Top 6 Best Laptops for Hackintosh in 2021. Buying Guide.

Are you struggling to find out the best laptops for Hackintosh in 2021?

“Hackintoshing” began back in the year 2005, as a result of Apple’s transition to Intel processors. One cannot simply install macOS on any machine.

For it to work, the system must have the necessary hardware. For better understanding, consider the macOS you’ve installed isn’t compatible with your laptop’s Wi-Fi card. In such a case, you’ll constantly face Wi-Fi issues.

Although most modern laptops are compatible with macOS, given that they have an Intel 6 or higher series CPU.

In a nutshell, Hackintosh is an operating system that is a replica of the macOS to run on any device that isn’t a MacBook. The outcome would be a near-Apple device in terms of quality and performance.

If Hackintosh is a completely new concept for you, then we’ve provided a quick guide to go through.

Related Article:

1. Best Laptops for Using Ableton Live In 2021.
2. Best 2-in-1 Laptops Under $700 to Use In 2021.

Feel free to skip and directly check the list if you’re already familiar with the concept.

1. What is Hackintosh? The term is a culmination of two words: Hacking and Mackintosh. In simple words, imagine running an Apple’s macOS but on your non-Apple laptop or computer. Unlike other operating systems, one cannot simply install Hackintosh onto their device without making sure it has the appropriate and compatible hardware for the same. Even though building a Hackintosh device for personal usage isn’t illegal, according to Apple’s EULA agreement, it’s an offense. However, when used under DMCA’s (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) fair use, it can be okay.
2. What are the issues of Hackintosh? Every operating system has some issues regarding it. To this date, macOS updates have serious issues. So one can only guess the same for Hackintosh; which is run on hardware not meant for it in the first place, will have certain drawbacks. We’ve listed down the few below: – Mouse cursor gets frozen all of a sudden. – Screen freeze if unattended for long. – Boot screen issues. – Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity issues. – Poor power management.
3. Hackintosh vs. macOS – why should I get a Hackintosh laptop? The most crucial aspect is the cost of Apple products, which is very high. A compatible Hackintosh laptop offers to make use of macOS features but at a low cost. It goes without saying that no device will be 100% compatible with macOS, but one can benefit from having similar features at a cheaper cost.

Let’s started with the list of Best Laptops for Hackintosh in 2021.

1. Asus VivoBook.

Asus packs a simple, yet elegant touchscreen laptop which is a suitable choice for Hackintosh laptops. It’s light in weight which makes the device portable and able to carry around to the office or college with ease.

One aspect to be noted is, there are is no touchscreen MacBook available. So building a macOS in a budget touchscreen laptop is exciting indeed.

Performance: The VivoBook has an Intel Core i5-1035G1 processor, that has 4 cores and 8 threads. It has a base speed 1GHz whereas a turbo clock speed of up to 3.6GHz.

This processor is capable to run MacOS Catalina. It has the ability to carry on everyday projects and has an added advantage of a touchscreen.

Graphics: It features integrated Intel UHD Graphics which has the capacity to run low-intensive graphics-dependent tasks.

Memory and Storage: The combination of 8GB DDR4 RAM and 256GB PCIe SSD storage ensures the system has faster boot-ups and is able to perform multitasks efficiently.

Display: The Asus VivoBook has a 15.6-inch Full HD display. The NanoEdge display allows for ultra-narrow bezels to fit into a chassis, maximizing the viewing experience.

Connectivity: The wide port arrangement of this device includes one type C USB 3.2, one type-A USB 3.2, two type-A USB 2.0, an HDMI, and a micro SD card slot.

Battery Life: The device has a battery life that lasts for up to 6 hours, which is average. This will assist in getting the day’s light work. VivoBook weighs 5.56lbs, which is slightly on the heavier side.

Keyboard and Touchpad: The keyboard is comfortable to work with where the touchpad also offers a quick response to hand gestures.

2. HP Pavilion.

The main facet which makes the Pavilion stand out from the lot is its ability to multitask. The components embedded in it are highly compatible to be converted in a Hackintosh laptop, and support processing of the macOS.

Performance: The HP Pavilion Gaming features an Intel Core i5-9300H processor, it has 4 cores and 8 threads.

The quad-core processor has a base clock speed of 2.4GHz and a maximal clock speed of up to 4.1GHz. For a laptop that requires a lot of computing power, this processor is suitable. It’ll support Hackintosh with ease.

Graphics: The laptop provides 4GB of the graphics card of Nvidia Geforce GTX 1650. Along with B&O sound support, the GPU is capable of processing real-time ray-tracing technologies, and also the applications which are heavy graphics-dependent work smoothly.

Memory and Storage: The Pavilion is equipped with 8GB DDR4 SDRAM, wherein two accessible memory slots are present for upgradeability. It provides faster boot-up speeds and quicker file transfer.

The storage space available is 256GB which is sufficient for making the laptop compatible with Hackintosh.

Display: The laptop has a 15-inch Full HD display. It makes complete use of the 144Hz refresh rate whilst remaining comparatively quiet. The design of it differs from other HP Pavilion laptops. The Gaming Pavilion has a matte, black plastic chassis.

Connectivity: Wireless capabilities remain sorted, including one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C(TM), three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, an RJ-45, an HDMI, and a headphone-microphone combo.

Battery Life: The battery life of this laptop is just over 5 hours, which is still an above-average mark considering a gaming laptop. It is thin and light, weighing about 4.92lbs. Considering the hardware, the laptop is portable still.

Keyboard and Touchpad: The keyboard includes a numeric pad with keys that are easily distinguishable courteous to the green lettering.

The two-level keyboard backlighting has a dedicated function button. Overall, the keyboard is decent to work on. The trackpad, on the other hand, responds precisely to inputs.

3. Acer Swift 3.

The laptop is capable of performing day-to-day tasks efficiently. It has a decent battery life and is extremely portable given its thin design.

The machine delivers smooth conduction of tasks throughout. The Acer Swift 3 has all the requirements ticked to be built as a Hackintosh laptop, that too at an extremely affordable price point.

Performance: One of the most notable features of the laptop is it’s powered by the latest Intel 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors.

The Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor has 4 cores and 8 threads. And clocks up to 4.7GHz. It is a decent CPU for thin and light laptops. Complex app development and corporate tasks which require macOS functionality, are easily dealt with via this processor.

Graphics: The Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics card takes care of the visual performance which works just fine and doesn’t let a dedicated GPU be missed. A dedicated GPU has to be anyway disabled while the Hackintosh platform is installed.

Memory and Storage: Acer is equipped with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM; it manages dual-boot systems, setups, relevant processes, and processing tasks effortlessly.

The 256GB NVMe SSD might seem a little short of space considering a Hackintosh system for a high-end app developer. But it’s justified at the price point nonetheless.

Display: The 14-inch Full HD IPS Widescreen LED-backlit display is sharp and almost at par with a MacBook. Hence, if the visual presence of apps and graphics-intensive development matters to you, be ready to get a decent match to a MacBook.

Connectivity: The port arrangement of the Acer SWIFT 5 is versatile, which includes one USB Type-C Port, USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort over USB Type-C, Thunderbolt 4 & USB Charging, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, one USB 2.0 port, and an HDMI port. The Wi-Fi 6 seems non-functional for a Hackintosh system.

Battery Life: Despite Acer running the macOS, it has a battery life of up to 16 hours when run on light tasks. The laptop weighs 2.65lbs, which is an added advantage for portability. All the culmination of these features is what makes the device most viable for a Hackintosh laptop – given how affordable it is.

Keyboard and Touchpad: The taller display makes the keyboard and trackpad stretched. While the keyboard is of a standard size, the trackpad is slightly bigger in size. The large keys make typing a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

4. Lenovo Yoga C390.

A 2-in-1 touchscreen Hackintosh laptop on a budget! Apple hasn’t tapped into the market of convertible laptops. The Lenovo Yoga C390 is a suitable device to be built as a Hackintosh laptop.

Performance: The laptop is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, that has 4 cores and 8 threads. It has a base speed of 1.8GHz and clocks up to 4GHz. This processor can swiftly run macOS Catalina or Mojave without any hassle.

Graphics: It has an Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 which is benefitted from the quad-core processor to perform better. It is best suited for low-end games, low to medium graphics-dependent applications, and is capable of running daily tasks.

Memory and Storage : This laptop has 16GB of DDR4 RAM along with 1TB PCIe SSD storage space; these configurations are enough for a majority of users. The 16GB RAM is a sweet spot for most users. And the 1TB SSD is adequate not in terms of getting a macOS experience but also to run a dual boot laptop.

Display : The display of this device knocks it out of the park – with 13.9-inch screen size, which has a 4K Ultra HD screen, offering a 3840×2160 resolution. The IPS technology helps in independent viewing angles and delivers good quality color production.

Connectivity : The Lenovo Yoga C390 has in total one USB 3.0 Type-A Ports, two Thunderbolt 3 Ports for connecting external drives and advanced monitors, and an audio jack.

Battery Life : The average battery life of this device lasts for 10 hours. This lasts for a day’s work and is very sufficient. The laptop is lightweight; weighing only 3lbs which is portable enough.

Keyboard and Touchpad : The keyboard is similar to all other Lenovo models. Although comparatively the keys appear a little larger. The backlighting offered is neither too bright nor too dim. For better usage, the keyboard should’ve incorporated a Home, Page Up, and Page Down keys.

5. Razer Blade 15.

Razer Blade 15 has impressive looks and powerful features, which easily leads it to be the most well-built Hackintosh laptop.

Performance: The Razer Blade 15 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-10750H, that has 6 cores and 12 threads. With a base frequency of 2.6GHz and a maximal turbo frequency of 5GHz, the processor is powerful and great to work with. It is perfectly compatible with macOS. It’ll provide you with an authentic MacBook Pro experience.

Graphics: The laptop has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti graphics card, which ticks all the boxes regarding stunning visuals and graphics. It is a great match for VR-related applications and playing video games as well.

Memory and Storage: The Razer Blade 15 offers 16GB DDR4 RAM. The RAM capacity is sufficient. Coming to the storage capacity, it has a 256GB SSD. It is useful for not only faster boot-ups, file transfer rates but also for storing all the documents and files in a hassle-free manner.

Display: It has a 15.6-inch Full HD edge-to-edge display, with 4.9mm bezels surrounding it. The laptop is thin and compact, with a durable CNC aluminum unibody.

Despite the thinness, the chassis manages to have a display with very little flex. With a decent 120Hz refresh rate, the display is acceptable for gaming.

Connectivity: The Razer Blade 15 has wireless capabilities that include two USB Type-A, two Type-C ports, and including Thunderbolt 3, and Mini DisplayPort.

Battery Life: The battery life of this device lasts for over 6 hours, depending on usability. With this backup, one can easily enjoy the Ableton Live software for decent usage. The laptop weighs 4.5lbs, which is portable still considering the powerful hardware.

Keyboard and Touchpad: The chicklet keys on the keyboard feel amazing, where the key travel is more than deep enough. The spacing is decent, even for the keys present on the periphery of the keyboard.

The arrow keys should’ve been a little larger, but that’s one aspect that can be looked past. The touchpad on the Razer Blade 15 is the best on a Windows 10 device. Though there is no fingerprint scanner, the IR-equipped webcam is used for the Windows Hello facial recognition.

6. Dell XPS 15.

If you go through any laptop reviews of a month in 2021, be sure to find this device in the list. For all the right reasons, several users have felt this device to be a MacBook killer.

So no surprises when it’s likely to be an excellent choice for installing Hackintosh.

Performance: The XPS 15 features Intel Core i7-10875H that has 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base frequency of 2.3GHz and a maximal turbo frequency of up to 5.1GHz. The CPU performance remains strong across the board – delivering workstation-level output.

Graphics: It is packed with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650Ti, although technically a gaming GPU, the XPS 15 is not a gaming laptop.

Combined with the processor, the overall performance enhances considering the speed and image quality that it outputs. Although a reasonable GPU, keep in mind it won’t work in a macOS system.

Memory and Storage: The laptop has 16GB DDR4 RAM, which is more than what is offered in most MacBook Pro models. This laptop has features which you could go for, if not tight on budget. It offers a 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, that delivers faster performance and overall effortless multitasking.

Display: The display knocks it out of the park, with 15-inch with 4 sided InfinityEdge Display offering 3840×2400 resolution to work on macOS Mojave, making it one of the key factors to buy the laptop; if you’re a professional who needs a color-accurate display or simply a movie lover.

The latest version is thinner, lighter, and has smaller bezels. The build is entirely made of CNC aluminum making it appear as a stylish laptop.

Connectivity: The port arrangement of the Dell XPS 15 features 3 Thunderbolt 3 ports, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack. Although the number of ports got narrowed down, the inclusion of an SD card reader in a thinnish laptop is laudable.

Battery life: Battery backup of almost 10 hours with light work is sufficient to keep up for a day. The device weighs 4.5lbs, which is extremely portable and similar to a MacBook.

Keyboard and Touchpad: The keyboard of the Dell XPS 15 is of a standard size, which offers responsiveness and has a backlit feature as well. Users tend more towards the present keyboard over the one on a MacBook. However, the fingerprint scanner doesn’t work on the Apple secure Touch ID. Whereas the trackpad isn’t as sublime as the one on Apple devices, it’s still decent to work with.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Is “Hackintoshing” illegal? Let’s deal with the elephant in the room. According to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and also in Apple’s eye, “Hackintoshing” is illegal. But if you’re customizing your own non-Apple device for personal usage, then under certain conditions, it is legal. However, make sure that you do not sell these laptops personally, as that would be considered illegal. The boundary of personal usage mustn’t be crossed.
2. Is Hackintosh capable of running all MacBook software? The majority of the software working on a MacBook also run on a Hackintosh system. Although certain software like Boot Camp may not work on a such system, one can also find its easy alternative, given that there are so many options of every software.
3. What is the purpose of buying a Hackintosh laptop? A Hackintosh laptop is an easy substitute for students and professionals who want to learn experiments on it.
4. Is it costly to build a Hackintosh system? It’s a personal choice. The type of hardware and system you want to integrate with the macOS determines the cost. However, the cost would always be cheaper than an Apple MacBook.
5. Are Hackintosh laptops dependable? Other than certain PC issues at times, Hackintosh laptops are completely reliable. It can be built at a relatively cheaper cost and is fun to work with for personal projects. Hackintosh laptops also do not compromise on performance and features, thereby delivering exactly what is desired.
6. Which laptops are capable of running Hackintosh? You must be very mindful when choosing a laptop model to build a Hackintosh system. The desired laptop would have the latest Intel processor. The installation of Hackintosh can at times be troublesome, so make sure to seek help from certain forums. Other than that, if you’re someone who wants to integrate the system into the laptop yourself, make sure the model you’re buying has a guide.