Success: GA-Z77N-WIFI, i7 3770, GTX 660, 16gb, 128GB Samsung SSD on 10.8.2

Hats off to Hackintose for getting me to a great launch point for this build!

See his thread for a similar build: http://www.tonymacx86.com/mountain-...z77n-wifi-i5-350k-nvidia-gt-640-10-8-2-a.html

My build was different enough that I thought it would be helpful to document my process in a separate thread.

Quick hardware summary:

• Bitfenix Prodigy case (white) Fantastic case.
• Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI Mini-ITX Bios Rev F2 (a must for the custom DSDT, by the way)
• Corsair 700w NON-MODULAR PS (actually fits better than a modular due to way the PS cage is designed)
• Intel i7 3770. Not a 'k', I know... I don't plan to do a lot of geeky overclocking stuff. Building this thing is geek enough...
• EVGA GTX 660 2GB Superclocked
• 128GB Samsung 840 SSD
• 750GB 7200RPM 2.5" HDD
• 16G (2x8GB) G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600 RAM
• Dell DW1510 WiFi miniPCI (to replace the Intel one that came with it)
• No bluetooth (yet)

First, benchmarks (with GTX 660):

Geekbench 32bit: 13,965
Cinebench 4D: 46.86 fps and 7.92 CPU​

I did not test the HD4000 on-board graphics as there are plenty of stats on that chipset.

To get started, virtually same as Hackintose:

• Buy Mountain Lion from App Store
  
• Prep USB key with Unibeast
  
• Throw Multibeast and the custom DSDT for the Z77N-WIFI from tonymac's DSDT database on the key too (or a different one) in case networking is dicey after install and you can't download it.
  
  I also had to disable VT and Intel Virtualization in the BIOS to get past some snags in the boot process. I'll be working later to get that working again since I plan to run VMWare or Parallels at some point. Leave everything else as the default config in the BIOS.

MAKE SURE THE GRAPHICS CARD IS NOT INSTALLED!!! THAT IS THE VERY LAST THING YOU DO IN THIS PROCESS.

Launch baby:

• Boot from the USB and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND using the -v boot flag so you can see what the hell is going on.
• If you run into problems, do as Hackintose does, use safe mode, -x, with the -v flag. Just type it at the tonymac boot screen. I had to use safe mode all the time as I loaded the wrong network drivers... more on that later.
• Format your fresh internal SSD or HDD. HFS+, journaled. Hackintose mentions that you need to use the GUID partition table, which is the default and you would have to knowingly change it to do anything different.
• Install Mountain Lion (20-30 mins)

Welcome to the Walled Garden:

• Reboot to your internal SSD/HDD on which you just installed OS X. You may need to -x to get it going.
• Navigate through all of the config and start screens that OS X presents to you. I would not register the Hackintosh, btw. You can do that later if you need to (I haven't had the need yet).
  
• Install any updates that OS X recommends. For me it was just a Safari and iTunes update.
  
• Reboot twice from internal SSD/HDD. Don't be surprised if you have to -x or -f your way to a login screen.
  

I didn't create a fresh install image. Probably a good idea, but I'm in a hurry so.... NEXT

Tune Time:

• Put the DSDT for the Z77N on the desktop. Not really sure how important this is since I'm not planning to use the HD4000 graphics, but what the hell... it probably has some other niceties that will make life pleasant.
  
• Run MultiBeast

Select the following in MultiBeast:

• UserDSDT or DSDT-Free Installation (this is the dude that tells MultiB to load the DSDT on the desktop)
  
• Drivers->Audio->RealTek ALC8xx->Without DSDT->ALC892
  
• Drivers->Network->Lnx2Mac's RealtekRTL81XX v0.0.90 This is DIFFERENT from Hackintose's setup.
  
  • NB: I originally tried the 'official' AppleRTL8169 drivers per Hackintose recommendation, but had a ton of boot and timeout issues. Had to remove the kext, rebuild cache, etc. and then lived happily with Lnx2Mac drivers.
• Unlike Hackintose, don't do any customizations. Keep the Mac Pro 3,1 default for now. If you run into problems, you can try the iMac 12,2 config, but for me it caused more problems than it solved and you will have to go back to a Mac Pro definition in order to install the NVIDIA drivers later.
  
• You will note that the DW1510 Mini PCI-E card does not require any special setup. it just works, though it does not have BlueTooth. I'll get a little mini dongle from NewEgg this week.

Reboot, rinse, repeat... (reboot twice). Again you may have to -x your way through the boot for a bit until things get stable.


Graphics setup:
This step uses none of Hackintose's method. In fact, you don't load any MultiB graphics drivers at all for this.

Prep for Mac Pro 5,1 System Definition (You have to be a Mac Pro to install the NVIDIA drivers)

• Mac Pro 3,1 may work just fine, but I wanted the latest definition in order to, hopefully, be most compliant with this newer graphics card
• Go to /System/Library/Extensions and rename AppleTyMCEDriver.kext and AppleGraphicsPowerManagement.kext to .origkxt or some such name so they don't load on boot. I did not bother repairing permissions or rebuild kext cache as this will be done by the driver install anyway.
  
• Go into MultiBeast and select Customizations->MacPro->MacPro 5,1 and Install
  
• Note that if you forget to move those files in /S/L/E your system may likely not reboot and you'll have to start over.

Reboot, rinse, repeat

Install the NVIDIA drivers for the GTX 660

• Download 10.8.2 drivers from: http://www.nvidia.com/object/macosx-304.00.05f02-driver.html
• Install them
• Shut down
• Install GTX 660
• Boot
  
• Done!

You shouldn't have to -x your way to reboot. It should be all set. You can now load hardware monitoring stuff or whatever else you feel comfortable doing. Enjoy! I am.

Thanks!
Disabling VT-d from Bios resolved all strange issues that I had, with similar hardware setup.

Quick update. VT-d was a major issue for the OS. Disabled that and enabled Intel Virtualization in the BIOS and all is good in the hood. Parallels 8 is installing and there seems to be no issue. I believe VT-d allows for direct I/O hardware handoff to the virtualized machine, however, it's not necessary for Virtualization, however the Intel Virtualization [Enabled] is a requirement if you're going to run Parallels or VMware.

Also reflashed my Dell wireless card to subv=0x106b and subp=0x0093, set the regrev to 0x0001 for FCC and code to US and the card is running wide open as an Airport Extreme, though Airplay Mirroring is still not working. Tried iMac 12,2 and 13,1 configs. I'll try Mac mini next and report back.

Also for those looking to reflash your card, note that the git file location for the b43-tools has changed per the latest posts on Prasys' blog describing the reflashing process: http://prasys.info/2009/12/rebranding-broadcom-802-11abgn-cards-as-airport/

-sitkom

Yep. It was in the 1st post:

First, benchmarks (with GTX 660):Geekbench 32bit: 13,965
Cinebench 4D: 46.86 fps and 7.92 CPU

Hi, I have the same set up but can't seem to get audio working. I am not interested in the HDMI audio, just the onboard audio will work for me. Any tips on how to get the audio working?

Thanks!!!

Got it working with a fresh install with "Audio - without dsdt - ALC892 checked.

Hi sitkom,

First, thanks a lot for writing this up. I was going crazy trying to figure out what was wrong with my build (CustoMac Mini Deluxe). Turns out it was the virtualization stuff.

The main difference between my build and yours is that I used the GTX 650 instead of the 660. For those who are having trouble with the display while using a 650, set GraphicsEnabler=No. It will reduce any video-related headaches.

Thanks again!

Thanks Sitkom!

You're workflow combined with Hackintose's was essential in getting my system running using the z77n-wifi, i7 3770, and an Asus 650 Ti Boost. My machine is completely stable as far as I can tell.

The only issue I'm currently experiencing is the 'dark screen after wake from sleep' issue that a lot of people seem to get (I think it affects 6xx series cards especially, though not exclusively).

Anyone else have this wake from sleep issue? Did you find any workarounds?

Hi Sitcom!

Thank you, your thread helped me a lot! I have a question: What do you mean by

"Note that if you forget to move those files in /S/L/E your system may likely not reboot and you'll have to start over." ?

I'm trying to get my build up to MacPro 5,1 and already renamed these two files in the extensions - folder. Which files do I have to move to /S/L/E to get it work? So far MacPro 3,1 is the only working definition on my machine. Intels VT is already set to off.

Thank you!

I'm not getting 5,1 to work and I also have the 650ti boost. I do have the h77n-wifi mobo, but should this matter?
I'm on mac 3,1 with NVIDIA Chipset Model 7MB.

what did you do to get this fixed?
[Update] - I figured it out.