Installing macOS on Asus ROG G15 Strix laptop

Installing macOS on your Asus ROG G15 Strix laptop with your specific hardware can be challenging but not impossible. Below, I will guide you through the feasibility of setting up a Hackintosh, particularly on an AMD Ryzen-based laptop with NVIDIA graphics. I'll explain the advantages and disadvantages and highlight the potential issues with macOS compatibility on your laptop.

1. Hardware Compatibility

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H

• Feasibility: macOS can run on AMD Ryzen processors using OpenCore or Clover bootloaders with patched kernels. The community has made significant progress in supporting Ryzen chips.
• Challenges: You’ll need to use a patched kernel to run macOS on Ryzen CPUs, and power management can be tricky, meaning you might not get the same battery life or thermal efficiency as you would on macOS-native Intel or Apple Silicon hardware.

GPU: NVIDIA 3050 Laptop Graphics

• Feasibility: This is a major challenge. NVIDIA GPUs are not supported in macOS versions later than High Sierra (10.13). Since macOS no longer supports NVIDIA GPUs with drivers for newer releases like Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia, you will not get GPU acceleration with this card.
• Solution: You might need to rely on your integrated GPU, which on Ryzen processors is Vega or Radeon-based. Unfortunately, this specific laptop model (G15 Strix) uses discrete NVIDIA graphics only, and this is a significant hurdle as the system will likely default to software-based rendering, leading to poor graphical performance.

RAM and Storage

• Your 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB Samsung SSD are more than sufficient for running macOS. There shouldn't be any significant compatibility issues here.

2. Advantages of a Hackintosh on Your Laptop

• Access to macOS: You’ll be able to experience macOS on non-Apple hardware, which can be beneficial if you prefer macOS for productivity (Final Cut Pro, Xcode, etc.).
• Customizability: Hackintosh systems offer a high degree of customizability. You can configure the system to match your needs.
• Learning: You gain valuable experience in the process of building, configuring, and troubleshooting, which can be a rewarding technical exercise.

3. Disadvantages and Challenges

1. No GPU Acceleration

• The NVIDIA 3050 is not supported by macOS. Even with NVIDIA web drivers, support for Maxwell, Pascal, or Turing architectures (like your 3050) does not exist for newer macOS versions. This means you will not be able to utilise the power of your GPU for hardware acceleration, and all rendering will be done via software, leading to lag and poor performance, especially for graphic-intensive tasks.

2. AMD Ryzen Compatibility

• Patching required: While AMD Ryzen is supported, it requires kernel patches, and not all macOS apps are optimised for Ryzen processors. Some applications (especially those optimised for Intel) may not run as smoothly.
• Power management issues: macOS optimises power and thermal management for Intel and Apple Silicon chips, so you may experience higher power consumption, more heat, and shorter battery life on your Ryzen laptop.

3. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

• Your laptop likely uses a Realtek or Mediatek wireless card, which will need to be replaced or patched with kexts (kernel extensions) since macOS natively supports only certain Broadcom or Intel Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chips.
• Solution: You may need to swap your Wi-Fi card with a compatible Broadcom model or use a USB Wi-Fi dongle compatible with macOS.

4. Sound and Other Peripherals

• Audio: You may need to install specific kexts to enable audio support. macOS is picky with sound drivers, so expect to configure this during installation.
• No camera: While your laptop lacks a built-in camera, this won’t affect your installation but keep in mind that macOS prefers certain external webcams.

5. System Updates

• Hackintosh updates are tricky: Installing official macOS updates can break your Hackintosh, especially if they overwrite custom patches. You need to follow the community closely for each update to avoid issues.

4. Software Acceleration vs. Hardware Acceleration

Since you won't be able to use your NVIDIA GPU, the system will rely on software acceleration, which significantly impacts performance in applications like Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, and even basic UI animations. Without GPU acceleration, tasks like video editing, rendering, or any graphically demanding operations will be severely hampered.

5. Conclusion: Is it Worth Attempting?

• Feasibility: Given the lack of NVIDIA support and the challenges of running macOS on an AMD system, building a Hackintosh on this laptop would be difficult and result in suboptimal performance.
• Recommendation: You can attempt it if you're comfortable with patching and troubleshooting, but the experience may not be satisfying, especially without GPU acceleration. If you are determined to run macOS, consider using a different laptop with Intel integrated graphics or AMD Radeon GPUs, as they have better support in Hackintosh builds.

Alternative Options

If you're keen on running macOS with GPU acceleration, I would recommend:

• Using a different laptop: Consider a laptop with Intel graphics or AMD Radeon GPU, as they are better supported in macOS for both integrated and dedicated GPU acceleration.
• Virtualization: Since you’ve previously used OpenCore with VMware, you might want to continue using macOS in a virtual machine if you only need macOS for certain tasks.

Let me know if you need further assistance or help with creating an installation guide!