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miramar's Zomac - Zotac Z77ITX - i5 3570K - HD4000 - Mini-ITX - Mountain Lion

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Jul 5, 2011
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Motherboard
Zotac Z77ITX
CPU
i7 3770k
Graphics
HD4000
Mac
  1. iMac
  2. MacBook
  3. MacBook Pro
Classic Mac
  1. Power Mac
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
miramar's Zomac - Zotac Z77ITX - i5 3570K - HD4000 - Mini-ITX - Mountain Lion 10.8.1


miramar's Zomac: Zotac Z77ITX - i5 3570K - HD4000 - Mini-ITX - Mountain Lion Server 10.8.1


28809-cfi-a2059-mini-itx-case.jpg

Don't mess with the Zomac

Components

Intel i5 3570K CPU (Integrated HD4000 GPU) MYR699
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3570K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B007SZ0E1K
or
Intel i7 3770K CPU (Integrated HD4000 GPU) MYR1029
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-3770K-Quad-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B007SZ0EOW

Zotac Z77ITX-A-E Mini-ITX Motherboard MYR520BIOS: Stock 2k120605
Bundled WiFi card: AR9285 (Some boards come with an RALink card which is no good)
http://www.amazon.com/Zotac-Z77ITX---LGA1155-mini-ITX-Motherboard/dp/B008PO802S

Mushkin Essentials DDR3 1333MHz RAM 4GB x 2 MYR130
http://www.amazon.com/Mushkin-996769-UDIMM-PC3-10666-9-9-9-24/dp/B004G7W40C
or
Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 1333MHz RAM 8GB x2 MYR270
http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Technology-ValueRAM-KVR1333D3N9-8G/dp/B0069RXHF8
or
Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 1600MHz RAM 8GB x2 MYR260http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-ValueRAM-PC3-12800-Motherboard-KVR16N11/dp/B0089JIDLC

OCZ Vertex 2 128GB SSD
http://www.amazon.com/Vertex-Solid-State-Drive-OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G/dp/B003NE5JCO
or
Sandisk Extreme 240GB SSD MYR570
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDX-240G-G25/dp/B006EKJ8UI

CFI A2059 Mini-ITX Case MYR200
with 300w PSU
http://www.e-itx.com/cfi-a2059.html

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion USD19.99
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-mountain-lion/id537386512

OS X Server USD19.99
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-server/id537441259?mt=12

Dell 2007WFP 20" SIPS LCD Monitor
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-UltraSharp-2007WFP-1680x1050-resolution/dp/B000FI6R72

Toshiba Regza 42RV600E 42" LCD TV
Info: http://www.regza-asia.com/pdf/LCDTV/RV600/RV600_OM.pdf

Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Aluminum-Wired-Keyboard-MB110LL/dp/B000V07N9U

Razer Diamondback Chameleon Green USB Mouse
http://www.amazon.com/Razer-RZ-1600-Diamondback-Precision-Chameleon/dp/B0006ZSXJE

Apple Wireless Keyboard
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Wireless-Keyboard-MC184LL-VERSION/dp/B005DLDO4U

Apple Magic Trackpad
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MC380LL-A-Magic-Trackpad/dp/B003XIJ3MW

DLink DBT-120 Bluetooth USB Adaptor
Revision: B2 and flashed with Apple's DBT-120 firmware
http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DBT-122-DBT-120-Bluetooth-Adapter/dp/B0020KNFJG

Capdase Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adaptor
Info: http://www.capdase.com/en/product5.php?cid=5&bid=17&mid=2701&pid=22761


Cost
(CPU, Board (with Wifi), RAM, HD and Casing only. Using a Corsair Force3 120GB for cost calcs)

Hardware cost: 3570K, Z77ITX, 8GB RAM, Corsair Force3 120GB, Casing: MYR1908 (USD610)
Hardware cost: 3770K, Z77ITX, 16GB RAM, Corsair Force3 120GB, Casing: MYR2378 (USD760)

Economically friendly build: 3225, Z77ITX, 8GB RAM, 500GB HD, Casing: MYR1444 (USD462)


Comments

My objective was to built a hackintosh that would be as functionally close to a real Mac as possible while keeping OS X as vanilla as possible (ie. minimal KEXT patching.) As with any hackintosh, compromises are to be expected but as it turned out, the Zomac has not only met but surpassed my expectations. As you can see below, this build is near perfect, dare I say, 99.98% functionally identical to a real Mac.

I've always been a fan of Gigabyte boards due to the support that they get from this forum and the availability of DSDT files. My last built was a GA-H61N-USB3. I'm also partial to the Mini-ITX form factor. For this build I wanted a better chipset, either H77 or Z77. Unfortunately, Gigabyte has not released one so looking at locally available products, my options were the Asrock H77M-ITX or Z77E-ITX, Intel DH77DF and the Asus P8Z77-I Deluxe. I was not even aware of the Zotac until I started checking the forum which led me to minihack's and hspfriend's builds. Looking at the specs alone, the Z77ITX looked perfect. Inspired by minihack, I purchased my first Zotac motherboard. Luckily, it turned out well.

The Zotac Z77ITX has some nice features, compatible Realtek ALC892 audio and 2x RTL8111/8168B Ethernet, 2x2 internal SATA ports, compatible Z77 USB3.0 (2+2), a mini Displayport, 2x HDMI ports, a SATA2(?) mSata port and comes bundled with an AR9285 WiFi and AR3001 BT combo card where the WiFi part works with OS X. Toleda has written a guide on enabling WiFi either via a simple KEXT patch or DSDT. Please note that you might get a different bundled WiFi card depending on where you live. For example, the one that minihack bought came with an RALink WiFi card which does not work. The only bad thing about this board is that it has a locked MSR so you'll need to patch AICPUPM to get it going or a patched BIOS. Fortunately, samisnake via minihack has provided just such a BIOS. (Links to the guides, files and patches mentioned are further down this post.)

I paired the board with a 3570K because it was the only i5 available here with HD4000. i7 was over my budget.
Now using an i7 3770K and 16GB of RAM.

For the case, I went for the CFI A2059 which is a fairly small Mini-ITX case. It comes with a 300w SFX PSU. I chose this case because of the 2 hot swap SATA bays in front. The entire front panel opens to reveal the drives. It has a 12cm intake fan in front and an 8cm exhaust fan at the back. Internally it can take a standard size DVD burner and 2 HDs. I also looked at the BitFenix Prodigy. It looked great in photos until I saw, in person, how huge it is for a Mini-ITX case.

So, with all that, and a couple of fairly standard Mushkin 4GB sticks of RAM and an unused OCZ SSD, I started on my build.


Build Summary

  • Mountain Lion 10.8, Unibeast 1.5.3, Multibeast 5.0.2
  • Patched Zotac BIOS dated 2k120605 from samisnake or use AICPUPM Patched to prevent KP (Perl script from minihack)
  • BIOS Settings: AHCI, IGFX RAM set to 32mb, COM1 disabled (rest of settings on default)
  • My DSDT with HDEF & HDMI audio & AR9285 edits
  • AppleHDA ALC892 patched (from Multibeast 5.0.2)
  • Lnx2Mac Realtek network drivers (from Multibeast 5.0.2)
  • MacMini system definition (from Multibeast 5.0.2)

Performance

Geekbench
System definition: Macmini5,1

  • i5 3570K 3.4GHz, 2 x 4GB 1333MHz DDR3, Mountain Lion Server 10.8.1: 10101
  • i5 3770K 3.5GHz, 2 x 8GB 1333MHz DDR3, Mountain Lion Server 10.8.1: 12846
  • i5 3770K 3.5GHz, 2 x 8GB 1600MHz DDR3, Mountain Lion Server 10.8.2: 12985
  • i5 3770K 3.5GHz, 2 x 8GB 1600MHz DDR3, Mountain Lion Server 10.8.2: 13086 (after Sandisk Extreme 240GB though I didn't expect that to make a difference)

USB 3.0

  • Transcend JF700 16GB USB3.0 Flash Drive: R: MB/s W: MB/s
  • Seagate Expansion 500GB USB3.0 2.5" External HD: R: MB/s W: MB/s
  • DigiFusion SATA to USB3.0 Adaptor Cable (Hitachi SATA2 320GB HD): R: MB/s W: MB/s

Boot times
From Chimera boot selection menu to login screen:

  • OCZ Vertex 2 128GB SSD: 13 secs
  • Sandisk Extreme 240GB: 13 secs


What works (Everything and more)

Video

  • HD4000 accelerated graphics
  • HDMI to DVI monitor (with HDMI/DVI adaptor)
  • HDMI to LCD TV
  • Hotplug from right HDMI to left HDMI port
  • DisplayPort to LCD TV (with DP/HDMI adaptor)
  • Dual monitors (Tested with TV on DP and monitor on HDMI)

Audio

  • Stereo analog sound from back panel (Internal speakers, green jack)
  • Line Out analog audio works (Orange audio jack)
  • HDMI Audio available on Displayport only

Network

  • Gigabit ethernet (tested Gigabit Port 2, the top one)
  • Bundled Atheros AR9285 wifi working with DSDT
  • or if you prefer, KEXT patch (Just add <string>pci168c,2b</string> to AirPortAtheros40.kext)

USB

  • USB2.0 ports (Works with USB2.0 or USB3.0 devices)
  • USB3.0 ports with USB3.0 device (Tested OK: Transcend JF700 USB3 Flash Drive, generic SATA to USB3 adaptor cable)
  • USB3.0 ports with USB2.0 device (Tested OK: Razer Diamondback mouse, DLink DBT-120, generic USB keyboard, Apple Pro Keyboard including USB hub, Apple Pro Mouse, Apple USB Hockey Puck Mouse, cheap Logitech Mouse)
  • All USB 2.0 mass storage devices do not work in USB3.0 ports, see below.

Bluetooth

  • DLink DBT-120 Bluetooth works (Flashed with Apple firmware)
  • Bluetooth devices OK (Apple Wireless Keyboard, Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad, iPhone pairing, PS3 BD Remote, Wiimote)
  • Wake from Bluetooth keyboard (Apple Wireless Keyboard)

Power Management

  • Shutdown and restart
  • Sleep and wake works
  • Auto sleep OK
  • SpeedStep: pStates are "MSRDumper PStatesReached: 16 22 25 33 34 36" (10.8.1 for i5 3570K, stock BIOS, Patched AICPUPM)
  • SpeedStep: pStates are "MSRDumper PStatesReached: 16 22 25 33 34 37" (10.8.1 for i7 3770K, stock BIOS, Patched AICPUPM)
  • SpeedStep: pStates are "MSRDumper PStatesReached: 16 23 25 34 35 37" (10.8.1 for i7 3770K, patched BIOS)
  • SpeedStep: pStates are "MSRDumper PStatesReached: 16 23 25 34 35 37" (10.8.2 for i7 3770K, patched BIOS)
  • WOL works for wake from sleep over Ethernet
  • WOL works for wake from poweroff over Ethernet (Hackintosh only) Enable "Wake-on-lan" in BIOS

OS X

  • Airdrop is working
  • "Find my Mac" works with the creation of a recovery partition and nvram script.
  • OS X 10.8.1 update OK
  • OS X 10.8.2 update OK if you rollback AppleACPIPlatform.kext from 10.8.0/1 or remove OEMSMBios.kext or use new FakeSMC.kext. Reinstall AppleHDA.kext from Multibeast or backup for audio.
  • Airtunes working. Tested playing audio from iTunes to Airport Express speakers.
  • AirPlay audio is working. Tested with Youtube video in Safari and from VLC to Airport Express speakers.

Misc

  • All four internal SATA ports are working
  • SATA hot-swap seems to be working. My case has two hot-swap bays.

Still to test

  • WOL for wake from sleep over WiFi
  • Test Airplay audio/video with AppleTV1 and 2
  • eSATA dock via SATA to eSATA bracket (Hackintosh only)
  • Midi keyboard USB
  • eyeTV Hybrid TV Tuner
  • Firewire card

To Do

  • Try with i3 3225


What doesn't Work

  • Mass storage USB2.0 devices do not work in the USB3.0 ports.
    So far, all non-USB3 HDs and flash drives that I have tried do not work in the USB3 ports. They're neither powered nor detected. Other USB2.0 devices seem to be OK with a few exceptions such as the Apple Wired Keyboard and iPhone.
    Not working in USB3.0 ports: Apple Wired Keyboard with numeric keypad, Kingston DT120 Flash Drive, Transcend JF600 32GB Flash Drive, WD Passport 1TB USB HD, Cadena Multi-Card Reader, iPhone.
  • Cadena Card Reader causes "eBios Read Error 0x01" four times during bootup but proceeds normally after the messages.
  • HDMI audio is available through the mini Displayport only and not through the 2 HDMI ports.

KEXT Patches

  • Patched AppleHDA from Multibeast or Toleda's new AppeHDA needed for analog audio out.
  • Patched AirPortAtheros40.kext to enable recognition of WiFi or use DSDT.
  • For stock BIOS, KEXT patch needed for AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext to prevent a kernel panic at startup.
    I used the perl script from minihack's thread which works. I did not try the one in Multibeast 5.0.2.
    Alternatively, you can use the patched BIOS provided by samisnake and found in minihack's thread. With this you won't need to patch AICPUPM.

Multibeast Configuration

  1. UserDSDT or DSDT-Free Installation
  2. Drivers & Bootloaders/Drivers/Audio/Realtek ALC8xx/ALC892
  3. Drivers & Bootloaders/Drivers/Miscellaneous/FakeSMC Plugins/Motherboard Plugins & HWMonitor Application
  4. Drivers & Bootloaders/Drivers/Network/Lnx2Mac's RealtekRTL81xx Ethernet v0.0.90
  5. System Definitions/Mac mini


DSDT

These DSDTs were created on the Zotac Z77ITX-A-E with Stock BIOS 2k120605. They work with the patched BIOS as well.
I've included 3 DSDTs in the archive.
(Please note that with a stock BIOS, you will need a patched AICPUPM to avoid a KP at startup)

dsdt-HDEF.aml
This dsdt contains edits to enable Realtek 892 analog audio output and SPDIF. Nothing else.

dsdt-HDEF-HDMI4000.aml
As above including edits for HD4000 HDMI audio. HDMI audio out via DisplayPort connector only.

dsdt-HDEF-HDMI4000-AR9285.aml
As above with edits for the bundled Azurewave Atheros AR9285 WiFi card. (168c,2b)


Dual Boot

Dual boot with Windows is working as expected. No surprises here.

Windows then OS X Method
  1. Boot using Unibeast Mountain Lion USB and create 1 HFS+ partition and 1 exFAT partition using GUID partition map.
  2. Boot using Windows 7 DVD, format exFAT partition as NTFS and install.
  3. Boot using Unibeast Mountain Lion USB and install OS X onto HFS+ partition. Just follow the Unibeast guide.
  4. Don't forget to run Multibeast and ensure Chimera is installed.
  5. Boot from HD and Chimera should automatically see both the Windows and OS X partitions.

OS X then Windows Method
TBD


Thanks

Many thanks to the following people. It's only with their help and information from their posts that I could have built the Zomac.
minihack - [Success] i5 2500K - Zotac Z77- ITX - Mountain Lion
hspfriend - [SUCCESS] i5-3570K + Zotac Z77-ITX A-E + Lion 10.7.4.
toleda - Mountain Lion HDMI Audio - HD4000 and [EasyGuide] How to add HDEF to your dsdt and [Guide] Airport - Half Mini PCIe and ML: Optimized Realtek AppleHDA - Preview/Alpha


Updates

August 24, 2012: Updated to OS X 10.8.1: OK
August 25, 2012: Added some notes about the WiFi card
August 27, 2012: Added chipset info for Gigabit Ethernet and reduced compatibiility rate to 99.98%. (HDMI audio not working through HDMI ports)
August 28, 2012: Tested more USB devices
August 30, 2012: Replaced 3570K with 3770K and ram with 2 x 8GB Kingston 1333MHz DDR3 #22
August 30, 2012: Added some costing
September 20, 2012: Reflashed with patched BIOS, restore unpatched AICPUPM, same DSDT, all OK #46
October 10, 2012: Updated to OS X 10.8.2 with AppleACPIPlatform.kext rollback: OK #78
October 13, 2012: Replaced ram with 2 x 8GB Kingston 1600MHz DDR3 #78
October 19, 2012: Replaced OCZ Vertex 2 with Sandisk Extreme 240GB #76
October 21, 2012: Installed FakeSMC & plugins from Multibeast 5.1.2 and restored vanilla AppleACPIPlatform.kext from 10.8.2. #80
October 22, 2012: Flashed Sandisk Extreme to r211, updated to Toleda's ML AppleHDA using layout-id:3 #81
October 30, 2012: Test AirPlay Audio with Airport Express. Works. #87
November 4, 2012: Added USB 3.0 test results #94
 

Attachments

  • dsdt-miramar-Zotac-Z77ITX.zip
    42.1 KB · Views: 524
Last edited by a moderator:
Nice build. I'd like to build a mini-ITX system so I may replicate this build. Although I am new to the game I understand a majority of you post. But, having said that, would you mind explaining in more detail, and possibly a step by step process, of all the updating/patching you did to get the board running. Starting with flashing the board before even touching the OS X install up to post installation and perhaps beyond Mult B. I feel like I'd really mess things up if I don't do everything you described in the exact order.

Thanks again and congrats on your new build.
 
Nice build. I'd like to build a mini-ITX system so I may replicate this build. Although I am new to the game I understand a majority of you post. But, having said that, would you mind explaining in more detail, and possibly a step by step process, of all the updating/patching you did to get the board running. Starting with flashing the board before even touching the OS X install up to post installation and perhaps beyond Mult B. I feel like I'd really mess things up if I don't do everything you described in the exact order.

Thanks again and congrats on your new build.

Hi knoxstar18, thanks. I don't think I have the time to do a detailed guide right now but if I do one, I will post it here. In the meantime, if there're any questions, just post them here and I will try to help. Don't worry if you mess up the first time, just start over. This was my first build with a Zotac board, it took me 2 reinstalls before I got everything working. You don't have to flash the BIOS, I didn't, just use the stock BIOS. If you're not sure how to patch the AICPUPM kext, just download it from minihack's thread. It's included in his "Zotac kit" attachment.

A few tips:
If you have a Windows XP PC or WinXP in Parallels, the easiest way to create a DOS boot flash drive is to use bootflashdos.exe. Very handy for flashing BIOS.
Take things one step at a time.
Note down and backup files that are patched so that you can reverse the process.
Note down and backup files that are installed or replaced by Multibeast for the same purpose.
 
@miramar

First I want to gratulate you for your build. It looks absolut fantastic and because of that I want to set up the same.
But before I do that I want to ask you some questions:

- Does this board has voltage settings in the bios/uefi? (for undervolting the CPU)
- why do you use OSX Server? (I'm also planning using this rig as a working machine and home server for itunes, plex, downloads)

Thanks in advance
Huberer
 
Great info! Thanks and congrats on this Mac mini sized super iMac!
 
Thanks for the comments, everyone.

@miramar
- Does this board has voltage settings in the bios/uefi? (for undervolting the CPU)
- why do you use OSX Server? (I'm also planning using this rig as a working machine and home server for itunes, plex, downloads)

Thanks in advance
Huberer

@huberer: I believe there are voltage settings in the BIOS. I will double check later. Unable to reboot the Zomac right now because I'm in the midst of some work.
As for OSX Server, no particular reason in using it. Just wanted to learn more about it. There're some features in Server that I might use later such as Time Machine server, Mobile Accounts, centralised Software Updates, etc...
 
Zomac Updated to 10.8.1 OK.
I used OSXUpd10.8.1.dmg downloaded from Apple.

These are the kexts that are updated in 10.8.1. (and mach_kernel)

AppleSmartBatteryManager.kext
IO80211Family.kext <--- Be aware of this if you have plist edits for your WiFi
IOAHCIFamily.kext
IOUSBFamily.kext
System.kext
 
@Huberer

The CPU voltage settings go from 1.100 to 1.520 volts. Here's a screenshot of the "X-Setting" page of the Zotac Z77ITX BIOS.

29297-zomac-bios-xsetting.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi all,
I'm seriously considering this board for my new build now (I had been waiting for the Gigabyte ITX boards, but there doesn't seem to be much, if any advantage to them).
Can an Ivy Bridge i7 of i5 'k' (unlocked) processor be overclocked in conjunction with this board and Mountain Lion? Would this cause compatibility issues with DSDT/SSDT files?
If you use the Mac Mini system definition do you get 'audio popping' from the stereo (green) audio jack?
I'm surprised you need a DSDT edit for HD 4000, still you live and learn! Can you use 512MB shared with the HD 4000 (or more)?
Is there anything you haven't mentioned to look out for at all?
Thanks!
 
@miramar

Thanks for your info. I think I just made my decision. Just wait for the new i3 (don't need the power of the new i5/i7)
Thanks again

Huberer
 
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