[elithrar]

I feel this would have been more comparable with a Xeon, otherwise it's effectively a decked out iMac.

Also: I toyed with the idea of building a Hackintosh to replace my 2011 iMac, instead of waiting for the 2013 model (Haswell, 780MX GPU). By the time I'd specced a comparable machine-i7, 16GB RAM, GTX 770, 3TB HDD, SSD, and a 27" Dell UltraSharp (to match the iMac panel), I really wasn't that far off the iMac's price with only a larger (256GB vs. 128GB) SSD to show for it. About < AUD$400 off, which if you consider the time to order, build, etc, isn't as significant as many make it out to be.

The actual Hackintosh process seems to be relatively "smooth" if you use compatible parts and set a day aside (and a couple to research similar builds), but I dread any warranty issues (and therefore dealing with > 6 manufacturers).

I'm still open to the idea, and maybe it makes more financial sense in US (there's about a 20% markup on parts here in Australia), but the price different wasn't substantial enough to offset the added effort/risk.

[wtallis]

At the very least he should have used a Xeon E3 to get ECC support, but even that wouldn't be directly comparable. The Xeon E5 and E7 processors have a ton more I/O bandwidth than the desktop platform. The new Mac Pro will actually be able to run 2 GPUs and several Thunderbolt ports without bandwidth starvation, but no system based around LGA1155 or LGA1150 can. Also, the server platform has quad-channel memory, compared to dual-channel on the desktop platform.

Workstation parts are expensive, yes, but they do offer capabilities that you can't get from consumer parts. If you don't need a workstation, then workstations may seem ridiculously overpriced, but if you do need a workstation, then ordinary desktops are crippled unreliable crap.

[MrFoof]

I did this exercise about 2 years ago.

The price difference between a decked out mid-2011 iMac (with a DIY RAM upgrade) and a custom-built machine via NewEgg was ~$200 ... the difference largely being that with ordering from NewEgg I wouldn't pay sales tax. The difference with the DIY was I had a desktop video card instead of the mobile 6970M w/ 2GB of texture memory.

The other difference is I had separate speakers, webcam, more cabling, and a large physical box.

Although folks will fault the current iMac on storage expansion, don't rule out Thunderbolt. Yes, it's expensive, but being able to plug in a RAID array only loses points because the enclosure manufacturers always include disks to pad their margin. However, at least you can always plug that array into your next computer a few years down the line.

[KVFinn]

>I toyed with the idea of building a Hackintosh to replace my 2011 iMac, instead of waiting for the 2013 model

The prices are comparable if buy an iMac in the launch window. But the 2011 iMac is still being sold today. If you were buy a computer now there is a huge difference.

It's also worth considering overclocking given the stagnation in processor advances over the last generations. Getting a 40% clock increase out of a chip is like jumping ahead multiple years now -- it used to be that you could always wait a year and catch up, so why bother overclocking. But an inefficient old i7, originally 350 dollars, at 4.5ghz from 3 years ago is still faster than anything Intel is even selling today at any price.

[eropple]

Have to second this. I've got the Nehalem i7-875k in my Hackintosh/Win7 machine cooking at 3.8GHz (with no real work from me - the motherboard had a "smart overclock" button and it's been completely stable) and I am thrilled with the perf.

The bigger problem is that it only supports 16GB of RAM.

[vacri]

but I dread any warranty issues (and therefore dealing with > 6 manufacturers)... / here in Australia

In Australia, your warranty is with the entity you bought from. If they supplied you faulty parts, it is their responsibility to deal with the manufacturers. Buy everything from the one place, and the warranty is all with that one place.

You can, of course, try your direct warranty with the manufacturer, but you won't have the benefit of supplier channels. Similarly, dealing with a parts store is a bit more random than the usual "we're so big that we'll just replace the part" story you often get from Apple or Dell.

[elithrar]

> In Australia, your warranty is with the entity you bought from. If they supplied you faulty parts, it is their responsibility to deal with the manufacturers. Buy everything from the one place, and the warranty is all with that one place.

This is true, and I'm aware of this; however the store still has to deal with the manufacturer, and they aren't as bound to timeframes/timelines as the store is. Waiting 3-4+ weeks for a replacement part isn't unheard of, and although the store might have to offer you a "like" replacement, that may not be the same/compatible.

[madeofpalk]

> In Australia, your warranty is with the entity you bought from. If they supplied you faulty parts, it is their responsibility to deal with the manufacturers. Buy everything from the one place, and the warranty is all with that one place

From what I understand, the law is actually pretty vague about this one. In the advice the ACCC gives to businesses, it actually puts responsibility on both the retailer and the manufacturer.

Apple has taken this and will follow the same guidelines for their products regardless of whether you purchased it from Apple or not.

[vacri]

It's the retailer's responsibility - after all, the manufacturer might not even have a channel for the general public to access, or even go by the branding on their parts.

The problem is as elithrar points out - 'doing something about it' doesn't necessarily mean 'replaced right now'. Responsibility for the repair may lie with the manufacturer, but the retailer sold the goods - if they're faulty, then it is the retailer's responsibility to make good on them. Just as it's the manufacturer's responsibility to make good on faults encountered by the retailer.

MSY (a super-cheap retailer) got slapped for foisting warranties back onto the manufacturer, and 'now honour warranties' (see section 2 here http://www.msy.com.au/pdf/TermsofTrade.pdf).

[blinkingled]

>About < AUD$400 off, which if you consider the time to order, build, etc, isn't as significant as many make it out to be.

Not only does it make financial sense - the upgrade-ability and repairability of a custom build in unparalleled by the iMac - esp. the newer one. You would at least need the $169 AppleCare to allow for the possibility of free repairs on the iMac for 3 years. That still leaves out upgrades. Whereas for the custom build it's just a matter of yanking out the failed part and putting in a new one at cost.

[outworlder]

Only if your time has no value. With at least one day to setup (according to the poster) and issues popping up from time to time (not to mention OS upgrades), the difference is not that big.

We are not even factoring the resale value after a couple years, of an iMac vs a generic hackintosh.

[blinkingled]

Well the resale argument doesn't really apply to a hackintosh - I wouldn't need to sell it - not at least in 5 years or so - I can just keep upgrading. And a 5 yr old iMac will fetch you roughly $200 from Gazelle.

About time - I suspect more than a handful of people will find spending a day here and there worthwhile if it saves them $400 + $169. (Also if in best case Apple keeps your iMac for 2-3 days in repair - that's time lost as well. You could do the Hackintosh repair faster yourself.)

The OS upgrades however - yeah they will be a pain. I can see that as a significant deterrent.

[kosherbeefcake]

My greatest deterrent is the OS upgrade. I've been mulling over whether to just buy a Mac, or to build a Hackintosh. I would like the upgrade ability, but I would also prefer to not have to worry about accidentally upgrading my OS and having a few hour downtime every so often.

[elithrar]

> That still leaves out upgrades. Whereas for the custom build it's just a matter of yanking out the failed part and putting in a new one at cost

I can sell a $3000 iMac for $2000 two years down the track; making the upgrade "cost" $1000. It'd cost me roughly the same to buy a GTX 770 (AUD$500), a new i7 Haswell and a 128GB SSD, which are effectively the major upgrades between my 2011 iMac and the (predicted specifications) of the 2013 refresh. And then I have to hope that someone else has tested those parts before I have!

[blinkingled]

I was commenting on your speculation that it might make more financial sense in the US - to give you an example GTX 770 is USD 399 and the top of the line stock iMac is $1999 before tax and I can only upgrade it to GTX 685 which runs me $150. So yeah in the US I think it is not as clear cut as it is in your case.

[veidr]

Right, I think this is where the OP's hackintosh is meaningfully similar to a Mac Pro, regardless of its specs.

The Mac Pros are the only Macs in recent memory that I've kept in service for 5+ years, with multiple rounds of disk upgrades (boot SSD + 3TB, then 6TB, currently 12TB), and graphics card and RAM upgrades as well.

If that's important to you, you currently either need a Mac Pro or a hackintosh.

Of course, once the new trash-can Mac Pro ships, there won't be any Macs from Apple like that anymore...

[X-Istence]

I am still using a MacBook Pro from 2007... still runs the latest version of OS X (although I wonder if it is going to get dropped this next round).

Yes, it is slow compared to the newer machines, but it has lasted a hell of a long time!

[hcarvalhoalves]

I'm working fine on a late-2009 MacBook Pro, still pristine with <50 battery cycles, just lacking some RAM upgrade (still on 4gb). If I replace the HDD for SSD down the line, it will last even longer.

[mitchty]

50 in four years? Wow, I have a new retina that I bought first day and its at 75. I thought I was not all that big on cycle counting my laptops.

You sir, win that award.

[hcarvalhoalves]

It's a late-2009 Macbook, it doesn't mean I've been using it for the last 4 years. I bought it second-hand, but the person didn't used it much :)

[madeofpalk]

> You would at least need the $169 AppleCare to allow for the possibility of free repairs on the iMac for 3 years

Kind of off topic, But in Australia the AppleCare is kind of a moot point as consumer protection laws mean Apple provides free repairs, replacements or refunds for something like two years.

From what I've heard it's similar in EU and China (and I believe Mexico, but I'm not sure where I've heard that from).

[blinkingled]

> Kind of off topic

No, good point actually! (I was commenting on OP's speculation that a hackintosh might make more sense in the US)