The 4K Dell OptiMac - 9020 MT - Core i7-4790 - Radeon RX 570 - LG 4K IPS Monitor

[XmasGiftWIP]

Not completely sure why that is. I'm assuming that you let CCC do the NVME formatting for you automatically. Or did you use Disk Utility first to format APFS ? I tested out NVME in my Optiplex so long ago I don't remember exactly what I did then. It's actually now installed in my Win10 PC I use for work. I don't need those speeds in my Dell OptiMac for any reason.

I do know that it's best for any NVME drive or SSD to be using the APFS file system with Mojave as that is what APFS is designed for. Gives you the best performance and all the new features that make APFS more desirable than the ancient HFS+ file system. Maybe some other NVME owners that are booting with their drive as APFS can add some insights here. I can't take my NVME drive out of my work PC for testing in the OptiMac. It's the only NVME I own currently.

I ended up using Disk Utility to format it to APFS first as even after initializing the drive, CCC did not see the NVMe drive as a valid destination until formatting with Disk Utility.

I'm try and have CCC do the formatting and try it again tomorrow.

Thanks for confirming that it really should be APFS. Just need to get that checked off the list and then I can move on to WiFi and BT.

 

[rhhousehold]

I ended up using Disk Utility to format it to APFS first as even after initializing the drive, CCC did not see the NVMe drive as a valid destination until formatting with Disk Utility.

I'm try and have CCC do the formatting and try it again tomorrow.

Thanks for confirming that it really should be APFS. Just need to get that checked off the list and then I can move on to WiFi and BT.

Did you format it with GUID partition scheme?

I did the same with mine in my 7010 and it worked fine after cloning with CCC. I think I copied over the EFI contents as well.

Clover boots off my normal SATA drive and finds the MacOS on the NVME and boots off it.

I’m using Mojave.

 

[XmasGiftWIP]

Did you format it with GUID partition scheme?

I did the same with mine in my 7010 and it worked fine after cloning with CCC. I think I copied over the EFI contents as well.

Clover boots off my normal SATA drive and finds the MacOS on the NVME and boots off it.

I’m using Mojave.

Hi @rhhousehold , yes, mine is formatted using the GUID partition scheme.

You bring up a good point and potentially a very easy point that I may have missed.

Are you supposed to copy over the entire EFI folder from the SATA SSD to the NVMe? I'm not sure, but I don't believe I did that after cloning the drive in CCC. I'll check it tomorrow while I'm recovering from NYE activities.

Happy (early) New Year to everybody!

 

[trs96]

Are you supposed to copy over the entire EFI folder from the SATA SSD to the NVMe?

You should have the EFI Folder, which includes Clover bootloader only on the SATA SSD. Having Clover on the NVMe would not work.

 

[XmasGiftWIP]

You should have the EFI Folder, which includes Clover bootloader only on the SATA SSD. Having Clover on the NVMe would not work.

Got it. So the EFI folder, if it exists on the NVMe should be empty.

That's my current layout, I believe.

 

[XmasGiftWIP]

You should have the EFI Folder, which includes Clover bootloader only on the SATA SSD. Having Clover on the NVMe would not work.

Hi @trs96, I was reading everything I could last night regarding getting NVMe drives to boot and one suggestion I saw come up several times was to add the 'apfs.efi' driver to Clover's 'drivers64uefi' folder.

I reformatted the NVMe drive using Disk Utility as an APFS drive, cloned my SATA drive over to it and added the 'apfs.efi' driver to the 'drivers64UEFI' folder on my SATA SSD and the NVMe showed up on the first reboot.

I don't know if there are any conflicts having this as well as 'NvmExpressDxe-64.efi', but figured you might be able to provide some insight / could potentially help someone.

 

[trs96]

I saw come up several times was to add the 'apfs.efi' driver to Clover's 'drivers64uefi' folder.

That is perfectly ok to use apfs.efi in drivers64uefi. It's not needed for those using a standard HDD or 2.5" Sata SSD. I'll add a note the NVMe section so that readers will do that from the start if using an NVMe.

 

[XmasGiftWIP]

That is perfectly ok to use apfs.efi in drivers64uefi. It's not needed for those using a standard HDD or 2.5" Sata SSD. I'll add a note the NVME section so that readers will do that from the start if using an NVME.

Thanks, @trs96! Truly appreciate the great guide and the resources on this site.

 

[rhhousehold]

That is perfectly ok to use apfs.efi in drivers64uefi. It's not needed for those using a standard HDD or 2.5" Sata SSD. I'll add a note the NVMe section so that readers will do that from the start if using an NVMe.

I can’t remember if I did that, but I will check and confirm.

Glad you got it working,

 

[trs96]

Thanks, @trs96! Truly appreciate the great guide and the resources on this site.

Great to hear that people are benefiting from this really nice and affordable hackintosh. I was so good this past 2019 look what Santa Claus brought a week ago. Edit: It's called the Darkflash DLM21.

It matches the white window and floor trim perfectly. Still waiting on the PSU upgrade to arrive to get Mojave booting up again. The case looks like it's ATX size here but it's really just mATX. What is the best feature is the hinged glass door on the left that is held shut by a magnet. No more side panel screws to lose ! Accessing the inside is many times easier than it is even on the new Mac Pro 2019. Lifting off that heavy AL cover is a lot of work. This is as easy as opening a cabinet door. The front of the case is steel, not plastic like you see on so many budget cases. Power button and USB ports in front are well made and should hold up longer term.