My DeskMini 110w setup is ~ finished. Whew! After an extended slog (literally years), I finally got this DeskMini 110w 'hacked', and even though I haven't yet checked EVERYTHING, I am satisfied it will now suit my purposes for a modern, inexpensive, powerful, yet energy-efficient 'Mac' which is actually (
easily) PORTABLE. The DeskMini certainly fits the bill.
MY Hardware:
ASRock DeskMini 110 w (barebone)
WD Black NVME SSD (500 GB) [≥3400MB/s]AND a 'regular' Toshiba 250GB SSD
i3 7100 w/ Intel HD Graphics 630 [iGfx]
(2x) 4 GB DDR4 2400 MHz (G Skill Intl--Part # F4-2400C16-4GRS).
I plan on upgrading this So-Dimm ^ to 2x 8GB ram.
I got all these items over time, and all on sale, for
about $350 total, believe it or not.
Now, I typically don't DO super-techy/expert 'hax', but I have done a lot of different Hackintosh builds, with the aid of the community and the TonyMacx86 forums and software [
THANK you, all
]. That said, although this ASRock DeskMini 110w 'hack' wasn't really difficult (with caveats), the worst part of this build was that I had to wait for both the OS (Mohave) and the hacking gurus to work out the bugs, to catch up to my hardware--That is, especially in order to [~easily] use both the NVME SSD
and the Intel 630 integrated graphics on the i3 7100 that I bought ...
ANYWAYS, Here are MY tips and insight on 'hacking' this (
now ~aged) system, based upon
my abilities,
my hardware (see above) and
my personal preferences.
1)
OS: Don't even bother doing this before OS X Mohave, unless you are a real guru, or you want to waste a whole lotta time and energy and/or perhaps if you enjoy frustration (like a masochist). I had a modicum of success, previously, using El Capitan, but it didn't like my NVME SSD at all. That was enough of a 'deal-breaker', but then the graphics were all glitchy too, and more. Also, being that Apple has transitioned to AFPS, I wanted that to be established and working well, going forward; that wasn't happening--yet (back then).
2)
Install/pre-install: I (often, but not always [wth?]) had a lot of trouble getting the OS installer to load, and/or to sign in after "successful" install, which was due to the USB controllers cutting off either the USB installer (Unibeast) &/or the keyboard-mouse; they would [usually] either be unusable &/or unavailable after reaching the desktop login [can't navigate or input password, etc.].
Solution: add the
latest USBInjectAll.kext to the installer USB's Clover folder
How I did it:
1. Download
USBInjectAll.kext, then 2. use
EFI Mounter v3 [etc.] to mount the USB installer's EFI, and then
copy the kext from the downloaded ('release') folder, and
paste(item) into the "Other" folder within Clover/kexts.
(ok, USBInjectAll is not recommended as a permanent solution, but...)
Do Mohave install using your
Unibeast [latest], and [hopefully], you will get to the desktop after the setup process*. In my experience, this doesn't always happen <sigh>. If so, I would recommend using
Multibeast to first install only the most basic
Quick Start option, plus the
Drivers>USBInjectAll option, and perhaps the
IntelMausiEthernet v2.20 option, if you must have access to ethernet immediately on the build, itself. YMMV, but it will allow you to finish up in steps; i.e., sound and enhanced graphics are secondary, and can follow later...IMO
After initial setup (see^) via Multibeast, my usual method is to download and install most up-to-date kexts, using Terminal, Kextbeast, &/or other utilities, and to be sure to clear caches and rebuild permissions afterwards [I use KextBeast & follow-up (clear/rebuild) with Kext Utility]
3)
Sound: This unit has a 'tricky' audio setup and/or codec, so either use a USB sound[card] device (personally, NOT.) OR Multibeast Audio options OR manual installs. Easiest method is using Multibeast:
(Multibeast) Drivers>
√ AppleALC
√ 100/200/300 Series Audio Support (HDAS=>HDEF)
-- I typically mount the EFI first, before using Multibeast. YMMV. This may no longer be a necessity...Regardless,
after using Multibeast, I advise you
clear caches and rebuild permissions [I use KextBeast to install & follow-up (clear/rebuild) with Kext Utility],
before restarting.
4)
Graphics: Regardless of your install preferences/method, and as per other posts in this thread you will need to install:
Lilu & WhateverGreen kexts by whatever preferred method.
Easiest method is using Multibeast:
(Multibeast) >Customize> Graphics Configuration:
√ Core Graphics Fixup
(installs both Lilu & WhateverGreen to /Library/Extensions)
5)
Other/misc:
a) System Definition:
using Multibeast:
(Multibeast) >Customize>System Definitions
√ iMac 18,1
(this is best for this particular setup, i.e., i3 7100, per my researches, and works like a charm!) Other CPUs/iGfx likely a bit different...
b) Rehabman's CodecCommander(kext) for certain stabilizing factors dealing with sound, sleep, etc... See link in this thread or look it up on GitHub...
(Again, follow the install procedure with rebuilding caches/permissions noted above, before restart)
If you have similar hardware, you should have an excellent-running unit with good performance and no 'deal-breaking' problems... Good Luck and thanks to the folks here who spent much time/effort making it ~ easy for me and my little DeskMini build--I'm well-pleased.
GT
(warmgeoff)
