An Apple with an Intel Core
This Hackintosh looks like a miniature Power Macintosh G3, but packs an Intel NUC Mini PC on the inside for running modern applications.
Apple computers are nothing if not stylish. Historically, the company has elevated design considerations to new heights while most competitors focused primarily on the purely technical aspects of a computer. Some of the most iconic designs were produced in the latter half of the 1990s and into the early 2000s, including the Power Macintosh G3/G4 and the iMac G3.
But while these designs are far more appealing than the beige boxes that dominated that era of computing, not everyone is willing to pay a premium price for a slick case. With many people being of the opinion that the Apple logo itself, rather than the hardware, is the primary factor driving the prices up, Hackintosh computers were born. A Hackintosh is a computer built by an enthusiast — without using any Apple hardware — that is designed to look like an Apple computer, and often even run an Apple operating system.
Instructables user GregO29 wanted a Power Macintosh G3, only updated with modern hardware and in a slimmed-down form factor. Of course no commercial product matching this description exists, so GregO29 decided to build one.
The majority of the build involved making the case. GregO29 picked up an old Power Macintosh G3 to get some measurements, which were then used to produce miniaturized 3D models of about two dozen parts. After 3D printing all of those parts, a fairly convincing, yet much smaller, replica of the Power Macintosh G3 case was ready to go.
Next up, the internals of an Intel NUC Mini PC were fitted into the case so that the computer could be used for modern applications. This Mini PC included everything from the CPU and memory to an SSD. An additional SATA disk drive was included for extra storage, and some extra boards were added to support a speaker and headphones.
As a final step, macOS was installed on the NUC Mini PC. That is obviously not Apple hardware, so this step is unsupported, and GregO29 does not provide the details on how to do it either. But with a little bit of searching, one can certainly find plenty of help from other sources.
The 3D models are available for download, and there are step-by-step instructions in the project write-up for anyone that would like to build their own mini Hackintosh computer. It is by no means as polished as an authentic Apple computer, but if you do not mind a few rough edges, this little computer might be right up your alley.