iMac vs. Hackintosh

I like feeling like I'm getting a good value. I recently had a discussion where I said that I will never buy an Apple desktop, because I believe they are overpriced. Since I've built two "hackintosh" machines in the last year, I've learned that you don't need to spend a lot just to have a functional OS X computer. I've included a quick price comparison below. I collected these prices from the Apple.com, Amazon.com, and Newegg.com on January 14, 2012.

This is a price comparison only. Although some of the components are known to be compatible with OS X, I've not tested nor confirmed the compatibility of all components listed below. Since I've now done this twice I know personally that the savings are real.

iMac: Intel i5 2.8 GHz quad core processor, 8 GB 1333 DDR3 RAM, 2 TB 7200 RPM Hard Drive, AMD 6770M Graphics, 21.5" IPS monitor - $2049

I know this isn't the best iMac and doesn't have the 27" screen, but I feel like that's a lot of money to spend on a computer without adding those features.

Equivalent Hackintosh:
CPU: Intel i5-2300 2.8 GHz Quad-Core - $185
RAM: 8GB DDR3 1333 - $40
HDD: 2 TB 7200 RPM - $200
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6770 - $90
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 - $150
Case: Rosewill Challenger Mid-Tower - $50
Power Supply: Rosewill Stallion Series RD450-2-SB 450W - $35
Optical Drive: LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X - $20
Webcam: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910 - $64
Monitor: ASUS VS Series VS229H-P Black 21.5" 14ms HDMI IPS-Panel - $160
OS X: Snow Leopard and Lion Upgrade - $60
Lifestyle Software: iLife - $50

Total Cost: $1104

Total Hackintosh Savings: $2049 - $1104 = $945

Differences:

Yes, I left off keyboard, mouse, and speakers, but there should be enough difference in cost you can get those. You can even have the magic apple trackpad or mouse. The iLife software is not essential, but it comes with the iMac so I added it to the cost comparison. The hackintosh also has a better graphics card, as the 6770M is not equivalent to the 6770 desktop model. That becomes obvious when you look at the "Graphics Hierarchy Chart" from tomshardware.com.

Because of the flooding in Thailand hard drive prices are about double what they were 3 months ago. If those prices go back down the savings will increase further.

That's pretty amazing. Obviously, the hackintosh is not a simple self contained package like the iMac, but for $945 I can live with that relatively minor inconvenience.

In addition to the financial benefits the hackintosh also has the advantage of being able to easily upgrade and customize. You can buy exactly what you want and don't have to take your computer to the apple store when you need a larger hard drive or more RAM.

For example, many people want the 27" iMac. Because 27" IPS monitors with a 2560x1440 resolution are so expensive the 27" iMac does not show as large a percent savings when compared to a hackintosh, but it is still significant. Since the screen isn't integrated into a hackintosh like it is in an iMac, you also have more monitor options with a hackintosh. You can choose any size display that fits you needs and budget. The 27" screen is great but my favorite swap is to get two 23" IPS monitors at 1920x1080 for less than half the cost of the 27" and get 12.5% more screen area.

You can also save more money by customizing your computer to exactly what you need. If you can live with a TN display instead of an IPS display, that will save you about $40 in a 21.5". If you don't need firewire, which very few people use anyway, you can save up to $90 on a motherboard. If you don't need a gaming capable graphics card you can save an additional $90 by just using the integrated graphics in the CPU.

Summary:

Building a hackintosh is a good option if you want OS X, want to save money, and/or want more customization options. If you just want a functional machine to show up on your porch, then go to apple.com and buy your computer. Building a hackintosh is a project which requires patience, willingness to learn, willingness to adapt, and willingness to solve problems. If you want a fun challenging project build a hackintosh.

There's a whole hackintosh community out there but here are a few resources.
http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/
http://www.hackintosh.com/
http://www.osx86project.org/
http://www.hackint0sh.org/

New Desktop

In line with my previous posts about my head gasket project, I'm posting now about my most recent project. I'm building a new desktop computer.

Reasoning:
Finally, after 5 years we decided to replace our desktop computer. After selling our Blazer plus very generous Christmas gifts we had a little bit of money. We put together our last desktop in November of 2006 a few months after we got married. We had just the laptop I'd purchased for school which meant every night we would alternate computer use and consequently didn't get to spend much time together. (We were newly weds after all.) I'd come home to do homework and Michelle needed to prepare her lessons to teach school the next day. It solved the problem of alternating computer time and has been a great machine. We've only had one problem in the last 5 years and a couple upgrades. The original specifications are below.

Current Desktop (2006):
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ with stock CPU cooler - $182
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M55SLI-S4 with AM2 socket - $83
Memory: BUFFALO Firestix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 - $242
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" - $95
Graphics: MSI NX7600GS-T2D512EH GeForce 7600GS 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 - $133
Power: HEC 575W - $20
Case: PowerUp Mid-tower ATX - $20
Optical: DVD-RW - $20
Monitors: 2 x Acer AL1917WAbd Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 - $380
OS: Windows XP Professional - $85
Additional: Internal USB card reader, cheapest mouse and keyboard available - ~$20

Total: $1280

I wasn't very careful about cable routing in this one so it looks much messier. This is after blowing the dust out and switching the 750 GB hard drive to the new computer.


Upgrades since 2006:
1. Added a wireless card because we didn't have wired internet in our basement apartment on Oliver Drive.
2. Upgraded from 2 GB to 4 GB of memory. I paid $240 for the first 2 GB. After the prices dropped, we added another 2 GB for only $40. Of course my 32-bit Windows can't use it all but it helped.
3. Added a 750 GB Western Digital hard drive as a storage drive ($65). The thousands of RAW files eventually filled up the original 320 GB drive.

Problems:
1. The original RAM went bad while we were in Utah over Christmas a few years ago. Although it had a lifetime warranty, I hadn't saved the original UPC.
2. The card reader died, which was replaced and the new one died within a few months. We now have an external Kingston reader.
3. The original mouse died a couple months ago.

As I recall the total cost with the monitors was around $1300 with $900 for the computer. It's slower now but still runs quite well considering its age.

I've been excited about building computers lately and have been able to help my dad with two. First, we replaced their desktop with a hackintosh in August as part of an agreement Trevor made with my Mom. The new machine was needed as the old one was new in 2001. Dad also built a Windows based computer for some friends in October. Looks like it is finally my turn to build one for myself. Even though the new Ivy Bridge processors are scheduled for release in April with promises of both CPU and GPU enhancement with lower power consumption, I found some great after Christmas rebates and decided to proceed. After all, in technology if you wait because there is a new product on the horizon, you'll never buy anything.

Here are the specs for the new one.

CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge - $205
CPU Cooler - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus - $20
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 revision 1.3 - $150
Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $44
SSD - OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC - $90 ($20 rebate by mail)
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" (from other computer, see upgrade 2 above) - $0
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" (old backup drive) - $0
Optical - LITE-ON DVD Burner SATA - $20
Graphics: Intel HD 3000 (integrated in CPU)
Power: COOLER MASTER GX 450W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS BRONZE - $40 ($15 rebate by mail)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $60
OS: Windows 7 professional 64-bit and OS X Snow Leopard - $120 and $30 respectively
Monitors: Acer (from the previous computer)
Keyboard: Logitec MK 120 - $20
Mouse: GIGABYTE GM-M6880 Metal Black USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse (replaced broken from previous computer)
Speakers: Logitech S-220 - $29

Total after mail in rebates: $793



The Plan and logic:
Graphics -
My biggest requirement for video is being able to support multiple displays and not being able to play video games. Since the integrated GPU in the Sandy Bridge processors has great ratings. I decided that it wasn't worth the additional money for a discrete GPU now. Instead, I spent a little more a processor and motherboard. Upgrading will always be a future possibility. Also the Intel HD 3000 graphics is supported by OS X (see below).

Operating systems -
I also decided I would like more experience with OS X but am unwilling to pay the prices apple demands for their machines. It is impractical for us to only have an OS X machine since all of our software is for Windows. Because I had an extra hard drive and Snow Leopard is inexpensive, I decided to have a dual boot option. I'll use the new SSD for Windows and 500 GB Seagate for OS X. The 750 GB Western Digital will still be used for file storage.

Monitors -
Replacing my monitors now is not financially feasible, and since both work flawlessly, it is unnecessary.

CPU Cooler -
I chose to upgrade to a higher performance CPU cooler, not because I want to overclock my processor, but just so it will run cooler. I justified the $20 by saying it would increase processor life and by purchasing it with a gift certificate. Also my dad had pretty high CPU temperatures with the second build, which I wanted to avoid.

Case -
I haven't found a better deal on a case than the Rosewill Challenger. It worked for both my Dad's builds. I ended up paying $10 more so I could have USB 3.0 front ports.

Overall, relative to what has been available at each time, I feel like the new machine is superior to my 2006 machine and costs less even without accounting for inflation.

These are a couple of pictures of the assembly. At this point I still needed to add the CPU, cooler, USB bracket, and 750 GB file storage drive.




This is after I installed the CPU and the Hyper 212+ heatsink and fan. They kind of ruin my clean case because I didn't take much to to arrange cables.



The Hyper 212+ is much larger than the stock cooler and as you can see it covers one of my RAM slots. If I need to upgrade in the future I'll either have to buy low profile RAM or move the fan to the other side of the heatsink. After install the BIOS showed a CPU temp of 28 C only 1 degree higher than system temp.



These are temps under no load while running Windows 7. The ambient temperature by the desk is higher than in the kitchen where I initially booted the computer to check the CPU temperature.



The final real panel view.



The new computer in its new home. My laptop likes when it is running Windows 7 because I can now share files and printers between both computers with minimal setup.



Windows only shows 7.51 GB of available RAM because I dedicated about 500 MB to the graphics in the BIOS. The system experience index is based on the lowest rating in any category, which for me is graphics @ 6.3. The max rating in each category is 7.9. My hard drive is 7.8, my memory is 7.8, and my processor is 7.5.



I worked out all the bugs yet, but I have the computer booting into OS X 10.6.8 aka Snow Leopard.