[Guide] Dell XPS 13 9360 on MacOS Sierra 10.12.x - LTS (Long-Term Support) Guide

[wanghuangjie]

Figured out the cause (but not the solution) of low macOS (but high Linux/Windows) scores on my rig. I'm getting high kernel_task CPU usage, which is likely (a) incorrect/malfunctioning kexts (b) conflicting software.

To prevent having to reinstall macOS again, does anyone have a good advanced guide on troubleshooting kernel_task loads?

Why is kernel_task eating my CPU?

check this link , maybe it's not a problem need to solve.

 

[jkbuha]

Why is kernel_task eating my CPU?

check this link , maybe it's not a problem need to solve.

No, that's a known Apple-specific issue and not related to hackintoshes. The SMC chip heats up on one side of some Macbooks and you need to charge using a plug on the other side.

The kernel_task debug is a long and painful process, and you need to use specialised tools like etrecheck to identify the conflicting software. It's likely to be easier just wiping everything and starting fresh, so I'll be doing that when I have some downtime in the coming days and re-testing.

 

[sps999]

Hey, had someone success with 8550u 16gb qhd+ for big sur installation?

 

[jkbuha]

Hey, had someone success with 8550u 16gb qhd+ for big sur installation?

Right on cue. Here's the optimised configuration for 8550U 16GB QHD+ with NVMe drives.

For additional optimisation, change these UEFI parameters - but note that you will need to fine-tune these to suit your own specific CPU variant, as well as your current cooling strategy.

Optimised Configuration for i7-8550u

DTS SMM Enabled 0x64C -> 0x01
TCC Activation offset 0x51D -> 0x10
Disable prochot output 0x519-> 0x01
Disable VR thermal alert 0x51a-> 0x01
Critical Trip Point 0x2b2 -> 0x77
Active Trip Point 0 (87C) 0x2AE -> 0x57
Active Trip Point 1 (71C) 0x2AD -> 0x47
Passive Trip Point (103) 0x2B1 -> 0x67

Package power limit unlock 0x4CB -> 0x00
Long Term Power Limit Override 0x4B6 -> 0x01
Long Term Power Limit - 0x4B2/3/4/5  -> 0xFF
Long Term Time Window 0x4B7 -> 0x80
VR Current value lock 0x5f9/B/D/F  -> 0xFF
Config TDP lock 0x4E0 -> 0x01
CTDP Bios Conrol 0x4E1 -> 0x01
Turbo Performance Boot 0x4AE -> 0x02
Configurable TDP Level : TDP UP 0x4df -> 0x02

Please report back with performance scores.

Enjoy

 

[sps999]

Thank you I never used oc before. Now I copied it to my efi folder and got this errors

 

[jkbuha]

Ok, so you should have probably read the most recent 2-3 pages on this topic

1) I've switched from CLOVER to OC as it's easier to manage
2) To do that you need to delete any CLOVER kexts in S/L/E and L/E and then choose Reset NVRAM option in boot menu
3) You might also need to change the configuration slightly (kexts, ACPI) to suit your own setup

 

[sps999]

i already saw the postings couple days ago

to 2) i never used kexts for Clover in S/L/E or L/E i just put my kexts only in clover/kexts/other. i have no access to the boot menu to do a nvram reset, i instantly get the error message if i choose your oc efi.

3) our config should be pretty similar i think, but i will look again.

 

[Zarkstar]

Hi @jkbuha as I see you have way more experience on hackintoshing than me, maybe you know how to address my issue. I'm trying to install Big Sur from scratch on my XPS13 (although mine is the kebylake model with an i7 7560U). I've followed the guide on dortania and I'm now able to get to the Welcome screen where you can select the region, but after a few seconds everything freezes and I have to force shutdown the laptop. Weird thing is that in the first 30 seconds or so everything works just fine. DummyPowerManagement under Kernel->Emulate, CpuTscSync.kext and TSCAdjustReset.kext didn't do the trick unfortunately. Any idea what the problem could be or where the KP log may be saved?
Thanks for the help

 

[jkbuha]

Hi @jkbuha as I see you have way more experience on hackintoshing than me, maybe you know how to address my issue. I'm trying to install Big Sur from scratch on my XPS13 (although mine is the kebylake model with an i7 7560U). I've followed the guide on dortania and I'm now able to get to the Welcome screen where you can select the region, but after a few seconds everything freezes and I have to force shutdown the laptop. Weird thing is that in the first 30 seconds or so everything works just fine. DummyPowerManagement under Kernel->Emulate, CpuTscSync.kext and TSCAdjustReset.kext didn't do the trick unfortunately. Any idea what the problem could be or where the KP log may be saved?
Thanks for the help

Never seen this on Big Sur. Boot to recovery, see if you get the same freeze. If you're good, try and repair the disk.

If symptoms still persist, you've probably got the wrong CPUFriend setup. Remove it (or try using my setup a few posts back without cpufriend) and see if you get any different results.

 

[egore]

Right on cue. Here's the optimised configuration for 8550U 16GB QHD+ with NVMe drives.

For additional optimisation, change these UEFI parameters - but note that you will need to fine-tune these to suit your own specific CPU variant, as well as your current cooling strategy.

Optimised Configuration for i7-8550u

DTS SMM Enabled 0x64C -> 0x01
TCC Activation offset 0x51D -> 0x10
Disable prochot output 0x519-> 0x01
Disable VR thermal alert 0x51a-> 0x01
Critical Trip Point 0x2b2 -> 0x77
Active Trip Point 0 (87C) 0x2AE -> 0x57
Active Trip Point 1 (71C) 0x2AD -> 0x47
Passive Trip Point (103) 0x2B1 -> 0x67

Package power limit unlock 0x4CB -> 0x00
Long Term Power Limit Override 0x4B6 -> 0x01
Long Term Power Limit - 0x4B2/3/4/5  -> 0xFF
Long Term Time Window 0x4B7 -> 0x80
VR Current value lock 0x5f9/B/D/F  -> 0xFF
Config TDP lock 0x4E0 -> 0x01
CTDP Bios Conrol 0x4E1 -> 0x01
Turbo Performance Boot 0x4AE -> 0x02
Configurable TDP Level : TDP UP 0x4df -> 0x02

Please report back with performance scores.

Enjoy

This all looks amazing! Only thing I immediately see is via IPG, Core Min frequency does not reach 0.7 as it did before: