[SUCCESS] Gigabyte Designare Z390 (Thunderbolt 3) + i7-9700K + AMD RX 580

[futurusx]

Hey @CaseySJ,

I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work in putting together the installation guide and your continued efforts to help users with their Hackintosh pursuits.

I just finished a i9 build with the same MB using a 980Ti. I did a Mojave installation initially which worked well and then did another High Sierra installation (I forgot about the lack of Nvidia web driver support in Mojave ).

To my delight everything seems to work well so far. I'm moving from a 3770K system, that I have still up as my mainn video production system. I think I'll be able to move to the new machine soon! Much sooner than I thought.

The only question I have, and given how well things went I feel guilty for asking, is I'm overlocking my i9 to around 4.7GHZ and I like to keep a constant clock speed without speed stepping / turboboost etc, I've disabled C-STATEs, TurboBoost, EIST etc but Intel Power agent show the base frequency fluctuating from 1GHZ up to 4.7 or so.

On my old 3770K build this is not an issue I get a constant clock, disabling EIST seemed to be the key on that machine. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks again for the stellar installation guide.

 

[pianistslogic]

Some additional comments after a closer look:

• In your ACPI section there is a patched named "ACPI PATCH". What is that for?
• In SMBIOS section, the Trust checkbox should be turned on.
• In Kernel and Kext Patches, all 4 of the USB port limit patches should be disabled. The bottom 2 are still enabled.

I've made these changes in the attached config.plist. I've checked-on the "disabled" flag for "ACPI PATCH", but if this patch is absolutely necessary, please uncheck that column.

Additionally, if you're running 10.14.5 you may delete SSDT-Z390-VEGA64.aml from CLOVER/ACPI/patched.

When you run the BruceX test, maybe the Vega is doing 100% of the work?


Unfortunately my video editing adventures are limited to iMovie! So if anyone reading this can offer any input, please do so.

Reading through this, I got curious as to whether or not my uhd630 would show any spikes.

So far, on my previous (z370a+i8400k) and current (z390+i9700k) buiId, I hadn't ever seen intel's power gadget ouput anything different than 0,00 for igfx usage.

Thing is, on my 1st mojave (previous build) attempt I couldn't get the preview app to simply show jpg's etc. Apparently, mojave required igpu assistance for that. Got it working in the end. So I was assured that my hac's igfx support was working as intended, even though power gadget's igfx line kept showing 0s whenever I felt like opening it up.

Anyway, followed this topic's OP very accurately during my 2nd build, and random glances at intel power gadget igfx's usage still showed as 0 / none.

Figured I'd download a bunch of random jpg's that were >10mb each, opened each one up in preview, and bam, I saw (some) igfx activity in power gadget!

Might all just depend on system specifics and smbios and all, who knows, but perhaps try and download+preview a bunch of large jpegs and see what spikes up?

 

[CaseySJ]

This post is not related to Mac functionality. It is about RGB in your system.

The last 3 parts of my system are being shipped and I have a question about RGB capabilities. I ordered the Raijintek Orcus 280 RBW with addressable fans and controller hub. I opted for some Silicon XPOWER RGB ram which is Gigabyte Fusion friendly. And I have the same Phanteks EvolvX case.

My understanding is the motherboard (RGB Fusion) is incompatible with the case and fan because the header on the MB is 12v. I'm not sure what would be required to connect the fan and case to synchronize their LED systems, but I suspect the 3 pin connector in the case will connect to the Raijintek controller hub - possibly needing an adapter.

Can you shed some light on this?

P.S. I tried searching just this thread on 2 different computers and it searches the entire forum.

Because Designare is tailored more towards content creators than gamers, it does not support 3-pin RGB Fusion (5V Addressable-RGB). It does have standard non-addressable 4-pin RGB headers (12V).

• Therefore I control A-RGB lighting effects via each unit's own control mechanism. For example:
  • A-RGB effects on Phanteks are controlled via two switches on the front panel.
  • A-RGB effects on Raijintek are controlled via physical remote control that accompanies the unit.
  • A-RGB effects on the Antec Prizm fans are controlled via the included hub/controller.
• This is a Frankenstein mish-mash, but once I've got the desired effect selected in all three units, I just leave it alone. So this has not been an issue for me personally.
• The fans, however, have a better story. All of the Raijintek fans are connected to the Raijintek hub. All of the Antec fans are connected to the Antec controller. Every vendor, it seems, has their own proprietary fan connectors. Fortunately, each hub provides a standard 4-pin PWM connector for the motherboard.
• The Raijintek pump, however, is connected via 3-pin connector. Not sure if this has changed since I purchased my unit late last year.

 

[CaseySJ]

Hey @CaseySJ,

I just wanted to thank you for all the hard work in putting together the installation guide and your continued efforts to help users with their Hackintosh pursuits.

I just finished a i9 build with the same MB using a 980Ti. I did a Mojave installation initially which worked well and then did another High Sierra installation (I forgot about the lack of Nvidia web driver support in Mojave ).

To my delight everything seems to work well so far. I'm moving from a 3770K system, that I have still up as my mainn video production system. I think I'll be able to move to the new machine soon! Much sooner than I thought.

The only question I have, and given how well things went I feel guilty for asking, is I'm overlocking my i9 to around 4.7GHZ and I like to keep a constant clock speed without speed stepping / turboboost etc, I've disabled C-STATEs, TurboBoost, EIST etc but Intel Power agent show the base frequency fluctuating from 1GHZ up to 4.7 or so.

On my old 3770K build this is not an issue I get a constant clock, disabling EIST seemed to be the key on that machine. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks again for the stellar installation guide.

Hello @futurusx,

Glad to hear about the successful build!

Is there any particular reason to lock the clock speed, and to do so at an overclocked frequency? Are you aware of the excess thermal stress on the system and significantly increased power consumption? That would be similar to the difference between a pure Class A amplifier and a much more energy-efficient Class A/B amp (yes I know Class D and other digital PWM amps are even more efficient).

If you let the system manage itself, then during heavy use it will automatically ramp up and maintain a high clock speed. Energy efficiency is a hallmark of modern appliances.

 

[soundude]

Because Designare is tailored more towards content creators than gamers, it does not support 3-pin RGB Fusion (5V Addressable-RGB). It does have standard non-addressable 4-pin RGB headers (12V).

• Therefore I control A-RGB lighting effects via each unit's own control mechanism. For example:
  • A-RGB effects on Phanteks are controlled via two switches on the front panel.
  • A-RGB effects on Raijintek are controlled via physical remote control that accompanies the unit.
  • A-RGB effects on the Antec Prizm fans are controlled via the included hub/controller.
• This is a Frankenstein mish-mash, but once I've got the desired effect selected in all three units, I just leave it alone. So this has not been an issue for me personally.
• The fans, however, have a better story. All of the Raijintek fans are connected to the Raijintek hub. All of the Antec fans are connected to the Antec controller. Every vendor, it seems, has their own proprietary fan connectors. Fortunately, each hub provides a standard 4-pin PWM connector for the motherboard.
• The Raijintek pump, however, is connected via 3-pin connector. Not sure if this has changed since I purchased my unit late last year.

Thanks. I think the 3-pin controller on the pump (hasn't arrived yet) makes sense to keep fluid circulating at a constant speed.

 

[bsholbrook]

Your iGPU is also configured and working properly in headless mode with device ID 0x3E92 and platform ID 0x3E920003. Because you have the 8th Gen Core i7-8700K, these values are fine.

Last weekend I ran Intel Power Gadget and observed small fluctuations in the green line (i.e. the iGPU load) while Quick Looking at multiple large JPEGs in a row. Will see if I can stress the iGPU by performing other tasks. But I certainly don't get a flat line (10.14.5).

This is the Intel power graph after several minutes of a 4K h265 video, GFX sat at 0 the entire time. When headless mode has worked in the past the GFX line trickled up and fluctuated during video playback and then returned to 0. Id love to think headless is working but the system is suggesting otherwise. All suggestions welcome.

 

[CaseySJ]

This is the Intel power graph after several minutes of a 4K h265 video, GFX sat at 0 the entire time. When headless mode has worked in the past the GFX line trickled up and fluctuated during video playback and then returned to 0. Id love to think headless is working but the system is suggesting otherwise. All suggestions welcome.

View attachment 409226

When I played the Sony Camp 4K HDR video with QuickTime, my RX 580 was nearly 100% loaded and iGPU was 0%. When I looked at several large JPEG files with Quick Look (selecting the file and pressing Spacebar in Finder), the iGPU curve fluctuated. So QuickTime may not be a suitable test for iGPU. Which app did you use to play the H.265 video?

I would also suggest running the same test on your real Mac if you have one with a discrete GPU. Do you get the same response?

 

[bsholbrook]

When I played the Sony Camp 4K HDR video with QuickTime, my RX 580 was nearly 100% loaded and iGPU was 0%. When I looked at several large JPEG files with Quick Look (selecting the file and pressing Spacebar in Finder), the iGPU curve fluctuated. So QuickTime may not be a suitable test for iGPU. Which app did you use to play the H.265 video?

VLC 3.0.6, same app Ive tested with in the past, it should take advantage of headless when working.

 

[CaseySJ]

VLC 3.0.6, same app Ive tested with in the past, it should take advantage of headless when working.

In the past when using VLC, was the iGPU 100% loaded but the RX 580 was 0% loaded, or did VLC split the load between the two GPUs?

 

[rj510]

So, this store has both, the Thunderbolt Cable + TB2 to TB3 apple adapter, and also the Startech Adapter,. The thing is that the sellers at that store are not really capable of knowing the difference. So I guess it is better to go for the Startech adapter in that case? Also, there's no further information on the Apollo box; it doesn't say if it is TB1 or TB2. I guess is TB1? Sorry for so many questions, and thanks for your help

I've connected the UAD Apollo Twin to the Z390 Designare. Adapters by themselves don't work; a TB3 dock is required. The set up is: Designare --> TB3 cable --> dock --> TB3 cable --> TB2 adapter --> UAD Apollo Twin. I know that at least this dock works for this setup: Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station, but most docks listed on the first post of this thread should also work. My son is daily using this set up.

Another reason to use a dock is if the distance between your computer and the UAD unit is too long for a single TB3 cable. The dock allows you to place two cables between the computer and the UAD unit for a longer run.