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ASUS Z97 Deluxe - i7-4790k - Clover UEFI - Onboard AC Wifi/Bluetooth 4.0 - Secure Drive

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Joined
Apr 7, 2011
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175
Motherboard
Asrock Z370 Extreme4
CPU
i7-8770k
Graphics
GTX 960
Mac
  1. MacBook Pro
Classic Mac
  1. iBook
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
Erik's Workstation Build:

ASUS Z97 Deluxe - i7-4790k - Clover UEFI - Onboard AC Wifi/Bluetooth 4.0 - Secure Drive

EkvtIuL.png
Components

Asus Z97 Deluxe Motherboard
Amazon
6xSATA 6GBPS, 2xSATA Express, M2, AC Wifi & Bluetooth 4.0

Intel Core i7-4790K CPU
Amazon
4.0Ghz/4.4Ghz Turbo

Corsair Dominator GT 32GB DDR3 1866
NewEgg
DDR3 1866 (PC3 15000), Timing 9-10-9-27, Cas Latency 9

EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1gb GDDR5 GPU
Amazon
2xDVI, 1xMiniHDMI

2x Dell Ultrasharp U2713H 27-Inch 1440p Monitor
Amazon

256GB Samsung SSD Pro 840
Amazon
OS X

250GB Samsung SSD EVO 840
Amazon
Data, Encrypted

128GB Samsung SSD Pro 830
NewEgg
Windows 8

1TB Western Digital HDD
Amazon
Data, Encrypted

2TB Samsung HDD
Amazon
Data, Encrypted

Sony Optiarc DVD-RW
Amazon

Corsair Obsidian 550D Mid Tower
Amazon

Corsair H100i Liquid CPU Cooler
Amazon

Corsair CX750M Power Supply
Amazon
Haswell compatible

Apple Magic Trackpad
Amazon

Apple Wired Keyboard
Apple Store

OS X Mavericks
Apple Store

Clover Bootloader
Sourceforge


Comments

This is my workstation computer, which I use for research (primarily statistical analysis), web development, and writing. My prior build was an X79 with a six-core 4930k CPU. I switched to a Z97 with a 4790K because 1) I liked the Haswell power use; and 2) the 4-core CPU will perform better for the type of work I do, much of which requires single threaded performance (e.g., many open source statistical programs are not well-optimized for multithreading; the main program I use charges per-core, and I can only afford a 4-core license). I had also been having some stability issues when using power management on the X79, however (see below) I now realize this may have been due to faulty memory.

I chose the case because it's minimalist and quiet. I moved from a Noctua NH-D14 air cooler to water cooling because it performs slightly better, improves case aesthetics, and puts less stress on the motherboard. The power supply is Haswell compatible and provides more power than I'll ever use.

I have a couple upgrades on the agenda: 1) SSD Pro 850 is pre-ordered; and 2) Noctua NF-F12PWM fans are on the way. These fans will quiet down the water cooler a little more and perform better.

I chose the Asus Z97 Deluxe for three reasons: 1) Working AC Wifi & Bluetooth 4.0 -- no need for a PCI card; 2) 10 SATA ports, 4 of which can be used for SATA Express when the components are available, and an M2 controller; and 3) Thunderbolt compatibility (I don't use TB, but may in the future); and 4) Has two display ports on board, should I need internal graphics. If you don't need the SATA ports and other benefits, the Z97 Pro (Wifi AC) is a good alternative.

I do not use integrated graphics as I have two 2560x1440 monitors, and prefer an external card to power these. I think the integrated graphics would do OK with the two large monitors, but at the cost of CPU performance. For that reason, I have not tested integrated graphics, but solutions are available.

The build was straightforward. I did run into a few snags, however. I initially had some stability issues that were similar to those I observed on my prior build. I would get random restarts, especially when doing heavy I/O. I chased some red herrings here. On my old build, I only got these crashes when using a power management SSDT. I thought my motherboard was handling the voltage changes poorly. I did not have these issues without an SSDT, where my CPU was locked at one frequency. When I saw these issues on my new board, I figured it must be something else. My next step was to replace my PSU. It wasn't Haswell compatible so that could explain why I had issues on the new board. Furthermore, perhaps my PSU was bad -- that would also possibly explain my crashes on my old board. However, the PSU didn't solve the issue.

My last step (it's always the last step, isn't it?) was to test the RAM. I didn't expect RAM because 1) I haven't had a bad RAM chip over many, many kits; and 2) this was the most high quality kit I'd ever bought. However, I ran memtest and it found some errors. I stole an 8GB DIMM from my wife's computer, reinstalled Mavericks (in case I had data corruption from the bad memory), and everything was stable. Culprit: MEMORY. A replacement kit on the way from Corsair.

So after these snags, the build is running amazingly well. Very power efficient, very fast on all accounts (CPU, networking, storage).


Here's the build:

KbLazMk.jpg


The Build Process

The aim of this build is to be as vanilla as possible.

Please copy all these files to a USB or an external drive you'll have access to post-install.

Software you'll need:

Kexts you'll need:

Config/SSDT:

  • config.plist (credit: erik. note: darkwake=0 necessary for proper sleep).
  • SSDT.aml (credit: toleda)
STEP 1: Create Bootloader

  • Download Mavericks. Make sure it's in /Applications
  • Format a USB. Name it "Install," make sure the drive is formatted in GUID mode
  • Create the installer. Go to terminal and run this code:
    Code:
    sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --no interaction
  • Install Clover. Select the Mavericks installer as your destination. Settings:
    • Install for UEFI booting Only
    • Drivers64UEFI: EmuVariable64 & OsxAptioFix
  • Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/driversUEFI64/. Remove Vbox-HFS64.efi and replace with HFSPlus.efi
  • Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/. Paste config.plist.
  • Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/ACPI/patched/. Paste SSDT.aml.
  • Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/kexts/10.9/. Add:
    • FakeSMC.kext (from HWSensors binary)
    • CPUSensors.kext (from HWSensors binary; optional)
    • GPUsensors.kext (from HWSensors binary; optional)
    • AppleIntelE1000.Kext
    • bcm4352.kext (from toleda wifi download: airport_kext_enabler/bcm4532.kext)
    • BT Firmware Downloader (from OSXLatitude)
STEP 2: Install OS X

  • Enter BIOS.
    • First: Advanced -> Boot -> CSM: Disabled.
    • Second: Restart. (If you don't restart, Step 3 sometimes doesn't save)
    • Third: Advanced -> Boot -> Secure: OtherOS.
    • Fourth: First boot device: USB Stick. Restart
  • Boot. Select Install OS X Mavericks. Hit Space bar, boot verbose.
  • Disk Utility. Format SSD to GUID.
  • Install. It will reboot.
  • After reboot, select Install OS X Mavericks again. Finish install.
  • Boot into OS.
STEP 3: Post Install

NOTE: I prefer to keep my kexts in the Clover EFI partition. You can also install them to /S/L/E/ using Kext Wizard. It really doesn't matter. I use the EFI partition as if something goes wrong, you can boot using a USB stick and it won't load bad kexts. Basically, it keeps extra hackintosh drivers separate from the native install. IMO, this = Total Vanilla. Others prefer to load them. Up to you.

  • Install Clover. Same settings as in Step 1.
  • Install the same config.plist, SSDT.AML, and kexts as in Step 1.
  • Reboot. Enter BIOS. Change boot order to your SSD drive.
  • Boot.
  • Verify that Bluetooth & Wifi are working.
  • Go to toleda WIFI package. Install wireless_half-mini-brcm4360-90_patch.command by double clicking and entering password. This will edit Wifi kext to allow for 5GHz internet.
  • Go to AppleHDA8Series.sh. Follow install directions. Select Layout 1. Install ALC1150 (Option 7). Copy AppleHDA1150.kext to SLE when asked. Reboot.
  • Verify sound: Preferences -> Sound -> Output. Select second Line Out. Make sure speakers are plugged into black audio outlet (green does not yet work). (Note: If this fails to work, go to /System/Library/Extensions/. Delete AppleHDA1150.kext. Use Multibeast. Install ALC1150+9 series patch+EFI boot. Verify sound works.)
  • Power management.
    • Follow directions for ssdtPRGen.sh.
    • Do not copy ssdt.aml to /Extra. Rename ssdt.aml to SSDT-1.aml.
    • Go to terminal. Type
      Code:
      diskutil list
      . Find EFI partition on your boot drive (e.g., /dev/disk0s1).
    • Mount EFI Partition:
      Code:
      sudo diskutil mount /dev/diskXs1
      where X = disk number.
    • Navigate to /Volumes/EFI/EFI/ACPI/patched/ and copy SSDT-1.aml.
    • Reboot.
STEP 4: Encrypt Data Drive and Setup Encrypted User (optional)

This is only necessary if you prefer to have your user directory on an encrypted drive. I do.

  • Disk Utility. Format data drive to HFS Plus (Encrypted).
  • System Preferences -> Users. Unlock. Create new account. This will be your user account. Make it an administrator.
  • Terminal window 1. type
    Code:
    cd /Volumes/Data
    where "Data" is the name of your encrypted volume. Type
    Code:
    mkdir Users
  • Terminal window 2. type
    Code:
    mv /Users/username /Volumes/Data/Users
    where "username" = your new username. This moves your new user directory to the encrypted drive.
  • Go back to System Preferences -> Users. Unlock. Right click your username. Change data directory to
    Code:
    /Volumes/Data/Users/username
  • Terminal (any window). Follow unlock directions for unlock software above. This is a shell script that unlocks your Data drive on boot so you can log in. Enter encrypted passcode for Data drive.
  • Reboot. Login to new user account. Verify it logs in.
You now have a fully functional Z97 system with a secured User directory.

How does it perform? Pretty well!

LyHynCa.png

AC Wifi. 867mbps!

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Enjoy. Ask any questions below.
 
Great job man. I was waiting for a Asus z97 serie success story:headbang:. (i am not an experience Hacker)

Will there be any problem if I go with a GTX 750 graphics card?
 
The 750 series graphics cards are yet to be supported by Apple's OS X.
 
@erik: Nice post, enjoy the build... :clap:
 
Great job man. I was waiting for a Asus z97 serie success story:headbang:. (i am not an experience Hacker)

Will there be any problem if I go with a GTX 750 graphics card?

As Stork said, you gotta wait for support to come for Maxwell or you're going to have obnoxious issues. The 650 is a great card if you need something cheap but not too poor in quality to hold you over. Good luck.

Just be patient with the build. Nothing in hackintosh world ever goes smoothly but when you finally get things pinned down it's quite rewarding!
 
In the Buyer's Guide for July 2014, the 740 has replaced the 650. The 740 is a re-badged 640/650 and is <$100. See Tom's Hardware's monthly graphics card review:
The GeForce GT 740 centers on the same GK107 GPU we know from the GeForce GTX 640 and 650. The quickest version is the GeForce GT 740 GDDR5, which is roughly equivalent to a GeForce GTX 650 with a slightly lower 993 MHz core clock rate. In turn, the GeForce GT 740 DDR3 is basically a re-badged GeForce GT 640, also with a lower 993 MHz core clock.
 
Maybe the build I have been looking for..... Do you think a GTX 760 or 770 GPU would work?
 
question for learning...

what the "SSDT.aml (credit: toleda)" use for?

sorry for poor English...
 
Maybe the build I have been looking for..... Do you think a GTX 760 or 770 GPU would work?

Yes, it would definitely work.

- - - Updated - - -

question for learning...

what the "SSDT.aml (credit: toleda)" use for?

sorry for poor English...

It injects information (layout IDs for your audio) that make your sound work.
 
I really appreciate you writing all of this down, as I am currently a hackintosh newbie.

I am currently browsing the software I would like to put in my first hack. I am wondering whether or not the Asus Z97-AR Motherboard can could be used in the same process, considering it is almost the same board as the one you used?
 
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