When you buy a Mac computer, you are buying the hardware and the software combined. We all know that we can't just purchase the software - aka macOS - and install it on our PC; unless you build a Hackintosh, that is. Below we will analyze all the advantages and disadvantages of a Hackintosh, and we will see why you can't just install macOS on any computer, as you would do with Windows or Linux.

Oct 24, 2019  If you have hardware or software that isn't compatible with macOS Sierra, you might be able to install the previous version, OS X El Capitan. MacOS Sierra won't install on top of a later version of macOS, but you can erase your disk first or install on another disk.

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Table of Contents

• What exactly is a Hackintosh?
• Is Hackintosh legal?
• Hackintosh is not for everyone

What exactly is a Hackintosh?

If you are not familiar with Hackintosh, then you probably haven't heard of OSx86 as well. But let's start from the beginning.

A little history

Apple doesn't need any special introduction. We all know it is one of the largest technology companies that designs and develops computers, smartphones, software, and online services.

The most known consumer software from Apple is macOS for computers and laptops, and iOS for smartphones, but that wasn't always the case.

Apple's story starts back in 1976 when it was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. By the end of 1970's, they had already launched their first products, Apple I, II, and III. However, Apple's first success came with the Macintosh models in the 80's.

Macintosh

The first Macintosh was introduced in 1984, which was Apple's first mass-produced personal computer with a graphical user interface.

Macintosh computers run the Macintosh System Software operating system, which was later rebranded into Mac OS in 1996.

The brand changed several times through the years. In 2001 it became Mac OS X, until 2010 that changed again to just 'OS X.' From 2016, we know it as macOS.

As for the name 'Macintosh,' it was replaced with the shorter 'Mac' on 1998 and hasn't changed since then.

Transition to Intel processors

Up until 2006, Apple used PowerPC processors on Macintosh computers, while Windows PCs used Intel and AMD chipsets. That way, it was impossible to run any of these operating systems on a non-official hardware.

However, in June 2005, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would produce Intel-based Macintosh computers. By the way, this is the reason we can only download Photoshop for free on Windows PCs and not on a modern Mac.

In January 2006, the company introduced the iMac and MacBook Pro, which were the first Intel-based Mac machines. More specifically, they were based on the Intel Core Duo platform, and they run Mac OS X 10.4.4 Tiger.

Apple later announced that it would complete the transition to Intel processors by the end of 2006. With Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard on 2009, the first Intel-only Mac OS X, the company finally stopped the support for the PowerPC microprocessors.

Since Apple moved to the Intel chipset, it was possible to run Windows on Apple hardware. Although the company provided a supported method to dual boot OS X and Windows, it refused to support the installation of OS X on other hardware.

And that's where Hackintosh came into play.

OSx86

OSx86 is a hacking project that enables us to run OS X on non-Apple systems. The project is also known as 'Hackintosh,' a portmanteau of the words 'hack' and 'Macintosh.' If the hacked computer is a laptop, sometimes it is called 'Hackbook.'

The transition to Intel processors was the beginning of OSx86, a name derived from OS X and the x86 architecture. The early efforts were crappy, with plenty of bugs and incompatibilities. The project would adequately support only a few GPUs, and it was almost impossible to install new updates, without breaking anything.

Since then, many communities appeared on the Internet to support the Hackintosh. There are a lot of step by step guides that describe how we can install macOS - or previous versions of the operating system - on laptops and custom desktop PCs.

Thanks to all these forums and communities, there is now a lot of support on how to assemble a Hackintosh, what parts to choose, how to overcome any problems, etc. Hackintosh has indeed become easier than it used to be.

The most popular community is OSx86 Project. For more information, you can also have a look at tonymacx86. In case you want to build a Hackintosh, these are good places to start. For AMD users, the AMD OS X forum will be your best friend.

Why would I want a Hackintosh computer?

There are several reasons why people what to build a Hackintosh computer.

First of all, some users prefer macOS over Windows, but they don't want to spend a fortune on buying a Mac.

Besides, a Mac is a pre-built computer. Nowadays, people tend to select their hardware and build their machines based on their needs. Others want the computer to have a certain look and feel, or they don't like a Mac's design.

Furthermore, Mac computers are locked down. That means we cannot upgrade their parts, easily install more RAM, replace the hard drive, etc.

That's why PC enthusiasts turn to Hackintosh to run macOS, because Hackintosh provides the scalability and power of a PC, along with the efficiency of macOS.

And then there's curiosity. A significant portion of Hackintosh users want to experiment with a different OS or do it for the tinkering aspect. For some people, half the fun of working with computers is to make them do things they were not built to do.

How about performance?

Performance-wise, a Hackintosh with the same high-end hardware components as a Mac can perform better in benchmarks, rendering times, etc.

In this video, there is a comparison between the 5Κ iMac and a 1000$ Skylake Hackintosh with similar hardware. Have in mind that the Mac costs from 2.500$ to 4.500$, depending on the model.

In the matrix below we can see the specification of the machines used in the comparison.

The results on most benchmarks favor the Hackintosh over Mac Pro, 5K iMac, and 2016 Mac Book Pro.

There are several other benchmark tests on the Internet that conclude to the same thing: Hackintosh performs better than a Mac.

Is Hackintosh legal?

If you install macOS or any operating system in the OS X family on non-official Apple hardware, you violate Apple's EULA for the software. According to the company, Hackintosh computers are illegal, due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Some people suggest that, if you use a legitimately purchased copy of macOS, it is 100% legal to install it on any machine you want.

That would make sense if you didn't agree to Apple's end-user license agreement. The EULA mentions that we don't buy the software, we only 'license' it. And the license terms do not permit us to install the software on a non-Apple machine.

If you install macOS on non-official hardware, you breach the contract and the copyright law. Apple, on the other hand, has the right to act upon a breach of contract and right violation.

Of course, communities like OSx86 have existed for years. That probably means that Apple doesn't care or doesn't want to spend money and effort against such acts. Maybe Hackintosh computers don't have any significant effect on Mac sales, who knows.

That said, PCsteps doesn't hold any responsibility for your actions. It is up to you whether you decide to build a Hackintosh and run into problems with Apple. The purpose of this article is purely informative.

The story of Psystar

Psystar Corporation was a company that sold Mac clones. The term refers to computers that run Mac OS, but are made and manufactured by third-party companies.

In other words, we can say that Psystar's computers were the first commercially distributed Hackintosh computers.

On July 3, 2008, Apple filed a lawsuit against Psystar Corporation for violation of copyrights, but the conflict didn't end there. Psystar responded with a countersuit for anti-competitive practices and monopolistic behavior.

However, the countersuit was dismissed. Long story short, the case reached the Supreme Court, which decided that Apple was right, and Psystar violated its DMCA rights.

Psystar's computers were based on the OSx86 project, but the developers of the project claimed that Psystar didn't get permission to use their code. Thus, they reworked their license after the incidence, strictly forbidding commercial usage of their code.

Hackintosh is not for everyone

It is true, Hackintosh is not for everyone. We saw that a Hackintosh has higher performance than a Mac, depending on the hardware used. But we also mentioned that the process is complicated and illegal.

If you wonder whether or not you should install macOS on a custom computer, we got you covered. Below you'll find all the advantages and disadvantages of Hackintosh so that you can decide.

Pros

• Cost effectiveness: Is it all about the money after all? Maybe. A Mac's price is way off the limit for many of us. Contrary, in a Hackintosh you pay for the hardware you get, and it is certainly less expensive and greater value for money.
• Custom build: The main reason people choose Hackintosh over Mac is that they can use custom computer parts. Although limited to specific CPUs, motherboards, etc., users can still make a choice between a wide range of parts, plus they pick the monitor or a PC case of their liking. The variety is significantly greater than a pre-built Mac computer.
• Better performance: Since you can install a high-end GPU, it makes sense that a Hackintosh is more powerful than a Mac. The video card can also help with GPU rendering with CUDA, which isn't always possible on a Mac.
  
• Upgradable: There is a sense of flexibility when you can upgrade your computer whenever you want. With Hackintosh, you can install more RAM, change CPU, etc., as long as you choose parts that are compatible.
• Fun: Last but not least, the fun part is something you should take into consideration. If you like to tinker and experiment with computers and different operating systems, you may have found your next project.

Cons

• Specific hardware: Hackintosh won't run on any PC, you have to buy specific parts to make it work. There is a lot of support in the Hackintosh community that can help you buy the right parts, but this doesn't mean it will work on a machine that you already have sitting in the basement.
• High level of difficulty: If you are the type of user that wants everything ready out of the box, Hackintosh is not for you. It will take a lot of effort to make it work, even with the right hardware. Moreover, you may run into issues at any point after the installation, and that will require search and digging into articles and forums to solve them.

• No support: If anything goes wrong, which is not a rare phenomenon on Hackintosh computers, you have to fix it by yourselves. Apple won't support you in any way. This is a very significant drawback for those that want to use Hackintosh for professional purposes, and thus it is definitely not recommended for such cases.
• Risk on updates: When you update a Hackintosh, don't expect a smooth experience as it would be the case with an official Mac computer. As we mentioned, you may run into problems, and updates are known to 'break' things in Hackintosh.
• Illegal: Apple says that Hackintosh is illegal, and that is a good reason not to try it.

Do you plan to build a Hackintosh?

Hackintosh is a pretty solid solution if you want macOS, with the price of a casual computer. However, for professionals that their job depends on their computer or inexperienced users that prefer an out of the box experience, it is not recommended. Plus, we should not forget that Hackintosh is not legal.

In case you just want to try macOS, you can create a virtual machine inside Windows. It is just as illegal as a Hackintosh, but much, much easier to set up and run.

Have you ever built a Hackintosh computer, or do you plan to build one in the future? Do you think that Hackintosh is better than a Mac? Did this article help you decide whether you should go for it or not?

You can share your experience with Hackintosh in the comment section. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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Hackintosh.com links to everything you need to build a Hackintosh and get macOS Catalina (10.15) as well as many earlier versions of Mac OS X running on an unsupported computer -- instructions, step-by-step 'how to' guides, and tutorials -- in addition to installation videos, lists of compatible computers and parts, and communities for support.

For Mac specs, prices, answers, side-by-side Mac comparison, a tool to lookup Macs by serial number, an installable Mac specs app and more, see EveryMac.com, too. For iPod, iPhone and iPad info, hit Everyi.com.

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Hackintosh Instructions & Tutorials

Helpful individuals have provided step-by-step 'how to' guides and tutorials as well as general advice on installing OS X on everything from self-built desktop systems and notebooks to netbooks, tablets, and more.

Installation guides for macOS Catalina (10.15), macOS Mojave (10.14), macOS High Sierra (10.13), macOS Sierra (10.12), OS X El Capitan (10.11), and older versions of Mac OS X, all the way back to Mac OS X Leopard (10.5) follow. Be sure to see the Hackintosh video tutorials, too.

• macOS Catalina (10.15)
• macOS Mojave (10.14)
• macOS High Sierra (10.13)
• macOS Sierra (10.12)
• OS X El Capitan (10.11)
• OS X Yosemite (10.10)
• OS X Mavericks (10.9)
• OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
• OS X Lion (10.7)
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6)
• Mac OS X Leopard (10.5)

The current version of the Mac operating system is macOS 10.15 'Catalina'. Useful guides to install this version of macOS on a PC include:

Install macOS Catalina on Supported PCs - A detailed guide to install macOS Catalina on some PCs from the well regarded tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast and MultiBeast software. The site also has instructions to cleanup kexts after installation, how to upgrade directly to macOS Catalina from macOS Mojave on an older Hackintosh, and covers the macOS 10.15.0 (Supplemental), 10.15.1, 10.15.2, 10.15.3, 10.15.4, 10.15.4 (Supplemental), and 10.15.5 updates, too.

Install macOS Catalina on Supported PCs (Clover) - A quick guide to install macOS Catalina on some PCs using Clover.

Hardware Selection & macOS Catalina Installation - A helpful guide to hardware selection as well as the macOS Catalina installation process using Clover.

Install macOS Catalina on Dell Optiplex 7010/9019 - A detailed guide to install macOS Catalina on these tower boxen using UniBeast.

Install macOS Catalina on Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro - A detailed installation guide for this motherboard, complete with many helpful screenshots.

Install macOS Catalina on Gigabyte Z390 M Gaming Boards - Focused on gaming, how to install macOS Catalina with Clover, and have it run reliably, on this motherboard type.

Create macOS Catalina USB Install Drive - A helpful post from 9to5Mac, complete with screenshots, to create a USB installer for macOS Catalina.

Update PC from macOS Mojave to Catalina - An archive from Floppyblog (no longer online), this post covers the upgrade procedure as well as troubleshooting for common problems.

Install macOS Catalina on VMware - How to install macOS Catalina using VMware on a Windows PC from newcomer TechsViewer. The same site has a guide to install macOS Catalina on VirtualBox on a Windows PC, as well.

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.15 'Catalina' is modestly more limited than it is for macOS 10.14 'Mojave' that came before it. It also drops support for 32-bit apps entirely. Be certain to verify hardware and app compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the operating system or buying parts for a new system.

The previous version of the Mac operating system is macOS 10.14 'Mojave'. In addition to more limited hardware support, later versions of the macOS do not run 32-bit apps at all, so this version could be preferable if you have older software. A number of useful tutorials for Mojave include:

Install macOS Mojave on Supported PCs with Clover - How to create a macOS Mojave installation USB from the famous tonymacx86 using the site's own Clover application. The site also has troubleshooting help, how to install third-party kexts, and covers the macOS 10.14.1, 10.14.2, 10.14.3, 10.14.3 (Supplemental), 10.14.4, 10.14.5, 10.14.6, 10.14.6 (Supplemental), and 10.14.6 (Supplemental 2) updates, too.

Install macOS Mojave on Supported PCs with UniBeast - How to install and configure macOS Mojave with UniBeast and MultiBeast, also from tonymacx86.

Create a macOS Mojave 10.14 USB Installer - How to create an install drive from the macOS Mojave 10.14 application from iDownloadBlog.

Format a Drive with GUID for Mojave Installation - How to format a drive to install macOS 10.14 Mojave from the well-respected Mac Observer.

Install macOS Mojave Step-by-Step - If the 'official' guide wasn't sufficient, this step-by-step guide to install macOS 10.14 Mojave from newcomer TechHowdy may help.

Install macOS Mojave on VirtualBox in Windows - How to install macOS 10.14 Mojave in the VirtualBox virtualization environment for testing on a Windows PC.

Touchscreen Hackintosh Laptop Install - How to make an HP laptop into a Hackintosh with Clover and a variety of other tools.

Asus Gaming Hackintosh - An 'everything works' guide for an Asus Z390-I-based Hackintosh geared toward gaming.

Update Directly to macOS Mojave - Covers how to upgrade directly from macOS High Sierra to macOS Mojave.

Keep Mojave Hackintosh Up-to-Date - A straightforward method to update from version to version of Mojave courtesy of Dave Jansen.

Mac Hackintosh

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.14 'Mojave' is more limited than it is for macOS 10.13 'High Sierra' that preceded it. Be particularly certain to verify hardware and app compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the operating system or buying parts for a new one.

In addition to potential hardware compatibility issues, you also might have 32-bit apps that do not run, or do not run well under newer versions of the macOS and macOS 10.13 'High Sierra' might be preferable. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for High Sierra include:

Install macOS High Sierra on Supported PCs - How to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on a supported computer from the well-known tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast application. The site has troubleshooting help and hardware recommendations for building your own system, as well. It covers the macOS 10.13.1, 10.13.2, 10.13.3, 10.13.4, 10.13.5, and 10.13.6 updates, too.

Update macOS High Sierra Directly on Supported PCs - How to update to macOS 10.13 High Sierra on any compatible PC using the Clover application, also from tonymacx86.

Install macOS High Sierra on a Coffee Lake Motherboard - How to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on a Gigabyte Z370-HD3P with Multibeast.

Install macOS High Sierra on a Skylake-X/X299 Motherboard - How to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on these high performance motherboards. Includes hardware recommendations, also.

Install macOS High Sierra on an HP 6300 Pro/HP 8300 Elite - A detailed guide on how to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on these affordable, highly compatible tower PCs using the Unibeast app.

Install macOS High Sierra on a Lenovo Y50 - An updated guide to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra on this Lenovo notebook using the Clover application.

Install macOS High Sierra on an Intel NUC6 mini Computer - A guide to install macOS 10.13 High Sierra (or Sierra or El Capitan) on these computers using a collection of automated scripts.

Install macOS High Sierra with Clover - If the 'official' tutorial isn't enough, this quality tutorial from well-established Mac site Mac Observer may be exactly what you need. The same author also covers the hardware components that he selected for his Hackintosh, which he has named 'Valtur.'

Update Hackintosh High Sierra, the Painless Way - How to update from one version of macOS High Sierra to another with troubleshooting suggestions if it doesn't go smoothly, also from Mac Observer.

macOS High Sierra USB Installer - An easy-to-follow tutorial to create a bootable USB installer for macOS High Sierra using the respected DiskMaker X app courtesy of Other World Computing.

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.13 'High Sierra' is the same as macOS 10.12 'Sierra' that came before it, although not all Macs support hardware accelerated HVEC. For maximum performance, be sure to confirm hardware compatibility with HVEC before buying parts.

Although official macOS 10.13 'High Sierra' hardware compatibility is the same, you may want to have your Hackintosh run macOS 10.12 'Sierra' for compatibility with specific third-party software like Office for Mac 2011. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for Sierra include:

Install macOS Sierra on Supported PCs - How to install macOS 10.12 Sierra on any supported PC from the legendary tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast application. The site has troubleshooting guidelines if the installation does not work properly, as well. It covers the macOS 10.12.1, 10.12.2, 10.12.3, 10.12.4, 10.12.5 and 10.12.6 and updates, too.

Upgrade from OS X El Capitan to macOS Sierra - A short tutorial to upgrade a Hackintosh running OS X El Capitan (10.11) to macOS Sierra (10.12) using the Clover application.

Install macOS Sierra on PCs Guide - If the 'official' tutorial isn't sufficient, this quality tutorial from the long term Microsoft-focused site Redmond Pie also covers how to install macOS Sierra on a PC using Unibeast.

Install macOS Sierra on Hackintosh - A short tutorial from newcomer Fitzweekly that explains how to use the Clover tool to install macOS Sierra.

Building a GTX 1080 Ti-Powered Hackintosh - A in-depth two-part tutorial that covers hardware selection with a focus on video editing as well as macOS Sierra installation. See the corresponding video below, also.

[Not] Always Up-to-Date Hackintosh Guide - A noble effort to write an 'always up-to-date' guide to building a Hackintosh from Lifehacker. Ironically, it is not up-to-date, but it covers hardware selection and construction as well as installing macOS Sierra.

Build a DIY Mac mini - From Macworld, the author's personal experience of building a small PC and installing macOS Sierra using other tutorials.

macOS Sierra USB Installer - A straightforward tutorial to create a bootable USB installer for macOS Sierra using the well regarded DiskMaker X app courtesy of Other World Computing.

Two Ways to Create a macOS Sierra Thumb Drive - An archived tutorial from The Verdict (no longer online) that explains how to create a bootable macOS Sierra USB flash drive for a Hackintosh with Terminal and Clover.

Building a Hackintosh Pro - An archive of a helpful tutorial to build a powerful tower desktop Hackintosh from Dan Counsell. It includes hardware selection and basic software installation alike.

Note that official hardware support for macOS 10.12 'Sierra' is more limited than OS X 10.11 'El Capitan' that came before it. Be particularly certain to verify compatibility before upgrading an older Hackintosh to this version of the operating system, too.

Purchase Os X For Hackintosh Download

Because hardware support for macOS Sierra (10.12) is more limited than OS X 10.11 'El Capitan,' you may have hardware that is not compatible with later versions of the macOS but that is compatible with this version. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for El Capitan include:

Install OS X El Capitan on Supported PCs - How to install OS X 10.11 El Capitan on any supported PC from the legendary tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast 6 software tool. The site has troubleshooting guidelines if the installation does not go smoothly, also. It covers the OS X 10.11.1, 10.11.2, 10.11.3, 10.11.4, 10.11.5, and 10.11.6 updates, as well.

Update from OS X Yosemite to El Capitan - A simple tutorial to upgrade directly from OS X Yosemite (10.10) to OS X El Capitan (10.11) using the Clover software tool.

Install OS X El Capitan with Chameleon - A basic tutorial to install OS X El Capitan (10.11) using the Enoch version of the older Chameleon bootloader.

Install OS X El Capitan on PCs with Unibeast - If the 'official' tutorial from tonymacx86 isn't as easy to follow as you would like, you might prefer this installation guide from MacBreaker, which includes step-by-step screenshots of the process.

Install OS X El Capitan on PCs with Multibeast 8 - A step-by-step installation guide with easy-to-follow screenshots also from MacBreaker.

Install OS X El Capitan on PCs Tutorial - Another quality tutorial to install OS X El Capitan on a compatible PC from the long term Microsoft-focused site Redmond Pie.

Building My US$1200 Hackintosh - A long tutorial to select hardware and install OS X El Capitan as well as a performance evaluation written from the perspective of a designer.

Dual Boot OS X El Capitan & Windows on PCs - How to install OS X El Capitan and Windows on separate hard drives on your Hackintosh for trouble-free operation.

Create a Bootable OS X El Capitan Thumb Drive - A detailed tutorial from ArsTechnica that covers how to create a bootable OS X El Capitan USB flash drive for a Hackintosh (or a Mac) using the DiskMaker X app.

Note that although official hardware support for OS X 10.11 'El Capitan' is extensive, support for specific features, such as support for the advanced 'Metal' graphics technology is more limited. If Metal capability (or another particular feature) is of critical interest to you, make sure that it is likely to work with your desired Hackintosh configuration prior to making hardware purchases.

Although official OS X 10.11 'El Capitan' hardware compatibility is the same, you may want to have your Hackintosh run OS X 10.10 'Yosemite' for compatibility with specific third-party hardware or software. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for Yosemite include:

Install OS X Yosemite on Supported PCs - How to install OS X 10.10 Yosemite on any supported PC from tonymacx86 using the site's own Unibeast and Multibeast software tools. For those interested in more detailed understanding of the process, the same site also provides an installation tutorial using Clover. It covers the OS X 10.10.1, 10.10.2, 10.10.3, 10.10.4, and 10.10.5 updates, too.

Update OS X Mavericks to Yosemite - A how to guide to update a Hackintosh running OS X Mavericks to OS X Yosemite from tonymacx86 using Unibeast and Multibeast.

Install OS X Yosemite on PCs with Unibeast and Multibeast 7 - If the 'official' guide above to installing OS X Yosemite on your PC with tonymacx86's Unibeast and Multibeast isn't quite what you would like, try these tutorials from MacBreaker complete with extensive screenshots of the entire installation process.

Install OS X 10.10 Yosemite - An OS X 10.10 Yosemite Hackintosh installation guide for beginners from a helpful InsanelyMac forum member. Also see the 'All-in-One Guide' from another helpful forum user. Forum postings from 'ikingblack' and 'snatch' may be useful, as well. These tutorials use the Chameleon bootloader.

Hackintosh Mac Os

Install OS X Yosemite with Yosemite Zone - This tutorial from MacBreaker provides detailed screenshots to install the Niresh distro with MacPwn as well as a helpful comparison to other OS X Yosemite installation methods. The same site covers installing the Yosemite Zone distro within the Virtualbox virtualization suite, as well.

Yosemite Budget Hackintosh - This archived blog post originally from Geek Dime (now offline) covers inexpensive compatible hardware as well as OS X Yosemite installation with the Clover EFI bootloader.

Install Yosemite on an HP Laptop - How to install Yosemite on a number of different HP laptops using the Clover UEFI.

Dual Boot Mavericks & Yosemite - An archive of an in-depth guide, complete with screen shots, that covers installing both OS X Yosemite and OS X Mavericks on separate drive partitions.

Note that although official hardware support for OS X 10.10 'Yosemite' is quite broad, specific feature support can vary widely.

Although official OS X 10.10 'Yosemite' and even OS X 10.11 'El Capitan' hardware compatibility essentially is the same, you still may prefer to have your Hackintosh run OS X 10.9 'Mavericks' whether for software compatibility or simply because you do not like the 'flat' interface design that OS X 'Yosemite' introduced to the platform. Quality Hackintosh tutorials for Mavericks include:

Install OS X 10.9 Mavericks - An OS X 10.9 Mavericks Hackintosh installation guide from tonymacx86 using the site's UniBeast app. The site also covers the OS X 10.9.1, 10.9.2, 10.9.3, 10.9.4, and 10.9.5 updates.

Installing OS X 10.9 Mavericks with myHack - From MacBreaker, a how to installation guide for OS X Mavericks using the sophisticated myHack app. If the 'official' guide (above) isn't sufficient, you also may find this site's OS X Mavericks Unibeast tutorial and its tutorial for the sketchy Niresh distro helpful, too.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks Installation on Gigabyte Motherboards - Explains how to install OS X Mavericks, as well as Lion and Mountain Lion, on Gigabyte motherboards using the Hackinstaller script. This tutorial also includes a list of FAQs that can be quite helpful for troubleshooting.

Install OS X Mavericks in Virtualbox - From MacBreaker, explains how to install OS X Mavericks in Virtualbox using the dodgy Niresh distro.

Dual Boot OS X Mavericks & Windows 8/8.1 - A brief guide to dual boot both OS X Mavericks and Windows 8/8.1 on UEFI-based Hackintosh systems using the Clover bootloader program.

Upgrading Mountain Lion to Mavericks - Explains how to upgrade a Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3-based Hackintosh from OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion to OS X 10.9 Mavericks using MultiBeast, Chimera, and other apps.

Building a Hackintosh with Quo's Any OS Motherboard - An interesting piece from TechSpot that covers both the Quo 'Any OS' (AOS) motherboard -- quietly designed to be as compatible as possible with OS X -- and OS X Mavericks installation and configuration.

Install OS X Mavericks on Your Hackintosh - An archived guide to building a Hackintosh from Lifehacker. Covers hardware selection and construction as well as installing OS X Mavericks.

Create a Bootable OS X 10.9 Mavericks Thumb Drive - An ArsTechnica tutorial that explains how to create a bootable OS X Mavericks USB flash drive for a Hackintosh (or a Mac) with the excellent DiskMaker X.

Although hardware compatibility is essentially identical to OS X 10.11 'El Capitan,' OS X 10.10 'Yosemite,' and OS X 10.9 'Mavericks,' Hackintosh installation procedures and tools can be different for OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion':

Install OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion - A complete OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion' Hackintosh installation guide from the legendary tonymacx86 using the site's UniBeast installation tool. The site covers the OS X 10.8.1, 10.8.2, 10.8.3, 10.8.4, and 10.8.5 updates, too.

Install OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion with myHack - An installation guide for OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion' using the sophisticated myHack app (no longer online), which has more features than UniBeast and may be of interest accordingly.

Install OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion with UniBeast - If the 'official' tutorial from tonymacx86 wasn't enough, this one from MacBreaker may help. The same site also covers how to installboth of the dodgy iATKOS and Niresh distros of 'Mountain Lion' as well as how to install 'Mountain Lion' in Virtualbox with Hackboot.

Budget Hackintosh Project - An archive of a ten page tutorial covering hardware selection and construction for an inexpensive 'Ivy Bridge' OS X 'Mountain Lion' Hackintosh from BenchmarkReviews (no longer online). The author also provides shorter tutorials about OS X Mountain Lion software installation and Hackintosh performance hardware options.

Build an OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Hackintosh - Originally written for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and subsequently updated to cover OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and 'Ivy Bridge' motherboards, this archive of a twelve page Hackintosh tutorial from NoFilmSchool (no longer online) is geared toward amateur filmmakers. It covers hardware selection and assembly in addition to OS X installation.

Install OS X 10.8.5 on a Hackintosh - How to install OS X 10.8.5 on a Hackintosh from Lifehacker. Covers hardware selection and construction as well as installing the OS X 'Mountain Lion' software.

Purchase Os X For Hackintosh Windows 7

Upgrade to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion from OS X 10.7 Lion - A well-written tutorial to upgrade a Hackintosh running OS X 10.7 'Lion' to OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion' from the excellent Bassheadtech. The same blogger also covers how to switch from BIOS to UEFI on a compatible Gigabyte board.

HP ProBook 4530 Hackintosh - An interesting article from Sonic State about OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion' installation on an HP ProBook 4530 from the perspective of a professional musician -- and 'old school' Mac and Amiga user -- interested in backwards compatibility. Significant coverage of emulation environments, too.

Create a Bootable OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion USB Drive - A detailed ArsTechnica piece to create a bootable OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion' USB flash drive for a Hackintosh (or a Mac) using the helpful DiskMaker X app.

Fusion Drive Setup for a Hackintosh - A tutorial from MacBreaker that covers the process of configuring a Fusion Drive on a 'Mountain Lion' Hackintosh system.

Os X 10.12

Adding an SSD to a Hackintosh with a Hard Drive - A useful walkthrough from Bassheadtech that explains how to install an SSD in an OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion' Hackintosh that already has a hard drive to significantly enhance performance.

Note that just like its predecessor, OS X 10.8 'Mountain Lion' does not support 'Rosetta' and cannot run older Mac OS X software written for the PowerPC processor. Those who need older software should instead consider Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard.'

Hackintosh tutorials for OS X 10.7 'Lion' still may be of interest for compatibility with additional hardware, whether system components themselves or third-party peripherals:

Install OS X 10.7 Lion via Download - The quintessential tutorial to install the download version of OS X 10.7 'Lion' on a PC with compatible hardware using xMove and Multibeast from tonymacx86. The same site also covers upgrading a Hackintosh to OS X Lion 10.7.1, 10.7.2, 10.7.3, 10.7.4, and 10.7.5.

Install OS X 10.7 Lion via Apple Thumb Drive - A simple tutorial to install OS X 'Lion' from the retail Apple USB thumb drive on a Hackintosh using the xMove software tool, also from tonymacx86.

Install OS X 10.7 Lion via All-In-One Bootable USB Drive - A detailed tutorial to install OS X 'Lion' from a bootable USB drive using the UniBeast tool, yet again from tonymacx86.

Installing Lion with Kakewalk - A walkthrough from MacBreaker that covers OS X 'Lion' installation using Kakewalk on a supported Gigabyte-based Hackintosh. The site offers a 'Lion' walkthrough for UniBeast, too.

Lion on the Hackintosh - An insightful and detailed post from photographer Thomas Pindelski. Covers OS X 10.7 'Lion' installation, workarounds, limitations, benchmarks and more.

Lion on an AMD Hackintosh - A step-by-step post to install OS X Lion on an AMD-based Hackintosh from MacBreaker using the myHack software tool (no longer online) and selected kexts.

Buying Lion on a Hackintosh - A short, but vital, post on upgrading a Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.7 'Lion' via the App Store from the always excellent Bassheadtech.

Building a Hackintosh Mini ITX Server - A helpful post on building a 'Hackintosh' Mac mini running Mac OS X 10.7 'Lion' Server. Also from Bassheadtech.

OS X Lion on Acer 523h & D257 Netbooks - An archived post that explains how to install OS X 10.7 'Lion' on these vintage netbooks from my Mac Netbook (no longer online).

Note that Mac OS X 10.7 'Lion' does not support 'Rosetta' and cannot run older Mac OS X software for the PowerPC processor. Those who need older software should instead consider Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard.'

Hackintosh tutorials for Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' can be particularly useful for those who need their Hackintosh to be compatible with software written for the PowerPC processor or for those who simply do not like the 'iOS-ification' that OS X Lion brought to the platform:

The Snow Leopard Hackintosh - Written in late 2013, an up-to-date and easy-to-follow guide covering hardware configuration and Mac OS X installation for a Snow Leopard Hackintosh from FreeHand Forum.

Snow Leopard on Hackintosh (Second Method) - An excellent guide to installing Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' from Bassheadtech. The same blogger also offers an older step-by-step guide to upgrading a Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' from Mac OS X 10.5.8 'Leopard'. Bassheadtech likewise covers upgrading a Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.6.3, 10.6.4, 10.6.5, 10.6.6, 10.6.7 and 10.6.8.

Install Mac OS X Snow Leopard on an Intel PC - Straightforward instructions using the iBoot and MultiBeast tools from tonymacx86. The same site also helps one upgrade a Hackintosh to Mac OS X 10.6.3, 10.6.4, 10.6.5, 10.6.6, 10.6.7 and finally 10.6.8 with useful blog posts.

Ivy Bridge Snow Leopard Hackintosh - From MacBreaker, an 'experimental' guide to installing Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' on an 'Ivy Bridge' Hackintosh with the iBoot Ivy Bridge software tool. The same site also provides a guide to install the operating system on an older 'Sandy Bridge' system.

Sandy Bridge Snow Leopard Hackintosh - A six page guide to installing Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' on a custom-built 'Sandy Bridge' Hackintosh from RegHardware. Uses the iBoot Legacy and Multibeast applications.

Turning PC into Apple Macintosh - An archive of an insightful evaluation of a personal experience building a Hackintosh and a comparison of the resulting Hackintosh to a Mac Pro from BenchmarkReviews (no longer online).

Snow Leopard on an AMD PC - An archive of an older Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' installation process on a Hackintosh as well as custom details related to using an AMD-based system from iHackintosh (no longer online). The same site also offers a list of kexts that may be helpful.

Install Snow Leopard in VMWare - An archived guide to install Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard' in VMWARE for Windows 7.

Purchase Os X For Hackintosh Mac

Snow Leopard on a Dell Mini 9, Dell Mini v10, HP Mini 1000 and HP Mini 110-3710 - Archives of detailed and easy-to-follow guides from my Mac netbook (no longer online).

Snow Leopard on an Acer Aspire One ZG5 - Another great walkthrough for Snow Leopard on this largely compatible netbook courtesy of Bassheadtech.

Snow Leopard on a Dell Mini 10v - An older walkthrough from the Gizmodo blog for the 'ultimate Snow Leopard netbook'.

There are a variety of Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' Hackintosh tutorials that still can be useful for those creating a Hackintosh with more vintage hardware, or just for 'historical' interest, too:

Hackintosh In-Depth - a fantastically comprehensive nine part guide covering Hackintosh building, Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' installation, and more from Bassheadtech.

Mac Os Mavericks Hackintosh

Dell Vostro A90 Netbook - A brief blog post from Hack a Day covering the Hackintosh process on this essentially rebadged Dell Mini 9. See the below videos too.

MSI Wind Netbook - A step-by-step Hackintosh installation guide for the MSI Wind from the Gear Diary blog.

Acer Aspire One (A150X) - A helpful posting from Fernando Colaço's 'general purpose useless blog' (no longer online) with installation directions and limitations of the Acer netbook.

Sony Vaio P Netbook - An archived collection of long gone forum posts documenting the struggle of getting Mac OS X to run on the ultraslim Sony netbook.

Guide to Creating a Hackintosh - Hardware selection and Mac OS X installation info from Techware Labs.

Install a Retail Mac OS X Leopard DVD on a PC - An archived step-by-step installation guide from the MeNoob blog (no longer online).

Building a Hackintosh Apple Can't Sue You For - Choosing hardware and how to install Mac OS X 10.5 'Leopard' courtesy of the well-respected OSNews website.