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Is a hackintosh good for beginners?

Should I try a Hackintosh as my first build?

  • Go for it!

    Votes: 5 100.0%

  • Nah

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    5
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EmperorWalrus

EmperorWalrus

Joined
May 28, 2017
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I know a reasonable amount about computers, and now the major components of them and what is needed but I am by no means an expert. I'm considering building a budget hackintosh as my first computer build for fun. I'm trying to keep it in the $100 dollar range as well. Do you think it is reasonable that this be my first computer build?
 
Whatever you choose it's still a PC that can run Windows. You're simply installing macOS on PC hardware. You can't build new for 100 dollars so technically you'd be buying a refurbished pre-built PC. There's very little to do other than possibly installing a graphics card and then installing the OS. No need to mess with installing a CPU and heatsink which for beginners is the place where they can make some serious mistakes.
 
Look at the recommended builds and the golden builds, and even some of the user builds to get a feel for what's needed and what you'll have to do. I would suggest avoiding hardware that Sierra can't run on - such as anything pre-2009 (at least anything including and before the Core2Duo iMac).
 
trs96 said:
Whatever you choose it's still a PC that can run Windows. You're simply installing macOS on PC hardware. You can't build new for 100 dollars so technically you'd be buying a refurbished pre-built PC. There's very little to do other than possibly installing a graphics card and then installing the OS. No need to mess with installing a CPU and heatsink which for beginners is the place where they can make some serious mistakes.
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Yeah my plan is to buy a
JCMunsonII said:
Look at the recommended builds and the golden builds, and even some of the user builds to get a feel for what's needed and what you'll have to do. I would suggest avoiding hardware that Sierra can't run on - such as anything pre-2009 (at least anything including and before the Core2Duo iMac).
Click to expand...
trs96 said:
Whatever you choose it's still a PC that can run Windows. You're simply installing macOS on PC hardware. You can't build new for 100 dollars so technically you'd be buying a refurbished pre-built PC. There's very little to do other than possibly installing a graphics card and then installing the OS. No need to mess with installing a CPU and heatsink which for beginners is the place where they can make some serious mistakes.
Click to expand...
Im planning on buying an old computer off craigslist like some kind of HP Optiplex like the 740 or 745. When I decide on a build ill confirm. So what youre saying is its fine if im a beginner
 
"Beginner" is an ambiguous term. In terms of building my first CustoMac, I was, and still rather am, a beginner. But, I did it quite successfully.

What matters is how much you are able to "tinker" in the OS & bootloader stuff (in other words, setting parameters, etc., is something you are comfortable with), and if you understand a bit of programming. The more you know of that, the better your chances of success.
 
JCMunsonII said:
"Beginner" is an ambiguous term. In terms of building my first CustoMac, I was, and still rather am, a beginner. But, I did it quite successfully.

What matters is how much you are able to "tinker" in the OS & bootloader stuff (in other words, setting parameters, etc., is something you are comfortable with), and if you understand a bit of programming. The more you know of that, the better your chances of success.
Click to expand...
JCMunsonII said:
"Beginner" is an ambiguous term. In terms of building my first CustoMac, I was, and still rather am, a beginner. But, I did it quite successfully.

What matters is how much you are able to "tinker" in the OS & bootloader stuff (in other words, setting parameters, etc., is something you are comfortable with), and if you understand a bit of programming. The more you know of that, the better your chances of success.
Click to expand...
By beginner I mean that I've never built a PC. The only programming knowledge I have is some basic HTML. What language would be good to learn in what will I need to know in terms of "tinkering"
 
Hmmm... I'm not at all trying to steer you away from a CustoMac, so don't take anything I say in that light. As I said, I am also still a beginner at making CustoMacs. I have only built the one, but learned quite a bit about that specific configuration.

By "tinker," I do mean willing to a) research issues you come across before asking about them (reasonably anyway), b) trying fixes that apply to your situations, c) having patience when things don't go quite right, etc. The bottom line is, the MacOS is highly tailored to specific hardware and we're attempting to get it running on (sometimes) non-specific hardware - so you'll have to be able to make changes that accommodate such. You can get hardware that is more compatible with the MacOS as-written, OOB if you prefer, and reduce your need to tinker.

As for programming languages, I'd suggest C. It is the foundation for most everything you'll do on a Mac - from Cocoa to the MacIASL compiler. Understanding that will help you make necessary edits. If you do HTML, you might do some Javascript, which is similar enough to at least get you going.

Otherwise, if you have OS skills, can work in a command line/terminal, and are somewhat comfortable with Unix, you'll be OK. This board is awesome for providing help (as long as you are very specific about what you need). RehabMan doesn't really bite, though he sounds gruff... ;) (just kidding RehabMan!)
 
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