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

Do you think this could work for my NUC8i7BEH ?? Do I need a RPi2B to do this trick??

I want to have a properly working thunderbolt 3 and I am so lost.

Thanks
Yes it should work on your NUC. It was originally done for the Intel NUC8i3BEH, but yours is the same model with a different CPU. You may use either a Raspberry Pi (2B, 3B, 4) or a USB CH341a chip programmer. Please see these links in Post #1:
Screen Shot 2020-05-01 at 5.11.58 PM.png

If you have any additional questions, just ask. Always read the existing firmware and save the original file.
 
Correct. Try using only the Radeon Boost kext.
That appears to have solved my problem. Additionally, GPU fans are now spinning at idle vs waiting until temps increase.
 
We've struggled with Antelope Audio drivers for a while and they just don't work! We recommend (a) yelling at Antelope Audio, (b) purchasing a real Mac, or (c) switching to Universal Audio Devices. For proof, please search this site for posts by @qthegaijin. Poor guy has struggled with this issue for an eternity.

To slightly paraphrase Jack Nicholson from A Few Good Men, "we must handle the truth!" :)
Yup. This is correct. USB has been rock solid but Antelope Thunderbolt only works under a EXTREMELY specific scenario (Designare z170x, mac os 10.12.2, plugged in at clover boot) and that was probably a fluke it worked. Still nothing on the TR and other modern methods and have kinda given up on the task for the moment.... until new modified firmwares are released for testing. Antelope's team is currently all WFH so likelyness of drivers being updated soon are slim.

Has anyone had a chance to test the latest Presonus interface yet? Or any of their TB2 interfaces with a modded card/modded mobo?
 
unfortunately a hackintosh has its limits.
For your needs, perhaps better to buy a real Mac ...

just out of curiosity, I work in a television network, and I use a Yamaha dm1000 that has been running for 10 years

Thanks to @CaseySJ @jb007 @kgp @RehabMan and @pastrychef -my 9900KS and 8700K builds are more solid and stable for Pro Tools and Vienna Symphonic Library. I'm including in comparison a 6-core 6,1, an 8-core 6,1, (KP factories) an iMac i9 top spec CTO, (threw a dozen KP's in 5 days), and even my little top-spec USB-interfering with Bluetooth Mac Mini 8,1 –which is now a VSL slave/HTPC.
 
On a side note can you (or anyone) recommend a microphone that would plug into the front of a Focusrite 2i2 (2nd Gen)? Three conditions/considerations:
  • It's for voice/narration in an indoor setting.
  • It's for internal training videos, not elaborate productions.
  • Preferably under $150.
First choice for me would be a Shure SM7b but that is way over budget :)

Check out the Rode NT1a. Professional level quality at a really affordable price especially considering it comes with and XLR cable, shock mount and pop shield!
 
First choice for me would be a Shure SM7b but that is way over budget :)

Check out the Rode NT1a. Professional level quality at a really affordable price especially considering it comes with and XLR cable, shock mount and pop shield!

I'd mirror this, however, I think the Rode NT1 (the black one, not the silver 'NT1-A') is a better choice. The top end isn't so harsh! Great cheap mics made in Australia, with impressively low self-noise!
 
Hello @rauan1,

Let's get some things cleared up first ...
  • You say you have an external GPU. This term is used for graphic cards that are mounted in an eGPU enclosure outside of your system and connected via Thunderbolt.
  • I think you mean you have a discrete GPU: your RX580 is installed in a PCIE slot on your Z390 Ultra. Is that correct? If not, please be more specific.
Assuming you have your RX580 installed in a PCIE slot:
  • You should have no problem booting into BIOS with a display attached to the DP or HDMI ports of your RX580. This is unrelated to macOS.
  • Try this:
    • Set Initial Display Output in BIOS to the correct PCIE slot number where your RX580 is installed
    • Shut down your system
    • Connect only one display to your system using a DP or HDMI port on your RX580.
    • Make sure your monitor is powered on.
    • Now power up your computer.
  • Is anything displayed on your screen?

If nothing appears, try eliminating the cause:
  • Since you have another system (Aorus Pro, also with a RX580), can you boot to BIOS with a display connected to DP or HDMI on RX580 on that system? If so, try using the monitor and cable from your Aorus Pro system and connect it to your Ultra system.
  • Try a different monitor (not a TV!), try a different cable, try a different port on your RX580.
  • Install the RX580 from your Aorus Pro system in your Ultra. If that card works on your Ultra, then your new RX580 card could be faulty.
  • Since your Aorus Pro is already configured for a RX580, you can also install the new RX580 in your Aorus Pro system and see what happens.

For hand-off
  • Do you have one of the recommended Wifi/Bluetooth cards (see post #1) installed?
    If so, which one (please be specific) and in which PCIe slot?
  • Did you connect the USB-cable from the WiFi/Bluetooth card to the USB 2.0 header on your motherboard?
  • Did you disable or remove the onboard Wifi/Bluetooth module of your Z390 Ultra?
  • Do you have Bluetooth working at all?
  • What does System Information > Bluetooth show you?
    • If it says Handoff Supported = Yes, then have a look at this guide.
    • If it says No, then I guess you know the answer.
      View attachment 466251
Thank you for your response!

You are right! It is not eGPU.
I was able to fix the problem with dGPU. It took me a while though. I had to play with BIOS settings until I figured out that CSM Support → Disabled was giving me black screen. I have it enabled and it is booting normal now.

I have two WiFi/Bluetooth cards, and I thought both of them Mac compatible cards (photos attached).
I tried them on top PCIe slot like on my working Hackintosh.
I did connect it to USB 2 on the motherboard.
I did not disable on board WiFi card. I would appreciate if you could tell me how I can do that. I think it could be a problem.
It is interesting that system information was showing Yes for Handoff and instant hot spot supported lines, but the second one is showing No.
It also shows Ericsson for Manufacturer.
 

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Another day, and I'm ready for another experiment.

Thank you all @genzai, @CaseySJ, and @SuDoDmz for your ideas and suggestions!

I prefer soldering over using a pen with conductive ink. A soldered connection seems way more solid and much easier to undo than a conductive ink connection. My friend that has a soldering station will help me out tonight to bridge the connections where the resistors once were.

So tonight I might either break something (and work my way up to master of disaster), or actually fix my Designare.
The new Designare board arrived in the mail today, so if soldering fixes my current board I can return the new one. If my soldering and fixing attempt breaks my current Designare tonight, I'll be up-and-running again tomorrow with the new board.

Will keep you posted on results.
AppleThunderboltDisplay-FinallyWorking.jpg


Finally ... my Z390 Designare's Thunderbolt firmware successfully patched, and Apple Thunderbolt Display fully working!

It's been one heck of a journey, but it's finally working ... the Thunderbolt Bus and my Apple Thunderbolt Display!

Fixing the crippled Designare motherboard - no luck
Soldering my motherboard did not work out, unfortunately. After bridging the missing SMD components with solder, I used a multimeter to make sure the connections were good, and without short-circuits to neighboring points. Then connected the SOIC8-clip and verified if the Winbond chip was accessible for read and write. The chip was completely dead ... no matter if I had VCC or PSU power connected, flashrom could not detect the Winbond chip.

If you want to read more about my many failed attempts to flash the thunderbolt firmware, what we tried to recover, and what ultimately caused the problems, read my reports (1) here, (2) here, (3) here, (4) here, (5) here, (6) here, and finally (7) here.

Flashing the new Designare board
So I took out the new Designare board I ordered, and flashed it straight out of the box (no components installed, only ATX 24-pin connector attached to PSU). Flashing went flawless on the first attempt. I used the Raspberry Pi wired to the SOIC8-clip according to the "Possible Improvement for In-Circuit Read/Write tot SPI Flash ROM Chips" guide (with breadboard/capacitor/resistor).
  • I carefully connected the SOIC8-clip to the Winbond chip, with the clip detached from the Raspberry Pi/GPIO, and PSU power off.
    • I lined up the pins of the clip exactly to the pins of the Winbond chip before closing the clip,
    • AND while closing the clip, made sure not to scrape off any SMD components near the chip (again).
  • Then connected the SOIC8-clip to the Raspberry Pi/GPIO with VCC Pin8 connected.
  • The LEDs on the motherboard were red and normal brightness (not really dim).
  • Then disconnected VCC (LEDs went off).
  • Then powered on the PSU (LEDs were bright white).
  • First three reads/backups were immediately succesfull and had identical checksums.
  • First write was immediately successful (VERIFIED).
  • Three reads/backups following write were succesful and had identical checksums.
Clip attached - VCC Pin8 connected, PSU off Clip attached - VCC Pin8 disconnected, PSU on
01-Z390-DESIGNARE-SOIC8-clip-VCCPin8-PSUoff-LedsAreRED-small.JPG
02-Z390-DESIGNARE-SOIC8-clip-NoVCCPin8-PSUon-LedsAreBrightWhite-small.JPG


This flashing experience was incredibly smooth ... instant success.

Booting the new motherboard
After switching all components from the old motherboard to the new one (CPU + cooler, RAM, M.2 SSD), reassembling the board, and reconnected all wires/connectors, I took a deep breath and booted the new motherboard. After updating BIOS to F9b, changing BIOS settings according to post #1, unlock MSR 0x2E Register for native NVRAM), I was able to boot straight into macOS and absolutely everything is working.

After replacing the EFI/CLOVER/ACPI/patched/SSDT-Z390-DESIGNARE-TB3HP-V4.aml with SSDT-TBOLT3-RP05-PORT7-DESIGNARE-Z390.aml (customized with unique UID using DROM guide) and rebooting:
  • System Information > Thunderbolt is now showing correct contents about the Thunderbolt Bus.
  • IORegistryExplorer shows a fully populated tree under RP05, including XHC3 with SSP1 and SSP2.

Connecting Apple Thunderbolt Display
On my RX590 GPU, the first DP port is connected to my BenQ 4K monitor. I connected the second DP port to the Designare's DP-IN port. My system runs macOS 10.15.4 in headless mode, using Casey's config-AMD-GPU.plist.

Hot-plugging is fully functional. The Apple TB Display did not work on the upper TB3/USB-C port. Once connected to the lower TB3/USB-C port the Apple display lit up and showed my second screen.

What is displayed on which monitor depends on whether doing a cold boot or a warm boot. I've outlined the differences below:
Cold boot Warm boot
BIOS
  • BenQ (Apple Display stays off)
  • Apple Display (BenQ stays off)
Clover Boot menu
  • BenQ (Apple Display stays off)
  • Apple Display (BenQ stays off)
macOS booting (apple logo & progress bar)
  • BenQ shows logo and progress bar
  • Apple Display initialized and turned on just before login screen, briefly showing logo and progress bar
  • Apple Display (BenQ stays off)
macOS login screen
  • BenQ: login screen
  • Apple Display: wallpaper
  • BenQ: login screen
  • Apple Display: wallpaper
macOS desktop
  • Both displays active (desktop extended)
  • Both displays active (desktop extended)



Finding: Thunderbolt Bus not activated in macOS after warm-reboot from Windows

  • When rebooting into macOS after using Windows, the Designare's Thunderbolt Bus is not activated.
  • You need to shutdown and do a cold boot into macOS to enable Thunderbolt Bus again.


Apple Thunderbolt Display functionality
Display functionality in macOS Catalina
The full functionality of the Thunderbolt Display is available in macOS, with the only exception of Thunderbolt daisychaining.
  • Display
    • Brightness controls: I have Native Brightness installed, along with the "Enable Dim keys by Wern" kext patches in Clover. That interferes with the native Apple brightness controls when using F1 and F2 keys. However, brightness can still be controlled via Settings > Displays using the brightness slider.
  • Speakers
    • Sound output works (change audio output to Display Audio).
    • Volume control using F10 (mute) / F11 (softer) / F12 (louder) works too.
  • FaceTime camera
    • System Information > Camera reports the built-in webcam in the Apple Display.
    • Using the FaceTime application, I was able to see myself on video.
  • Microphone
    • In Settings > Sound > Input, the Display Audio microphone is present and captures sound. Input volume can be adjusted, and input levels are represented correctly.
  • USB-hub
    • all three USB 2.0 ports on the back of the display work. Tested with USB drive.
  • Firewire
    • System Information > Firewire is populated.
    • In Settings > Network, a "Display FireWire" network adapter is added.
    • I don't have any FireWire devices to test the interface.
  • Ethernet
    • System Information > Ethernet Cards list the "Apple 57761-80" ethernet controller.
    • In Settings > Network, a "Display Ethernet" network adapter is added.
  • Thunderbolt 1 daisychain port
    • In Hackintool > PCI, I do notice two PCI Bridges that have "???" as Device Name, where vendor name is "Pericom Semiconductor". My guess is that these PCI bridges are used for the TB1-passthough port on the back of the Apple Thunderbolt Display ... and I suspect the "???" indicate they are not recognized and therefore won't work.
    • A third 1080p monitor connected to the TB1 port using a DP-HDMI adapter does not work, and does not show up anywhere in System Information.
    • Although I have no other Thunderbolt hardware to test with, it seems the Thunderbolt 1 port won't work.
  • Sleep/wake
    • Display sleep, and wake after sleep works too (!)

Display functionality in Windows 10
You need to cold boot into macOS first, then reboot into Windows, as the Designare's Thunderbolt controller with patched firmware does not work on a cold boot into Windows.
  • Display
    • Windows will recognize the Apple Thunderbolt Display as a Generic Plug-and-Play monitor.
    • Configuration options are limited. Setting resolution and extending the desktop are available, but controls for setting display brightness are missing.
    • I am experiencing a very brief flicker of the Apple Display, every 10 minutes or so.
    • Drivers for the Apple Display are no longer included in the current BootCamp software (Apple discontinued support for the Thunderbolt Display in June 2016).
      • I found drivers for the Apple Thunderbolt Display (Windows 7 64-bits) in BootCamp version 5.1.5621. Look for AppleDisplayInstaller64.exe in the BootCamp/drivers/Apple folder.
      • You can extract the drivers with The Unarchiver (macOS app) or WinRAR (Windows).
      • I installed the drivers, but no change: Windows does not recognize the display as an Apple Display and lists the display as a Generic Plug-and-Play monitor.
  • Other features
    • None of the other features (speakers, FaceTime camera, USB-hub, FireWire, Ethernet, TB1-port) work in Windows. Device Manager simply does not see those devices integrated into the Apple Display.
    • The Intel Thunderbolt Control software says there are no Thunderbolt devices attached, so the Apple Thunderbolt Display is not recognized as a Thunderbolt device.
    • It seems as if only DisplayPort over Thunderbolt is activated in Windows.


About This Mac > Displays
AboutThisMac-Displays.png


System Information > Thunderbolt (showing Thunderbolt Display)
01 SysInfo-Thunderbolt-Bus-AppleDisplay.png


System Information > Graphics/Displays (showing Thunderbolt Display)
02 SysInfo-GraphicsDisplays.png


System Information > USB (showing Apple Thunderbolt Display features/peripherals)

03 SysInfo-USB-AppleTBDisplay.png


System Information > FireWire (showing Apple Thunderbolt Display Firewire)
04 SysInfo-FireWire.png


System Information > Ethernet Cards (showing Apple Thunderbolt Display ethernet interface)
05 SysInfo-EthernetCards-AppleDisplay-Ethernet.png


System Information > Camera (showing Apple Thunderbolt Display FaceTime HD Camera)
06 SysInfo-Camera-AppleDisplay-FaceTimeHD.png


System Information > Audio (showing Apple Thunderbolt Display audio)
07 SysInfo-Audio-AppleDisplay-DisplayAudio.png


System Information > Network Interfaces (Display FireWire, Display Ethernet, Thunderbolt Bridge)
08 SysInfo-Network-Interfaces.png


System Information > PCI

09 SysInfo-PCI.png


Hackintool > USB (showing Apple Thunderbolt Display USB Controller and USB Ports/Devices)
10 Hackintool - USB.png

IORegistryExplorer (Showing fully loaded RP05 with ThunderboltLocalNode and Apple Thunderbolt Display)
11 IORegExp-RP05-1.png

11 IORegExp-RP05-2.png

11 IORegExp-RP05-3.png


Hackintool > PCI (Showing unrecognized Apple Thunderbolt Display PCI Bridges)
12 Hackintool-PCI.png


Settings > Audio > Input shows the Apple Thunderbolt Display microphone
AppleThunderboltDisplay-Microphone.png

I'm really happy! But there's no way I could have figured this out myself.

Thank you massively @CaseySJ , @Elias64Fr, @NCMacGuy, @SuDoDmz and @genzai ... you've all played a huge part in figuring out how to get Thunderbolt Bus fully working on the Designare, providing guides and guidance for all of us here to flash our Designare's with patched Thunderbolt firmware, discovering that the Apple Thunderbolt Display actually works with our firmware patched, and helping me get there too with your help in troubleshooting and detective work!

EDITS:
  • Added photo's of Designare LEDs with SOIC8-clip correctly attached, showing LEDs color and brightness when powered by VCC Pin8 (red) versus powered by PSU (bright white).
  • Added information about working feature of the display's built-in microphone.
  • 24 May 2020: Added difference in display output behavior during cold boot versus warm boot.
  • 24 May 2020: Added Apple Thunderbolt Display functionality in Windows 10.
 
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I am happy to share my successful audio build!

A gigantic thank you to everyone in the thread who has contributed - I personally believe this thread has single-handedly helped the reputation and legitimacy of Hackintoshes for serious high-end use, which in turn makes the whole community stronger.

This was built primarily for music production, with some gaming in Windows on the side, upgrading from a hot and noisy Late 2013 15” MacBook Pro. After upgrading my audio interface to a UAD Apollo Twin, I needed something with Thunderbolt working flawlessly, that will last me for years. Here's my build:

Parts - total cost ~$2K AUD
  • MoBo: Gigabyte Z390 Designare (obviously)
  • CPU: i5-9600KF overclocked at 4.9GhZ (Good value in Australia at the moment compared to the price hikes on the i7 and i9 models)
  • GPU: Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB powering a 4K TV and 1440P monitor
  • RAM: 32GB 3200 Corsair RGB Pro DDR4 (XMP 1 Profile)
  • CPU Cooler: Noctua D15s
  • Storage: 2x 500GB Kingston A2000 NVME
  • PSU: 650W SeaSonic Focus 80+ Gold
  • Case: Corsair Spec-Delta
  • Speakers: JBL LSR305 with an LSR310 sub

First, I installed Windows 10 using the NVME M2 slot closest to the CPU as suggested, before inserting the 2nd NVME drive to install OSX.

I followed @CaseySJ ’s NDK Fork OpenCore guide for 10.15.4 with some small tweaks (removed some unnecessary drivers, removed the iGPU, Broadcom chip and disabling of Intel WiFi/Bluetooth from config.plist, and added the beta Intel Bluetooth driver which is working great). It is SO fast, and absolutely rock solid, getting a score of 24K in Geekbench 4 with the iMac 19,1 SMBIOS. I get to a maximum of 85 tracks in the ‘Logic Pro X Benchmark’ project file (attached FYI) that I use for real world testing. My reported latency in Logic Pro X at 96khz 32bits is ‘3.9ms Roundtrip (0.6ms Output)' which is just awesome.

Aside from the time and knowledge invested into setting up the OpenCore install, it was an extremely painless process. When it booted up the first time and everything just worked, it was honestly unexpected. Thunderbolt (including hotplugging) is perfect, sleep/wake works well, and the machine is cool & quiet despite its overclock. The only thing I haven’t got working yet is Sidecar, but I haven’t invested too much time into it. Which leads me to my thoughts & concerns that I had while researching prior to this build:

1. Am I going to regret getting a ‘KF’ model without integrated graphics?
A: No - I don’t do video editing, I haven’t seen any notable slow down with functions such as Preview of images, and I am happy using Duet Display instead of Sidecar if I can’t get Sidecar working. The price difference was significant enough for me to justify getting it. I plan to get a 9700K or 9900K on ht used market in the coming years.

2. Should I build an AMD rig?
A: No - specifically for audio production, the compatibility and stability just doesn’t seem there yet. It is extremely enviable that AMD have such good dollar to performance value, and that their CPUs will last another socket of AM4. If I was building a general productivity build, I'd do the Ryzentosh.
However, for the stability I need, and the multiple different companies I am relying on to make drivers that will be compatible, it is unfortunately worth the premium to get an Intel CPU that is essentially got native support. Kudos to the AMD community, though, and I think it’ll keep getting better.

3. Should I wait for the 10th Gen of Intel and Z490 boards?
A: No - it doesn’t seem like a very notable update. Z390 Designare availability already seems to be dropping with the announcement of the next gen, and I would snap it up now if you’re considering it. Even now, there seems to only be 2 or 3 places in Australia that are still stocking it. The reality is, for the relative power that audio production needs, a solid build on the 9th Gen of Intel CPUs is going to last many many years. There is also the added value of the TWO THOUSAND pages of resources on this megathread and a community that will look to each for support on future updates.

Happy to take any questions, lend any assistance, and be anyone’s punching bag if you want me to test anything for you! Thanks again!
 

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I'm struggling to get iGPU framebuffer to output signal through the Designare HDMI port.
I always get a black screen.
Tried a few, including the one from the CaseySJ config, then the one available in hackintool.
disablegfxfirmare or not.
I'm on Bios f9b
SMBIOS MacMini8,1

Any suggestion?

Thanks for your help.

Found...it was a monitor setting. No 60Hz 4k HDMI.
 
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