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

[kgp]

@kgp do you know if your x299d.cap file would work with asus prime x299-A as well?

Since it’s basically the same motherboard except the lack of native wifi.

edit:
I saw now that the x299-a has the latest bios fw:
”1602 - 2018/11/30”

So maybe it doesn’t work.

Didnt really understand if it still was necessary to patch the bios tho? Or if the latest will work on my hack OOB.

Firmware for Prime is obviously not compatible with Deluxe.

 

[henricjansson]

Firmware for Prime is obviously not compatible with Deluxe.

Yeah. So question 2. Is it necessary to modify the bios in anyway? Or was that just something u had to do earlier? =)

 

[kgp]

Yeah. So question 2. Is it necessary to modify the bios in anyway? Or was that just something u had to do earlier? =)

You can use original bios firmware.

 

[xerox24]

Works without issues on my system. However, I am not able to implement iMac Pro Splash screen in this firmware, no idea why..

I see changes in the dsdt in the new bios, in sat1 and sat2.
I get frozen by mounting the sata disks.

I will make a photo, to see if you can give me a clue as to what it can be.
Thank you very much @kgp as always.

 

[kgp]

@joevt ,

Perfectly works from one of the two TB3 ports of the GC-Titan Ridge to the DP1.4 Port of the LG 5K2K. The fact that with the Moshi USB-C to Displayport cable the LG 5K2K even works at 703 MHz pixel clock and 5120x2160 pix @59,990 Hz when connecting the GC-Titan Ridge and the Sapphire Nitro+ Vega64 8GB with only one DP cable might definitely confirm that the LG5K2K does not implement a Displayport 1.2 SST.

Unfortunately, the cable seems not to work the other way round. With the DP1.4 connector plugged into the DP1.4 port of the Vega and the USB-C connector plugged into the thunderbolt connector of the LG 5K2K -> Black Screen with LG 5K2K input selector set to Thunderbolt and USB either set to USB-C or USB-B.

 

[joevt]

Perfectly works from one of the two TB3 ports of the GC-Titan Ridge to the DP1.4 Port of the LG 5K2K. The fact that with the Moshi USB-C to Displayport cable the LG 5K2K even works at 703 MHz pixel clock and 5120x2160 pix @59,990 Hz when connecting the GC-Titan Ridge and the Sapphire Nitro+ Vega64 8GB with only one DP cable might definitely confirm that the LG5K2K does not implement a Displayport 1.2 SST.

I think this test only confirms that the cable is capable of DisplayPort 1.4 speeds, and that the GC-TITAN RIDGE can output USB-C DisplayPort 1.4 alt mode (at least the 4 lane DisplayPort part) with its USB-C ports. You've previously confirmed DisplayPort 1.4 over Thunderbolt which is a different alt mode than USB-C DisplayPort alt mode.

It's hard to prove a negative (that the display does not implement DisplayPort 1.2 Dual Link SST). In this case you need to test all Alpine Ridge computers or at least a set containing representative samples that remove any doubt. For this I would choose a Mac computer with Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt controller which will eliminate doubts caused by using a Hackintosh and a Thunderbolt add-in card. I've seen some successful reviews with the 2017 MacBook Pro, but I can't prove they are getting 5K2K60Hz without SwitchResX, and I can't prove they are using Thunderbolt (by looking at where the USB devices are connected in IORegistryExplorer). There were also some unsuccessful reviews.

Unfortunately, the cable seems not to work the other way round. With the DP1.4 connector plugged into the DP1.4 port of the Vega and the USB-C connector plugged into the thunderbolt connector of the LG 5K2K -> Black Screen with LG 5K2K input selector set to Thunderbolt and USB either set to USB-C or USB-B.

This seems like a bug in their firmware or something. Does the USB-C input need to carry USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 signals? This could be tested with a Sunix UPD2018, but that only supports DisplayPort 1.2, so we can't use that to learn if the USB-C input of the display supports DisplayPort 1.4. MacBook has a USB-C port but it is also only capable of DisplayPort 1.2. The USB-C port of an Nvidia RTX card running in Windows should be able to support DisplayPort 1.4 alt mode.

Did you have a cable connected from your computer to the USB-B port?

Maybe the display needs to be power cycled when switching display modes (disconnect the power cable from the display or use a power bar with a switch).

 

[kgp]

I think this test only confirms that the cable is capable of DisplayPort 1.4 speeds, and that the GC-TITAN RIDGE can output USB-C DisplayPort 1.4 alt mode (at least the 4 lane DisplayPort part) with its USB-C ports. You've previously confirmed DisplayPort 1.4 over Thunderbolt which is a different alt mode than USB-C DisplayPort alt mode.

It's hard to prove a negative (that the display does not implement DisplayPort 1.2 Dual Link SST). In this case you need to test all Alpine Ridge computers or at least a set containing representative samples that remove any doubt. For this I would choose a Mac computer with Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt controller which will eliminate doubts caused by using a Hackintosh and a Thunderbolt add-in card. I've seen some successful reviews with the 2017 MacBook Pro, but I can't prove they are getting 5K2K60Hz without SwitchResX, and I can't prove they are using Thunderbolt (by looking at where the USB devices are connected in IORegistryExplorer). There were also some unsuccessful reviews.


This seems like a bug in their firmware or something. Does the USB-C input need to carry USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 signals? This could be tested with a Sunix UPD2018, but that only supports DisplayPort 1.2, so we can't use that to learn if the USB-C input of the display supports DisplayPort 1.4. MacBook has a USB-C port but it is also only capable of DisplayPort 1.2. The USB-C port of an Nvidia RTX card running in Windows should be able to support DisplayPort 1.4 alt mode.

Did you have a cable connected from your computer to the USB-B port?

Maybe the display needs to be power cycled when switching display modes (disconnect the power cable from the display or use a power bar with a switch).

I mean if the LG 5K2K would allow display support via USB-C, there should be an USB-C input option apart from HDMI1, HDMI2, DP and TB, isn't it? But there is not such input option in the LG 5K2K on-screen menu.

 

[xerox24]

@kgp Why is this happening to me when I update the bios? What can be ?
I've seen changes in sat 1 and sat 2, can that be why I get that error? any ideas ?

 

[kgp]

Did you have a cable connected from your computer to the USB-B port?

Maybe the display needs to be power cycled when switching display modes (disconnect the power cable from the display or use a power bar with a switch).

I mean if the LG 5K2K would allow display support via USB-C, there should be an USB-C input option apart from HDMI1, HDMI2, DP and TB, isn't it? But there isn't such input option in the LG 5K2K on-screen menu.

Disconnecting and reconnecting the power cable of the LG 5k2k does not help at all with any supposed DP1.4 -> USB-C cable signal. Obviously none of the LG 5K2K USB2.0 or USB3.0 controllers are implemented in IOREG when connecting the DP1.4 port of the Vega or the GC-Titan Ridge with the USB-C port of the LG 5K2K with the DP1.4 to USB-C cable.

 

[kgp]

@kgp Why is this happening to me when I update the bios? What can be ?
I've seen changes in sat 1 and sat 2, can that be why I get that error? any ideas ?

Absolutely no clue as I do not use a Asus TUF X299 Mark 1 and I do not know anything about possibly related changes in it's current BIOS firmware. The ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe fully works as expected with the 1603 firmware release.