to access both devices on the bus simultaneously there might be a minor performance drop.

 

http://www.storagereview.com/guide2000/ref...erformance.html

 

You can however, connect on of your drives to an SATA port via a converter board, if you like to. In my personal opinion, however, this is just a waste of money, considering the age of your old hard drive. Better get yourself a proper, new one with an SATA interface.

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Mage66
No, generally it's not slowing it down (due to independent device timing). Only in the very rare case when you try to access both devices on the bus simultaneously there might be a minor performance drop.

 

http://www.storagereview.com/guide2000/ref...erformance.html

 

You can however, connect on of your drives to an SATA port via a converter board, if you like to. In my personal opinion, however, this is just a waste of money, considering the age of your old hard drive. Better get yourself a proper, new one with an SATA interface.

 

Well, I'm just trying to replicate the success with the $199 special.

 

I'm using less RAM, (256mb to start) but am using mostly the same pieces as this article calls for.

 

Same Motherboard, Faster Processor and same HDD. If a SATA drive works, I'll get one later and upgrade to it.

 

I've tried several times today to put the image on the drive without success.

 

I'm currently using DD on my G4 to put the image on the drive. Disk Image.app didn't work. Or, at least.. The drive wasn't bootable when it was done.

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barfarf

I bought the Asrock board and used a P4 3.2ghz processor. Reburned the native install DVD with the oahd750 file patch (or whatever the hell it's called) replaced. Quartz extreme worked off the bat, and I had to add the sound file from the darwin disc to make it work. Aside from that, things seem okay.

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Mage66
I bought the Asrock board and used a P4 3.2ghz processor. Reburned the native install DVD with the oahd750 file patch (or whatever the hell it's called) replaced. Quartz extreme worked off the bat, and I had to add the sound file from the darwin disc to make it work. Aside from that, things seem okay.

 

I don't have a "Native Install DVD" or know about any patches to it.

 

Can you point me to where this patch is?

 

This is VERY frustrating.

 

Because all the docs I can find say that DD'ing the DeadMoo Image works.

 

But, I've done it 3 times, and it doesn't work.

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barfarf
I don't have a "Native Install DVD" or know about any patches to it.

 

Can you point me to where this patch is?

 

This is VERY frustrating.

 

Because all the docs I can find say that DD'ing the DeadMoo Image works.

 

But, I've done it 3 times, and it doesn't work.

Sorry I missed this the first time around. If you haven't gotten this working yet, you can google for either of these torrents:

 

[removed]

 

The deadmoo version would probably suit you better (not to be confused with the deadmoo VMware image - this particular torrent is an install disc) mainly because if you want to apply patcher files (ppf) files to it, you'll get the proper md5 checksums that people have posted.

 

 

 

This particular set of instructions may or may not help you since I already have a couple of macintosh computers and could follow these verbatim to create my DVD. I have no doubt that there are equivalent ways to accomplish this on the PC:

 

http://forum.osx86project.org/index.php?s=...findpost&p=3347

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