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[Guide] Intel NUC7/NUC8 using Clover UEFI (NUC7i7Bxx,NUC8i7Bxx,etc)

Can you clarify more on "Bluetooth working in Catalina" IF Dual Booting.

Are you saying Bluetooth is stable in MAC OS Catalina? I don't understand what the relationship that Bluetooth working has with NEEDING Windows as Dual Booting. So it seems you are saying if you unplug the power source that you first have to boot into Windows 10 and then restart and boot MAC OS for it to work in Catalina. That is weird.

Why does it need to be booted into windows first for it to then work with Mac OS what is the thinking behind that. I would have thought if the kext worked and was stable then it would work period?

Thanks for your post. I don't need bluetooth really but would be good to know as I sometimes use bluetooth headphones.

Yes, stable bluetooth in Catalina with the NUC's proper chip.

There might be a firmware necessary for the bluetooth chip to function properly which is loaded by the windows driver and, if so, it seems to remain till power loss.
 
Unfortunately i don't have an actual thunderbolt drive, just a thunderbolt dock.
I looked at buying a Thunderbolt 3 dock and they are in the $200 to $300 range depending on brand and ports. A little too expensive for me just for experimentation purposes. After thinking about it I do have a couple of suggestions you may have already tried.

If you are using my EFI Folder try removing this SSDT from Clover/ ACPI/patched "SSDT-TYPC-NUC8-BC" and see what happens.

The other suggestions, an this may be a complete waste of time, is turn off Thunderbolt in the bios and see if it will work as a USBC hub (doubtful).

Edit: I plugged in my Thunderbolt 2 hard drive and regardless of what SSDTs are loaded it fails to initialize on wake. Catalina displays the ”disk improperly ejected“ message but I get that with USB drives as well. Apparently this can also be an issue with real Macs as well.
 
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Simply put the average speeds on my NUCi7BEH are as follows

Thank you everyone for the good assistance in any kind of issues here.
I had a Xiomi in the past and never major issues with the hackintosh. Nevertheless my current purchase a NUC7i3BHE is not installing as expected.

spottsy, you are running also a nuc7? Sometime it reads to me like you have both models. Your guide works perfect to make my usb installer. But I am struggling to find the correct EFI or the correct settings and kext for the EFI. Could you share some details how you managed the install of Catalina?

Since here is more details on the NUC8 and I am running the NUC7, some hints would be great.
Maybe the issue is that I did an update of the bios from version 68 to 80, but I would need to check with a file that I am sure should run.

Thanks
Ben
 
Thank you everyone for the good assistance in any kind of issues here.
I had a Xiomi in the past and never major issues with the hackintosh. Nevertheless my current purchase a NUC7i3BHE is not installing as expected.

spottsy, you are running also a nuc7? Sometime it reads to me like you have both models. Your guide works perfect to make my usb installer. But I am struggling to find the correct EFI or the correct settings and kext for the EFI. Could you share some details how you managed the install of Catalina?

Since here is more details on the NUC8 and I am running the NUC7, some hints would be great.
Maybe the issue is that I did an update of the bios from version 68 to 80, but I would need to check with a file that I am sure should run.

Thanks
Ben
Ask @RLJ63
 
SIDECAR WORKING NICELY WITH IPAD 12.9"

Hi Leesureone, I'm using your EFI folder for Catalina and SIDECAR WORKS with not tinkering. All I did was plug in the ipad to my NUC8 using front USB.

One thing I had to do. As ITUNES is gone I had to go to Finder and click on my device and click TRUST.

Once that was done I could choose my Ipad in the drop down box. Screenshots attached for you.
I have a NUC7i5bnke, with wifi/bt. Current config has definition of
<key>SMBIOS</key>
<dict>
<key>ProductName</key>
<string>iMac16,2</string>
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)

Do I need to change this to get Side Car to work? What should I change it to? What works and is appropriate?
(I don't need Side Car, but I would like to try it out.)
 
I have a NUC7i5bnke, with wifi/bt. Current config has definition of
<key>SMBIOS</key>
<dict>
<key>ProductName</key>
<string>iMac16,2</string>
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015)

Do I need to change this to get Side Car to work? What should I change it to? What works and is appropriate?
(I don't need Side Car, but I would like to try it out.)

The machines listed below are supposedly current enough to work with sidecar (an iMac 16,2 should be fine) and as you are probably aware it takes a later model iPad running iOS 13. I had to connect my iPad by cable first and then it showed in AirPlay.


Sidecar.png
 
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INTEL NUC8i7BEH thoughts on 2 drive options SSD NVMexpress M.2 vs 2.5" SSD drive speeds and where to put your main OPERATING SYSTEM ie Catalina

I see a lot of people use their NUC internal M.2 to install a GENUINE APPLE WiFi and Bluetooth Adapter as there is NO support for INTEL bluetooth and WiFi.

The SPEED LOSS of your operating system is huge if you do this and I thought I would point out the big difference in read and write speeds on M.2 SDD compared to SATA3 SSD 2.5" drive.

This link has a good summary of the speeds that are available for us. https://www.akitio.com/information-center/achieve-best-transfer-speeds-external-drives

Simply put the average speeds on my NUCi7BEH are as follows

Crucial MX500 500gb 2.5" SATA3 SSD averages out 480 mb second read and write speeds sequential reads. (Windows 10 550 mbs read and 510 mbs write.)

Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 500gb SSD averages about 2700 mbs read/write that is about 5.8 times faster. (Windows 10 3600 mbps) Not sure why speeds are better on Windows. Drivers maybe.

SUGGESTION: I would much rather and OS that is 5.8 times faster at 2800 mbps in reading and writing data, opening up applications, rebooting system than the slower 480mbs SATA3 Drives. No way I'm losing that speed for wifi and bluetooth.

SOLUTION: For Wifi/Bluetooth I use TP-Link Archer TU3 if I need WiFi. I mainly use Ethernet LAN connection anyway. You can also get Bluetooth adapters if you so need too. In Australia I just got one for $40 delivered. https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/archer-t3u/ WORKS ON CATALINA

ALSO: You can get an external M.2 to USB adapter and use a genuine Apple Wifi/bluetooth option too and keep your internal M.2. drive for your fast SSD drive 2700mbps ie:
Simplecom SE503 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD to USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C External SSD Enclosure. You can get a normal USB 3.0 and not USB-C like this model.

NOTE ON external enclosures. You can get a $20 external USB 3.0 or 3.1 and even USB-C 3.1 gen 2 enclosures cheaply. As the SATA drives MAX out at around 480 mbps it doesn't make a difference for which adapter you choose with present SATA3 drives. You will get a little more speed on USB 3.1 gen 2 which MY NUC has.

THUNDERBOLT 3 USB-C speed would in theory be around 2700 mbps which is the same as the internal M.2 drive speed. If you have used your M.2 for wireless and don't use the port for monitor as I do.

https://www.akitio.com/information-center/achieve-best-transfer-speeds-external-drives

Interface Bottleneck Pros Cons
USB 3.1 Gen 1 ~300-400 MB/s Available on most computers Not fast enough for faster drives
USB 3.1 Gen 2 ~700-800 MB/s Fast enough for 1-2 SSDs Not fast enough for more than 2 drives
Thunderbolt 1 ~700-800 MB/s Fast enough for 1-2 SSDs Not fast enough for more than 2 drives
Thunderbolt 2 ~1375 MB/s Fast enough for 3-4 SSDs Not fast enough for NVMe based SSDs
Thunderbolt 3 ~2750 MB/s Enough bandwidth even when daisy chaining multiple devices. Not fast enough for certain NVMe based SSDs (e.g. Samsung 960 Pro)

CONCLUSIONS AND COMMENTS: If all you do is web browsing and word processing the SATA3 is fairly good. But if you do any Video editing with large files, gaming or transcoding etc then put your MAC OS on the M.2 port. Use the SATA for a second OS or extra storage. If you run out of drive space using an EXTERNAL drive is nearly as good as the internal M.2 and SATA3 ports.

I did all this testing this week and I though others might find this info helpful save them looking around.
I'm actually in the exact same spot!

Previously I had win10 installed on the lightning fast m.2 samsung 970 evo plus but for the hackintosh experiment (which now is not an experiment anymore, but my permanent os) I ordered a sata samsung 960 where I now have macos installed on with a 10$ BT4.0 dongle so I can use my apple magic keyboard/mouse and currently the Broadcom BT/Wifi chipset is being shipped because I wanted to have continuity/handover/airdrop working.

But it still bothers me a lot I cannot use the awesome samsung 970 evo plus (which now sits unused on my desk!!) and being forced to downgrade to sata ssd speeds again..
 
I'm actually in the exact same spot!

Previously I had win10 installed on the lightning fast m.2 samsung 970 evo plus but for the hackintosh experiment (which now is not an experiment anymore, but my permanent os) I ordered a sata samsung 960 where I now have macos installed on with a 10$ BT4.0 dongle so I can use my apple magic keyboard/mouse and currently the Broadcom BT/Wifi chipset is being shipped because I wanted to have continuity/handover/airdrop working.

But it still bothers me a lot I cannot use the awesome samsung 970 evo plus (which now sits unused on my desk!!) and being forced to downgrade to sata ssd speeds again..

Exactly, its the one caveat about these machines. If continuity, handover and air drop are important functions you need then you have to sacrifice the sacred M2 slot. :beachball:. If fast disk access is important then its better to forgo continuity or pick a different hardware set up.
 
Is it possible to install a wi-fi card in the slot for m.2 for ssd?
 
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