Giacomoleopardo's Workstation Triplet

[giacomoleopardo]

Thank you @mm2margaret. I appreciate the update. One thing I don't get, though: since I saw you applied some patch to the kernel (accordingly to the PikeRAlpha's method for unsupported CPUs), I wonder why you're still using NullCPUPowerManagement.kext. Did you try to boot without it?

 

[mm2margaret]

No, I haven't. I will try booting without and will report back.

Meagan

EDIT: Yes, it seems to boot just fine with that Kext. If I run into any problems, I'll let you know, but so far it seems fine.

 

[giacomoleopardo]

Before you do that, would you please share your current EFI, and a PikeRAlpha's AppleIntelInfo.kext dump for me, please? Also what is the result of

sysctl machdep.xcpm

in Terminal? I'm asking you this, because I noticed you are still using 0x0306A0 as FakeCPUID (Ivy Bridge-E CPUs) which doesn't support xcpm power management. In Pike's method, along the kernel patches, it's used 0x040674 as fakeCPUID (Broadwell -E, I suppose). I believe, here, that you're not using Pike's method, so those kernel patches are useless. To find out you could disable them all and try to boot as you are (in this case, mandatory NullCPUPowerManagement.kext). Would you report back, please? My guess is that if you don't use NullCPU kext right now, while you're still using 0x0306A0 as FakeCPUID, you won't boot at all! TIA

EDIT:I personally prefer the "0x0306A0 as FakeCPUID + NullCPU kext" method, for two reasons:

• It survives to system update (while kernel patches sometimes not)
• It gives a whole mid-low range of frequencies that the "kernel patches + 0x040674 as fakeCPUID" doesn't

 

[mm2margaret]

Before you do that, would you please share your current EFI, and a PikeRAlpha's AppleIntelInfo.kext dump for me, please? Also what is the result of

sysctl machdep.xcpm

in Terminal? I'm asking you this, because I noticed you are still using 0x0306A0 as FakeCPUID (Ivy Bridge-E CPUs) which doesn't support xcpm power management. In Pike's method, along the kernel patches, it's used 0x040674 as fakeCPUID (Broadwell -E, I suppose). I believe, here, that you're not using Pike's method, so those kernel patches are useless. To find out you could disable them all and try to boot as you are (in this case, mandatory NullCPUPowerManagement.kext). Would you report back, please? My guess is that if you don't use NullCPU kext right now, while you're still using 0x0306A0 as FakeCPUID, you won't boot at all! TIA

EDIT:I personally prefer the "0x0306A0 as FakeCPUID + NullCPU kext" method, for two reasons:

• It survives to system update (while kernel patches sometimes not)
• It gives a whole mid-low range of frequencies that the "kernel patches + 0x040674 as fakeCPUID" doesn't

Happy to run the command you requested, and the output is below.....but I don't know what you mean by a PikeRAlpha's AppleIntelInfo.kext dump....? Most of my configuration really came from you and KGP......but I'm not using NullCPU right now, I am using 0x0306A0 and I am booting, so I don't think I'm understanding quite what you're asking. I did upload my config.plist and snapshots of the two most relevant directories......Drivers64EUFI and kexts--->10.12, what more of my EFI would you need?

The other issue is I'm kind of in the middle of something right now. If you could clarify what you're asking, and maybe if I have time later, maybe I could do it then?

CORRECTION: Giacomoleopardo, my apologies. You are correct, when using 0x0306A0, if I don't load NullCPU, I indeed cannot boot. Sorry...

 

[giacomoleopardo]

Happy to run the command you requested, and the output is below

Thanks. The dump shows machdep.xcpm.mode: 0 that confirms that you're not using xcpm, hence the kernel patches are not in use. You need to test them with fakeCPUID 0x040674 and removing NullCPU kext

I don't know what you mean by a PikeRAlpha's AppleIntelInfo.kext dump

• Download the attached PikeRAlpha's AppleIntelInfo.kext.zip and unzip it (DON'T INSTALL IT AS AN USUAL KEXT!)
• Put the kext in Mac\Users\<your user's name>
• Open Terminal and type sudo chown -R root:wheel ./AppleIntelInfo.kext press Enter and type your system's password
• Still in Terminal type sudo chmod -R 755 ./AppleIntelInfo.kext and press Enter
• Type sudo kextload AppleIntelInfo.kext to load the kext, then use the computer for a while (idle, middle and let's say a geekbench or prime95, just to make shure the machine uses a wide range of frequencies, low to high)
• Type sudo cat /tmp/AppleIntelInfo.dat and copy-paste the dump on a text file
• Type sudo kextunload AppleIntelInfo.kext to unload the kext (or simply reboot, the kext will load again only if you type sudo kextload AppleIntelInfo.kext)

In this dump there are a lot of information about the power management and bios MSRs in use on your session

what more of my EFI would you need?

ACPI Folder?

Summarizing:

"My" method (well, it's not mine, but let's call it mine here, just because I use it in my guide):
- Disable Kernel patches
- Keep in EFI\CLOVER\kexts\10.12 all the kext you have (including NullCPU)
- Use 0x0306A0 as FakeCPUID

And Pike's (and KGP) method:
- Enable Kernel Patches
- Remove from EFI\CLOVER\kexts\10.12 NullCPU kext
- use 0x040674 as FakeCPUID​

It would be interesting to produce for both methods:

1. sysctl machdep.xcpm results
   
2. AppleIntelInfo.kext dumps
   
3. Geekbench results (using of course the same version for both)
4. An Intel Power Gadget screenshot showing frequencies under stress (Prime95 Torture test, for example) and at least a minute of idle frequencies

Thanks as always, Meagan

PS: I reckon yours is a production machine, and I know you already know what I'm about to say, but make sure you always have a bootable way to access to the system (and perhaps a "5 minutes ago" TimeMachine backup), all right?

 

[xiaodai]

Thanks for your share, recently I am planning to build up a workstation which is quite similar to yours.
I noted that you use H115i on the Corsair 400C, and I was wondering whether space is enough?
I guess you use four fans which are linked to the cooler like a hamburger?

 

[mm2margaret]

Giacomoleopardo:

Yea, I'm kind of under some time pressure with a project, so that other stuff will have to wait. But here's my ACPI folder....

 

[giacomoleopardo]

Giacomoleopardo:

Yea, I'm kind of under some time pressure with a project, so that other stuff will have to wait. But here's my ACPI folder....

Thank you

Thanks for your share, recently I am planning to build up a workstation which is quite similar to yours.
I noted that you use H115i on the Corsair 400C, and I was wondering whether space is enough?
I guess you use four fans which are linked to the cooler like a hamburger?

I thought the same before building the rig, but it's ok. There's room inside the case. In the op I explained how I put fans and radiators and how I thought the air flow inside the case itself.

 

[skyegreen42]

Hey! I followed all of your instructions with the following build:

• X99-A II
• i7 5820K
• 16GB ram
• GTX 970

But I can't boot into the installer most of the time. It shows this line:
IOConsoleUsers: gIOScreenLockState 3, hs 0, bs 0, now 0, sm0x0
And when it does boot, it'll crash towards the end of the installation. What could be the problem?

To elaborate I was able to install El Capitan with your guide on the same hardware. I am using a different flashdrive though, I'm going to try using one that I know works.

 

[giacomoleopardo]

Hey! I followed all of your instructions with the following build:

• X99-A II
• i7 5820K
• 16GB ram
• GTX 970

But I can't boot into the installer most of the time. It shows this line:
IOConsoleUsers: gIOScreenLockState 3, hs 0, bs 0, now 0, sm0x0
And when it does boot, it'll crash towards the end of the installation. What could be the problem?

To elaborate I was able to install El Capitan with your guide on the same hardware. I am using a different flashdrive though, I'm going to try using one that I know works.

This guide is I7 6900K cpu based. You can use it for any other Intel Broadwell-E cpu. Your cpu is an Haswell-E, hence you need different patches in clover config.plist. I don't have a Haswell-E cpu, so I can't help. My suggestion would be to check some guides like this one or this one. Good luck!