is hackintosh worth the hassle?

Before i actually bought a iMac i spent way too long trying this failing miserably every time with different driver issues. I don't recommend unless all your hardware is Mac compatible. Why not just save for a mac, it's definitely worth it.

In my own opinion, it's not worth it. Even if OS X was released for other systems, I'd still buy Macs. Doing this, you really don't get the Mac experience, the quality of the platform drops for quite a few reasons, and here's from my experience:

It is not nearly as stable as on Macs. Driver issues will crop up, unless you buy very similar components to what Apple uses. Major issues that have occurred: No Audio, No wireless / networking, video distortion, lots of kernel panics caused by incompatible or unstably supported hardware, no automatic updates, very slow ( Especially with video cards that do not support Quartz Extreme ).

You can go and do it if you want, but you will not have the true "Mac Experience".

I know you already accepted an answer, but...

I have been doing the hackintosh thing ever since it came out (right after Tiger, I believe) on lots of different hardware configurations. The biggest thing is, of course, compatibility. And patience. If your computer's video, sound, or network card isn't supported, don't bother - wait until a driver comes out for it. I must have spent dozens of hours editing kexts and moving files around trying to get certain things working.

That being said, if you're building a computer from scratch, it's very easy to find compatible parts and have a good, stable system. There are lots of sites that tell you the exact parts you need for the "best" hackintosh. And even though things might work initially, there's always the chance an update from Apple could break it.

As someone who really likes Apple's operating system but not their hardware (it looks nice but not upgradeable unless you get a Mac Pro), I'm willing to put up with the downsides of a hackintosh system. In fact, the last time I had it installed I used it for about five months straight with only one problem (kernel panic once every couple of days). The only reason I stopped using it was because I needed Windows for some games and I didn't want to do a dual boot configuration. I plan on putting it back on once I get another hard drive in my computer.

To sum it up... If you're impatient and/or want things to "just work", save your pennies and buy a geniune Mac.

if you dont have the money for a mac yes otherwise no as apple will never start selling slow computers

If you manage to get a smooth and stable install, which is hard it is worth it, but I haven't managed it.

it is not worth it. just save up for a macbook pro.

Yes and No,

I have been hackintoshing since the beginning of Leopard and started doing it so I could run it alongside my REAL Macs, I have had Macs for years and still do. I recently bought parts for a Hackintosh and I am now running it as my main computer alongside my Mac Mini. I use the Gigabyte G41M-ES2L (rev 1.1 I think) and it was a painless install using the retail SL disc + Kakewalk software and it was also painless to update to 10.6.7.

Hackintoshing can be a pain if your hardware is not supported and in the long run a real Mac will always be better, but if you have the knowledge (Google) and the parts it can be very worthwhile.