$295 "PovoMac" — The Cheapest "Hackintosh" Ever!

[Domokun]

$295 "PovoMac"
Intel Celeron G530, Gigabyte GA-H61M-D2-B3 (F8), Galaxy Nvidia GeForce 210

Artist's rendition of how "PovoMac" would appear with custom paint work.​

Components

Aywun A1-101 (Micro ATX Form Factor, 18cm x 36cm x 39cm)
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-350-Watt-Supply-RC-360-KKR1/dp/B001U3YJMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121261&sr=1-1 [Alternative]

Intel Celeron G530 (Dual Core, 2.4GHz, 2MB Cache, 65W TDP, VT-x Support)
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-G530-CACHE-Processor-BX80623G530/dp/B005LTU54Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121563&sr=1-1

Gigabyte GA-H61M-D2-B3 (H61 Express Chipset, Micro ATX Form Factor, F8 BIOS)
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GA-H61M-D2-B3-LGA1155-uATX/dp/B004Q5W7FQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121580&sr=1-1

Galaxy Nvidia GeForce 210 (DDR3, 1GB, DVI, HDMI, VGA)
http://www.amazon.com/EN210-SILENT-1GD3-V2-LP/dp/B004I8W4VI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121650&sr=1-1 [Alternative]

GSkill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT (DDR3, 4GB, 2x2GB, 1333MHz, CL9)
http://www.amazon.com/G-SKILL-240-Pin-Channel-Desktop-F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT/dp/B0023RXMBW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121796&sr=1-3

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX (500GB, 7200RPM, 16MB Cache, 512B Sector Size)
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Cache-Desktop/dp/B00461G3MS/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121858&sr=1-7

Sony AD7280SGB (DVDRW)
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-AD-7280S-0B-Internal-Drive-Black/dp/B0057FRTPW/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121919&sr=1-4

Aywun A1-2000 (320W PSU, ATX Form Factor, Included with Aywun A1-101)
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-350-Watt-Supply-RC-360-KKR1/dp/B001U3YJMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329121261&sr=1-1 [Alternative]


Already Owned

Apple Macintosh OSX Lion (10.7 updated to 10.7.3)
http://www.apple.com/macosx/how-to-buy/

BenQ GL 2040 Monitor (Dual Display, 20", 1600x900, DVI, VGA)
http://www.amazon.com/Acer-G205HV-Class-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B005HYDFPQ/ref=sr_1_19?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1329122091&sr=1-19 [Alternative]

Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 800 (USB)
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-2LF-00001-Wireless-Desktop-800/dp/B003SVSJ1K/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329122149&sr=1-1

Microsoft Wireless Mouse 1000 (USB)
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-2LF-00001-Wireless-Desktop-800/dp/B003SVSJ1K/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329122149&sr=1-1

Logitech LS11 Speakers (Stereo)
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-LS11-Stereo-Speaker-System/dp/B0015BYQJE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329122191&sr=1-1


Comments

"PovoMac" was constructed to be a low cost solution for experimentation with IOS and OSX design/development and features only the bare essentials to utilise applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Apple Xcode.

"PovoMac" can be purchased and assembled for $295 AUD (excluding keyboard, monitor, mouse, and speakers). I believe this is the cheapest "Hackintosh" that has not used recycled (i.e. second hand) components and is fully compatible with OSX Lion 10.7-10.7.3. All of the components were purchased through Australian retailers, hence, the total cost may vary depending on your location.

MultiBeast 4.2.1 configuration for OSX Lion 10.7-10.7.3.

Results for Geekbench 2.2.6 (32-Bit).

Results for Geekbench 2.2.6 (64-Bit).​

"PovoMac" has the following functionality:

Audio: Yes!
Dual Display: Yes!
DVDRW: Yes!
Network: Yes!
Sleep Mode: Yes!
USB: Yes!
Video Acceleration: Yes! (QE/CI)


Potential Issues

Issue #1 - Dual Display Broken: This issue is a simple fix, but caused much frustration during the troubleshooting process. Basically, both monitors need to be analogue signals (i.e. VGA) or digital signals (i.e. DVI), they cannot be mixed. So the following combinations will work for the Galaxy Nvidia GeForce 210 video card: DVI/HDMI (using two DVI cables with a DVI-HDMI adapter), DVI/VGA (using two DVI cables with a DVI-VGA adapter), VGA/DVI (using two VGA cables with a VGA-DVI adapter), and VGA/HDMI (using two VGA cables with a VGA-HDMI adapter).

Issue #2 - Chimera Installation Won't "Stick": You may find that after running MultiBeast, the Chimera installation won't "stick" and the SATA hard drive cannot be booted without the use of the UniBeast USB flash drive. Basically, the cause is "advanced format" hard drives with 4K sector sizes (as opposed to 512B). If you have an "advanced format" hard drive (i.e. you didn't purchase the hard drive recommended in the components list above), you will need to do the following:

- Download the standalone Chimera installer from the downloads section.
- Extract the PKG file using the UnPKG application.
- Copy the extracted file "boot1h" to the root directory of the UniBeast USB flash drive.
- Restart the computer and press "F12" to boot from the UniBeast USB flash drive and run the OSX Lion installer.
- Once the installer has loaded, select your language, continue, and then agree.
- Select the "Utilities" top menu and open "Disk Utility".
- Unmount the OSX Lion partition (i.e. the SATA hard drive partition).
- Close "Disk Utility" and open "Terminal" from the same "Utilities" top menu.
- Type diskutil list and take note of the properties relating to the OSX Lion partition and your USB device.
- Change directory to the root of your USB device by typing cd /Volumes/USB ("USB" may vary depending on the volume name, if you have left the volume name blank it will be cd /Volumes/NO\ NAME).
- Type: dd if=boot1h of=/dev/rdisk0s2 (this path may vary) and hit the "Enter" key.
- Close "Terminal" and shut down the computer.
- Remove the UniBeast USB flash drive and turn on the computer.
- Hopefully, the Chimera boot loader will now function correctly.

 

[samisnake]

lol soupkitchenmac

i quite like the look of that case painted, i gotta say

 

[Domokun]

I have added Geekbench scores to the original post, for those who are interested.

 

[xXxJeremy71xXx]

Hey I always wanted to make a build but the fact that I could be spending a fair amount of money without success stopped me. This build seems like the perfect machine since I just want to run OS X and do basic things like use the web, media and things like that. I have a question about the hard drives though. How can I figure out if my hard drive is an advanced format one? I'm looking to use a hard drive I own to cut down the costs even further.

Thanks

 

[kpy_here]

Can you please tell me how you have managed to enable graphic acceleration. ?
I have the G530, the GT210 512 from Palit and an H61N-USB3.
I can;t get the graphic acceleration to work.
Also, the processor is listed as i7 in the " About this mac "

 

[Branhower]

Edit: I should have clicked the link for the case. Early morning wake up mistake.

 

[Domokun]

How can I figure out if my hard drive is an advanced format one? I'm looking to use a hard drive I own to cut down the costs even further.

Most manufacturers should list the sector size of their hard drives on their website. It'll be either 512B or 4K (advanced format). Failing that, a quick google search should give you an answer. You won't notice any performance decreases using an advanced format hard drive, it just requires a bit more work to get the boot loader working correctly.

Can you please tell me how you have managed to enable graphic acceleration?

What have you tried (or what hasn't worked) that has led you to believe that QE/CI is disabled? Mine worked without any injection (i.e. EFI string or kexts). All I had was GraphicsEnabler=Yes and that's it.

This is fantastic, and would be even cheaper is hard-drives weren't obscenely expensive right now (even after production has recommenced)! Great and thorough build!

Thank you. You're absolutely right, the mechanical hard drives are ridiculously expensive currently. They're still double the price in comparison to when production was normal. Once prices regulate, it shouldn't be too hard to get "PovoMac" under $250.

 

[schreiberstein]

The cheapest hack should be called Hobo-Mac :-D

 

[Domokun]

The cheapest hack should be called Hobo-Mac...

Well, that's what "povo" means... "poverty".

 

[kpy_here]

Issue #2 - Chimera Installation Won't "Stick": You may find that after running MultiBeast, the Chimera installation won't "stick" and the SATA hard drive cannot be booted without the use of the UniBeast USB flash drive. Basically, the cause is "advanced format" hard drives with 4K sector sizes (as opposed to 512B). If you have an "advanced format" hard drive (i.e. you didn't purchase the hard drive recommended in the components list above), you will need to do the following:

- Download the standalone Chimera installer from the downloads section.
- Extract the PKG file using the UnPKG application.
- Copy the extracted file "boot1h" to the root directory of the UniBeast USB flash drive.
- Restart the computer and press "F12" to boot from the UniBeast USB flash drive and run the OSX Lion installer.
- Once the installer has loaded, select your language, continue, and then agree.
- Select the "Utilities" top menu and open "Disk Utility".
- Unmount the OSX Lion partition (i.e. the SATA hard drive partition).
- Close "Disk Utility" and open "Terminal" from the same "Utilities" top menu.
- Type: dd if=boot1h of=/dev/rdisk0s2 and hit the "Enter" key.
- Close "Terminal" and shut down the computer.
- Remove the UniBeast USB flash drive and turn on the computer.
- Hopefully, the Chimera boot loader will now function correctly.

I've done every step indicated, but when i press enter, after typing the command, terminal returns the following error: dd: boot1h: No such file or directory

What can i do ?
I am trying to install OSX on a 2 TB seagate drive.