Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with osx86

Help me pick a dual-head video card compatible with OSx86 (hackintosh) and Linux

fishfucker — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:58:47 -0800

Recommend a video card that can push dual monitors on OSX86 (Hackintosh) and Linux. Lots more info about my setup inside. I have a stock Gateway GT 5636e, and two HP w2207h 22" Monitors (1680 x 1050 with HDMI). I want to buy a video card that's compatible with OSx86 and Ubuntu (or a similar workstation distro) that's dual head.

Usage: The primary use of this machine is for web development. (I'm pretty much just going to be running RubyMine/IntelliJ and a web browser). It will also see occasional Photoshop, Flash, and Illustrator work. In theory, it should be capable of working with video. I have zero intention of playing games on this machine, so I don't need gaming level performance.

Budget: as close to $50 (after rebate, if necessary) as possible, but feel free to give recommendations up to $100 if this is too low or there's a compelling reason to spend extra money for my needs. Ideally I won't have to buy a new power supply to get the new video card running (according to some newegg commenters, the current power supply is 400w and it *may* have a 6 pin pci express adapter -- I haven't cracked the seal to verify yet). Being carried by Amazon/Newegg/Fry's or anyone with fast shipping is a plus.

Compatibility: Supposedly, nVidia Geforce cards work best with Hackintosh/OSx86, which is my first choice to install on this machine, but if the OSx86 install fails, I will be installing some flavor of Linux, most likely Ubuntu. If it comes to that, I want to be able to run the whiz-bang compiz effects. Generally, I want a card that will work for either purpose, but if I have to sacrifice some minor linux compatibility (slightly harder to install, etc) for having greater OSx86 compatibility, that's fine. Actual experience and/or links to comments/threads that verify compatibility is preferred to guesses, but I'm not picky.

The Zotac 1GB Geforce 9500 is an example of the sort of cards and price range I've been looking at. Still, I am no longer clued in to what makes any particular card model better than another (last time I built a machine, whichever card had more RAM and a 'bigger' model number was usually better). Mostly, I'm worried that I am misinformed in thinking that simply because a video card has two separate DVI ports that it will be able to drive two separate monitors.

I probably won't be able to check back until midday to provide more information, so hopefully I didn't leave anything out. Thanks guys!

OS X NetBook recommendations

bonaldi — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:35:19 -0800

Four years on and Apple still don't make the tiny MacBook I want, so I'm going to have a pop at making my own. What's the best NetBook for this? I realise that there isn't a model out there that does everything perfectly, and I'll have to compromise. What really must work is sleep and wifi, but I can live without sound or ethernet.

Size is everything, but keyboard and battery life are also v. important. Has anyone got any experience with doing this, or any recommendations?

Cheap Mac

mccarty.tim — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:54:14 -0800

My mom wants a simple Mac on the cheap. I'm a nerd and willing to get my hands dirty. What's the best option for us? Handicap: I'm away for weeks at a time at college. Today at lunch, my mom and I were talking about the five year old computer I build for her back when I was in middle school. I built it for around $600, and it's been great to us so far, but power surges in the house seem to be making either the motherboard or power supply act flakey, so we're thinking about getting a new computer in the near future if need be. For college, I bought a Mac laptop and I'm in love with it.

My mom is on a practically fixed income and would like to get a barebones, internet surfing, text editing Mac. What would you guys recommend? I'm fairly handy with computers, so I don't mind some basic hacks.

A Mac Mini seems to serve her needs best, but they're pretty expensive for what they are hardware-wise, relative to a bargain PC. Would a practical solution be to get an Apple TV, set it up with a USB hub for the mouse, keyboard, CD drive, etc, and a DVI adapter and install a full version of OSX (preferably Leopard) to the machine? What matters most here is that the machine needs to be able to run just fine without me coming over to do routine tweaks weekly. Also, would the OS update itself properly like my laptop does, or would the "illegitimate" machine need manual updates?

If that's not a good option, I could go for a Hackintosh. How are those in terms of reliability? Is there any site that has a list of hardware known to work properly with OSX? Ideally, I could simply keep the case, hard drive, DVD burners, and other hardware from her current setup (an Athlon XP 2500+ based machine with a few updates over the years) while replacing the motherboard, ram, CPU, and power supply. Is there any chance Apple would "break" a Leopard install on a Hackintosh without warning? If that's true, I assume I could just disable the updates, keep up a good firewall on the router at home so that most exploits, discovered or otherwise, are out of reach to begin with, and leave things be?

I also see a few Mac Minis for sale on Ebay that look like decent deals. Some are selling for about $300 and have 1 GB of RAM and an Intel processor. However, I really am not comfortable with the uncertainty of online auctions. Obviously, this is the only one the Apple store would likely help her with.

What do you recommend I do? Please don't recommend that I install Linux or go for a cheap Dell, as I want a computer my mom can use and keep safe without too much effort. She uses it for her part-time job and my sister uses it for her homework.