How to build your own Mac
Is this a Mac? Or a PC? Or is it both?
When I finally made the switch to Mac a good 6 years ago, the first thing that struck me was how quiet the computer was… or more accurately, how loud standard PCs were. To this day, 95% of the PCs being built are still insanely loud (and in many cases, even louder than before thanks to the rising dependence on advanced cooling). So when I set out to build my Hackintosh, eliminating noise pollution was a the top of my list. As I would find out, quiet comes at a price.
Before we get started, you should know the limitations of running your own Frankenstein Mac. There are things that work and things that don’t. If you follow this guide, there is very little that won’t work, and a whole lot that will. In my current setup, all my software runs perfectly… that includes Final Cut Studio, all the iLife apps, my Adobe CS2 suite, Time Machine backups… literally every software I have works. All my ports work (Firewire, USB, etc), video is fully working and fully 3D accelerated with dual-monitor support for up to two 30″ monitors. I have sound, I can burn DVDs normally, I can use all my external devices (like my tablet, Shuttle Express, external drives, USB memory sticks, etc). Not only that, but I have an e-Sata port (which the Macs don’t have) and way more USB ports than a Mac Pro has.
But what you really want to know is what doesn’t work. The list is short, but pretty important.
1- RAID does not work for a bootable drive. You can setup RAID as an additional media drive, but not as your boot drive.
2- Audio is only partially working (for now… someone may release drivers at some point to correct the issue). You get normal stereo sound, but no optical digital audio or microphone in. This is not much of an issue since external USB mics and other external devices will work fine if you need more than just stereo sound.
3- DVD drives “may” be a little picky about stuff. *I’m not sure if this is an issue with my DVD drive, or with my software.* When installing Final Cut Studio, I kept getting errors on install. This did not happen on my previous iMac, which leads me to believe that it may be an issue with the DVD drive. Note however, that everything else with the DVD drive works… I am able to burn DVDs fine, copy DVDs, make images, install smaller software, copy files… only installing my Apple software has been a problem.
4- Finally, and most importantly, software updates need to be moderated! Most software updates using the automatic Apple Software Updater will work just fine, BUT it could potentially update something it shouldn’t and break your setup. Most major software updates should be avoided until you can confirm that it does in fact work properly.
So now that you know what you’re getting yourself into, (if you haven’t run off screaming already) let’s take a look at the bare minimum you need to properly build your own Mac. There are a number of parts that are interchangeable, but those I list specifically by name are must-haves if you want this to be easy (i.e. you don’t want to search for drivers, have to use external DVD drives for setup, etc…).
Minimum parts list:
- Any mid tower ATX case
- Any ATX power supply with a minimum of 400W
- Any Intel Core2Duo or Core2Quad CPU
- Either a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L* (cheap) or an Asus P5E (high-end)
- Any SATA DVD drive (reader or burner)
- Any SATA hard drive
- Any USB keyboard and mouse
- Any 2GB dual-channel kit of DDR2 800 ram (2 1GB sticks)
- Either a GeForce 7600GT (cheap) or ATI X1900XT (better but hard to find)
Any combination of the parts above will get you a decent running Mac. After a quick calculation of cheap parts from Canada Computers, you can have a Mac for as little as $570+tax. No, that’s not a typo… I really did mean to write five hundred and seventy. Pretty insane huh?
* note: if you get the Gigabyte DS3L motherboard, you are limited to only one hard drive and 2GB of ram. Due to a conflict with the hard drive controller, you cannot add more ram or more hard drives in the future. If you want something a little better, see my suggested parts list on the next page.
So, now that we have gone through what you can get away with if you’re on a budget (or if you’re just plain cheap) click the next page to see my recommended parts list.
Tags: apple, asus p5e, build, hackintosh, how-to, kalyway, leopard, mac, osx, quiet, x1900xt
February 12th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Thanks for the guide.
I look forward to the follow up post.
Cheers,
OM
February 12th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Great Post! I look forward to hearing more!
Cheers!
February 15th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Very nice. Thanks for the list of ingredients. I might try this this summer.
Wish my desk was as tidy as yours LOL.
February 20th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Nice work.
I wonder if anyone can follow up with Kalyway 1.5.2 ComboUpdate with these hardwares/settings and let us know of any known problem?
February 20th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Thanks for the comment.
As a followup, I have installed the Kalyway 10.5.2 Combo Update and 10.5.2 Kernels on this setup and it works flawlessly.
Andy
March 11th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
may i ask did you use the mac or pc version of the ati x1900xt. do you think that would that matter.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I used the PC version of the Ati video card. The Mac version would only be detected by an EFI bios, so it cannot be used. The PC version is also considerably cheaper, which is always a nice bonus.
A7
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Update: I have posted Part 2 of this article. Part 2 details how to set up wireless, what issues to watch out for, and what software is recommended for first-time Mac users.
You can find the article here: http://www.imakeart.net/blog/2008/03/31/how-to-build-your-own-mac-part-2/
April 24th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Will only those two motherboards work, or is that just what you tested it with? I am looking into partitioning my HD and running an XP/Mac Setup.
Thanks for the info!
Brett
April 24th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Hi,
Thanks for the comment. A few other motherboards work as well, but I specifically chose these two for the consistency in performance, and ease of driver installation. Other motherboards are more difficult to get things like sound or networking working. It becomes a bit of a gamble. That’s exactly why I wrote this guide… to help with a definitive list of working parts. Good luck.
A7
May 1st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I used a P5W DH Deluxe for my FrankenMac and the onboard hardware raid on the boot volume works “out of the box”.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
i like the case but will the apevia x-discovery work. i’m kinda big on looks, and this thing is pretty damn cool lookin.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
also, I don’t care that much about noise.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Well Josh, it goes to show that taste is subjective. The Apevia case is quite ugly in my opinion. I prefer the understated simplicity of smooth lines and functional design. I think the clear windows, flashing lights and useless ornamentation of that Apevia case make it incredibly gaudy. But to each his own… yes, that case would work fine, even if I think it’s a sin to own it.
A7
May 16th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
well obviously we disagree on cases, but thanks a lot the tip.
May 18th, 2008 at 10:16 am
sorry to bug you again, but could you tell me if this raidmax sirius case will work instead. http://www.raidmax.com/specs/sirius.htm
May 19th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Hey Josh,
Pretty much any standard ATX mid-tower case will work just fine. The only difference will be where things plug in, how much room you have to move around in side, and how quiet/well designed it is inside.
And for the record, this case is looking better than the last one.
Good luck.
A7
May 28th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
The P5W DH Deluxe is an older board and unfortunately even though I have found places that still sell this MB, they are asking too much for it. That lead me to the p5e and this site…
I have one question. We are talking about the regular Asus P5e here correct? around $224 and this has that sound card which comes with it (not the HDMI or WS version).
May 28th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Hi JB,
Yes, I believe I did just use the regular P5E (and it is the one with the sound card attachment).
Good luck with the build.
A7
May 28th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
A7, couple of other question here… did you have to set up or change setting in the bios before you installed Kalyway? I am looking at building a similar machine using the P5e and I will be using the 10.5.2 disc DL. Do I need to borrow PS2 keyboard to initially get into the bios or dose the P5E already see USB (I only own apple hardware at this point).
Thanks
May 28th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I honestly couldn’t tell you what I tweaked in the bios, JB. I did make some changes because I was over-clocking the system at the same time. I don’t think any of my bios changes would have been related specifically to getting the Kalyway install working though, so it should work out of box. I used my Apple keyboard for the install, so yes, USB was working fine.
A7
May 28th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Thanks A7
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Actually I just found that the P5W DH Deluxe is re-stocked locally and goes for $170US. That board is heavily favored w/hackintoshers I have read… still the board is older and for $55 more the P5E has PCIe 2.0 which would probably be a good bet since I am considering the MSI 8800GT OC PC2.0. I’m torn between the 2 boards…. will make a decision soon.
I’m going for the Zelman cooler @ 2.4 q6600. Still looking for a case… I need one with a vanity window on the side
June 8th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Hi A7,
Which OCZ model# ram are you using? I’m having trouble figuring out which set to buy since it’s not listed on the Asus QVL.
Right now a good deal on the 4GB SLI version after a rebate. I know I can’t use the sli potential on the p5e, but still for the price.
Thanks.
June 9th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Hi JB,
I don’t recall exactly which model of ram I have, but at the time it was the one that said “vista” ram. I think the full name was Vista Performance Series. However, any decent ram will work… just look for 5-4-4 timing or better (lower is better).
A7
June 9th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Everything is ordered… wish me luck!
I got the p5e MB. I went with a Corsiar 650w PSU that is made by seasonic but about $30 less… good reviews and quiet.
June 10th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Good luck with the build JB. Hope everything turns out OK for you. Post a note on here from your new Hackintosh if all goes well.
A7
June 14th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Up and running!!
I spent most of the day building the P5e machine. I had a small issue with fitting the Zalman cooler on the board… nothing a good hacksaw couldn’t fix. Thermal paste was wired to work with. First power up nothing… second power up all went well.
Leo Install: I’m not sure which version 10.5 distro you used but some of the above instructions did not work for me. Anyway everything seems fine. All I need now is a 24″ display and to read up on OC the cpu.
btw, The biggest thing I am enjoying right now (believe it or not) is how quiet my machine is. Even though I used a different case from NZXT.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 pm
A7, do you have front audio on your case (headphone jack) working? if so how? I can only use the back of the Supreme card audio out.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Hey,
Front audio does not work. Front audio would require full driver support in order to get all the ports on the sound card working. That’s the inherent flaw in building a Hackintosh… not everything will work 100%. It just dependson what you can live with.
A7
June 24th, 2008 at 11:14 am
No big deal but that’s what I thought… see I ran into this page (http://wiki.taruga.net/tiki-index.php) and found info and installer on HD audio for the P5E so I tried it and it did nothing. Thought maybe it’s the connection. I am using the HD wiring on my case as well as HD int he Bois setting….. Oh well.
Have you upgraded to 10.5.3 yet?
July 1st, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I’m the same gut that asked you about the case. I’ve modified your list a little. Do you think these parts, and one of the two motherboards would work well? http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/cart/shopping_cart.asp?action=add&dpno=7336197&quantity=1
July 1st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Hey Josh,
The cart you linked to doesn’t have a full parts list. Besides, even if it did, I couldn’t answer your question. I made my parts list specifically after testing and researching the best possible parts based on existing Mac designs. My post was intended to help people who want a fast, reliable, and quiet system. If that’s what you want, you should follow my list. If you start substituting parts, I can’t guarantee it will work, or what kinds of issues you might run into.
Good luck.
Andy
July 7th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
i have to the same P5E motherboard but my installation fails.
Can you show me your bios settings?
July 7th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
What about the rest of your parts? The installation is dependent on the DVD drive, hard drive, ram, cpu, and more. If you didn’t follow my parts list, I likely can’t help you.
With that said… the Kalyway install is a little flaky and took my 3-4 tries before it completed successfully. Also note that SATA DVD drives work better than IDE DVD drives. In fact, the install may never complete on an IDE device (DVD drive and/or hard drive).
My bios settings were all on default for the install. IF you have the same CPU, ram, and sata dvd/hard drives, I can tell you my current bios settings, but it won’t help unless everything matches.
A7
July 8th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
What did you pay for the ATI X1900XT. I don’t know what a good price is.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:31 am
I paid $120 for mine, with the special silent cooling fan add-on. It’s an older card now, though still in fairly high demand, so it tends to fetch a good price on ebay. You may want to check places like Kijiji or Craigslist.
A7
July 13th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Hi A7,
I need to know before I try this…. any issues installing FCS v2 on your system? (other than you DVD drive hang up)
July 13th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Nope. No issues whatsoever with my legal version of FCS2. It works perfectly for me.
A7
July 13th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I have not purchased it yet… I often have to direct the video editors @work and I think it would help me to learn some of it. Can’t find the time to do so in the studio. So maybe invest into it for my home setup. Just wanted to know that it will not break my OS install.
Hey thanks for all your help A7.
btw, my machine is running well, although I have found some quirks w/a few softwares I use (not sure if their all intel ready). Well maybe next year a MacPro or if Apple puts out something more expandable than the iMac will go for that.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Happy to hear that your machine is running well JB. If Apple puts out something more expandable that the iMac, I’d be all over it. We’ll just have to keep out fingers crossed.
A7
September 4th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
where find info for work audio in p5e?
September 8th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I’m sorry, but I don’t have the exact links for the audio drivers. You can find them on this site: http://www.insanelymac.com/ by searching for p5e audio.
Good Luck.
A7