Build a Hackintosh

What's a Hackintosh, and Why Build One?

Why would anyone do it? Well, reasons vary. Some do it to save a buck, (Apple hardware being notoriously more costly), some enjoy stickin' it to The Man, while others do it just for sheer techie cred.

The easier part of embarking on such a task is probably the build-your-own PC part. PC parts and kits to build your own are available at several online stores and can be purchased on the cheap at eBay. Essentials required are a chassis (to house the innards) an Intel motherboard, a hard drive, memory (RAM), a video adapter and a DVD drive. Once you have everything properly connected and seated, the PC should boot up into BIOS. In BIOS, you can set the DVD as the primary boot drive.

Next comes the trickier part, getting Mac OS X Leopard installed on the machine. A “patched” Leopard install DVD is needed. With the patched version one can install Leopard straight to a PC with the help of a text editor to run commands. Once the patch is installed, the OS can be installed from the DVD. The install will begin by loading the Disk Utility, which will let you format the disk so that Leopard can be loaded. After this disk format, the installation of the OS is just a series of clicks in a graphical interface. Once installed, there is a post install patch that has to be applied.

Adam Pash, a senior editor for Lifehacker, has step-by-step instructions for building a Hackintosh. Pash claims that if you can snap Legos together, you can do build a hotrod PC running Leopard for under $800. I looked at the Apple Store, and a similarly equipped iMac goes for $2200. That includes a 20-inch LCD monitor, which is not included in Pash’s configuration. So even if we generously add $400 for a spiffy flat-panel monitor, the Hackintosh comes in at about $1000 cheaper.

Is It Safe and Legal?

Sounds great, right? Well there are a couple of issues with Hackintosh machines, as evidenced by various message boards and tech forums. One issue is the debate about the motherboard. Some Hackintoshers claim they built their machines using standard Intel motherboards. Others swear by an ASUS board. There also seems to be a problem with drivers not loading or being recognized which means there is a chance that some peripherals will not work correctly.

The biggest issue is the ongoing debate of the legality of embarking on such a task. Apple’s End User License Agreement states that Apple software is to be run on Apple hardware. Although there is no record of the company seeking prosecution against Hackintosh builders, the ethics of building one is questionable. I doubt that Apple would send goons in dark glasses to your door for building one, but if you started a business of selling custom-built Hackintosh computers, all bets are off.

Building a Frankenstein-esque machine can always lead to potential problems and nightmares with troubleshooting. Whatever you do, don’t bring your Hackintosh to the Apple store and ask the guys at the Genius Bar for tech support. Have you built a Hackintosh, or do you have plans to do so? Post your comments below…