Chapter 8: Laptops (NEW)
If you'd like to use a laptop to run OS X on it, the process is almost the same as it is for running OS X on a desktop. While desktops require a minimum of a Core2Duo processor or higher along with a compatible video card, laptops require at least a second generation Intel i3/i5/i7 processor because those processors have Intel's built-in HD 3000 graphics. Some models are easier to work with than others, especially when it comes to graphics.
Some medium- to high-end laptops have discrete graphics with the help of a separate card (mostly on gaming laptops) or graphics chips soldered to the laptop motherboard. When browsing Hackintosh threads, you may see these models being labeled as having switchable graphics. To my knowledge, switchable graphics are not supported in OS X. If you have or purchase a laptop with switchable graphics, most likely you'll only be able to use the HD graphics built in to the Intel chip.
In Chapter 2 I mentioned the basis for a Hackintosh regarding the starting point. With laptops, you're more limited unless you want a different machine from what you already have. Like desktops you can't use DDR3 RAM on a motherboard that has DDR 2 slots and vice-versa, but you can use a second internal hard drive (replacing the DVD caddy inside). While you can use an existing hard drive with Windows on it, I advise against this in the event you get stuck or give up. You can remove the existing hard drive and swap it out with a different 2.5” internal drive, or replace the DVD drive with a DVD hard drive caddy, place the blank drive in the caddy and install OS X to it. For complete steps on this hardware swap, check out http://buildingahackintosh.weebly.com/adding-a-second-hard-drive-to-your-laptop.html. Be aware that the technique does not work for thinbooks or ultrabooks which use thinner DVD drives.
Researching is simple as you can start by typing in the name of your laptop along with the word “Hackintosh” and see if you get any hits. Be aware that while you may not get exact matches, the hits may yield links and guides that may work in your favor. A good starting point is RehabMan's thread on Tonymacx86.com titled https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/laptop-compatibility.106791/. This page lists processor types, WiFi struggles and tricks, drivers for audio and input, and even specific Samsung laptops. There's also a main page broken down by different OS versions which you can find here: https://www.tonymacx86.com/categories/laptops.116/.
Note: I had used two laptops prior to the one I'm using now. The first ones were HP Models; an EliteBook 8640p followed by a Probook 4440s. The HP models had a thorough guide available on tonymacx86.com with complete step-by-step instructions and a customized post-OS X installer with options for various ProBook and EliteBook models. My current model is a Lenovo P580 with a larger screen and newer processor. When looking up information, most hits I saw were for the Lenovo Y580. Luckily the installation techniques were the same, and I was able to find a customized Clover files for the Y580 which worked (for the most part) for the P580. Under normal circumstances, anything custom for your laptop to run OS X is not required, but it may make the installation and/or post-installation process a little smoother and less headache-y.
Keep in mind laptops may belong to a family (HP EliteBook, Dell Inspiron, etc), but the exact model number of the unit may decypher options and specifications regarding hardware and software with the laptop. When you do a search using this code, chances are that it can severly limit the results you get when doing a search for tips and guides. Think of this code as a VIN or Vehicle Identification Number for your car, truck, or other method of transportation. A VIN may designate the body style, plant location where the vehicle came from, engine size, transmission type, original body color, and so fourth. So as a hypothetical example you may have a Whizbang-branded computer from the Awesomeness line with an i5 processor, a15” screen, a 500 GB hard drive, and 8 GB of memory (when it originally had 4 GB), and its code may appear as “WhizBang Awesomeness AW515-05004”. If you were to type that in to do an Internet search and add the word “hackintosh” at the end, you might get no results, a few results that show no help, or a few results that show specific help for only that computer model. A better technique is to limit it to a search like “WhizBang Awesomeness AW series hackintosh” or “WhizBang Awesomeness hackintosh”. After you get a large number of hits, you can slowly add more details to your search to narrow down the results until you find better examples.
The next step is to look up specific tricks and fixes for your graphics version. The research you found from the laptop manufacturer webpage will tell you what graphics version you have (HD4000, HD5000 etc). From there you can look up “hackintosh ig-platform-id (your graphics version)”. So if you had HD4000 graphics, you would type:
hackintosh ig-platform-id HD4000
The “ig-platform-id” is the section of the config.plist that tells the OS more about the graphics hardware built in to the chip. Getting this piece of information based on the built-in graphics will help with OS X installation. Once you create a bootable flash drive for OS X, you can set the ig-platform-id of the config.plist file of the target laptop. If you have a desktop and latop you would like to install OS X to and you have multiple flash drives, you can create separate installers for each one so each bootable flash drive also has their own ig-product-id. If you have both a desktop and laptop that will be using the same internal graphics chipset, there's no need to make individual bootable flash drives for each system.
Some medium- to high-end laptops have discrete graphics with the help of a separate card (mostly on gaming laptops) or graphics chips soldered to the laptop motherboard. When browsing Hackintosh threads, you may see these models being labeled as having switchable graphics. To my knowledge, switchable graphics are not supported in OS X. If you have or purchase a laptop with switchable graphics, most likely you'll only be able to use the HD graphics built in to the Intel chip.
In Chapter 2 I mentioned the basis for a Hackintosh regarding the starting point. With laptops, you're more limited unless you want a different machine from what you already have. Like desktops you can't use DDR3 RAM on a motherboard that has DDR 2 slots and vice-versa, but you can use a second internal hard drive (replacing the DVD caddy inside). While you can use an existing hard drive with Windows on it, I advise against this in the event you get stuck or give up. You can remove the existing hard drive and swap it out with a different 2.5” internal drive, or replace the DVD drive with a DVD hard drive caddy, place the blank drive in the caddy and install OS X to it. For complete steps on this hardware swap, check out http://buildingahackintosh.weebly.com/adding-a-second-hard-drive-to-your-laptop.html. Be aware that the technique does not work for thinbooks or ultrabooks which use thinner DVD drives.
Researching is simple as you can start by typing in the name of your laptop along with the word “Hackintosh” and see if you get any hits. Be aware that while you may not get exact matches, the hits may yield links and guides that may work in your favor. A good starting point is RehabMan's thread on Tonymacx86.com titled https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/laptop-compatibility.106791/. This page lists processor types, WiFi struggles and tricks, drivers for audio and input, and even specific Samsung laptops. There's also a main page broken down by different OS versions which you can find here: https://www.tonymacx86.com/categories/laptops.116/.
Note: I had used two laptops prior to the one I'm using now. The first ones were HP Models; an EliteBook 8640p followed by a Probook 4440s. The HP models had a thorough guide available on tonymacx86.com with complete step-by-step instructions and a customized post-OS X installer with options for various ProBook and EliteBook models. My current model is a Lenovo P580 with a larger screen and newer processor. When looking up information, most hits I saw were for the Lenovo Y580. Luckily the installation techniques were the same, and I was able to find a customized Clover files for the Y580 which worked (for the most part) for the P580. Under normal circumstances, anything custom for your laptop to run OS X is not required, but it may make the installation and/or post-installation process a little smoother and less headache-y.
Keep in mind laptops may belong to a family (HP EliteBook, Dell Inspiron, etc), but the exact model number of the unit may decypher options and specifications regarding hardware and software with the laptop. When you do a search using this code, chances are that it can severly limit the results you get when doing a search for tips and guides. Think of this code as a VIN or Vehicle Identification Number for your car, truck, or other method of transportation. A VIN may designate the body style, plant location where the vehicle came from, engine size, transmission type, original body color, and so fourth. So as a hypothetical example you may have a Whizbang-branded computer from the Awesomeness line with an i5 processor, a15” screen, a 500 GB hard drive, and 8 GB of memory (when it originally had 4 GB), and its code may appear as “WhizBang Awesomeness AW515-05004”. If you were to type that in to do an Internet search and add the word “hackintosh” at the end, you might get no results, a few results that show no help, or a few results that show specific help for only that computer model. A better technique is to limit it to a search like “WhizBang Awesomeness AW series hackintosh” or “WhizBang Awesomeness hackintosh”. After you get a large number of hits, you can slowly add more details to your search to narrow down the results until you find better examples.
The next step is to look up specific tricks and fixes for your graphics version. The research you found from the laptop manufacturer webpage will tell you what graphics version you have (HD4000, HD5000 etc). From there you can look up “hackintosh ig-platform-id (your graphics version)”. So if you had HD4000 graphics, you would type:
hackintosh ig-platform-id HD4000
The “ig-platform-id” is the section of the config.plist that tells the OS more about the graphics hardware built in to the chip. Getting this piece of information based on the built-in graphics will help with OS X installation. Once you create a bootable flash drive for OS X, you can set the ig-platform-id of the config.plist file of the target laptop. If you have a desktop and latop you would like to install OS X to and you have multiple flash drives, you can create separate installers for each one so each bootable flash drive also has their own ig-product-id. If you have both a desktop and laptop that will be using the same internal graphics chipset, there's no need to make individual bootable flash drives for each system.