How to build your own iMac Pro [Successful Build/Extended Guide]

[kgp]

!!!! Important Note !!!!

Apple just released a macOS High Sierra 10.13 Supplemental Update!

You can directly install the update via the Appstore!

However, you have to follow the update approach outlined below

a.) On reboot, select in the BIOS boot menu to boot from your USB Flash Drive with the EFI Folder that does not contain the
EmuVariableUefi-64.efi!

b.) Subsequently select and boot from your macOS High Sierra Partition on your 10.13 System Disk in the Clover Boot Menu

c.) On second reboot, select in the BIOS boot menu to boot from your 10.13 System Disk with the EFI Folder that does contain

the EmuVariableUefi-64.efi!
​

d.) Subsequently select and boot from your macOS High Sierra Partition on your 10.13 System Disk in the Clover Boot Menu

You are done!

Note that after the update you have a new macOS High Sierra 10.13 build version which is 17A405!!!!!!!!

I guess there is no Nvidia Web Driver yet that works with the new macOS High Sierra 10.13 17A405 Build!!!

Thus, all Nvidia graphics card users are advised to wait with the update until a new compatible Web Driver has been released!!!!

The same states for all Nvidia Users, who did not install yet macOS High Sierra 10.13 on their system.

After a clean install of macOS High Sierra by means of the updated macOS 10.13 full package installer, the Nvidia Web Driver Installer will not work until a new compatible Nvidia Web Driver Package for macOS High Sierra 10.13 Build 17A405 has been released!!!!

Cheers,

 

[dwhitla]

When you install the I9 can you confirm you’re able to fully load the prime deluxe with pci devices and not hit the memory map issues from OSXAptiofixdrv.efi? I might be looking to send back my I7 and get an I9.

I can already confirm this for you.
When I first bought my mainboard in August I bought the 7820X because I didn't see 2 more cores being worth another $500. On the train home I was reading the CPU specs and only then realised that the X299 chipset was basically handicapped by anything less than a 7900X due to insufficient PCIe lanes to enable many of the mainboard's features. This is a mjor issue with X299 and SkylakeX IMHO - I expect to see many unhappy customers who don't understand the relationship between CPU PCIe lanes and mainboard features. This issue is amplified by the Deluxe boards having so many on-board devices. I strongly advise using only i9 processors on the X299 boards to maximise available CPU-PCI bandwidth.
Technically it could be argued that even 44 PCI lanes aren't enough for all the stuff crammed into the Prime X299 Deluxe. This may be why Apple are sticking with Xeon-W on the iMac Pro - an extra 4 PCI lanes in addition to ECC memory support.

Needless to say I returned the i7 the next morning for an i9 7900X. Luckily it was still in its unopened box.

 

[dwhitla]

Important Note

Apple just released a macOS High Sierra 10.13 Supplemental Update!

This is actually kinda funny - and embarrassing for Apple - and not good for us. That "Installer robustness" issue was a major security flaw allowing a malicious user to bypass GateKeeper completely.

 

[kgp]

The beast is arriving !!!!

 

[dwhitla]

I guess there is no Nvidia Web Driver yet that works with the new macOS High Sierra 10.13 17A405 Build!!!

Welllllll ... I think the NvidiaStartupWeb fake version injection will probably work as the kernel and related interfaces that WebDriver was compiled against haven't changed. I actually noticed when looking through the WebDriver files that it was compiled on one of the developer previews.

/Library/PreferencePanes/NVIDIA Driver Manager.prefPane/Contents/Info.plist-    <string>GM</string>
/Library/PreferencePanes/NVIDIA Driver Manager.prefPane/Contents/Info.plist:    <key>DTSDKBuild</key>
/Library/PreferencePanes/NVIDIA Driver Manager.prefPane/Contents/Info.plist-    <string>17A347</string>

But I just got my GPU working again and am in no hurry to risk it.

 

[kgp]

Welllllll ... I think the NvidiaStartupWeb fake version injection will probably work as the kernel and related interfaces that WebDriver was compiled against haven't changed. I actually noticed when looking through the WebDriver files that it was compiled on one of the developer previews. But I just got my GPU working again and am in no hurry to risk it.

Sure, but as you say let's wait and not hurry! I don't want to change my guide again for a couple of hours or days
Maybe the newly to be released web driver package will also have some improvements in functionality and compatibility

Let's wait!

 

[gonghaobaogang]

Hi KGP,

Thanks for your guide. After battle for one night. I've installed 10.13 successfully on my new build 7980XE+AORUS GAMING 7(Last day I tried Sierra but always IOSCSI error). But when I try to install the Nvidia drive for the 1080Ti there's always gIOScreenLockState 3 and reboot. I tried many ways in this thread but still not working. (Clean Uninstall and reinstall Web Driver for 10+ times/ SIS 0x67 0x0 / LiLu.kext NvidiaGraphicsFixup.Kext and NVWebDriverLibValFix.kext).

I tried Method B this morning but only one step I was not very clear.

b.) Patch AppleGraphicsDevicePolicy.kext manually by editing the Info.plist, setting the policy matching your fake​

board-id to none;

How to set the policy matching my fakeboard-id? I didn't found any parameters in the Info.plist contains board-id.

Looking forward to your advice!

 

[dwhitla]

Hi KGP,

Thanks for your guide. After battle for one night. I've installed 10.13 successfully on my new build 7980XE+AORUS GAMING 7(Last day I tried Sierra but always IOSCSI error). But when I try to install the Nvidia drive for the 1080Ti there's always gIOScreenLockState 3 and reboot. I tried many ways in this thread but still not working. (Clean Uninstall and reinstall Web Driver for 10+ times/ SIS 0x67 0x0 / LiLu.kext NvidiaGraphicsFixup.Kext and NVWebDriverLibValFix.kext).

I tried Method B this morning but only one step I was not very clear.

b.) Patch AppleGraphicsDevicePolicy.kext manually by editing the Info.plist, setting the policy matching your fake​

board-id to none;

How to set the policy matching my fakeboard-id? I didn't found any parameters in the Info.plist contains board-id.

Looking forward to your advice!

gIOScreenLockState 3 is not a problem - it is usually just the last debug message that gets written to the terminal before WindowServer starts. Does it immediately auto-reboot at this point?

 

[gonghaobaogang]

gIOScreenLockState 3 is not a problem - it is usually just the last debug message that gets written to the terminal before WindowServer starts. Does it immediately auto-reboot at this point?

Thanks dwhitla!
Yes it just reboot after this information. I tried different kext in /EFI/kexts/Other folder but not working. Everytime when I installed the web driver is just reboot.

 

[dwhitla]

You should be able to fix this without resorting to a reinstall.
Please paste which SMBIOS (eg iMac17,1 MacPro6,1 iMac14,2) you are using.
Please paste your current boot args - all of them.
Did you enable SSH access while the system was still working?

Does the boot arg nv_disable=1 prevent the reboot (note that it doesn't fix the problem - just stops it rebooting).