It is time for a new mac

[bucko]

but Steve Jobs wants so much money I more than likely couldn't pay it off in a year. (I do graphic design/web dev.) I want to be portable so its a laptop for me. Have any of you done hackintoshes? I have an empty credit card so I *could* bite the bullet and purchase a MBP, but in the interest of having less debt, I'm considering a hackintosh with retail snow leopard. Opinions? How have your favorite apps worked on those?

:: confuzzled ::

Comments

[invisionary]

I run a desktop Hackintosh and can offer you the following advice:

1) This is not for the faint of heart. You need to be familiar enough with PCs and Macs to be able to work with a bootloader and modified Kexts. For many portable computers the process has become very streamlined, use a boot CD or flash drive, install Leopard, then run an installer to add an appropriate DSDT.aml and the necessary kernel extensions. However, you'll need to do your research carefully because if you don't you may run into compatibility issues that require considerable effort to resolve or may not even be possible.

2) I've had no difficulty whatsoever with applications. However, to ensure this compatibility, you need to be running an actual C2D (other performance chips from Intel work too, but aren't commonly available in laptops due to heat/power issues) and an Intel chipset. It takes some hacking to make other things work, and applications may or may not like the end result.

3) If you want to press ahead, expect to do a lot of Googling and reading on the Osx86 Wiki. Also consider heading to IRC for more help.

[bucko]

Thanks! I appreciate your help :)

[emma]

A huge part of what I love about my Mac is the hardware. I love my MBP for the build quality, for the design, and for the way the OS ties in to it all and it just seems made to measure. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to get one when my old PC laptop died. Personally a Hackintosh just wouldn't do the job for me, but I wish you luck (and advice from those with knowledge in the area!) if you do go down that route.

[bucko]

Thanks! I'm leaning towards a MBP just because I'm not sure I feel confident enough to maintain a hackintosh. I pretty sure with a MBP that I'll get excellent customer service when things go wrong-with or without warranty. I've never had a problem with the apple store.

I love the idea of a hackintosh for the sheer reason that I love the idea of customizing a computer past what's prefab. I'm just not sure I could keep it running if I got a last minute deadline or who knows what. Perhaps I've completely bought into the marketing! :D

[bucko]

I broke down and bought a MBP. I love it. In the past 36 hours it has proven that it was well worth it to upgrade.