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

[shakayx]

Attached is the original, unmodified NVM50 from Z490 Vision D.

Can I use this firmware for X299X DESIGNARE 10G？thanks.

 

[CaseySJ]

Can I use this firmware for X299X DESIGNARE 10G？thanks.

This is the original NVM50 firmware. If you flash this to the X299X, it won’t enable Thunderbolt Bus in macOS. It may allow TB4 hubs to connect, however.

Of course, always backup the existing firmware from the X299X, and flash it back if new firmware does not work.

 

[CaseySJ]

Interim Update #3:

• With the new BIOS, Thunderbolt Bus ID is automatically assigned to each controller.
• In this case we have:
  • Z390 Designare with built-in Titan Ridge
  • GC-Titan Ridge add-in card with modified NVM33 flashed to the card (and DROM section set to same as real Mac)
    • NVM33 does not cause crashes in Big Sur, and USB controller works properly.
  • SSDT for each controller contains no NHI device properties, hence all properties are auto-generated by Apple's PEI and DXE drivers inserted into the Gigabyte BIOS.
• Here we can see Bus IDs 0 and 1 automatically assigned.
  • This is because ThunderboltDROM and ThunderboltConfig are properly generated. These two properties are responsible for Bus ID among other things.

Interim Update #1D:

• We are trying to determine why Apple TB-to-Gigabit Ethernet adapter does not work in Big Sur.
• Elias has narrowed it down to Vt-d.
• On my Z390 Designare, enabling Vt-d, disabling DevirtualiseMmio, and removing boot argument dart=0 still fails to instantiate the AppleVTD device in IOReg.
• But this works on Elias' Z390 Designare. Elias is not home at this time, so we'll wait to determine what other configuration differences there are between our two systems.

 

[Sapricot]

I attempted to flash the modified F9i (0xEA one) today but the computer didn’t come back after restarting. It just boot cycles without ever reaching bios and the backup bios doesn’t come on.

Since you guys do all this flashing I was hoping maybe you have some trick I can try to get it to boot. I’ve tried resetting cmos and force restarting, and desperately removed everything except cpu and ram and plugged monitor into motherboard hdmi but it hasn’t made a difference.

I was on F7 before if that makes any difference.

 

[xtreem.p]

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

All right :)! For Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter, can you screenshot IOReg DSB1@1/... /ethernet@0 ? Sure, please see:

www.tonymacx86.com

cant wait for this

 

[CaseySJ]

I attempted to flash the modified F9i (0xEA one) today but the computer didn’t come back after restarting. It just boot cycles without ever reaching bios and the backup bios doesn’t come on.

Since you guys do all this flashing I was hoping maybe you have some trick I can try to get it to boot. I’ve tried resetting cmos and force restarting, and desperately removed everything except cpu and ram and plugged monitor into motherboard hdmi but it hasn’t made a difference.

I was on F7 before if that makes any difference.

@Sapricot,

Sorry to hear about the problem and apologies for not making it known that BIOS F8 or F9i (which have the new GUI) must be installed first. I have modified the post accordingly, and to be safe, stated that official version of F9i should be installed first.

In your case, please see the manual for the process of initiating a BIOS flashback -- or contact Gigabyte Tech Support via the Gigabyte website. If BIOS flashback is not possible, it may be necessary to use an external SPI Flash ROM reader/writer to reprogram the BIOS chip. We can use a Raspberry Pi or 3.3V CH341a programmer for this. I can provide the binary file that will need to be flashed. But before going down this path, let's see if you can trigger BIOS flashback.

---

All:
I have modified the post to say that BIOS F9i (official version) must be installed first. Then we can install the modified F9i on top.

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

We rebuild the kernel cache when installing a kext into /Library/Extensions. SSDTs, however, function independently of this. Oh, sorry. In my case (Clover FB mod injection), I have to rebuild cache at each change or security updates....

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[Sapricot]

@Sapricot,

Sorry to hear about the problem and apologies for not making it known that BIOS F8 or F9i (which have the new GUI) must be installed first. I have modified the post accordingly, and to be safe, stated that official version of F9i should be installed first.

In your case, please see the manual for the process of initiating a BIOS flashback -- or contact Gigabyte Tech Support via the Gigabyte website. If BIOS flashback is not possible, it may be necessary to use an external SPI Flash ROM reader/writer to reprogram the BIOS chip. We can use a Raspberry Pi or 3.3V CH341a programmer for this. I can provide the binary file that will need to be flashed. But before going down this path, let's see if you can trigger BIOS flashback.

---

All:
I have modified the post to say that BIOS F9i (official version) must be installed first. Then we can install the modified F9i on top.

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

We rebuild the kernel cache when installing a kext into /Library/Extensions. SSDTs, however, function independently of this. Oh, sorry. In my case (Clover FB mod injection), I have to rebuild cache at each change or security updates....

www.tonymacx86.com

Oh crap probably should’ve asked first. Well you live and learn. Someone said they managed to get it to flashback after leaving it off for 12h so trying that first.

If I do need to reflash externally do you have a spi rom device you recommend? I have a rasppi 4 and I’m in the UK so availability might be different to Australia or US.

 

[CaseySJ]

Oh crap probably should’ve asked first. Well you live and learn. Someone said they managed to get it to flashback after leaving it off for 12h so trying that first.

If I do need to reflash externally do you have a spi rom device you recommend? I have a rasppi 4 and I’m in the UK so availability might be different to Australia or US.

Raspberry Pi 4 is a good choice. The wiring diagram and instructions are located here:

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

** Mini-Guide for Flashing SPI ROM Chips using Raspberry Pi 3B or 4 ** Please do not quote the entire mini-guide. Post a link instead. 19 Dec 2021: Warning! Thunderbolt 4 Docks will not connect to flashed Thunderbolt 3 controllers. Most CH341A Programmers output a potentially dangerous 5V...

www.tonymacx86.com

I can also provide (a) location of chip on motherboard, and (b) binary file to flash.

Meanwhile please have a look at above post to familiarize yourself with the overall procedure.

Update: Here's the location of BIOS chip on Z390 Designare:

 

[jiffyslot]

Hi @CaseySJ . I've successfully flashed the Z390 Designare BIOS from F9i to the modded F9i. Question: Should the BIOS version in the setup page have the same version info as the original F9i since it's a modded version of the official F9i?

 

[CaseySJ]

Hi @CaseySJ . I've successfully flashed the Z390 Designare BIOS from F9i to the modded F9i. Question: Should the BIOS version in the setup page have the same version info as the original F9i since it's a modded version of the official F9i?

Good question! Yes it has the same version info. This is because we didn't want to make any extraneous changes. Elias just replaced the Intel Microcode subsection and adjusted some checksum/validation bytes.