- Joined
- Nov 17, 2009
- Messages
- 7,366
- Motherboard
- Z370N WIFI
- CPU
- i7 8700K
- Graphics
- HD 630
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
Components
ASUS Z97-A SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132118
Intel Core i3-4340 Processor
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J2LIFDC/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116944
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL9 @1.5V UDIMM 240-Pin Memory BLS2KIT8G3D1609DS1S00
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006YG9EEW/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545
ASUS ThunderboltEX II Thunderbolt PCIe Expansion Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ISKS45M/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813995027
BitFenix NEOS Case - White/White
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LIQF6J0/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345046
Corsair RM650 650 Watt Full Modular, ATX/EPS, 80PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supply - CP-9020054-NA RM650
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EB7UIRS/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139054
Comments
Picked up this ASUS Z97-A for testing. Longtime ASUS motherboard users know that since UEFI BIOS was introduced in 6 Series, there have been a few outstanding issues making their choices a bit harder to configure for OS X.
Turns out ASUS's latest BIOSes for this board (version 1204+) are completely fixed for legacy bootloaders. GUID drives boot using legacy bootloader and MSR is Unlocked- there is a CFG lock Disabled/Enabled switch (Disabled by default) as shown below:
Issue #1: GUID formatted drives (FIXED!)
Previously, ASUS 7/8 series motherboards could not boot Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) GUID formatted drives system drives. This made the BIOS unfit for legacy boot loaders such as Chameleon/Chimera. Without the fix, alternate bootloaders or alternate drive formatting procedures were necessary.
Issue #2: MSR CFG Lock (FIXED!)
MSR lock was previously enabled for UEFI, causing power management issues. Without the fix, alternate bootloaders or patched drivers were necessary to prevent a kernel panic at boot.
Basic Setup
First thing to do is load BIOS version 1205. Then load Optimized Defaults, and set Boot > Secure Mode > Other OS. Then save and reboot.
Used default UniBeast + MultiBeast 10.9 Installation guide with DVI port on the motherboard. If you don't have a discrete graphics card, you may need to type the boot flag -v or -x in order to reach the installer, and for 1st boot. Although prepared for Gigabyte motherboards, Stork has a guide that explains the process for 9 Series here.
As stated in the Buyer's Guide, 9 Series chipsets are not recognized by OS X natively. There are a few fixes that must be performed after installation in order to achieve Integrated Graphics and Audio.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/...phics-acceleration-9-series-motherboards.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/audio/134002-quick-fix-onboard-audio-9-series-motherboards.html
9 Series ALC 892 Green rear output is not working. All other inputs and outputs work. Testing is currently in progress for a solution.
Thunderbolt EX II PCIe Card
(Suggest installation of the Thunderbolt card after OS installation.)
The Thunderbolt EX II PCIe card works, but as with Gigabyte boards the Windows driver needs to be loaded to initiate the firmware, and hot-swapping devices doesn't work. Thunderbolt devices (besides mini-DisplayPort monitors) need to be plugged to thunderbolt port at boot time.
More here:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-h...ex-ii-pcie-expansion-card-testing-thread.html
ASUS Z97-A SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K2MAU5Q/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132118
Intel Core i3-4340 Processor
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J2LIFDC/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116944
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL9 @1.5V UDIMM 240-Pin Memory BLS2KIT8G3D1609DS1S00
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006YG9EEW/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545
ASUS ThunderboltEX II Thunderbolt PCIe Expansion Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ISKS45M/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813995027
BitFenix NEOS Case - White/White
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LIQF6J0/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345046
Corsair RM650 650 Watt Full Modular, ATX/EPS, 80PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supply - CP-9020054-NA RM650
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EB7UIRS/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139054
Comments
Picked up this ASUS Z97-A for testing. Longtime ASUS motherboard users know that since UEFI BIOS was introduced in 6 Series, there have been a few outstanding issues making their choices a bit harder to configure for OS X.
Turns out ASUS's latest BIOSes for this board (version 1204+) are completely fixed for legacy bootloaders. GUID drives boot using legacy bootloader and MSR is Unlocked- there is a CFG lock Disabled/Enabled switch (Disabled by default) as shown below:
Issue #1: GUID formatted drives (FIXED!)
Previously, ASUS 7/8 series motherboards could not boot Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) GUID formatted drives system drives. This made the BIOS unfit for legacy boot loaders such as Chameleon/Chimera. Without the fix, alternate bootloaders or alternate drive formatting procedures were necessary.
Issue #2: MSR CFG Lock (FIXED!)
MSR lock was previously enabled for UEFI, causing power management issues. Without the fix, alternate bootloaders or patched drivers were necessary to prevent a kernel panic at boot.
Basic Setup
First thing to do is load BIOS version 1205. Then load Optimized Defaults, and set Boot > Secure Mode > Other OS. Then save and reboot.
Used default UniBeast + MultiBeast 10.9 Installation guide with DVI port on the motherboard. If you don't have a discrete graphics card, you may need to type the boot flag -v or -x in order to reach the installer, and for 1st boot. Although prepared for Gigabyte motherboards, Stork has a guide that explains the process for 9 Series here.
As stated in the Buyer's Guide, 9 Series chipsets are not recognized by OS X natively. There are a few fixes that must be performed after installation in order to achieve Integrated Graphics and Audio.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/...phics-acceleration-9-series-motherboards.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/audio/134002-quick-fix-onboard-audio-9-series-motherboards.html
9 Series ALC 892 Green rear output is not working. All other inputs and outputs work. Testing is currently in progress for a solution.
(Suggest installation of the Thunderbolt card after OS installation.)
The Thunderbolt EX II PCIe card works, but as with Gigabyte boards the Windows driver needs to be loaded to initiate the firmware, and hot-swapping devices doesn't work. Thunderbolt devices (besides mini-DisplayPort monitors) need to be plugged to thunderbolt port at boot time.
More here:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-h...ex-ii-pcie-expansion-card-testing-thread.html
Last edited: