Do you want to build a Hackintosh PC and wanted running latest macOS smoothly and error free? But don’t know which components to choose that will make your Hackintosh perform super fast and efficiently? Then you came at the right place.
Here we have posted the guide that will help you to chose the right kind of Hardware for building Hackintosh PC and it will also help you to know the PC that you already have will support macOS or not.
Read Also: Buyer’s Guide: Building a Budget Hackintosh PC
Let’s get started.
How to Chose Hackintosh Compatible Parts
CPU (Processors)
All CPUs starting from Intel Core 2 Duo up to now (Haswell) is supported, except for Pentium Haswell, it’s reported as not compatible with Mavericks and its too old you will hardly get PC with Pentium processor. Be careful when buying these CPUs.
Always chose Intel Processors than AMD Processor for your Hackintosh build project. Because AMD has some issues of running smoothly macOS.
We have collected lists of processors check these guides.
Integrated Graphic (iGPU)
With Mavericks the old 1st generation iGPU also working but if you want to use processors for macOS Sierra, then go with at least 4th generation iGCPU. These are iGPUs are native support list:
- Intel HD Graphics on 1st Generation Intel Core i Processor (Arrandale, need some kexts modding )
- Intel HD 3000 on 2nd Generation Intel Core i Processor ( Sandy Bridge , )
- Intel HD 4000 on 3rd Generation Intel Core i Processor ( Ivy Bridge )
- Intel HD 4400 (laptop only) /4600/5000/Iris on 4th Generation Intel Core i Processor ( Haswell )
- Intel HD 530 on 6th Generation Intel Core i Processor ( Haswell ).
Please note that desktop HD4000 and above only works with QE/CI if you connect by DVI/HDMI/DP ports, no QE/CI on VGA port!
These iGPUs are not supported by OS X Mavericks:
- Intel MHD4500/X3100 and earlier
- Intel HD Graphics on 2nd Generation Intel Pentium/Celeron and later
- Intel HD 2000
- Intel HD 2500 (Rarely works)
- Intel HD 4400 Desktop (Rarely works)
Graphic Card (GPU)
Please note that laptops with AMD Switchable Graphics or nVidia Optimus with both Intel HD + AMD/nVidia card will only be able to use Intel HD, unless you have the option to turn off Intel HD in BIOS.
These GPUs are supported that we have found working (If any of one Graphic card are not working please let us know)
- nVidia 7000 Series
- nVidia 8000 Series
- nVidia 9000 Series
- nVidia GT 200 Series
- nVidia GT 400 Series
- nVidia GT 500 Series
- nVidia GT 600 Series
- nVidia GT 700 Series.
- nVidia GT 900 Series.
- nVidia GTX Titan X.
- nVidia Quadro 4000
- nVidia GT 520M, 540M and 630M ( laptop with discrete GPUs )
- nVidia GTX 675M, 760M, 765M, 770M
- nVidia NVS 5200M
- nVidia Quadro 1000M, 2000M
- AMD 4000 Series
- AMD 5000 Series
- AMD 6600, 6700, 6800 Series
- AMD 7750, 7770, 7870, 7950, 7970
- AMD R7-200 R9-200 Series ( supported on OS X 10.10)
- AMD 4650M, 5470M, 7650M
These GPUs are not supported (the list may be incompleted or not correct at some points , please inform me about the GPU that didn’t works for you but not on the list or the one works):
- AMD 6400 Series
- AMD 6500 Series
- AMD 6900 Series
Note that laptops that use CPU ES (Engineering Sample) or use Samsung panel can’t enable QE/CI.
RAM
The minimum requirements for Mavericks is 2Gb of RAM, 4GB is enough or if you want to run macOS sierra minimum requirements are 4GB RAM and 16GB is enough (we personally use 16GB RAM on our Hackintosh Machine) to run things smoothly. If you want to run virtual machines or multiple softwares, 8GB of RAM or more is recommended.
Read Also: Buyer’s Guide: Best RAM to Hackintosh Build PC
Audio
Most audio codecs are supported nowadays with AppleHDA but previously it was supported through VooDooHDA but the sound was not nice comparing to Windows. For better sound clearity the, we had to patch AppleHDA.
If you need high-quality audio, buy the latest motherboard.
Ethernet
Almost ethernet chips are supported except for these:
- Realtek 8169 (Random kernel panic)
- Ethernet Killer (Only the Atheros Killer E2200 is usable)
Wireless Card
- TP-LINK TL-WDN4800
- TP-LINK Archer T8E AC1750
- TP-LINK TL-WN881ND
- Asus PCE-AC68
- TP-LINK TL-WN781ND