[SOLVED] Using both Mac OSX and Windows 10 on PC (Hackintosh)

[mahclark]

Firstly, here are my specs.

CPU: i5 6600K
GPU: Asus STRIX GTX 1070
Mobo: ASRock FATAL1TY Z170 K6
RAM: HyperX Fury 2x8GB
PSU: EVGA 600W 80+
SSD: Seagate 480GB
HDD: WD 1TB
Wifi adapter: Asus PCE-AC56 AC1300
OS: Windows 10
And then a case, case fan, CPU fan, optical drive.

I am using the SSD a the boot drive for Windows 10. I would like to use the HDD for Mac OSX; the HDD already has files on it so it would need to be partitioned. I know the GTX 1070 might not be compatible with Mac OSX.

My questions:

1. Is it possible to use both OSs on the same PC? Would I go into BIOS to choose which one to boot?
2. Can I run OSX with the GTX 1070 still installed and just use the CPU's integrated graphics?
3. Are any of my other parts incompatible?
4. How do I partition my HDD for both Windows files and OSX? Would it just be easier to get a new HDD (would prefer not to)?
5. Does anybody know a particularly good Hackintosh tutorial?

Thanks in advance.

 

[newbcakes]

I think most users run Windows through Boot Camp on MacOS. For that you'd build your base O/S as MacOS, then run Windows virtually.

If you want the ability to choose which O/S runs natively on hardware, you need a bootloader. There are several different, each has its own level of popularity. Chameleon is one I've used in an old hackintosh netbook I built a long time ago.

1. Yes. No (use bootloader)
2. No. You'd need to connect your monitor to different devices (mobo, 1070)
3. could be, there are a lot of resources out there to check compatibility. Google is your friend (http://lifehacker.com/5698205/how-to-triple-boot-your-hackintosh-with-windows-and-linux)
4. Google
5. Google (iirc tonymacx86.com has a wealth of knowledge)

 

[mahclark]

I think most users run Windows through Boot Camp on MacOS. For that you'd build your base O/S as MacOS, then run Windows virtually.

If you want the ability to choose which O/S runs natively on hardware, you need a bootloader. There are several different, each has its own level of popularity. Chameleon is one I've used in an old hackintosh netbook I built a long time ago.

1. Yes. No (use bootloader)
2. No. You'd need to connect your monitor to different devices (mobo, 1070)
3. could be, there are a lot of resources out there to check compatibility. Google is your friend (http://lifehacker.com/5698205/how-to-triple-boot-your-hackintosh-with-windows-and-linux)
4. Google
5. Google (iirc tonymacx86.com has a wealth of knowledge)

I've just realised! I have an external drive with mac OSX on it already. Would the process for that be the same?

 

[newbcakes]

I've just realised! I have an external drive with mac OSX on it already. Would the process for that be the same?

Well... if it's an external HD, it's presumably running over USB? What version USB? And then you'd need to change your BIOS boot priority from internal HDD/SSD to USB.

edit: even then, booting a MacOS to non-Apple hardware has its own issues and it may not work well for you given that you're asking it to boot from a USB port.

 

[mahclark]

I've just realised! I have an external drive with mac OSX on it already. Would the process for that be the same?

Well... if it's an external HD, it's presumably running over USB? What version USB? And then you'd need to change your BIOS boot priority from internal HDD/SSD to USB.

edit: even then, booting a MacOS to non-Apple hardware has its own issues and it may not work well for you given that you're asking it to boot from a USB port.

Yes, it's an SSD with USB 3.0. So you would advise not using it?

 

[newbcakes]

Yes, it's an SSD with USB 3.0. So you would advise not using it?

Not necessarily... but I will say you're adding complexity to an already complex set of problems with running a MacOS on non-Apple hardware.

Prioritizing boot sequence in the BIOS to a removable drive might actually work well as it acts as your bootloader. If your priority is for USB, and the device is absent (not plugged in) then it will go to the next in the list (HDD/SSD).

But given you're trying to load MacOS, that's where the problems start. I'd just try it to see if it works. My first guess is that it will not boot, but I'd love to see if you have success.

My question about the usb version was purely to determine speed. Anything less than 3.0 and I'd say it's too slow to work.

 

[mahclark]

Yes, it's an SSD with USB 3.0. So you would advise not using it?

Not necessarily... but I will say you're adding complexity to an already complex set of problems with running a MacOS on non-Apple hardware.

Prioritizing boot sequence in the BIOS to a removable drive might actually work well as it acts as your bootloader. If your priority is for USB, and the device is absent (not plugged in) then it will go to the next in the list (HDD/SSD).

But given you're trying to load MacOS, that's where the problems start. I'd just try it to see if it works. My first guess is that it will not boot, but I'd love to see if you have success.

My question about the usb version was purely to determine speed. Anything less than 3.0 and I'd say it's too slow to work.

To be honest, I think I will try it the normal way. You've given me everything I need to know - thank you.