From iMac to Hackintosh, will I be disappointed?

[kevin39]

Hi,
I'm currently owning an iMac (mid-2007). I was planning to change it next months for a recent iMac but due to Apple new prices I'm thinking to get a Hackintosh.


I discovered this website and it seems today very easy to get a Hackintosh. I looked at the CustoMax Mini Deluxe it seems a lot more performant than a recent iMac at the old price.


But I've one BIG question : Do you think I'll be disappointed from switching from an iMac to a hackintosh ?


Best regards,
Kevin

 

[Kazbah]

Not if you keep a couple of things in mind.

1) You have to factor in that fact that you will have to buy a monitor on top of the CustoMac. Since you are used to the iMac monitor, I suggest you find/try/experiment with the monitor you would be using with the CustoMac beforehand so you can factor its cost and see if it still a smart move for you. Good monitors are not cheap

2) iMac does not produce much noise at idle. Apple designs its case and cooling system with care regarding this. I remember when I first built my Hack that I found it noisy (I could tell it was ON by going thru the room's door .. which is pretty much standard in the PC world) and had to invest in better solution to make it become as quiet as my old iMac and MacBook Pro. If you value quiet operation then you should plan for that too (a better case and/or quieter fans.. unless you go into high overclocks a good air cooler is better than a water cooler in this regard as their is only the fan to worry about vs fan pushing thru a rad + pump; at high overclock than water cooling becomes better because water transfers heat about 4x better than air.. so you don't need to spin your fans as much). If you won't overclock, then you can save extra $ and go with H97 motherborad variant and non-K CPU variant. Overclocking can bring its shaer of headaches before getting it stable.

3) Looks ...I don't think I need comment on this.

Did I save money in the end .. not even sure but I did get what i had been asking Apple for years and that is a mini-tower with upgreadable parts.

 

[kevin39]

Thanks a lot for these information !

I think I will do it but I'm still thinking hard

 

[Adrian B]

Hi,
I'm currently owning an iMac (mid-2007). I was planning to change it next months for a recent iMac but due to Apple new prices I'm thinking to get a Hackintosh.

In real terms a 2007 iMac is actually very old - if you are starting to question a replacement then even a new iMac or Customac (from Buyers guide parts) will be a significant increase in performance.

A new iMac will suit some people as it is a machine that is ready to go with no input nor understanding of how it works. Putting a new customac together can be a bit more of a daunting prospect. There is lots of information available and a good community of users to help guide and advise the inexperienced. A hack can be a more involved product that requires a less carefree attitude to keeping it running over months and years of use. The upside is a pride in your ability and growing knowledge on how your machine functions. I do not regret in any way starting my first tentative build.

I discovered this website and it seems today very easy to get a Hackintosh. I looked at the CustoMax Mini Deluxe it seems a lot more performant than a recent iMac at the old price.

A reasonably budget build using quality components with an i3 processor and 8GB RAM will surprise you with its performance - its also upgradable in the future if you should wish.

But I've one BIG question : Do you think I'll be disappointed from switching from an iMac to a hackintosh ?

I have thoroughly enjoyed the process. Recommended - but do plenty reading and research in to what you want the build to be able to do and how you will make it happen.

 

[trs96]

Hi,
I'm currently owning an iMac (mid-2007). I was planning to change it next months for a recent iMac but due to Apple new prices I'm thinking to get a Hackintosh.


I discovered this website and it seems today very easy to get a Hackintosh. I looked at the CustoMax Mini Deluxe it seems a lot more performant than a recent iMac at the old price.


But I've one BIG question : Do you think I'll be disappointed from switching from an iMac to a hackintosh ?

Kevin

Most people here have previously owned Macs and will continue to after they build a Customac.
As Adrian mentioned it's a great way to learn more about how OS X works under the hood and
will make it much easier for you to maintain and upgrade your Mac or Customac. If the majority
of people trying this approach were unhappy with it, would this community be as large and
growing as fast as it is ? You're really going learn a lot and likely be glad you did.

 

[Blue_Ocean]

Made the switch in 2013, never looked back. It's perfectly possible to build a quiet and power efficient hack that will still blow an iMac out of the water performance wise if you choose parts wisely. iMacs are great computers too, but as others have said, if you are even considering the hackintosh option, then chances are you will be much happier.

I still have a MacBook Air, I think in terms of portable computing I'm completely happy with Apple laptops. For a desktop though, not a chance I'm going back.

 

[Alex66]

I have built one than comes up to the specs of the basic 27" iMac, with a reasonable 27" screen it is at most 2/3 of the cost. But unlike my departed iMac I can put multiple hard drives in there and add to them fairly easily, I can up the CPU speed by buying a replacement and likewise put a better graphics card in there. The screen is something I would expect to get a good few years out of and can use it from one build to the next, likewise I can move hard drives from one machine o the next fairly easily. On the down side you will get more for a used iMac than a Hack as long as it lasts and does not go wrong. Now I have built one I would not consider getting another mac desktop I like the options the Hack gives me. It has been rock solid from the off, no less than my previous iMac's.

 

[kevin39]

Thank you all for your help.

I think I'll build a CustoMax Mini Deluxe with Asus Z97I-PLUS for the motherboard and Intel i5 4690 (this will be a huge performance improvements from my Core 2 Duo lol). I'll add an ARCTIC Freezer i30 cooler to get silent. I'll not add the graphic card, I don't need it at this time, performance of the motherboard seems enough to start.

For the screen I like the Dell U2515H, I found good prices in France and it seems to be an excellent monitor with USB3 port on the back.

 

[Adrian B]

For the screen I like the Dell U2515H, I found good prices in France and it seems to be an excellent monitor with USB3 port on the back.

You will need to use display port connection to get 1440P monitor resolution working in OS X. There is a thread about it here:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/122073-2560x1440-resolution-hd4600.html#post745579

I am not sure that the wifi on that board is OS X compatible, but you should get more information on this site:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/search.php?googleSearch=Asus Z97I-PLUS

Other options for wifi: http://www.tonymacx86.com/network/

Hope that all helps smooth the installation process.

 

[greenleaf]

One other thing to mention. One of (if not) the most important upgrades is getting an SSD for the primary drive. I installed a SSD in my macbook pro (2011) and it literally feels like a different computer in terms of speed. Boot time is cut in half, apps launch instantly, it's kind of amazing what a difference it makes.