Contribute
Register

[Guide] HP 6300 Pro / HP 8300 Elite - A 100 percent Working and Easily Affordable CustoMac

Status
Not open for further replies.
Just updated one of my HP 8300's (USFF) to Catalina using the fantastic companion guide from @Sniki
Just wanted to say another big thanks to @trs96 and @Sniki for providing these great resources!

Is there another complete machine similar to the HP8300 that also is so easy to hackintosh to use macOS?
Just wondering.
 
Is there another complete machine similar to the HP8300 that also is so easy to hackintosh to use macOS?
There really isn't anything that's as compatible and easy to hackintosh as your HP 8300. Many people like to use the Lenovo M93P Tiny for a Mac mini like hackintosh. There is a guide to follow for that:

The Haswell based Dell Optiplex 7020/9020 is a good choice too. That also comes in USFF/SFF and MT form factors and they are relatively inexpensive to buy. The good thing is that Big Sur works with the Haswell refresh iMac 15,1 or 14,4 SMBIOS and some simple BIOS modding so it's slightly more future proof. I'm expecting it to retain support with macOS 12.0 but we'll only know for sure on June 7th of this year at WWDC.

The first guide I wrote was for Mojave but I've also posted a separate Big Sur/OpenCore guide too.
 
Last edited:
There really isn't anything that's as compatible and easy to hackintosh as your HP 8300.

The Haswell based Dell Optiplex 7020/9020 is a good choice too.

Many thanks @trs96 for your guides to both of these. Due to you I now have one of each :thumbup:

A quick question: could I clone the drive EFI/Macintosh HD from one to use on the other?
The reason I ask is that I have them both hooked up to the same monitor/TV over HDMI and the HP won't let me use Overscan in Displays. The Dell will. Both are at 10.14.6. The Dell has an older version of Clover, and also a Radeon RX560. The HP has a new version of Clover and is using onboard video.

I've tried everything to get Overscan working on the HP. It did work once or twice early on when I first connected it to this TV, but I've had no luck since then. If it's possible, cloning one drive to the other would be the easiest solution.
 
could I clone the drive EFI/Macintosh HD from one to use on the other?
Don't think that will work or resolve your problems. The Dell is Haswell based and the 8300 is Ivy Bridge. The EFI folder and config.plists have many differences that don't transfer from one to the other.

If you have working, natively supported wifi on the HP you could try using AirPlay to an Airplay enabled TV or at least one with Apple TV connected to it. Another thing you could try is using SwitchResEx app on the HP hackintosh to find a resolution that will fit.
 
Last edited:
Don't think that will work or resolve your problems. The Dell is Haswell based and the 8300 is Ivy Bridge. The EFI folder and config.plists have many differences that don't transfer from one to the other.

Thanks, that makes sense. I've tried some other solutions but haven't had any luck, and the TV is what I have. It's usable with the reduced screen area, but since it basically only runs one program, OBS, I'm thinking of installing Windows again on that machine to see what happens. o_O
 
After installing the MSI LP 4GB RX 560, my HP 8300 Elite SFF (i7-3770 / Mojave 10.14.6) behaves fine until after the Apple loading screen, which is when the screen goes black, and the fans spin at full speed. Any ideas? WhateverGreen and Lilu are both where they need to be. My system worked fine with a GT710. My system definition is macmini 6,2. Any help would be much appreciated!
 
Last edited:
After installing the MSI LP 4GB RX 560, my HP 8300 Elite SFF (i7-3770 / Mojave 10.14.6) behaves fine until after the Apple loading screen, which is when the screen goes black, and the fans spin at full speed. Any ideas? WhateverGreen and Lilu are both where they need to be. My system worked fine with a GT710. My system definition is macmini 6,2. Any help would be much appreciated!
What brand of RX 560 are you using ? Are you connected to the DP, HDMI or DVI output ? Are you using a PC monitor or a television ? Have you tried any other system definitions ? When you boot verbose, what information does that give you ?
 
Last edited:
What brand of RX 560 are you using ? Are you connected to the DP, HDMI or DVI output ? Are you using a PC monitor or a television ? Have you tried any other system definitions ? When you boot verbose, what information does that give you ?
Thank you for the quick reply!

MSI low profile RX 560.

Two computer monitors; one is connected to the display port, and one is connected via hdmi.

I have not tried other system definitions.

Verbose information goes by way too quickly to see what it says.
 
Two computer monitors; one is connected to the display port, and one is connected via hdmi.
Try booting with just one monitor and see if anything changes.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top