Psystar Open Computer tested
Written by Andreas G 02 May 2008 17:18

Psystar is the star of one of the more controversial stories right now. Psystar claims that its "Open Computer" can run Windows, Linux and OS X. The controversy lies in the the last one, and that it only costs $399. Apple computers use EFI instead of BIOS, and if you want to run Vista on a Mac, you need a tool, an application, that sits in between the EFI and Vista, e.g. Boot Camp. And since OS X requires EFI, most PCs are unable to run it.

But then we have PC_EFI v8.0, which is an EFI emulator that let PC users emulate an EFI, install and run OS X. Apple has quietly been looking away from the project, and let the power users do their thing. The project hasn't harmed Apple in any way, that is until Psystar entered the stage.

Unfortunately, it seems like PC_EFI is the heart of the Open Computer, I.e. without crediting the original author. The company has been called a scam over and over again, but to fight back against the many, many stories spread across the web, Psystar sent an Open Computer with OS X over to the guys at Engadget;

The computer isn't working perfect, but it is running OS X adequately. The system didn't detect the built-in audio chip in the system profile, but it did output sound. The memory page just returned an error, but other than that it worked fine when connecting external devices; cameras, harddrives, MP3 players and so forth. Alas, the fan was on full speed all the time, which made the computer unbearably loud.

Right now it's not possible to install OS X with the included disc. If your drive crashes you will have to contact Psystar support for a drive with OS X already installed.

System specifications

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz (exact model uncertain)
Gigabyte GA-G31M-S2L (Intel G31 chipset)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT 512MB
OS X 10.5.2 build 9C31
4GB RAM 667MHz

Last but not least they ran Xbench 1.3 and compared the Open Computer to MacBook Pro, MacBook, old iMac, and the new iMac. The results are pretty much as expected. Performance is on par with the rest.

 :: Psystar Open Computer notes, benchmarks and video

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