Asus ProArt Z490 Creator Discussion

[mike878]

Hi, I've been trying to make a clean EFI, and currently achieved

• Bluetooth & Wi-Fi (I use an apple wifi bluetooth card)
• AirDrop and other continuity features
• Audio (rear and front)
• USB mapping (3.0/3.1)
• sleeping/wake (without using GPRW patch which have to press power button to wake)
• BootCamp
• Apple Services (iMessage, FaceTime)
• Sidecar
• NVME

I've currently disabled Thunderbolt for now, as I have no devices to test with.

I just have one question, is it possible to wake the computer with a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse when the computer goes to sleep with fan off, I'm not sure if it's in s3 or s4 status though, not sure if it's not possible, I can currently wake my computer with a click on USB keyboard though. Thanks.

 

[Kentsoon]

I just finished a built on the Asus ProArt Z490 Creator 10G.

Everything works fine except HDMI Audio.
Thunderbolt works with hotplug on UAD Apollo Thunderbolt interfaces.
I use the iGPU HDMI output to connect to an 4kMonitor.
I have no dGPU installed on the machine.
I tried a couple of different Settings under Device Properties after I had some Black screening.
The settings for the Display in my config.plist are probably not ideal, but THEY WORK FLAWLESS on my intel i9 10850K CPU

The two Display-Ports on the Mainboard seem to not output any signal if Thunderbolt is active.
So far I did not check on Multi-Monitoring because I do not have the cables to connect the Display to Thunderbolts USB-C Port.

I did not install the 10G Lan Card that comes with the Mainboard, because I do not need Ethernet.
Instead I enabled USB-Tethering in macOS to use my Android 5G Smartphone via USB Cable as an Internet Router, since the Asus ProArt Z490 Creator 10G does not have any onboard Wifi.
If you need this, just connect any Android phone via USB cable to the PC and enable "USB Tethering" in your Smartphone settings.
If you do not need this, just remove the HoRNDIS.kext from the Kext folder and the config.plist in Opencore EFI

macOS is Big SUR 11.6.1, Opencore 7.6

I will post my EFI folder here. Maybe it works for you.
I have removed serial etc. under Platforminfo > Generic in the Config.plist. You need to generate your own SIMBIOS bevor you can use the EFI folder as described here or use OCAT
I used iMac20,2 because I have an intel i9 10850K CPU

If someone knows how to fix HDMI AUDIO output I#ll be happy to hear from you.

Thanks to @Buttky @CaseySJ @Stork @etorix @Elias64Fr @tsanko.dimitrov who all contributed to this built in one way or another.

 

[samermhd79]

I just finished a built on the Asus ProArt Z490 Creator 10G.

Everything works fine except HDMI Audio.
Thunderbolt works with hotplug on UAD Apollo Thunderbolt interfaces.
I use the iGPU HDMI output to connect to an 4kMonitor.
I have no dGPU installed on the machine.
I tried a couple of different Settings under Device Properties after I had some Black screening.
The settings for the Display in my config.plist are probably not ideal, but THEY WORK FLAWLESS on my intel i9 10850K CPU

The two Display-Ports on the Mainboard seem to not output any signal if Thunderbolt is active.
So far I did not check on Multi-Monitoring because I do not have the cables to connect the Display to Thunderbolts USB-C Port.

I did not install the 10G Lan Card that comes with the Mainboard, because I do not need Ethernet.
Instead I enabled USB-Tethering in macOS to use my Android 5G Smartphone via USB Cable as an Internet Router, since the Asus ProArt Z490 Creator 10G does not have any onboard Wifi.
If you need this, just connect any Android phone via USB cable to the PC and enable "USB Tethering" in your Smartphone settings.
If you do not need this, just remove the HoRNDIS.kext from the Kext folder and the config.plist in Opencore EFI

macOS is Big SUR 11.6.1, Opencore 7.6

I will post my EFI folder here. Maybe it works for you.
I have removed serial etc. under Platforminfo > Generic in the Config.plist. You need to generate your own SIMBIOS bevor you can use the EFI folder as described here or use OCAT
I used iMac20,2 because I have an intel i9 10850K CPU

If someone knows how to fix HDMI AUDIO output I#ll be happy to hear from you.

Thanks to @Buttky @CaseySJ @Stork @etorix @Elias64Fr @tsanko.dimitrov who all contributed to this built in one way or another.

Thanks for the EFI. I have the same build with VEGA64. All works fine except for the Thunderbolt ports not working when I plug a USB-c device or when I plug the BlackMagic Ultra Studio THB3. Any idea on fixing that? Thanks.

 

[Kentsoon]

@samermhd79

What MacOS version do you have?

Maybe your BIOS Settings are not correct.
Update or go back to BIOS number:Version 2201 from 2021/07/08

download it here

Google for instructions or ask ASUS Support on how to update BIOS.

Use easy flash update in the BIOS. Do not use any programms from Windows.

Then in the new BIOS

First: Load the optimized Default settings.
Then use the search function to find those settings and correct them if needed. Some of theses settings might not be in the BIOS anymore, because this list is old.

Advanced Items
CPU Configuration > SGX >Disable (default)
PCH StorageConfiguration > SATA Mode > ACHI (default)
System Agent (SA) Configuration > VT-d > Enabled for Catalina, Big Sur & Monterey
System Agent (SA) Configuration > Graphics Configuration > Primary Display > PEG (for graphics cards)
System Agent (SA) Configuration > Graphics Configuration > iGPU > Enabled
Thunderbolt Configuration > Thunderbolt Support > Enabled (default)
Thunderbolt Configuration > Thunderbolt Boot Support >Enabled
Thunderbolt Configuration > Wake from Thunderbolt Devices >Enabled (default)
Thunderbolt Configuration > Security Level > No Security
Thunderbolt Configuration > Thunderbolt Configuration > GPI03 Force Power >Enabled
USB Configuration > Legacy USB Support > Enabled (default)
USB Configuration > XHCI Handoff > XCHI > Enabled (default)
Onboard Device Configuration > Serial Port Configuration > Serial Port > Disable (motherboard does have a Serial Port header, not a Back Panel port.)
APM Configuration > Power on by PCI - E/PCI > Disabled (default)

and check here: for more BIOS settings
VT_d must be enabled. I have intel virtualization enabled.

Enable Thunderbolt in BIOS.

Switch everything on enable and security to no security in the thunderbolt settings.

Or download the Zip file to look at the screenshots

under "Windows 10 Thunderbolt Support", you can also try the other two settings instead of "disabled"

 

[mike878]

Hi, I've been trying to make a clean EFI, and currently achieved

• Bluetooth & Wi-Fi (I use an apple wifi bluetooth card)
• AirDrop and other continuity features
• Audio (rear and front)
• USB mapping (3.0/3.1)
• sleeping/wake (without using GPRW patch which have to press power button to wake)
• BootCamp
• Apple Services (iMessage, FaceTime)
• Sidecar
• NVME

I've currently disabled Thunderbolt for now, as I have no devices to test with.

I just have one question, is it possible to wake the computer with a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse when the computer goes to sleep with fan off, I'm not sure if it's in s3 or s4 status though, not sure if it's not possible, I can currently wake my computer with a click on USB keyboard though. Thanks.

After some research, it seems that BCM94360CD's bluetooth relies on power from PCI-e lane, which this motherboard seems to turn off durning sleep, I've tried setting wake from pci in bios, still no luck. I solved it by changing the bluetooth to a usb dongle based one.

Update: The issue i original facing seems to be an issue on the pci-e adapter board, I've changed the adapter board to a fenvi one, and all seems to work as expected.

 

[Kentsoon]

Every now and the I loose Hot-Plug on my Thunderbolt device and I am trying to fix this.

Basically what happens is:
0. I switch on the computer first, then after macOS has fully booted I switch on the Apollo Thunderbolt Audio Interface, but it does not connect or come online. When I look into the IO Reg Explorer and search for "Thunderbolt", there is NO Thunderbolt at all.
1. Then I need to switch on the Thunderbolt Audio Interface before the computer, after macOS is fully booted the Audio Interface comes online but without Hot-Plug.
2. Sometimes I could switch it on AFTER macOS has fully booted and it will come online. But switching it of and back on, It will not come back online. it will stay offline(ergo, no Hot-plug)
3. Sometimes I restart the computer after tweaking the BIOS settings. And it will work perfect. I can switch it off and an and it will come back online (with Hot-Plug).
4. Sometimes it works perfect for hours with Hotplug as long as I restart the computer (even several times). But when I shutdown the computer and start it the next day - Hot-plug is gone again and I am back to Point 0.


I want to use different BIOS profiles (for Overclocking, Silent Fans etc.) However, I realized that when loading another BIOS profile, there is no "injection time" on the Thunderbolt controller, wtf am I talking about, I'll explain:

My first guess is the Thunderbolt(TM) OS select in BIOS oft the ASUS ProARt Creator.
There are three Settings:

I have set the Windows 10 Thunderbolt support to:
[Enable + RTD3]

When I change the settings there to another state (e.g. [Disabled] ), the display freezes for about 5-15 seconds. There is also a popup message by the BIOS that indicates to wait, until the "freeze" is over.

It seems to me, that during the freeze, the BIOS is injecting a different "software" into the Thunderbolt controller.
Is this correct?

Now, when I load a different BIOS Profile, that has a different state under Windows 10 Thunderbolt support there is no "freezing time".
for example:
I have loaded a BIOS profile with [Disabled]
Then I switch to a profile that has [Enable + RTD3]

But simply switching to a different Profile doesn't trigger a "Freezing time" for the injection.. So, maybe the new state does not get injected?

Some Success:
Well sometimes your write about a problem and voila, some kind of solution pops up in your head:
It seems like after loading a new BIOS profile, I have to go into the BIOS Thunderbolt(TM) OS select Menu and manually switch to [Disabled] and then back to [Enable + RTD3] to allow "freezing time" for the Thunderbolt Controller to be injected. This seems to work right now, but it's too early to say "case closed". Let's see if it still works after Christmas.

Next Guess:
Something in my Config.plist is still wrong.
Maybe if someone wants to check and give advice:

 

[Kentsoon]

@CaseySJ @etorix

I am using the SSDT-ASUS-Z490-PRO-ART-CREATOR-TB3-V3 on my ASUS Proart Creator z490 10G Built, connecting an UAD Apollo Thunderbolt Audio Interface to it.

I am having a small issue with SLEEP and Thunderbolt and really would appreciate any ideas on how to pimp the system to perfection.

Basically the Audio Interface has to be ON at all times in order to stay "online", while the computer goes to sleep. If I shut down the Interface before or while the computer is sleeping, it will not come back after sleep.

After the Interface is lost, I have to SHUT DOWN and restart both, Computer and Interface. (Restart does not bring it back, it has to be shut down).

These are the four Scenarios:
1. Computer goes to sleep, while Thunderbolt Interface is ON, comes back from sleep while Thunderbolt Interface is still ON > Hot-Plug works fine, meaning I can switch the Interface OFF/ON and it comes back.

2. Computer goes to sleep, while Thunderbolt Interface is ON, while in sleep, Thunderbolt Interface is set to OFF, Computer comes back from sleep while Thunderbolt Interface is still OFF and then interface gets then switched on > The Interface does NOT come back - it stays offline and I have to SHUT DOWN and restart both, Computer and Interface. (Restart does not bring it back, it has to be shut down).

3. Computer goes to sleep, while Thunderbolt Interface is OFF and comes back from sleep while Thunderbolt Interface is still OFF and then Interface gets then switched on > The Interface does NOT come back - it stays offline and I have to SHUT DOWN and restart both, Computer and Interface. (Restart does not bring it back, it has to be shut down).

4.Computer goes to sleep, while Thunderbolt Interface is OFF, then Thunderbolt Interface gets switched to ON, then Computer comes back from sleep while Thunderbolt Interface is still ON > The Interface does NOT come back - it stays offline and I have to SHUT DOWN and restart both, Computer and Interface. (Restart does not bring it back, it has to be shut down).

Any Ideas on how to fix this?

 

[etorix]

@Kentsoon Debugging such Thunderbolt issues is unfortunately out of my league. @CaseySJ or @Elias64Fr may have a clue, but I suspect they'll want to see your IOReg before and/or after the issue to investigate what the Thunderbolt tree looks like.

 

[Kentsoon]

I updated to BIOS 2301 and Big Sur 11.6.2 without any problems.

 

[Kentsoon]

Thunderbolt working fine?

It works except for the sleep problem as described here