You can build a Hackintosh for less than a Mac mini, but you’ll be missing out

“One of the themes I’ve noticed among the comments on my articles and videos about the new Mac mini is that it’s expensive, especially compared to a traditional Windows PC,” David Gewirtz writes for ZDNet. “Some of my commenters have stated flatly that a Hackintosh is a far better deal than buying a machine like the Mac mini from Apple.”
For my Mac mini, “I bought the highest-end i7 processor offered by Apple. I configured it with 8GB of RAM, with the plan to upgrade it myself to 32GB. I added the 10GB Ethernet port and 1TB of flash storage,” Gewirtz writes. “All told, the machine cost $1,999 from Apple. I also spent $288 on some Corsair Vengeance Performance 32GB (2x16GB) 260-Pin DDR4 SO-DIMM (PC4 21300) RAM from Amazon. That made my total cost $2,287.”
Mac mini now offers faster and expanded I/O to allow it to connect to almost anything, including four Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HMDI 2.0, two USB-A ports, an audio jack and Gigabit Ethernet, as well as a 10Gb Ethernet option.
 
“While it’s true you can build a cheaper PC or a Hackintosh than the Mac mini, it is unquestionably NOT true that you can clone the Mac mini as a Hackintosh. Not even close.,” Gewirtz writes. “The Mac mini is a really special little machine and that’s why I, for one, am glad to see it back in the product line with the capabilities it offers. It’s why I bought one and didn’t build a Hackintosh.”
Tons more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Beyond the unreplicable T2 and other items you simply cannot get in a Hackintosh, what you save in time and overall hassle is worth well more than the extra you’ll spend to own a real Mac mini.
SEE ALSO:
How well does Apple’s new Mac mini run Final Cut Pro X? – November 13, 2018
Apple’s new Mac mini teaches an old design new tricks – November 6, 2018
Macworld reviews Apple’s new $799 Mac mini: ‘A huge improvement that’s well worth the cost’ – November 6, 2018
Hands on with Apple’s all-new Mac mini powerhouse – October 30, 2018
Apple unveils all-new Mac mini with a massive increase in performance – October 30, 2018