Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi (Thunderbolt 4) + i7-12700K + AMD RX 6800 XT

[dehjomz]

I'm on BIOS 2103 and Thunderbolt is still running smoothly. I'm glad I heeded your warnings earlier!

It’s only an issue really when applying macOS updates to my disk which is connected thru the Thunderbolt bus. When it restarts to apply the update, I now need to cold boot.

 

[Azimuth1]

Should the ME be updated before or after updating the BIOS?

Before!

 

[Azimuth1]

I was actually referring to 2004 because that’s what I’m currently using. Been very happy with that version. Yes, front panel USB-C eject issue remains, but I wonder if that’s a DSDT issue that could be patched.

Hi @CaseySJ

I'm planning to stay on BIOS v. 2103, even because of those TB issues that new version (2204) of BIOS has brought to.

I'm also planning to update to Ventura onto a new NVMe WD SN850X. (I will update its firmware, as well.). Is this mini-guide still valid for Intel i-225v under Ventura 13.1? Do I have to add any SSDT to have my Thunderbolt ports work correctly under Ventura, even with i225v? At the moment, I'm using your SSDT-MAPLE-RIDGE-RP05-V1B .

Another thing: why you are not using anymore a DMAR SSDT?

Not even sure to upgrade to 13700K/KF because my main goal is to have stability over performance. Maybe I might end buying a 2nd-hand 12900K/KS if I need more performance.

As both our BIOS's versions (2004 and 2103) are Rocket Lake compatibles, do you think it's safe to upgrade to Intel 13th gen under Ventura or there are instability's issues at the moment?

 

[CaseySJ]

... Is this mini-guide still valid for Intel i-225v under Ventura 13.1?

Yes that procedure is still valid for i225-V. We need AppleVTD enabled in order for non-USB Ethernet devices to work properly.

Do I have to add any SSDT to have my Thunderbolt ports work correctly under Ventura, even with i225v? At the moment, I'm using your SSDT-MAPLE-RIDGE-RP05-V1B .

The same Thunderbolt SSDT can be used in Ventura. However, I think there might be a way to improve the SSDT. I'm away from home so I cannot test it myself, but the idea is to apply a non-zero value to the 3rd parameter of USB-C port configuration, in the _UPC method (USB Port Capabilities).

To determine what the non-zero value needs to be, I need one volunteer to run MaciASL on their Asus ProArt Z690-Creator and select File --> Export Tableset...

Another thing: why you are not using anymore a DMAR SSDT?

This is explained in the build guide (post 1). We don't need to delete and replace DMAR because the standard DMAR table for this motherboard does not contain any Reserved Regions.

As both our BIOS's versions (2004 and 2103) are Rocket Lake compatibles, do you think it's safe to upgrade to Intel 13th gen under Ventura or there are instability's issues at the moment?

That's a tricky question because I've seen conflicting reports from Z690 owners:

• Some have installed 13th gen processors without any trouble
• Other have faced problems
• Some updated to latest BIOS
• Some stayed with earlier BIOS

Therefore I'm not sure what combination of processor and BIOS works. I've not personally experimented with any BIOS newer than 2004 because I plan to stay with 12th Gen. Perhaps others can offer their experiences...

 

[dehjomz]

Yes that procedure is still valid for i225-V. We need AppleVTD enabled in order for non-USB Ethernet devices to work properly.


The same Thunderbolt SSDT can be used in Ventura. However, I think there might be a way to improve the SSDT. I'm away from home so I cannot test it myself, but the idea is to apply a non-zero value to the 3rd parameter of USB-C port configuration, in the _UPC method (USB Port Capabilities).

To determine what the non-zero value needs to be, I need one volunteer to run MaciASL on their Asus ProArt Z690-Creator and select File --> Export Tableset...


This is explained in the build guide (post 1). We don't need to delete and replace DMAR because the standard DMAR table for this motherboard does not contain any Reserved Regions.


That's a tricky question because I've seen conflicting reports from Z690 owners:

• Some have installed 13th gen processors without any trouble
• Other have faced problems
• Some updated to latest BIOS
• Some stayed with earlier BIOS

Therefore I'm not sure what combination of processor and BIOS works. I've not personally experimented with any BIOS newer than 2004 because I plan to stay with 12th Gen. Perhaps others can offer their experiences...

2103 (at least on the Z690 Formula) works well with Raptor Lake, but the key essential point is to make sure to update to the relevant Intel ME version from within windows before the BIOS update. 2204 should be avoided at the moment due to a Thunderbolt NVM update, which has pluses and minuses... the pluses do not outweigh the minuses.

 

[Azimuth1]

Yes that procedure is still valid for i225-V. We need AppleVTD enabled in order for non-USB Ethernet devices to work properly.

Thanks!

The same Thunderbolt SSDT can be used in Ventura. However, I think there might be a way to improve the SSDT. I'm away from home so I cannot test it myself, but the idea is to apply a non-zero value to the 3rd parameter of USB-C port configuration, in the _UPC method (USB Port Capabilities).

To determine what the non-zero value needs to be, I need one volunteer to run MaciASL on their Asus ProArt Z690-Creator and select File --> Export Tableset...

here it is

 

[CaseySJ]

Thanks!

here it is

I spent some time looking through this. The USB Port Capabilities method (_UPC) is defined across two or three SSDTs, but easy enough to trace.

However, the last 2 out of 4 bytes are being set to Zero, which is not exactly what I expected. I expected the 3rd byte to contain this information:

This is from the ACPI 6.5 Reference Manual:

9. ACPI-Defined Devices and Device-Specific Objects — ACPI Specification 6.5 documentation

 

[dehjomz]

I spent some time looking through this. The USB Port Capabilities method (_UPC) is defined across two or three SSDTs, but easy enough to trace.

However, the last 2 out of 4 bytes are being set to 0xFF, which is not exactly what I expected. I expected the 3rd byte to contain this information:

View attachment 560498

This is from the ACPI 6.5 Reference Manual:

9. ACPI-Defined Devices and Device-Specific Objects — ACPI Specification 6.5 documentation

BIOS Bug ? What is the expected value, is it 0x3F? Does macOS make use of the _UPC information ?

 

[Azimuth1]

@CaseySJ

Just upgraded to both Monterey 12.6.2 and OC 0.8.7: not sure where is the culprit but my Intel i-225v is not active anymore!!!

I follow your mini-guide literally and nothing ... i225V is disappeared! The weird thing is that reversing to OC084 doesn't change the situation at all (So for me it must be something in those latest OS updates (12.6.2/ 13.1 too?) ! I'm attaching my config (s/n, rom and other related stuff stripped out) for you to verify. I've double checked my BIOS and vt-d is enabled.

I've never flashed the firmware of my card.

 

[CaseySJ]

@CaseySJ

Just upgraded to both Monterey 12.6.2 and OC 0.8.7: not sure where is the culprit but my Intel i-225v is not active anymore!!!

I follow your mini-guide literally and nothing ... i225V is disappeared! The weird thing is that reversing to OC084 doesn't change the situation at all (So for me it must be something in those latest OS updates (12.6.2/ 13.1 too?) ! I'm attaching my config (s/n, rom and other related stuff stripped out) for you to verify. I've double checked my BIOS and vt-d is enabled.

I've never flashed the firmware of my card.

Couple of suggestions:

• Remove boot argument ixgbe=0 because this is an Intel system with AppleVTD enabled
• If this alone does not help -- and it may not -- please try cold boot