Contribute
Register

Can I use parts of my iMac on a Hackintosh?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 27, 2018
Messages
6
CPU
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4850HQ CPU @ 2.30GHz
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2 GB
Mac
  1. iMac
  2. MacBook Pro
Hello guys, I'm new to the world of hackintosh, so, sorry for my noob questions :D

I have an iMac Late 21,5" 2013 which are with the "motherboard" not working and the apples techniches says to me that I need to do a replacement with a new one.

But I would like to build a new hackintosh and if possible I would like to use my old pieces of my iMac on it, can I do this? And which parts can I reuse?

And yeah, I dont know that much about hardware at all, so if you guys can give me an advice for that it would be very nice.

Thanks!
 
You can use the HDD, but the RAM is bespoke to the iMac range at the time- it is also has the shorter laptop dimensions. The Processor i5-4670 could be used - although getting a compatible motherboard may be tricky.
I would remove the WIFI and bluetooth module as these can possibly be used with an adaptor board and fitted to a PC motherboard.

Your iMac has a graphics card that is built onto the motherboard and this can not be used. The monitor cannot be used - although some folk with skills have got iMac monitors running with some technical hacking work and soldering.
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i5-3.4-27-inch-aluminum-late-2013-specs.html


For compatible pc hardware that would work with your iMacs i5 processor, see the following two links for motherboard hardware (note that most of this is now obsolete and may be difficult to find)
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/building-a-customac-buyers-guide-september-2014.151979/
https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/march/2016/

You can also try a search on ebay or Amazon for H81 motherboard and B85 motherboard. Most will work, but a few may have issues - ask for further advice if required.

For WIFI and Bluetooth use the following forum:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/network.15/

For graphics support, you can run the Integrated HD4600 graphics on your iMac Processor, but for something more powerful, you will need to add a discrete card, models like nvidia GT640 were popular at the time but these are really difficult to find. nvidia GT750Ti are power efficient for more general use and can probably be found used for a reasonable price used (avoid ASUS Strix models with the VGA port - not macOS compatible!)

Other compatible cards are listed in the buyers guides. One thing to be clear about is that macOS GPU support is dependent on the version of macOS that you intend to run. You cannot use a new compatible card with an older version of macOS. There are additional nvidia drivers in the download section that cover all the models of cards listed in the buyers guide old and new. AMD has a dedicated section in the graphics section. AMD cards have traditionally worked well in OSX, but the last 5 years or so getting pc cards to work has been difficult. There are signs that this is about to positively change but the cards are hard to get at retail due to cryptocurrency miners.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/radeon-compatibility-guide-ati-amd-graphics-cards.171291/

iMac case mods:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/imac-mods.135/

If using a PC monitor then use a digital connection like DVI, HDMI or DisplayPort between computer and monitor. It is also worth having a USB keyboard and mouse for the installation process. Your existing bluetooth/Wifi hardware can probably be adapted to work, but it may or may not work in the pc motherboard UEFI/BIOS or until you get to the desktop - YMMV.

Hope that this offers you some good starter pointers and lets you consider or at least plan your way ahead to building a computer that runs macOS. :thumbup:
 
Hey Adrian, thanks for your quick answer!

The exactly iMac which I have is this one -> https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i7-3.1-21-inch-aluminum-late-2013-specs.html with 16gb of ram, 256gb SSD and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics processor with 1 GB.
Can I reuse the GeForce?

The processor is an Intel Core i7 with 3.1 GHz (4770S) which supports the socket FCLGA1150 (https://ark.intel.com/products/75124/Intel-Core-i7-4770S-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz)

I took a look on those links you sent me but I'm a little bit confused about the motherboard I will need (I dont know exactly "the rules" about this and I'm afraid to buy a wrong one).
On my work environment I need at least 2 external monitors (3 is ideal) with 2560x1080@60Hz so what changes this?
As I said, I'm very new to this hardware world, I will try to look to youtube videos and try to undertand this a little bit better.
 
The exactly iMac which I have is this one -> https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i7-3.1-21-inch-aluminum-late-2013-specs.html with 16gb of ram, 256gb SSD and a NVIDIA GeForce graphics processor with 1 GB.
Can I reuse the GeForce?

No, Apple have used an nvidia processor that is not transferable into another build. If it was a traditional PCIE x16 slot card then it would be possible, but that design would have made the iMac much bigger.

The processor is an Intel Core i7 with 3.1 GHz (4770S) which supports the socket FCLGA1150 (https://ark.intel.com/products/75124/Intel-Core-i7-4770S-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz)

You can use this processor, also need an aftermarket Intel compatible cooler to mount to a pc motherboard. the cooler takes the heat from the processor and uses copper heat pipes with aluminium fins and a fan blows air through the fins to dissipate heat. The iMac system cannot be reused as it is bespoke to the iMac build.

I took a look on those links you sent me but I'm a little bit confused about the motherboard I will need (I dont know exactly "the rules" about this and I'm afraid to buy a wrong one).
On my work environment I need at least 2 external monitors (3 is ideal) with 2560x1080@60Hz so what changes this?
As I said, I'm very new to this hardware world, I will try to look to youtube videos and try to undertand this a little bit better.

That old GT450M wouldn't run three 2560x1080P monitors, but an AMD RX580 Sapphire pulse card with 8GB RAM would or even AMD Vega 56. Do you know how much these cards cost right now and just how hard they are to get? Why 2-3 monitors this size? What exactly are you doing? Lots of GPU power required running that resolution across up to three screens. In macOS HDMI only supports a maximum of 1920 x 1080P. To go above this each port must use DisplayPort connection from the graphics card to the monitor.

I would be cautious watching too many You Tube videos - you will end up with all the wrong info, a lot of bad practise and you will have issues further down the line that you have problems sorting out!
 
That old GT450M wouldn't run three 2560x1080P monitors, but an AMD RX580 Sapphire pulse card with 8GB RAM would or even AMD Vega 56. Do you know how much these cards cost right now and just how hard they are to get? Why 2-3 monitors this size? What exactly are you doing? Lots of GPU power required running that resolution across up to three screens. In macOS HDMI only supports a maximum of 1920 x 1080P. To go above this each port must use DisplayPort connection from the graphics card to the monitor.

Actually I was running 2 LG ultrawide via thunderbolt on the iMac and the third one was the iMac screen (I use SwitchResX to get 2560x1080 on the LGs).
I'm a professional online poker player and I'm used to play with 16 tables at the same time and it need to be at a good size and also I need a space for the lobby of the softwares which I use (pokerstars and partypoker) so then I use the 2 LG for the tables and the iMac Screen for the lobbyes.

Also I'm running PokerTracker4 (poker statistics software) at the same time which have one connection to each single table which are opened, so most of the time I will have 16 opened connections with postgres and running queries at every single 30s.
So I also need good ram and good memory for all this work.
 
I think you can also salvage the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card. You will need an adaptor to use it with a PC motherboard, but it will work well with macOS.
 
Actually I was running 2 LG ultrawide via thunderbolt on the iMac and the third one was the iMac screen (I use SwitchResX to get 2560x1080 on the LGs).
I'm a professional online poker player and I'm used to play with 16 tables at the same time and it need to be at a good size and also I need a space for the lobby of the softwares which I use (pokerstars and partypoker) so then I use the 2 LG for the tables and the iMac Screen for the lobbyes.

Also I'm running PokerTracker4 (poker statistics software) at the same time which have one connection to each single table which are opened, so most of the time I will have 16 opened connections with postgres and running queries at every single 30s.
So I also need good ram and good memory for all this work.

OK, I see why you do need so much screen real-estate. You Might be better to consider new motherboard and CPU. You Haswell CPU and RAM can probably be sold for a reasonable amount on the used market, but given that they are close to 4.5 years old already and you clearly need a reliable build that is going to last well then I would be considering at least one of the new 6 core thread Intel processors like the i5-8400 as they multitask better than the older i7 processors. RAM and motherboard stock isn't going to be an issue either.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/special/early-adopters-guide-coffee-lake-300-series/
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top