How can you tell if your computer has an AMD or non-Intel processor? A good way to tell is if your computer has ‘Intel’ written anywhere on it, then you probably have an Intel processor and do not have to worry.
Those of you who are familiar with some machine-lingo, it is very very very very very very very difficult to install Mac OS on any computer with a processor made by AMD (or any processor not made by Intel). Though Apple cannot legally make their operating system incompatible with all PCs, there are definitely some PCs which may be more trouble than they’re worth when it comes to running Mac OS. Though it boasts intimidating compatibility with a wide range of different machines, we are looking at operating systems that are not open source and are typically preloaded on the machine from purchase.
*For the purpose of this article we ignore Linux. I will give a brief synopsis on each step of the set-up process as well as any points of interest. I will be doing a little experiment to test ease of installation and use, as well as overall stability.
So what is the deal with installing Mac OS X on a PC? To answer that question, I actually did it. For those who are interested in a custom-built computer and would like to have an operating system which is a bit more orientated toward graphic design and video-editing, installing Mac OS on a PC may also be suited to your needs. Those of you out there who would be perfectly happy with a cheap, plastic machine to throw around, but would like an operating system with a little bit more elegance than Windows, the Hackintosh may be for you. That’s all fun and good, but what if you want to do the opposite that is, install Mac OS X on a PC? Doing this would allow one to opt-out of spending the extra cash for one of Apple’s artfully crafted, aluminum-clad, designer machines. But what if there was something in-between? As of Mac OS X Leopard, you can use the in-build Bootcamp Assistant to install Windows an a Mac machine.
If you want unparalleled compatibility with third-party applications and an unmatched selection of bargain-priced computers, get a PC. If you want a elegant, user-friendly, perfectly running out-of-the-box machine, get a Mac. From birth, we are told there are two* kinds of computers in this world: Macs and PCs.