- Do You Have To Buy Software For Mac Windows 10
- Do You Need To Buy Security Software For A Mac
- Best Office Software For Mac
Question from Chris B: I’d really like to have a Mac, but since I can’t afford one I’d like to build a computer and install Mac OS on it.
I know people build their own Windows PCs from scratch all the time.
Can you tell me how to build my own Mac? I have $500 that I can spend on it. Thanks.
Rick’s answer: Chris, while it’s entirely possible to build your own computer and install Mac OS on it (and end up with what’s called a Hackintosh), that might not be your best course of action.
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Actually, there are a couple of ways you can get yourself a machine that runs the popular Mac OS.
- May 26, 2020 If your Mac is using an earlier version of any Mac operating system, you should install the latest Apple software updates, which can include important security updates and updates for the apps installed by macOS, such as Safari, Books, Messages, Mail, Music, Calendar, and Photos.
- If you no longer have the Product Key, you may be able to find it by downloading and using the free BelArc advisor to make an inventory of your old computer, which will include the Product Keys for the applications installed on it. If you have the Product Key, but no longer have the installation media, you may be able to download it from.
- Have a Mac and a machine that uses embroidery cards? Our FREE Emboxer™ program will read and write those cards on a Vikant Ultimate Box. So is AirStitch™, if you have an iPad. Oh, do you create fonts for sale? We have free tools for that and for your customers too, using our.BX installers.
- The New Rule: If you spend a lot of time running Windows via virtualization software, you’ll probably want a more powerful Mac, and you’ll definitely want lots of RAM. To play complicated 3-D.
![Do You Have To Buy Software For Mac Do You Have To Buy Software For Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126521896/400805433.jpg)
First, for $500 you can probably buy yourself a good used Mac that you can simply unbox, plug in, and start using right away. It won’t be the latest model, but it’ll most likely be a very good machine.
If you do decide to buy a used Mac, you’ll find plenty to choose from on eBay, Craigslist, or Amazon(#ad).
Personally, I would choose one from either Amazon or eBay simply because it’s a safer transaction, but you’re more likely to find one locally on Craigslist.
All of that being said, you can easily buy the parts required to assemble a decent home-built Hackintosh for $500 if you really want to go that route.
Building your own computer is a great way to learn about the various parts and how they work together to create a functional computer. You’ll also gain the personal satisfaction that comes from successfully building a working computer from scratch.
There are couple of caveats however:
1 – If you end up installing one or more parts incorrectly, you can easily damage an expensive part, and it won’t be covered under the warranty since it became damaged due to human error.
2 – You’ll have to select parts that are known to work correctly with Mac OS (and not all of them will). There are online guides that can help you choose your parts however.
As far as instructions for choosing the parts for your Hackintosh, assembling them into a working system, and installing Mac OS on it are concerned, there are simply too many things to consider and too many details involved for me to cover them here.
Bottom line: Building your own Hackintosh is certainly possible, but there’s always the risk of wasting some money if things don’t go as planned. But if you decide to proceed, you’ll find all the info you need on Hackintosh.com and The OSx86 Project.
I hope this helps Chris. Good luck!
Bonus tip #1: After you do either buy a Mac or get a Hackintosh up and and running you can read this post to learn how to keep it malware free.
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Do You Have To Buy Software For Mac Windows 10
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You should strongly consider protecting your Mac with a top-rated antivirus
program such as Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac ($39.99 for one year).
program such as Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac ($39.99 for one year).
Do You Need To Buy Security Software For A Mac
In the old days, things were simple for Mac owners. Computers running OS X didn’t get viruses or malware. It was far more lucrative for hackers to target PCs instead because there were so many more of them out there.
Today, a Mac that runs the OS X operating system is still far more secure than a PC running Windows. But that’s not to say Macs aren’t at risk. Apple dropped its “Macs don’t get viruses” advertising line two years ago following a high-profile botnet attack that infected over half a million computers. And, plenty of new malware threats have arisen in the meantime. Given the recent growth in OS X market share, the threats will keep coming.
Apple computers running OS X do have a default security program called XProtect built in. Unfortunately, testing has shown that protection to be quite unreliable. Thomas Reed over at Safe Mac ran a test of XProtect and found it failed to protect against many known malware programs – even older, well-known threats. If you don’t have a third-party security program running on your Mac, you’re definitely at risk for an attack.
Other threats to Mac owners
There are plenty of threats to your Mac beyond malware, too. Last week, Techlicious reported on a new computer bug affecting some Macs called Shellshock (Bash). If exploited, a hacker could execute a wide range of commands on your computer, effectively taking it over. Apple has since released a patch for OS X, which you can download directly from its website. Security researcher Greg Wiseman of Rapid7 warns, however, that the coverage that patch provides may be incomplete.
Another danger for Mac owners: Phishing attempts are on the rise. Thieves are getting increasingly clever with spoofing emails and websites, tricking even some of the most alert web users. Some crooks are using holes in Javascript to place their own webforms on your bank’s homepage. Many Mac security products will protect against these types of identity-theft attacks.
Best Office Software For Mac
The best internet security software for Macs
Earlier this year, the security researchers at AV-TEST put 18 different OS X security software offerings to the test, seeing how each performed against known threats. Here, BitDefender, GData, Norman and Microworld all come in with perfect scores, identifying 100% of the malware infections it was tested against. Avira (68.4%), Symantec (54.7%), Trend Micro (38.5%), McAfee (26.5%) and Webroot (19.7%) all scored the lowest detection rates of the bunch.
Bottom line: If you own an Apple Mac, you should definitely invest in solid Internet security protection. Personally, I like the simple-but-effective Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac 2015. It tests well across the full range of malware threats, protects against malicious links, scans quickly and seems light on my computer’s resources. You can purchase a one-year subscription to the anti-virus platform for $39.95 (or $59.95 for up to 3 Macs) through bitdefender.com.