PC for MacOS Virtualization

[r3dex3]

Budget (including currency): 1000 USD

Country: USA

Programs or workloads that it will be used for: Running latest MacOS install through Qemu. Hoping to use Xcode as well.

Other details: I’m unsure if this is actually a better option performance-wise to a 1000 USD M1 MacBook. However, if they are at least somewhat comparable, I would greatly prefer a desktop PC. Potential time commitment required to optimize the VM to get good performance is not an issue. Also, is a decent GPU necessary for this kind of application?

[Eigenvektor]

4 minutes ago, r3dex3 said:

Other details: I’m unsure if this is actually a better option performance-wise to a 1000 USD M1 MacBook. However, if they are at least somewhat comparable, I would greatly prefer a desktop PC.

I that case, why not buy a Mac mini M1? That would be the desktop equivalent of a MacBook.

 

No idea about performance of a VM solution, but I doubt you'll get Mac-like performance for much less than you'd spend on a Mac. Running macOS on non-Mac hardware is also not officially supported. You need a Mac to legally obtain a copy of macOS.

[r3dex3]

8 minutes ago, Eigenvektor said:

I that case, why not buy a Mac mini M1? That would be the desktop equivalent of a MacBook.

 

Running macOS on non-Mac hardware is also not officially supported. You need a Mac to legally obtain a copy of macOS.

By building a pc, I get all the advantages it offers (future upgrades, able to use other OS’s, and easier to repair). Also, the Mac Mini doesn’t have significantly better performance (that I’ve seen) to make it worth buying a separate monitor, at least for me. I do have access to a Mac, so getting an ISO or anything along those lines shouldn’t be an issue. Legal scruples I have not.

[Dr0idGh0sT]

What is situation on AMD CPU's? Does they run Mac well enough, are there drivers available? If yes, You might be better going with 5700G if you aren't planning on gaming or any GPU intensive tasks.

[LIGISTX]

54 minutes ago, r3dex3 said:

Budget (including currency): 1000 USD

Country: USA

Programs or workloads that it will be used for: Running latest MacOS install through Qemu. Hoping to use Xcode as well.

Other details: I’m unsure if this is actually a better option performance-wise to a 1000 USD M1 MacBook. However, if they are at least somewhat comparable, I would greatly prefer a desktop PC. Potential time commitment required to optimize the VM to get good performance is not an issue. Also, is a decent GPU necessary for this kind of application?

https://www.tonymacx86.com/ is where you want to go for hackintosh into - they are the number 1 source of info...

 

That said, I wouldn't start looking into hackintosh now with the new M series of chips. Apple is going to aggressively start killing x86 OS rollouts and support. They want to get everyone on their own silicon, and hackintosh will slowly (or quickly if you value security updates...) die as a result. I am on a IIntel MacBook Air typing this and I know I have about 1-2 years before I will want to dump this for a M2 model as this laptop will quickly lose all value in the resale market since it will end up as a paperweight in I assume 4-5 years. So, just something to think about.

[r3dex3]

2 hours ago, Dr0idGh0sT said:

What is situation on AMD CPU's? Does they run Mac well enough, are there drivers available? If yes, You might be better going with 5700G if you aren't planning on gaming or any GPU intensive tasks.

As far as I can tell, AMD and Intel CPUs are capable of MacOS virtualization. I was actually looking at the 5700G, but am still unsure as to whether I will need a discrete graphics card to get the most out of a vm.

[r3dex3]

2 hours ago, LIGISTX said:

https://www.tonymacx86.com/ is where you want to go for hackintosh into - they are the number 1 source of info...

 

That said, I wouldn't start looking into hackintosh now with the new M series of chips. Apple is going to aggressively start killing x86 OS rollouts and support. They want to get everyone on their own silicon, and hackintosh will slowly (or quickly if you value security updates...) die as a result. I am on a IIntel MacBook Air typing this and I know I have about 1-2 years before I will want to dump this for a M2 model as this laptop will quickly lose all value in the resale market since it will end up as a paperweight in I assume 4-5 years. So, just something to think about.

Thanks for the recommendation, and the warning. That's primarily why I was looking at either a pc (which can be reused) or an M1 MacBook (which will hopefully hold its value after a few years).

[Dr0idGh0sT]

8 hours ago, r3dex3 said:

As far as I can tell, AMD and Intel CPUs are capable of MacOS virtualization. I was actually looking at the 5700G, but am still unsure as to whether I will need a discrete graphics card to get the most out of a vm.

I am not sure either, But if it should run well on this iGPU. Also because you are building last gen system, You can swap out 5700G for something like 5600X or 5800X if GPU prices go down and you get hand on one or even just use it with 5700G, It's decent CPU itself.