How to Install Mac OS X on PC

If you want to install Mac on PC, you have two basic options how to do it: you can either install the Mac OS X operating system directly on a drive or use a Mac emulator for Windows. The former option gives you the best performance you can get, while the latter option is a lot simpler.

So, which installation method you should choose? It depends on your needs. Those who love the usability of Mac OS X but don’t like how expensive Apple’s hardware is should build a full-blown Hackintosh, which is a PC with Mac OS X. People who want Mac only to test something out or use a single app that’s not available on Windows will probably do just fine with an emulated Mac computer.

install mac on pc

How to install Mac on Windows-Based PC

Since Apple’s switch from the PowerPC architecture to Intel’s x86, it has become very easy to install Mac on a PC. If you buy the right parts, you can put together a capable Mac computer for around $600.

The Mac OS X operating system is optimized for Intel processors. Any recent i3 processor will be powerful enough to ensure smooth, lag-free experience. You should get at least 4 GB of memory, but more is always better. It’s possible to use either NVIDIA or AMD graphics card, but Hackintosh users generally say that NVIDIA GPUs are less problematic for the purpose of installing Mac OS X on a PC.

While there are many ways how to install Mac on Windows, we recommend iBoot. This clever utility allows you to create a bootable installation DVD from your retail copy of Mac OS X. Download iBoot from the official website, burn it to CD, insert it in your CD/DVD drive, and restart your computer. Select iBoot at boot and insert your retail copy of Mac OS X. iBoot essentially tricks Mac OS X into thinking that it’s being installed on a regular Mac computer.

Because it’s not being installed on a Mac computer, the system will inevitably lack certain drivers. To solve this problem, the creator of iBoot has developed another fantastic utility, MultiBeast. This utility contains a collection of drivers for virtually every piece of hardware out there. You can enable Realtek or Intel sound cards, many any third-party disk work, activate hardware graphics acceleration, fully enable specific Ethernet or Wi-Fi controllers, activate USB devices, and much more. Best of all, MultiBeast is incredibly simple to use, featuring an intuitive, step-by-step installation process designed to turn your new Hackintosh into a capable computer with no missing features.

Recover Files from Your Hackintosh Computer

Should something ever happen to your Hackintosh computer, you can recover all lost or deleted files using Disk Drill. All people who had the pleasure to try Disk Drill praise its usability, advanced features, and fantastic customer support. Because it comes with an assortment of useful disk management tools, you can be sure that it will quickly become one of the most used applications on your computer.

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Arthur Cole

Arthur Cole is a freelance content creator. He also has a more than 10-year experience in program development for macOS, Windows, iOS, Android. Arthur Cole is a writer with deep expertise in programming, who can easily...

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Brett Johnson

This article has been approved by Brett Johnson, Data Recovery Engineer at ACE Data Recovery. Brett has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Systems and Network, 12 years of experience.