Hackintosh not worth it

The Hackintosh is a pretty compelling way to get Mac Pro performance for the price of a Mac Mini. To achieve this, you build a custom Windows-style PC using components that are known to work with Apple’s Mac OS X, and then use low level software tricks to make OS X work on this non-Apple hardware. Technically it violates Apple’s license agreement (though some claim sticking an Apple label on the case is sufficient) but based on my experience detailed below, I don’t think Apple is too worried.

I use an aging MacBook Pro that’s on its last legs and I have several times considered building my own Hackintosh. Today, after another sickly cough from my computer, I decided to go for it. Then after spending >3 hours researching and shopping for all the components, I compared what I’d put together against what Apple offers and decided to wait for the next iMac.

The Hackintosh does have some things going for it…

Pros

• Faster for cheaper (Quad system for ~$900 vs. $2000 from Apple)
• Get PCI slots for cheap (slots from Apple require Mac Pro starting at $2500 )
• Huge HD (though that’s easy to upgrade at OEM prices on any Mac, and external works fine)

But once I put the system together, I thought about some of the drawbacks.

Cons

• Requires a bunch of work to build, install and iron out
• May stop working when Apple chooses
• Will always have all sorts of annoying quirks
• No warranty if something breaks
• Home built noisier than Apple hardware

Then I thought more about the economics. An iMac equivalent to the system I spec-ed would be $1900 (with my $100 student discount), and it would include a 2560×1440 monitor which is $1100 and up anywhere else. That’s effectively $800 for the hardware, meaning I’m not even saving money with the Hackintosh and all the cons above. Plus the iMac comes with the Magic Mouse ($70) and Wireless keyboard ($70), which while I wouldn’t pay that much for, further tip the scales.

If you don’t care about the 27″ monitor, the comparison is less clear. If you compare the Hackintosh to a Mac Mini at $800, it might be worth it to you to bump from the Intel Core 2 Duo up to a Core 2 Quad, get a bigger hard drive and better video. But you’d be trading that against your time, system stability, hardware warranty and clean design. So I plan to buy an iMac 27″, though I’ll probably wait until the next product release.

If you decide to go that route, here’s the system I spec-ed for $840 (plus tax, includes shipping).

And from Newegg: