[Guide] Install Catalina on the Dell Optiplex 7010 and 9010 Desktop PC

[trs96]

Catalina on the Dell Optiplex 7010/9010

Introduction

These are currently some of the most affordable and easy to Hackintosh PCs that are widely available for purchase. The guide for High Sierra and Mojave that I posted previously has been immensely popular, currently at over 362,000 views, so I'm posting this as an addendum to that guide. If you are new to hackintoshing follow the step by step videos and you'll have a working hack in just a few short hours. No previous experience necessary.

If you haven't bought your Optiplex yet, try to find one that has an HD4000 integrated graphics CPU. HD2500 is not supported. There are a limited number of Ivy Bridge CPUs with HD4000. Most notably, there is the i7-3770(S) and the i5-3475S. Get one of those two if possible. The i7-3770S is clocked lower than a 3770. Other than that still has 4 cores and 8 threads plus HD4000 graphics.

HD4000 has full support in Catalina and works flawlessly. The USFF model Optiplex will only work if you have HD4000. There is no option to install dedicated graphics in the USFF desktop.

Intel Management Engine BIOS Extension

VPRO: setting should be 1​

Another important note about using HD4000. You can access MEBx by pressing the Control and P keys together at boot up. If those keys don't do anything, then it may have been disabled at the factory on your Optiplex. To confirm, open up the side panel and look at the white sticker on the underside. If you see the number 3 and ME Disabled or 6 & ME Lockout it has been factory disabled. This only applies of course if the side panel is the original one from the factory.

If it doesn't have 1 there and you see a 3 or 6 then see the instructions for:

3. Password Protect MEBx section of the Mojave and High Sierra guide. You'll need a 1 there and MEBx enabled to use integrated graphics exclusively.

The SMCProcessor kext attached below is optional. You can place it in the kexts/other folder if you want more accurate CPU frequency reporting. The i5 and i7 SSDTs are for CPU power management. Place the one for your CPU into the ACPI/patched folder.

Do everything in the sequence presented in the videos for the best results.
Hope you enjoy your new Dell Hackintosh !

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[trs96]

Part 1 Update and Configure BIOS

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Note: Before you even update the BIOS it's a good idea to read and perform the first two preliminary steps near the beginning of the High Sierra and Mojave installation guide. This involves replacing the CMOS battery and the thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink. Here's a demo video from the MXKDI Youtube channel performed on an Optiplex Minitower. If you also need to upgrade your HD2500 CPU to one with HD4000 the process is identical to what you'll see here. You should tighten down the CPU cooler screws by alternating from opposite sides of the cooler, not the way he shows in the video. Do one side about 1/2 way then the opposite. Do the same on the other two opposing screws. Continue until you can't turn each screw any more. Then it will be secured.

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Summary of Main BIOS Setting Changes

General
Boot Sequence -> Boot List Option -> UEFI
Advanced Boot Options -> Uncheck - Enable Legacy Option ROMs

System Configuration
Serial Port -> Disabled
Sata Operation -> AHCI
Integrated NIC -> Enabled

Video
Primary Display -> Auto (For HD4000)
Primary Display -> Nvidia or AMD HD Graphics (if using a graphics card)

 

[trs96]

Part 2 Install Catalina with UniBeast

This is a detailed step by step guide for beginners. Everything from start to finish is covered. If you are experienced with Unibeast installs, you should still watch at the 4:25 minute mark for how the USB is customized for your Dell Optiplex. At the 13:00 minute timestamp you can see the very easy post install process. If you did use a Catalina Mac to create your USB installer, it's a good idea to go back and re-enable SIP (csrutil enable) on the Mac you used.

When installing 10.15.6 use Unibeast 10.3.0 and Clover r5119. Get Unibeast 10.3.0 from the tonymacx86 downloads section.

After Catalina is installed, run this Terminal command to allow apps unsigned by Apple to open without warnings.

sudo spctl --master-disable

If you'd like a low cost and simple to apply wifi solution then see the following post:

[Guide] Install Catalina on the Dell Optiplex 7010 and 9010 Desktop PC

I found a 9020, with a IntelHD4600. Will that work? Yes, best to get the HD4600 which is fully supported. Read the Dell Optiplex 9020 thread in Golden Builds for more advice and background info.

www.tonymacx86.com

These do not include Bluetooth, you'd have to buy a separate macOS supported BT dongle for that.
Natively supported Broadcom Wifi/BT cards are the best choice if you need both Wifi and BT. Those will let you enable Continuity and Handoff features of macOS. The USB wifi and BT dongles do not.

 

[trs96]

What about an in place upgrade from High Sierra or Mojave to Catalina ?

The great thing about a clean install to a new SSD is that your old HS/Mojave SSD becomes your backup/safety net. You don't have to make a clone first before installing Catalina.

The in place upgrade is trickier because of the changes in the Clover File structure with the r5102 edition of Clover v2.5K. That being said, if you are already on r49xx version you can probably still upgrade via the Mac App Store if you update your ALC, Lilu and Whatevergreen kexts first.

If you'd like to create a new Catalina USB installer as in the video, you can install with that over your existing install. Just don't format your hard drive or SSD in Disk Utility as you do in a clean install. If you take this approach, you'll have to decide whether to upgrade Clover to a new 2.5K version. The 2.4K versions 4910 or newer will work. If your current Clover is older than 4910 you can upgrade to r4961 by using this: https://www.tonymacx86.com/resources/clover-uefi-boot-mode-v2-4k-r4961.432/

Also note that this new Catalina guide now places all kexts in the Clover/kexts/other folder instead of in /Library/Extensions folder. No kexts are in both places as in the older guide. You'll have to remove all kexts from /L/E especially the FakeSMC kext for your Catalina upgrade to work when you apply the methods in this video guide. This is now mandatory for 10.15.3 or later versions of Catalina.

Starting in February 2020, Apple will "clamp down" on non-Apple approved kexts. So, update Lilu, WhatEverGreen and AppleALC, placing them in your /EFI/.../Clover/kexts/other/. Remove these kexts from the /Library/Extensions/ folder. If you haven't already, move any other hackintosh kexts from /Library/Extensions/ folder to the .../Clover/kexts/other/ folder. Then run the following Terminal command to rebuild the macOS cache:

sudo kextcache -system-prelinked-kernel
sudo kextcache -system-caches

Which ever upgrade path you choose, make a backup first and then create a new Catalina Unibeast USB and try booting from it. You should also back up the current EFI folder from your working HS or Mojave hackintosh. Place it in the EFI backups folder of your Unibeast drive. Of course, do all of this before the Catalina upgrade attempt.

If you want to learn more about all the changes with Clover have a read of the following thread.

How to Update Clover v2.4k r4xxx to v2.5k r5xxx (v2.4k r4972 to v2.5 r5018 example)

I really like to update Clover every time I update to a new version of Mac OS to help prevent issues. For 10.14.6 however, the Clover update would not work. I eventually found out that there are changes in Clover v2.5k that do not allow simple updating from v2.4k – detailed in a post by Slice...

www.tonymacx86.com

Also a great idea to read the direct update guide written by tonmacx86.

Update Directly to macOS Catalina

Established users of macOS Mojave who wish to update directly to macOS Catalina can do so just like a regular Mac would. This fully native method requires no USB creation or preparation and allows you to keep all of your files and settings. Before you begin, we strongly recommend performing a...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[trs96]

GeekBench 5 scores
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The Optiplex 7010 with i7-3770 performs about the same in Catalina as it does in Windows 10 Pro. The i7-3770 is the best way to go if you plan on using this Optiplex system longer term.

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What to do if your 7010/9010 MT board has no Thermal Sensor​

If you buy a barebones Dell MT or buy just the motherboard you may or may not get the thermal sensor cable (thermistor) that connects to the motherboard. Without this sensor the CPU fan runs at about 2,700 RPM all the time and is way too noisy for comfort. You can buy the temperature sensor cable on Ebay for about 5-7 USD.

If you want to replace the Dell OEM cooler and not buy the thermal sensor, you really need just two things at the cost of about $13 to $16 USD. You need the 5 pin to 4 pin fan adapter and a third party CPU cooler from either CoolerMaster or Thermaltake. Here's the i50 CPU cooler/fan from Newegg.com. Don't worry that the seller is based in Hong Kong, they ship to you very quickly. I got one in about 3 days.

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-air-cooler-series-i50/p/13C-000X-002T6?

Even if you have the Dell thermal sensor and didn't get a CPU fan in very good condition, you can still replace it with the i50 or even the i70 from CM if you need a higher CFM (37 vs. 34) for more airflow to cool your CPU. You won't even need to buy separate thermal paste as it is pre-applied to the CM cooler.

The Hyper 212 has a similar fan and is the best selling cooler in the world. Good price/performance. Fan is quiet too.

To get the i50 for about 10-12 USD is an even better deal. You can't use the 212 on the Dell 7010/9010 board. The i50 CPU cooler does fit into the existing Dell metal backplate with no problems. The backplate is not easily removable if you try to remove it, you may damage the board, seriously, as in beyond repair.

The 5 pin to 4 pin adapters can be found on Ebay. Chinese sellers sell them for about a dollar each. US sellers about 5 dollars each. I didn't want to wait 5 or more weeks to get one from China so ordered from a US seller.

If you do want a 4 pin fan for your CPU Cooler this from Thermaltake will work well. I've used these with Dell motherboards and the 5 pin to 4 pin adapter. I think the CM fans are slightly quieter, not by much.

https://www.newegg.com/thermaltake-clp0556-b/p/N82E16835106236?

 

[iHermno]

You are the best!! was looking to upgrade from Mojave - was thinking to Try Opencore but i will do Clover for now!

 

[clarkken]

So, I followed your Youtube guide to the T and for whatever reason I never get the Boot Filevault option in Clover. After that second reboot, the boot hangs at about 75% on the Apple logo. Suggestions? Maybe I should try recreating my drive via Uni again?

 

[trs96]

for whatever reason I never get the Boot Filevault option in Clover.

What graphics ? HD4000 via DP output or a dedicated gfx card ? Which one ?

If you don't get that Boot Filevault just select the one that is not external and it should go through. You can also boot verbose to see where it hangs up and post a pic of that.

You also need to fill out your profile with hardware specs.

https://www.tonymacx86.com/account/account-details

 

[clarkken]

Thanks for getting back so quickly. Yes, I am running a SFF 9010 with HD 4000 graphics – connected via display port to hdmi. I tried running the option that was not external as you mentioned and that is where it was hanging at. I am making a second attempt now actually. I will let you know how it goes. Last thing, it shouldn't matter that I'm running a HDD correct? I do not have access to a SSD at the moment.

 

[trs96]

it shouldn't matter that I'm running a HDD correct? I do not have access to a SSD at the moment.

I used an old 80GB WD HDD for the test install. No problems, just a lot slower to finish the install. Takes more patience.
Even if it looks to hang up leave it longer and see if it goes through. A lot of the video is speeded up so that the length is not 40+ minutes long.