Welcome to the realm of Hackintosh building in 2024, where affordability meets the allure of running macOS on budget-friendly PCs. As technology continues to advance, so does the excitement around creating a powerful Hackintosh setup at a fraction of the price. In this guide, we’ll delve into the latest hardware suggestions and recommendations, providing you with insights to build an affordable Hackintosh system.


Whether you’ve been into Hackintoshing for a while or you’re just trying it out for the first time, come along as we propose some of the sweetest builds for 2024.

An image of a person building an affordable Hackintosh
An image of a person building an affordable Hackintosh

Best build for a tight budget

This may not be the most powerful PC but you’ll only spend around $600 (depending on your location) for a fully functional yet affordable Hackintosh computer.

Core of our build

Firstly, for the CPU, the Intel Core i3-13100F. It is priced just above $100 and stands out for its commendable performance-to-price ratio. Furthermore, featuring four high-performance cores and a robust boost clock of 4.5 GHz, this CPU compares favorably to AMD’s pricier Ryzen 5 5600. As we have mentioned before, AMD CPUs are just not good if you plan to have a good-for-everything affordable Hackintosh PC. Moreover, 13100F comes bundled with a cooler, eliminating the need for a third-party option.

Subsequently, complementing the 13100F is the MSI PRO B760M-P, an Intel 700 series motherboard priced at just over $100. Supporting DDR4 RAM (more budget-friendly than DDR5), M.2 PCIe 3.0 or 4.0 SSDs, and equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port, this microATX board offers a solid foundation for the system.

Opting for RX 580 2048SP as the graphics card, available on many marketplaces, proves to be a wise choice. Despite the need to flash it, this remains one of the most cost-effective cards you can get at around a $100 price point. After all, there aren’t that many graphic cards that will give you 8GB VRAM at this mark. This is an affordable Hackintosh building guide after all.

Other parts

The storage solution, Crucial P3 Plus, is an affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD delivering 5,000 MBps sequential reads and 3,600 MBps sequential writes. While budget-friendly, its performance is tempered due to the use of QLC NAND and the absence of a DRAM cache.

Memory-wise, we’ve chosen 16GB of DDR4 PC-3200 RAM in a 2 x 8GB configuration from Silicon Power Value RAM. Though not the most extravagant choice, it offers a cost-effective solution from a reputable brand, emphasizing the importance of not compromising on less than 16GB of RAM for a PC.

All are housed in the Thermaltake Versa H18 case. This chassis stands out with its tempered glass side panel, a rarity in the sub-$80 price range. Offering ample cooling options, the case accommodates two 120 or 140mm fans on the front, a rear 120mm fan, and a top 120 or 140mm fan. The power supply, a Thermaltake Smart Series 500W, rounds up the components as the most budget-friendly yet reputable option available.

While the Motherboard comes with compatible Intel-based WiFi, you might want to add a T-919 for Airdrop functionality.

Best build for under $1000

Good for all tasks Hackintosh that won’t break your wallet and will serve well across the latest macOS versions.

Core of our build

Our choice for the motherboard is the ASRock B760M-HDV Its notable feature includes native support for 13th Gen CPUs without the need for a BIOS update. Operating on DDR4 technology, this board not only aligns with our budget-conscious approach but also enables cost savings by utilizing DDR4 memory. Additionally, the motherboard boasts two M.2 slots for SSDs, with one of them supporting the high-speed PCIe 4.0 drives.

By expanding your budget from $500 up to $1000, you open the door to a realm of enhanced performance and productivity. In this upgraded configuration, we transition from a 13th Gen Core i3 to the more robust Core i5-13400F. Boasting 6 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, and a total of 16 threads, this processor comes equipped with a commendable boost clock of 4.6 GHz. This elevated choice promises a significant step up in processing power, paving the way for a more immersive and responsive macOS experience.

RX6600 is one of the most-used Hackintosh GPU chipsets of the last year and will complete the core of our build. XFX has been around for long enough to say for certain they make great-performing and reliable graphic cards at a consumer-friendly price.

Other parts

We’ve chosen the WD Black SN850x for storage—a high-performance PCIe 4 NVME SSD boasting a competitive edge in speed and responsiveness. And of course our top choice for Hackintoshing SSD. It is costlier than its counterpart Samsung 980 Pro (an absolute no-go for macOS).

Opting for 32GB of Crucial DDR4-3200 RAM, and upgrading to a 750W Corsair CX750M power supply allows us to accommodate the increased power demands of our higher-wattage CPU and GPU.

Phanteks Eclipse G360A features a design with Ultra-fine Performance Mesh for optimal airflow and dust filtration. With 360 radiator support, multiple HDD and SSD locations, and a vertical GPU mounting option, it caters to powerful setups. The chassis, known for its great value, is ready to house your Hackintosh in a compact ATX mid-tower form.

The $1500 desktop build

Motherboard and CPU combo that gives you access to the latest technology at a very reasonable price. Enough power to handle any task you need.

The best budget motherboard from the z790 series, Gigabyte Z790 UD AX provides that foundation that allows the i7-14700K to shine. Featuring DDR5 support, 3xPCIe 4.0 M.2 slot, we still cannot believe how it can cost under $200. Even though it requires a BIOS update to work with the 14700K and has an Intel-based WiFi module that doesn’t offer any Apple features in a Hackintosh, we still chose it for its absolute best price.

Probably the only CPU from Intel’s 14th generation that actually has some improvements from its predecessor. Featuring four more E-cores than 13700K but priced at exactly the same mark i7-14700K will handle pretty much anything you throw at it. While power-hungry and featuring no bundled cooler, it has all one might want from a strong upper-mid-tier CPU.

As for the CPU temp, we would recommend something on the higher end for even better cooling, but Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 shows great results and is just under $50.

Also, add an already mentioned best NVME SSD for macOS, WD Black SN850X. Finally, the only things that are left to do are case it all in the beauty of NZXT H510i – CA-H510i-B1 as well as add a PSU of your choice (we recommend an EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GT 80+ Gold).