Am I missing the point?

[CamStLouis]

Hi everyone,

I'm considering building a hackintosh, and I wondered what you folks thought of my reasons for doing so (read: am I barking mad or not?). I need computing power for two purposes: Photo/video editing and gaming. A/V stuff is better on a Mac, but gaming is arguably better (i.e. higher compatibility) on a Windows machine. Rather than buy a new Mac to replace my aging 2010 Macbook Pro, I'm considering building a Hackintosh that can dual-boot to Windows for gaming, and OSX for A/V.

The purpose of this is consolidate my computing power into one machine (and therefore hopefully have more overall), rather than having a games console for games, and a Mac for creative stuff.

Is building a dual-boot machine following one of the compatible parts guides here a feasible plan without too many headaches? And more importantly, can I get good graphics processing ability for at or below the cost of a middle-tier Mac pro?

I'm sure you guys get questions like this a lot, so I appreciate your patience in answering yet another one. I don't have a lot of experience mucking around inside of computers, but I can pick up new skills fast. Assuming I follow the directions to the letter, is this something I should attempt on my own?

Essentially, if I follow the guide carefully using the most compatible parts possible, am I still likely to spend a significant portion of my time troubleshooting issues with Final Cut or current-generation games?

Thanks very much for weighing in...

 

[nobodynose]

The purpose of this is consolidate my computing power into one machine (and therefore hopefully have more overall), rather than having a games console for games, and a Mac for creative stuff.

Sounds like a good rationale for building a hackintosh.

Is building a dual-boot machine following one of the compatible parts guides here a feasible plan without too many headaches?

Lots and lots of folks do it, so it must be pretty straightforward. There is a subforum on multi-booting (http://www.tonymacx86.com/multi-booting/), and a well-written guide on setting up a Windows/OS X dual-boot system (http://www.tonymacx86.com/multi-booting/96000-guide-dual-booting-mountain-lion-windows-8-a.html).

And more importantly, can I get good graphics processing ability for at or below the cost of a middle-tier Mac pro?

There's really no such thing as a middle-tier Mac Pro if you ask me! I guess it's a matter of perspective. I'm not a gamer, so I can't speak from personal experience on gaming graphics, but again, lots of folks here do exactly what you're planning to do. I would start by looking in the User Builds section for dual-boot gaming builds that others have done, to get ideas.

I don't have a lot of experience mucking around inside of computers, but I can pick up new skills fast. Assuming I follow the directions to the letter, is this something I should attempt on my own?

Essentially, if I follow the guide carefully using the most compatible parts possible, am I still likely to spend a significant portion of my time troubleshooting issues with Final Cut or current-generation games?

From the questions you've asked, I think you're intelligent enough (and also humble enough) to do it - there's a wealth of resources on this site and lots of people willing and able to help with the rough parts.

 

[CamStLouis]

Hey, thanks so much for your response. So, in your opinion as long as I don't go crazy with non-recommended hardware, applications will run properly and I won't run into too many bugs? I only tend to update if there's a security necessity. I don't need iToilet5.0 integration or bullsh*t peripherals. Just a keyboard, mouse and usb inputs.

 

[nobodynose]

Hey, thanks so much for your response. So, in your opinion as long as I don't go crazy with non-recommended hardware, applications will run properly and I won't run into too many bugs? I only tend to update if there's a security necessity. I don't need iToilet5.0 integration or bullsh*t peripherals. Just a keyboard, mouse and usb inputs.

I think you'll be fine - sticking with hardware from the Buyer's Guide is a good idea, especially for first-timers.

 

[Ash27]

Hi everyone,

Is building a dual-boot machine following one of the compatible parts guides here a feasible plan without too many headaches? And more importantly, can I get good graphics processing ability for at or below the cost of a middle-tier Mac pro?

For dual-boot the best option in my opinion is to use a separate drive for each OS. It's very straight forward, install a drive then install one OS on it, replace it with another drive and install the other OS. After that install them both, next time you boot you can either select which drive to boot into from BOIS or from the Clover boot screen (it will automatically list all available drives and or partitions) It's that simple, also this way if there's a problem with one OS or drive the other will not be affected. A word of caution though, and this should apply to any way you use to dual-boot. I use Paragon HFS on Windows 10 to be able to read and write on Mac partitions, Windows 10 has a backup tool like Time Machine which decided to use a Mac partition to backup to (I think it was the one with the most empty space) and when I booted into OSX I found that it couldn't mount it. So if you're in a situation like this make sure that Windows doesn't use Mac partitions for backup by checking the settings.

 

[CamStLouis]

For dual-boot the best option in my opinion is to use a separate drive for each OS. It's very straight forward, install a drive then install one OS on it, replace it with another drive and install the other OS. After that install them both, next time you boot you can either select which drive to boot into from BOIS or from the Clover boot screen (it will automatically list all available drives and or partitions) It's that simple, also this way if there's a problem with one OS or drive the other will not be affected. A word of caution though, and this should apply to any way you use to dual-boot. I use Paragon HFS on Windows 10 to be able to read and write on Mac partitions, Windows 10 has a backup tool like Time Machine which decided to use a Mac partition to backup to (I think it was the one with the most empty space) and when I booted into OSX I found that it couldn't mount it. So if you're in a situation like this make sure that Windows doesn't use Mac partitions for backup by checking the settings.

That's great information, thank you!