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

[digumo]

Thank you for the reply, but im a little confused with this. I've read through and walked through the directions on the first post about 4 times (or more) now, and I dont see anything about dropping files into the ACPI->patched folder. Where am I missing this step?

edit: I see where he is adding to that acpi folder but that is all in POST installation... i can't get the installer to start. Do these files need to be there PRE installation as well (if so, it's not mentioned in the guide).

Sorry, I thought you were past the install phase.

 

[hylkepylke]

Experimental Mini-Guide for swapping from Clover to OpenCore on Catalina 10.15.1​

This guide is experimental, I haven't tested everything yet, I take no responsibility if this breaks your setup, use at your own risk. This is by no means ready for production, as a sysadmin would say.

Things to be aware of:

• OpenCore works quite different to Clover. Both use config.plist, and you can use the same SSDTs, drivers and kexts, but with OpenCore, you have to enable all these things manually in config.plist. So if you add files to your OC folder, remember to enable them afterwards!
  • If you want to learn more on how OC works and how you should configure it, check out this guide on GitHub (https://github.com/khronokernel/Getting-Started-With-OpenCore) I highly recommend reading up on OpenCore before starting this process!
• Uses iMacPro1,1 instead of the often used iMac19,1 SMBIOS
  • This means SideCar will probably not work
• Requires disabling IGPU in BIOS, otherwise we cannot boot
  • So no headless mode or whatever, but from my limited testing, using iMacPro1,1 gives me the same rendering speed in DaVinci Resolve as iMac19,1 with headless iGPU did in Clover v5099
• Uses the same SSDT patches as Clover, however some different results are found
  • Bluetooth via Intel CNVi WiFi/BT card gets recognised and might be working (haven't tested yet)
  • Thunderbolt ports don't show up in System Information, either under Thunderbolt or PCI (haven't tested connectivity yet)
  • Haven't tested all USB ports yet
• Setup allows playing DRM content (only tested Netflix so far, it works!)
• Uses OpenCore 0.5.3
• Only tested on Z390 Designare version F8
• Only tested with RX Vega 64 as dedicated GPU
• NVRAM currently does not work, I'm still trying to figure this out!
  • As I currently understand, you need NVRAM working in order to be able to boot into your Catalina volume without user interaction, i.e. not pressing a key on the OpenCore boot picker screen
• Assumes that you have a working 10.15.1 Clover v5099 install as a starting point
• We will create two USB drives, one containing a Clover bootable backup, and one will be our experimental OC USB, which we will try to boot from. Once we can boot OC via USB, we can adjust our boot drive EFI setup.

Preparation:

• Disable IGPU in BIOS, set initial display output to your dedicated GPU PCI-E slot
• Create a working backup USB with Clover to boot back into your install in case something goes wrong!
  • You can use the config.plist file you use to boot right now, but you have to adjust these two things:
    • Be sure to install the required kexts to /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/other (e.g. VirtualSMC, Lilu, WEG, etc.)
    • set InjectKexts to Detect in your Clover config.plist on the USB
  • First, try to boot from your USB after you have disabled IGPU in BIOS, to verify booting our backup works. This will be our backup USB in case something goes wrong!
• Download OpenCore 0.5.3 from the source (https://github.com/acidanthera/OpenCorePkg/releases)
• Download additional support files from the source (https://github.com/acidanthera/AppleSupportPkg/releases)
• Download my support folder containing pre-built SSDT's to get you started (see end of this post)

Step 1: Create a OpenCore USB

• Format the USB drive in Disk Utility. Select View --> Show All Devices and click the parent name of your USB drive on left sidebar. Failure to do so will be catastrophic. Then select Erase and enter:
  • Name: Catalina-USB (use exactly this name)
  • Format: MacOS Extended (Journaled) --- do not use APFS here
  • Scheme: GUID Partition Map
• Run Clover Configurator
  • Click Mount EFI on left sidebar of Clover Configurator to mount the EFI partition from the OC USB
• Replace the BootX64.efi in the /EFi/EFI folder with BootX64.efi from the OpenCore folder you downloaded earlier (this makes your USB boot OC instead of Clover)
• Copy the OC folder you downloaded before to /EFI
• Copy the SSDT's from my folder to /EFI/OC/ACPI (these should include at least SSDT-AWAC.aml, SSDT-EC-USBX.aml and SSDT-PLUG.aml)
• Find the following drivers (from the support package you downloaded earlier) and place them in /EFI/OC/Drivers
  • ApfsDriverLoader.efi
  • FwRuntimeServices.efi
  • HFSPlus.efi (you can use the one you already have in your current Clover config, located at /EFI/CLOVER/drivers/UEFI on the EFI partition of your boot drive)
• Copy the relevant kexts (either download them from GitHub, via Hackintool, or use the kexts you're currently using with your Clover setup, located at /EFI/CLOVER/kexts on the EFI partition of your boot drive)
• Copy Shell.efi and VerifyMsr2.efi from my folder to /EFI/OC/Tools (these can help you out to debug your OC setup)
• Copy my config.plist to your USB OC folder

Step 2: Booting from OpenCore USB

• Reboot your machine, press F12 and select your OpenCore USB
• You should see a list of all your current bootable partitions, with the relevant tools (Shell.efi and VerifyMsr2.efi at the end of the list)
  • Shell.efi can be used to find out relevant information on things like bootable volumes and their respective ID's
  • VerifyMsr2.efi can be used to verify that you have an unlocked MSR CFG register (not sure if this is needed, I did anyway, it's described in post #1)
• Press the number that correlates to your Catalina volume
  • As the '-v' flag is enables, you should see a lot of text on the screen: don't worry, this is normal, can be used to debug OpenCore, and can easily be hidden once all is working well

Step 3: First successful boot with OpenCore

• You should now boot into your Catalina install, with OpenCore 0.5.3, as an iMac Pro (2017).
• Go ahead and copy your /EFI/OC and /EFI/EFI folders from your OC USB to your primary boot volume /EFI/
  • Remember, we still have our backup Clover USB in case something goes wrong
  • If you keep /EFI/CLOVER you can still boot back into your old Clover setup by replacing /EFI/EFI/BootX64.efi with the corresponding file from your backup Clover USB

Step 4: Cleaning up

• Generate your own serial, MLB and SystemUUID for iMacPro1,1 via Clover Configurator and paste these values in OC config.plist accordingly (PlatformInfo -> Generic)
• Copy your current USB SSDT from Clover to /EFI/OC/ACPI and enable the SSDT in your OC config.plist (you need to add the path of the SSDT and set the 'enabled' flag to true)
• If you want, remove the '-v' boot flag in your OC config.plist to get a cleaner boot process (NVRAM -> Add -> 7C436110-AB2A-4BBB-A880-FE41995C9F82 -> boot-args)
• If you're happy with OpenCore and want to remove the now unnecessary Clover RC scripts, you can manually delete them (https://github.com/khronokernel/Opencore-Vanilla-Desktop-Guide/blob/master/post-install/nvram.md) or try to use this application, which I haven't tested myself (https://www.tonymacx86.com/resources/clover-emulated-nvram-uninstaller.368/)
  • You can now also remove /EFI/CLOVER as that is no longer needed

 

[Phunk80]

Guys,

i notice a huge performance difference between the M2M and M2P ports with the identical Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSDs when both ports are used. I got a cloned system on each of them (can boot from M2M Disk and from M2P Disk) and run the Blackmagic Disk Speed Benchmark. I got the expected speeds from M2M with around 2800 - 3000 Mbit/s but only around 800 from M2P Slot. I can swap the disks and get the same results. There is no SATA Devices in my system and the 5700XT in the middle PCI Lane (x8).

When I only populate one slot speeds are identically fast with 2800-3000 MB/s on both M2M and M2P

Could this be a hackintosh related issue?

 

[arvids]

Just reporting back that this RTC Patch worked - the system slept just fine throughout the night! Thank you @CaseySJ!

One last thing to fix is NVRAM, since it seems that I don't have it (tested by setting a random "foo" variable that isn't there anymore after restart). Not sure if it is really needed and would want to avoid any extra work (that can break other things). But if I do, do I just source latest AptioMemoryFix and put it where it belongs to enable NVRAM?

Oh, and Sidecar using a wired iPad (don't have wireless) and iMac19,1 SMBIOS doesn't work either, but I can live without it.

Yes, this is the multi-day sleep problem again. Is it necessary to keep the system asleep for long periods? I'm not aware of a specific solution, but there is an RTC Patch that you may try -- no guarantees...

• Find* [HEX] = A00A9353 54415301
• Replace* [HEX] = A00A910A FF0BFFFF
• Comment = Fix 300-series RTC Bug

This is a single entry in Clover Configurator --> ACPI section. The result would look like this:
View attachment 439568

 

[CaseySJ]

@CaseySJ I have the same sleep issue as @trouble74 and unresponsiveness after the monitor goes to sleep. I have attached the Ioregistryexplorer file. Attached usb devices are:
Sandisk extreme usb 3.0
keyboard
usb receiver for mouse
Corsair cpu cooler
NZXT light and fan controller
NZXT usb splitter
Many thanks, much appreciated!

Hi @CaseySJ, here's the screenshot. When the computer sleeps the lights and fans go off for a second, then start up again, then off again. It continues like that for several cycles (not sure how long or if it's indefinite). When I press a keyboard key to wake it it comes back to life, but then everything is very slow to respond. Mouse movement is fine, but everything else is delayed by a few seconds (opening or closing windows etc.) I checked activity monitor while this was happening and it was 92% idle. Then if I shut it down it hung once, and the second time it seemed to ignore the command, forcing me to hard-reboot.

Thanks again for looking into this. When this is all over I'd love to buy you a beer!

The IOReg file shows that the Corsair CPU cooler is model H115i and connected to HS12. Please see NOTE 7 from Post #1 copied below:

First, please disconnect the Corsair USB cable and check sleep/wake behavior. If the problem disappears, we can decide how to proceed. Your options are:

1. Keep the Corsair unplugged. Maybe not such a good option.
2. Disable the HS12 port in macOS by modifying the USB SSDT (I can do this for you). This only affects macOS. Windows will still be able to monitor and control.

 

[arvids]

I too have both M.2 ports filled. One is 970 EVO Plus 500GB for OS, other - 970 EVO 1TB for work. OS drive gets the expected 2800-3000MB/s, but the work drive gets just a bit slower - 2500-2800MB/s, which I can live with. The only thing different from you setup is that my GPU (Radeon VII) sits in the top X16 slot as I thought that to be the recommended setup. So I guess it has something to do with PCIe lane sharing.

Guys,

i notice a huge performance difference between the M2M and M2P ports with the identical Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSDs when both ports are used. I got a cloned system on each of them (can boot from M2M Disk and from M2P Disk) and run the Blackmagic Disk Speed Benchmark. I got the expected speeds from M2M with around 2800 - 3000 Mbit/s but only around 800 from M2P Slot. I can swap the disks and get the same results. There is no SATA Devices in my system and the 5700XT in the middle PCI Lane (x8).

Could this be a hackintosh related issue?

 

[Phunk80]

I too have both M2 ports filled. One is 970 EVO Plus 500GB for OS, other - 970 EVO 1TB for work. OS drive gets the expected 2800-3000MB/s, but the work drive gets just a bit slower - 2500-2800MB/s, which I can live with. The only thing different from you setup is that my GPU (Radeon VII) sits in the top X16 slot as I thought that to be the recommended setup. So I guess it has something to do with PCIe lane sharing.

Thank you,

thats interesting. I need to try that and will report back. Unfortunately I use an air cooler which needs too much space. The difference between your work drive and the OS Drive is the difference between the models. 970 Evo and 970 Evo Plus. I tested that myself too.

 

[arvids]

I read this on some review that is relatable, but I have no idea where to change this (firmware setting, say what?):

"..its third x16-length slot can be configured (via a firmware setting) to use the CPU’s PCIe controller, thereby circumventing the PCH’s limited bandwidth. Choosing this setting causes the third slot to steal four lanes from the second (x8/x4/x4), but sets up a perfect configuration for a single graphics card and two PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe drives."

Thank you,

thats interesting. I need to try that and will report back. Unfortunately I use an air cooler which needs too much space. The difference between your work drive and the OS Drive is the difference between the models. 970 EVO and 970 EVO Plus. I tested that myself, too.

 

[CaseySJ]

Just reporting back that this RTC Patch worked - the system slept just fine throughout the night! Thank you @CaseySJ!

One last thing to fix is NVRAM, since it seems that I don't have it (tested by setting a random "foo" variable that isn't there anymore after restart). Not sure if it is really needed and would want to avoid any extra work (that can break other things). But if I do, do I just source latest AptioMemoryFix and put it where it belongs to enable NVRAM?

Oh, and Sidecar using a wired iPad (don't have wireless) and iMac19,1 SMBIOS doesn't work either, but I can live without it.

That's great news and thanks for testing it for us.

Will have to run some tests myself and update the two config.plists in Catalina Mini-Guide.

For NVRAM, I've decided to enable RC Scripts in Clover, so I'll update that section of the Catalina Mini-Guide as well. I'll post a separate How-To for this shortly below.

 

[hylkepylke]

Guys,

i notice a huge performance difference between the M2M and M2P ports with the identical Samsung 970 Evo Plus SSDs when both ports are used. I got a cloned system on each of them (can boot from M2M Disk and from M2P Disk) and run the Blackmagic Disk Speed Benchmark. I got the expected speeds from M2M with around 2800 - 3000 Mbit/s but only around 800 from M2P Slot. I can swap the disks and get the same results. There is no Sata Devices in my system and the 5700XT in the middle PCI Lane (x8).

When I only pouplate one slot speeds are identically fast with 2800-3000 MB/s on both M2M and M2P

Could this be a hackintosh related issue?

No idea, could be related to this expert from the Z390 Designare manual (also in post #1):

Spoiler

SATA Port Limitations
Although the Designare Z390 motherboard has 6 onboard SATA ports, some of them become unusable when a SATA or PCIe M.2 SSD is installed in the top M2M or bottom M2P slots. The restrictions are shown on Page 29 of the user manual, from which the image below was taken.

• If you install a PCIe or SATA M.2 SSD into the top M.2 slot (M2M) you will lose the last 2 SATA ports (SATA4 and SATA5).
• If you install a PCIe M.2 SSD into the bottom M.2 slot (M2P) you will lose the first SATA port (SATA0).
• If you install a SATA M.2 SSD into the bottom M.2 slot (M2P) you will lose the second SATA port (SATA1).
• SATA2 and SATA3 are never impacted and therefore always available.