Compared to building a custom desktop computer, hackintoshing a laptop is a dramatic undertaking, and can be a very painful process. It's not like building a computer from parts, choosing which compatible components you want or need. Only certain very specific models work well. Things like power management become more important because of the battery and using the lid to sleep the computer. For networking, having functional wifi is way more important than ethernet. And the keyboard and trackpad can be a nightmare.
With the launch of Mac OS X Lion, Intel's onboard HD 3000 graphics, integrated into all Sandy Bridge mobile CPUs, became fully compatible. The only thing necessary to achieve full acceleration is a MacBook Pro 8,1 system definition. Therefore many more laptops now have functional Intel graphics, and are viable hackintosh candidates.
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HP ProBook 4530s XU015UT
1366x768 native resolution
2.1 GHz Intel Core i3-2310M Dual-Core Processor 4 GB DDR3 RAM 320 GB Hard Drive DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL LightScribe |
The main reason people buy PC laptops to hackintosh is because of the perceived cost savings. On the surface the lowest end Probook is an incredible deal. Unfortunately, once sacrifices are made in multiple areas, the user ends up with a substandard product both in quality and experience. If you can live with the limitations, the Probook is a viable alternative. Although I have had fun with the HP Probook project, I still don't recommend buying any laptop for Mac OS X besides a real Mac. You can usually find a considerably discounted Mac on Apple.com in the refurbished section. Amazon and Newegg also have great prices on older Mac models at the time of refreshes.
Special thanks to the community of HP Probook 4530s users, especially bkribbs, Electronshaper, BigDonkey, Dewitts and masso912. We've opened up a special subforum dedicated to the HP Probook 4530s complete with full installation guides and tools. It's incredible to see such dedication to a specialized project like this. Check it out!
Let us know what other laptop models have worked for you!
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40 comments:
The 4230s, 4330s, 4430s, and 4730s are also great little machines. I use the 4430s as a full-blown work notebook and I haven't booted it into Windows yet. OSX only.
It's great fun. Thanks especially to bkribbs and others.
I get a kernelpanic after installing chameleon, java and ethernet. I have to reboot and stuck there. If i boot with unbieast everything ist fine.
Just Run the latest Kext Wizard and use UseKernelCache=Yes at booting
Good idea. It's been a long time I expected a 100% compatible laptop.
If you have any other choice of laptop, please let us know.
HP ProBook , Buy now,,,, Wait, they are all sold out :)
My asks g73sw i7 works 100% we posted a tutorial with over 10k benchmarks, look it uo on here, not too impressed
I wish I knew about this BEFORE Black Friday!
Thanks!
Even the refurbished Macs are double the price :-(
I m With c clevo p170hm with 6990m onboard.Will there ever be any support on that.I cannot install Lion not even snow leo.Any suggestions?
Its not that great, its just cheap but works type.
The sleep feature barely works,
Does iCloud work?
What about Ultrabooks?
iCloud works perfectly. 4330s. 10.7.2
There are no Macboooks that uses an IPS display. They are all TN panels, a better quaility TN panel but still TN displays.
The iMacs have IPS.
That's very useful information. Thanks a lot.
Lenovo G470 - almost same spec as the one talked about here. works great (minus the sd card reader)
Would this work on an HP probook 4520s??? Here are the specs...
HP ProBook 4520s XT958UT
Intel i3-370M 2.40GHz processor and
3GB of DDR3 1066 memory
15.6-inch LED backlit HD display
250GB 7200 rpm Hard drive
802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Dedicated Graphics
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 530v
Does the camera work? I have an Acer 5750 that has almost the exact same specs. Need mah camera to work
Sounds great but do they have a 17" version of this HP laptop?
Very Nice =)
This makes me to buy a Laptop and put Lion on it!
;-)
Does this also work perfectly with the Probook 4730s???
Please aswer, if you know! -.-
Haha
:-D
I also recommend the Samsung Q430-11. For a year ago, it was incredible for a $600 laptop, and very hackintosh friendly.
Oh and as for the trackpad- it's due to VoodooPS2 not being updated as nearly as often as it should be. Infact, I don't think it's been updated in at least a year- and they don't release the source for some reason. Quite sad that PS/2 keyboards/trackpads are being abandoned, even though there's nothing wrong with them, and most hackintosh laptops ship with them.
I have a cheap laptop working very well: PackardBell Easynote TM85.
Specs: Intel i3, 4Gb DDR3, HD500Gb, ATI 5470 512Mb.
Don´t work: Wifi, but you can buy a new one from ebay.
After sleep... Screen dont work, but laptop wake perfect.
Everything else is working, and you can buy this laptop for 380 Euros. Its not a sandyBridge, but you can have a HackBookPro6,2 cheap and powerfull (2.5Ghz)
after install Lion, tune it is a bit difficult (ATI need EDID mod for working) but when you finish... the system works like a charm. I have my own DSDT file
Anyone know if an HP ENVY 17 series will work well with OS X,....?
Can someone really test HP Envy series ?
Thanks !
i want to port mac osx lion to my hp dv5-1235dx laptop..
intel -core2 duo. (T6400)..2ghz
4gb ram..
can any 1 plz tell me were to download full functional iso image for the customisec mac osx lion .. which will work on my laptop as specified..
Dear Tony:
I´m VERY interested on buying this laptop to install osx on, but I have 1 major doubt.
Does the EXPRESSCARD slot work without additional patches? This would be the main reason for buying this laptop, and not a 17" macbook pro.
Just a note to those posting laptop working /not working info. The laptop mfg's are using the model numbers as marketing tools. Lenovo, Dell and especially HP/compaq have wildly different units with the same model number now. Including the 4 or 5 numbers after the model number will allow someone to look them up and see the exact specs of the laptop that worked or did not work with unibeast or multibeast installs.
Dizzy: All links and specs on tony´s build seem to point to a 4530s XU015UT. Were those the numbers you were pointing to, or should I look for them elsewhere?
PS: Still triying to figure out if Expresscard slot works OOB.
hi i have a hp dv7 with intel i3 2310m
can you please post a video for install so that i can install on mine
also can you dual boot with windows
naah, I am talkin about the comment posters on this and other threads.
Tony always gets it right and the link as well. (I ordered one of the 4530s's off the link here today.)
while I may agree MacBooks were the best laptops on the planet, I think it's not the case anymore. Since 2007 the quality has been alarmingly decreasing, as well as connectivity. They are arguably well built in terms of materials and robustness, though.
SantaRosa MBPs had nVidia chips that burn the logic board, third time in my case. Latest models do not autokill themselves, but certainly keep overheating and is even uncomfortable to hold them on your lap, specially on summer.
Common tasks like changing an HD are incredibly challenging, sometimes requiring to unscrew as much as 30 screws.
Connectivity is weak for a €>2200 computer, with only 2 usbs, no pci express, no hdmi, let alone esata. The ports are so close together that you may need yet another adapter to plug even a pen drive if you have a little bad luck.
Other times' versatilty (video rf out, dvi, firewire 400 and 800) have been replaced by not yet mature connectors, forcing you normall
y to carry different adapters and feeling you won't have the right one when you need it.
Professional features such as pci express have been replaced by an amateurish sd card reader. Matte screen options were eliminated in favour of the no-go glossy screens for professional designers ...(seems matte optionnis back due to popular scream)
So while apple keeps resting on their laurels I wouldnt call substandard quality to a decent laptop that is able to run osx but has twice the connectivity and expandability possibilities. And is also capable of running windows without overheating.
I personally think MBP´s are overpriced, and APPLE in general is slowly but steadily migrating their market niche from Photo, Video and Sound professionals to well to-do consumers (Aka Hipsters).
Their "cheap" line, such as MBP´s, MB air, Mini an Imac, are clearly gunning at household, office, and otherwise non professional applications, while trying to maintain relative sanity on their pricing strategy.
This couldn´t be more ovbious on their newest software: Lion OS is a uncomfortable, ungainly rehash of Leopard to make it look like a phone... and it´s DIRT CHEAP!
Final Cut X, which should be named "Imovie Pro", costs a fraction of a Final Cut Studio edition.
Bottom line, they have been a "professional" brand since the 90´s, and found there is WAY more money on making phones and tablets.
Only their MAC PRO line remains apt for professional use, despite their numerous shortcomings (Pricing, complex compatibility issues, Limited margin for customization, PRICING!).
As a professional looking for the most bang for my buck, 2500USD for a glorified quad core (or more if you live outside the US, as I do) makes absolutely no sense.
This change was, in a way, forseeable. Intel unveiled a game-changing technology with the early CORE DUO processors, efectively allowing PC´s to invade Apples PRO niche at a fraction of the cost. Having lost the comparative processing advantage they used to have forced them to severely redesign their product lines towards what they are now: overpriced but nice looking PC´s.
MBP´s are certainly following the same trend. 13inch screen and almost no ports? Are you kidding me? If an Eurocom or Clevo laptop could run Lion, no other pro would ever buy a MBP again.
The only really good thing they have to offer is long battery running time. And since they use the EXACT SAME chips than HP, Dell and Asus and weight the same, I can´t help but ponder if they totally reinvented the Lithium battery from scratch, or are just underclocking their chips and f*cking with us.
Take your own conclusions. My advice: keep nagging Tony for a turn-key Alienware Hack. (Just kidding, Tony. We all love you.)
Peace!
Emilio from Argentina.
This was a great project laptop! Guide was flawless, thanks!
I installed on a ProBook 4730s (17-inch). No problem during installation, only one post-install (which I hope I can figure out): the laptop will not boot into OS unless the AC adapter is attached. Boot process (post-Chimera) starts, but after 15-25 seconds screen goes dark and everything comes to a halt. No problems with AC adapter attached.
As a MacBook Pro substitute, not bad. I had intended to use this rig in places where I didn't wanted to "endanger" my MBP. But as the resolution is less than the 17-inch MBP (1600x900 versus 1920x1200) and "problem" of needing the AC adapter to boot, I think I'll stick with my MBP and revert the ProBook back to its original Win 7 Pro (64-bit).
Having said this, I don't want to leave the impression that the HP ProBook was a disappointment. The 4730s in its native Windows configuration is quite a kick-butt machine: Win 7 Pro (64-bit), 8GB DDR3 RAM, 750GB HD, Bluray drive, biometrics, etc. Best $1k I have ever spent.
HP ProBook 4530s XU015UT back in Stock on Tigerdirect for 429$!!!
I would like a HP EliteBook 8760w osx86 as MacbookPro...
my hp probook 4530s is not booting up.please help.
I have some questions:
I want to do a hackintosh, but I'm not sure at all, because my laptop (Vaio F-Series - Intel Core i7 (Nahalem) 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, Nvidia 330m, ProSet Wireles (300mb/s), Bluethoot & Bluray drive) has many compatibility problems when I installed linux system (mandriva, fedora & mint), so...
You think I could do that?
Could I have serious compatibility problems?.
Could you help me, guys?
Sorry, but I never worked with mac before.
please help me ... my laptop HP Probbok 4421s ...
my system lion 10.7.3.
hardware VGA not support. ATI HD Mobility 6370
WIFI not support . Intel edvan 6200
MMC not support. realtek usb mmc
please helpme for kext.
Thank you so much for pointing us in the right direction. Very much appreciated.
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The problem with macbooks as they don't seem to last as long and are outrageous to repair. My macbook 13" logic board failed after 5 years and costs $450 new to replace, or $250 used, not including the headache of replacing it myself. I have 7 pc laptops from years ago, maybe 15, and they all still work.
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