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

[sgunes]

Couple questions:
1. what does the Apple supplemental update do? Do you have to do it if your system already works or is there an advantage with the updated NVidia webdrivers?
2. I want to now install the Gigabyte TB3 card. Does anyone else with a Gigabyte board have it installed and working under MacOS? I read that you have to initialize it in Windows, update some drivers and then you can use it in MacOS.
TIA

 

[kgp]

Beast now also dominated under macOS High Sierra 10.13

What I did:

a.) Unchecked "Apple RTC" and "AppleIntelCPUPM" and "KernelPM" in the "Kernel and Kext Patches" Section of Clover

Configurator
​

b.) Disabled "ASUS MultiCore Enhancement" in the ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe BIOS

c.) Checked the boot flags "slide=0" and "dart=0" under "Arguments" in the "Boot" Section of the Clover Configurator (note that

these two latter boot flags might not be required in any case)​

The system is now absolutely stable and just performing flawless also under macOS High Sierra 10.13 Supplementary Update

18 hours of work to find these few tiny modifications

But it was definitely worth to do! All issues resolved!

I feel much lighter and relaxed now

Yuppiiiii

 

[kgp]

So I figured out what was causing my boot issues with the supplemental update. The apfs.efi attached on this post for some reason kernel panics my machine. Running the update with the original apfs.efi works fine for me.... Also the reason I didn't suspect it was because when I swapped the apfs.efi file out on my system I forgot to reboot so I never noticed it. When I rebooted the machine nothing worked. Then when I booted to a known good volume I couldn't mount my root volume. Something had become corrupt in the process. I ended up doing a full re-install + upgrade + restore of data. So for its worth the apfs.efi you posted here breaks my system.

That's not clear to me.. I also implemented the same apsf.efi, which I extracted from the Supplementary Update Full Package Installer, in the EFI-Folder which I distributed 2 days ago. Nobody complained so far.

What you mean by original apfs.efi? The one in my distributed EFI-Folder, or the one you extracted yourself from the Supplementary Update Full Package Installer?

 

[kgp]

HI KGP,

Sure I'm uploading that now. I'll try to change back to iMac 17,1 and fix the XCPM issue today. for
b). Actually I just following your guide and for gaming 7, it actually works so I never touch the BIOS since the first day. It works on High Sierra installation but not on Sierra. It might be some kext issue like FakeSMC.kext?
I'll try to improve the build in the next few days and share in this thread. Also test this liquid cooling system.

1.) Your EFI Folder looks fine! You can try to implement few modifications summarised in post #561 and try if these modifications

also work for you!
​

2.) Yes strongly recommend to change to SMBIOS iMac17,1 and implement asap XCPM

3.) The only problem we still have to solve is the wrong CPU entry in Apple's System Report. I still don't know why the i9-

7980XE figures as unknown CPU. If you find a solution or have and idea, please let me know!​

4.) So you say that the Gigabyte BIOS Settings implemented in my guide are still actual, correct and complete?

Cheers,

KGP

 

[kgp]

Couple questions:
1. what does the Apple supplemental update do? Do you have to do it if your system already works or is there an advantage with the updated NVidia webdrivers?
2. I want to now install the Gigabyte TB3 card. Does anyone else with a Gigabyte board have it installed and working under MacOS? I read that you have to initialize it in Windows, update some drivers and then you can use it in MacOS.
TIA

a.) The Supplementary Update can be treated as a further release of macOS High Sierra 10.13! There is a full package installer

and we have also a new build number. Ask Apple why they did not called it 10.13.1....​

b.) In line with the 10.13 Supplementary Update, Nvidia released a new Web Driver package... As I was centred in solving the

beast issues under 10.13 the last two days, I did not focus much on the updated Web Driver. Thus, I don't know if there are already some improvements in the installation handling of the latter... There are however rumours, that the installation already works much better with the most recent 10.13.1 beta versions.
​

c.) I guess, the installation procedure for the Gigabyte TB3 card might be very similar to the installation procedure for the ASUS

ThunderboltEX 3 PCIe Extension Card. Thus I strongly recommend to study and follow if possible the related part in my guide.​

d.) When will you create and provide the XHC USB Kext for the Gigabyte AORUS Gaming 7, which should be also fully compatible

with the Gigabyte AORUS Gaming 9, right? To me this seems to be one of the most urgent matters, as I would like to asap implement your XHC USB Kext in my XHC USB Kext Library, which should be open and accessible to the entire Gigabyte AORUS Gaming 7+9 user community! Hurry up my friend


Cheers,

KGP
​

 

[Ramalama]

It is absolutely correct just to consider the HS/SS/PRT ports!
It might just be for beauty but it was a brilliant idea to rename all PRT's to HS and SS0's to SSP's!

But why do you say that for the R6E that XHC USB Kext is not very necessary! I guess it is! I do not believe that the internal and external USB2.0 and USB3.0 ports are implemented natively. This would be a very big surprise! Thus I think you did an important and great job for the entire R6E community! What about the compatibility with the R6A? Is the USB2.0 and USB3.0 board configuration very different between the two boards?

You implemented and verified ALL internal and external USB2.0 and USB3.0 connectors, correct? That's very important for having a general applicable Kext. I am sure you did, thus my XHC USB Kext Library has it's first population beside the XHC USB Kext for the ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe:

The ASUS_R6E_USB.kext

I guess the filename would definitely deserve your Initials... So which letters may I add? RAMALAMA_ASUS_R6E_USB.kext would be a bit lengthy maybe... But maybe we can leave it like that... what do you think? sounds cool in fact..

Cheers, man!

You can name it what you want
It really doesn't matter for me

The R6E USB ports works perfectly fine without any Kext too, I've checked that...
Look at the first ioreg (before), this one ive made before the dummy usb kext...
The only thing that changes are the names with the new kext ...
(On my Laptop, Asus UX301LA, I need a dummy kext, its a must)

So the Kext is optional for the R6E...
But I'm using it by the way...

Ive tested all ports, with and without the Kext... all ports are working.

About the Apex, the Apex is different, ive read the User Manual...
Seems like someone who have the Apex need to Check...

@Ramalama : could you please update your system in your profile.

Done.
But my 1080ti is in RMA... using here an r9 270 as replacement.
My 1080ti Crashed at 2050Mhz... (This is just Turbo Boost 3, I didn't overclocked it)
If I run Afterburner and underclock the Card to 2000Mhz, everything is perfect....
But I don't want to have afterburner always running, to underclock a card because it Crashed on Default...
Thats why RMA...

Cheers

 

[RuleBreaker01]

My Stock 7900X, so... do you really need OC now ?

I hope you rebuild SSDT.aml after OC so I don't even ask about that....
I will try a little OC tomorrow and day after tomorrow
just for small test and look what difference I will see...



View attachment 283959

I did rebuild the SSDT, I will probably do it again, lol, hopefully after 10 times doing it, the score gonna be higher

The Multi-Core score I am looking for 7900X OC @4.7 (or maybe 4.8 if its possible) around 45K or 50K, lol,

Cuz here is my score of the 6950X OC to 4.2,



so I wanna see a big jump

 

[gonghaobaogang]

1.) Your EFI Folder looks fine! You can try to implement few modifications summarised in post #561 and try if these modifications

also work for you!
​

2.) Yes strongly recommend to change to SMBIOS iMac17,1 and implement asap XCPM

3.) The only problem we still have to solve is the wrong CPU entry in Apple's System Report. I still don't know why the i9-

7980XE figures as unknown CPU. If you find a solution or have and idea, please let me know!​

4.) So you say that the Gigabyte BIOS Settings implemented in my guide are still actual, correct and complete?

Cheers,

KGP

Hi KGP,

When I tried to go back to iMac17,1 today there would be black screen issue. I tried to use AGPfix but that doesn't work and throw my build back to the dark age. So currently I could only use the SMBIOS iMac 18,3. I might keep tracking on why our CPU is an unknown CPU(Maybe because it's too new?)

4) Yes your Gigabyte BIOS settings are correct at least I can get everything in.

Here is another problem, when I try to edit some video in Final Cut Pro X. If I running a while the build will get reboot. I don't know if that's a High Sierra issue. But I'll try to update the system and web driver first

 

[kgp]

I did rebuild the SSDT, I will probably do it again, lol, hopefully after 10 times doing it, the score gonna be higher

The Multi-Core score I am looking for 7900X OC @4.7 (or maybe 4.8 if its possible) around 45K or 50K, lol,

Cuz here is my score of the 6950X OC to 4.2,

View attachment 284022

so I wanna see a big jump

One advice: I witnessed yesterday the following in the frame of the beast domestication under macOS High Sierra 10.13, which might be interesting for you and all other users!

My discovery relates to the "ASUS MultiCore Enhancement" BIOS feature of the ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe!

While at least with the i9-7980XE, I can ENABLE and use this BIOS feature under macOS Sierra 10.12.6, I had to finally DISABLE the latter BIOS feature under macOS High Sierra 10.13 to reach system stability and to avoid immediate reboots after login. I have no clue why with the i9-7980XE, one cannot use this BIOS feature at present under macOS High Sierra 10.13. I also have no clue if the latter feature would stably work with any other Skylake-X CPU under macOS High Sierra 10.13. Just give it a try!

Note however, that the feature should be only ENABLED in case of the availability of an excellent and extremely sophisticated water cooling system, as clearly recommended within the BIOS Function!

Note that the performance boost by the "ASUS MultiCore Enhancement" BIOS feature seems absolutely tremendous, without the need of performing OC!

In case of the i9-7980XE, the Geeckbench score difference is approx. 51.000 (disabled) compared to 58.000 (enabled)!

Cheers,

KGP

 

[kgp]

Hi KGP,

When I tried to go back to iMac17,1 today there would be black screen issue. I tried to use AGPfix but that doesn't work and throw my build back to the dark age. So currently I could only use the SMBIOS iMac 18,3. I might keep tracking on why our CPU is an unknown CPU(Maybe because it's too new?)

4) Yes your Gigabyte BIOS settings are correct at least I can get everything in.

Here is another problem, when I try to edit some video in Final Cut Pro X. If I running a while the build will get reboot. I don't know if that's a High Sierra issue. But I'll try to update the system and web driver first

a.) You really have to get your graphics working with SMBIOS iMac17,1! It is absolutely possible! Don't use the CPU without

XCPM! SMBIOS iMac18,3 is definitely not the solution. Concerning your reboots see also my post #568!​

b.) Usually the config.plist FakeCPUID and CPU-Type entries also help in properly displaying the CPU properties within Apple's

System Report. Just in the case of the i9-7980XE, the latter seems not to be the case!​