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

[longhitter]

Hey Domokun,

wanted to say thanks! Just built your Hackingtosh with all the components. Works perfectly and is a lot faster then you would think!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[teka5]

Hi Domokun, thanks for sharing this cheap build, it's quite impressive! I'm a beginner in Hackintoshing, so some of my questions might sound stupid:

- Did you or people with a similar build managed to make iMovie, Garage Band and Final Cut work ?

- I don't have access to any Mac computer, and want to install SL, then Lion using the retail version of SL. Will I be able to do so on this build ?

I want to operate a few minor changes, let me know if you think it will work:

- Video Card: You said an Nvidia Geforce 520 would work better then a 210, which brand would you recommend?

- HDD: I want to go for a Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200RPM (only 10$ more than the WD Caviar Blue 500GB), do you know if it is compatible with build?

Thanks in advance.

 

[giacomo892]

I sightly modified your build adding an Intel G630 (Sandy Bridge) and an NVIDIA 520GT:

http://www.bpm-power.com/it/product...n520gt_md1gd3h_lp_29_5Bn520gt_md1gd3h_5D.html

plus 8GB DDR3 ram. Do you think this will work ok?

 

[Dewitts]

Hi I was looking on the HCL and there doesn't seem to be a section for wireless keyboards and mice so I did a quick search on here and you were the second post.
I just wanted you to confirm is Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 800 is fully compatible with 10.7.4 please?

 

[Domokun]

I'm going to be building "PovoMac" 2.0 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for further updates. I'll also include video tutorials with "PovoMac" 2.0 to better assist you all with your own builds.

Just built your Hackingtosh with all the components. Works perfectly and is a lot faster then you would think!

Thanks for sharing your positive experience. I agree, "PovoMac" is much faster than the price would indicate.

Did you or people with a similar build managed to make iMovie, Garage Band and Final Cut work?

The latest version of Final Cut Pro X worked fine. As a matter of fact, I used "PovoMac" to create the following video:

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N1eIMKULTg[/VIDEO]

I don't have access to any Mac computer, and want to install SL, then Lion using the retail version of SL. Will I be able to do so on this build?

Yes.

Video Card: You said an Nvidia Geforce 520 would work better then a 210, which brand would you recommend?

Any brand/model will work fine as long as it is a reference design.

HDD: I want to go for a Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200RPM (only 10$ more than the WD Caviar Blue 500GB), do you know if it is compatible with build?

It will be compatible, but keep in mind that if it uses 4K sectors (as opposed to 512B sectors), you may have to manually fix the boot loader (as detailed in the original post).

Thanks in advance.

You're welcome. Good luck!

Do you think this will work ok?

It should work fine.

I just wanted you to confirm is Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 800 is fully compatible with 10.7.4 please?

I can confirm that it works without issue.

 

[giacomo892]

Thanks very much. Do you mind filming a mini review of your Hack?

 

[Dewitts]

I'm going to be building "PovoMac" 2.0 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for further updates. I'll also include video tutorials with "PovoMac" 2.0 to better assist you all with your own builds.

Just built your Hackingtosh with all the components. Works perfectly and is a lot faster then you would think!

Thanks for sharing your positive experience. I agree, "PovoMac" is much faster than the price would indicate.

Did you or people with a similar build managed to make iMovie, Garage Band and Final Cut work?

The latest version of Final Cut Pro X worked fine. As a matter of fact, I used "PovoMac" to create the following video:

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N1eIMKULTg[/VIDEO]

I don't have access to any Mac computer, and want to install SL, then Lion using the retail version of SL. Will I be able to do so on this build?

Yes.

Video Card: You said an Nvidia Geforce 520 would work better then a 210, which brand would you recommend?

Any brand/model will work fine as long as it is a reference design.

HDD: I want to go for a Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200RPM (only 10$ more than the WD Caviar Blue 500GB), do you know if it is compatible with build?

It will be compatible, but keep in mind that if it uses 4K sectors (as opposed to 512B sectors), you may have to manually fix the boot loader (as detailed in the original post).

Thanks in advance.

You're welcome. Good luck!

Do you think this will work ok?

It should work fine.

I just wanted you to confirm is Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 800 is fully compatible with 10.7.4 please?

I can confirm that it works without issue.

Thank you muchly

 

[teka5]

Domo arigato Domo-kun

 

[the_gael]

Excellent thread - found this as I was browsing and thinking about my latest project - G4 Quicksilver hack going for a lo-cost build.

I am going to go for a G540 using a GA-H61M-S2V-B3 motherboard, I already have a WD Blue which I removed from my G5 Hack when I upgraded it.

Glad I found this thread

 

[DoubleDroz]

This is awesome - I've screwed around with a few different old PCs trying to make them work, and this seems like the most awesome and easy convergence of everything I want in a basic web acces computer.

Boom!

Looking forward to PovoMac 2.0!