CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.7+64bit)

[notshy]

CustoMac Pro Install Guide
GA-X58A-UD3R-2.0 + ATI 5770 + OSX 10.6.7 + 64-bit​

Building a CustoMac: CustoMac Pro
http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2010/08/building-customac-customac-pro-2010.html

Thanks to MacMan for his build components and original install guide. Also thanks to TonyMac, MacMan & Ln2Mac for their continued efforts and hard work !

My components:
GA-X58A-UD3R Rev 2
i7-930
"Batmobile" Gigabyte 5770 (GV-R577UD-1GB)
6GB Corsair Dominator (TR3X6G1600C8D)
Sony Optiarc DVD RW (AD-7240S-0B)
+ HDs + CPU cooler + Case + PSU
+ Apple Wired keyboard + USB Inteli Mouse to install (changed it later for Magic Mouse)

At the time of updating the guide (1st May 2011) the latest version of MultiBeast was 3.5.1 and iBoot was 2.7. If you have a GA-X58A-UD3R-2.0 note that the latest BIOS is version FF, please download the update from the Gigabyte Website and update your BIOS to FF (make sure that you load optimised defaults again + set SATA drives to AHCI + enabled HPET + select HPET=64-bit). For further info please head to My Guide To Bios Settings & Burning In Components and also see TonyMac's guide to using iBoot and MultiBeast.

Also please add your builds to the CustoMac Pro Wiki page.

Note that this guide should work with most of the Gigabyte X58 boards and ATI 5770 cards that have TWO slots! See MacMan's Graphic Cards 101

Please also read MacMan's article on using Chameleon Graphics Enabler instead of using kexts such as ATI_Init:
http://macmanx86.blogspot.com/2011/02/chameleons-graphicsenabler-vs-enabler.html

What is needed:
* iBoot <<< New iBoot 2.7.0 as of 1st May - please redownload and reburn it !!!
* OS X 10.6 or 10.6.3 Retail DVD (sometimes known as Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD but it's the same things)
* MultiBeast 3.5.1 or later
* Mac OS X v10.6.7 Combo Update
* Relevant DSDT for the BIOS revision


Then
* Burn the iBoot ISO to CD
* Copy your DSDT file, the OSX Combo Update and MultiBeast to a FAT/FAT32/HFS USB key,


If you are doing a fresh install
1.) Boot using iBoot
2.) Install OS X
3.) Reboot using iBoot
4.) Remove iBoot disc.
5.) Copy your downloaded DSDT file to your desktop (no need to rename it anymore!)
6.) Launch MultiBeast but don't let the installer run
7.) Launch and install Mac OS X v10.6.7 Update (Combo), but don't click restart when it completes
8.) Run MultiBeast with the following options:
--> UserDSDT (Note 1)
--> System Utilities -> SELECT ALL
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Audio -> Realtek ALC8XX -> ALC8XXHDA
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Audio -> Realtek ALC8XX -> AppleHDA Rollback
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Disk -> JMicron36x (aka GSATA) -> JMicron36xeSATA or JMicron36xSATA depending on wether you want internal or external GSATA ports
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Disk -> JMicron36x (aka GSATA) -> JMicron36xATA (Optional for ATA/IDE support only)
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Miscellaneous -> FakeSMC Plugins
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Miscellaneous -> USB 3.0 - NEC/Renesas
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Network ->Lnx2Mac's RealtekRTL81XX Ethernet
--> OSx86 Software -> Up to you what you want - I pick it all but no need
9.) Close MultiBeast
10.) Click restart on your Mac OS X v10.6.7 Update
11.) Watch the reboot and cross your fingers!
12.) Once in OSX have a little play around and check that your sound and ethernet work. Also check that you can now get full resolution on your monitor.
13.) Once you are happy with all that then it's time to check 64 bit OSX. Re-run MultiBeast and only select:
--> Customization -> Boot Options -> 64-bit Apple Boot Screen
14.) Reboot
15.) Enjoy using your CustoMac in 64 bit mode with full graphics QE/CI and all the $$$ that you saved !

Note 1 - By selecting UserDSDT MultiBeast does some magic and automatically selects:
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Bootloaders -> Chimera v1.0.1 r750
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Miscellaneous -> FakeSMC
--> Customization -> Boot Options -> 32-bit Apple Boot Screen (GraphicsEnabler=Yes)
--> Customization -> System Definitions -> Mac Pro -> MacPro 3,1
--> Customization -> Themes -> tonymacx86 Remixed
So no need to tick these again ... like I did in my screenshot ! OOPS !

How To Remove ATI_Init If Previously Installed
Please also read MacMan's article on using Chameleon Graphics Enabler instead of using kexts such as ATI_Init:
http://macmanx86.blogspot.com/2011/02/chameleons-graphicsenabler-vs-enabler.html
1.) Navigate to Snow Leopard/System/Library/Extensions in Finder
2.) Find the file ATI_Init.kext
3.) Drag and drop into your Trash
4.) Enter password when prompted (because you are editing a core system folder OSX wants to make sure you really want to delete this kept)
5.) Run MultiBeast and select:
--> System Utilities -> SELECT ALL <<<< VERY IMPORTANT
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Bootloaders -> Chimera v1.0.1 r750
--> Customization -> Boot Options -> 32-bit Apple Boot Screen
6.) Reboot
7.) Once in OSX have a little play around and check your Graphics - a good way to check it's working is to launch Front Row (cmd+Esc) and navigate around and check there's no lags etc
8.) Once you are happy with all that then it's time to check 64 bit OSX. Re-run MultiBeast and only select:
--> Customization -> Boot Options -> 64-bit Apple Boot Screen
9.) Reboot
10.) Enjoy using your CustoMac in 64 bit mode with full graphics QE/CI !

How To Remove Realtek Ethernet Driver If Previously Installed
1.) Run Lnx2Mac's RTL81xx Installer
2.) Reboot
3.) Go thank Lnx2Mac for making an installer package that also uninstalls conflicting kexts !!!


How To Remove Realtek Audio Driver If Previously Installed
1.) Navigate to Snow Leopard/Extra in Finder
2.) Find the file LegacyHDA.kext
3.) Drag and drop into your Trash
4.) Enter password when prompted (because you are editing a core system folder OSX wants to make sure you really want to delete this kept)
5.) Run MultiBeast and select:
--> System Utilities -> SELECT ALL <<<< VERY IMPORTANT
---> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Audio -> Realtek ALC8XX -> ALC8XXHDA
6.) Reboot


If you have any issues
Please post a full description of what you selected in MultiBeast and what steps you performed to help us identify where things may have gone wrong !!!

*** For issues with MacMan's Realtek Audio Driver please go to the ALC8XXHDA Thread
Have you tried re-installing with MultiBeast and the Apple HDA rollback after an OSX update?
--> Drivers & Bootloaders -> Kexts & Enablers -> Audio -> Realtek ALC8XX -> AppleHDA Rollback

*** For issues with Ln2Mac's Realtek Ethernet Driver please go to the Lnx2Mac Ethernet Thread

*** For graphics issues such as black screen and high fans etc please post here. Things to do before posting:
- Make sure that you selected the Chimera bootloader
- Make sure that you didn't select a Boot Options with GraphicsEnabler=No - for this boot file to work your need GraphicsEnabler=Yes which is selected automatically if you pick "32/64-bit Apple Boot Screen" in MultiBeast.

*** For general kernel panics and all other issues please post here. Things to do before posting:
- Reboot and select Verbose mode at Chameleon screen and take a picture of the error message on the screen - look out for a .kext file name in the error message
- Try booting with iBoot and selecting to boot into your Snow Leopard drive in Safe mode (press any key at Chameleon screen to halt the count down then type "-x" without the quotations and press enter to boot your OSX drive) If you can get in to OSX then try running System Utilities in Multibeast or running Kext Utility (in Applications) to repair your permissions and rebuild cache and then reboot in Verbose mode again.
These things are some general kernel panic issues. The key thing to us helping trouble shoot is to try some of the above first and let us know the outcome.
- This guide should get most 5770 cards working and other ATI5XXX cards also. If you want HDMI working then you will need a different frame buffer. If enough people post about this I may add it to the guide.

 

[Procyon]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

CustoMac Pro Install Guide
GA-X58A-UD3R-2.0 + ATI 5770 + OSX 10.6.6 + 64-bit

Wow. Thanks for this guide! I'm sure that a lot of people (including me) will find it useful!

(Although I'm getting an ASUS P8P67 with a Sandy Bridge system, a lot of this guide still applies... no dsdt though...)

recomendations in gtx460? news?

I'm wondering the same thing about the GTX 460. I can get a Palit GTX460 Sonic Platinum (P-GTX460-1GBD5-SP) but I'm a bit worried about the sub-par Fermi drivers and all the related freezes, glitches and crashes.

Would a (reference) 5870 be more reliable? What models have people tested and are working 64-bit with QE/CI? Model numbers would be appreciated!

BTW, how do you change the framebuffer in Chameleon? I remember reading it somewhere but can't remember anymore... "-f" was it? Is Vervet or Uakari more compatible with a 5870?

 

[BerndVP]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

Would a (reference) 5870 be more reliable? What models have people tested and are working 64-bit with QE/CI? Model numbers would be appreciated!

BTW, how do you change the framebuffer in Chameleon? I remember reading it somewhere but can't remember anymore... "-f" was it? Is Vervet or Uakari more compatible with a 5870?

I'm using the Uakari frame buffer at the moment and I doesn't have any problems with it ...
I gonna try this tutorial now out with an "Sapphire HD5870"

 

[notshy]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

Would a (reference) 5870 be more reliable? What models have people tested and are working 64-bit with QE/CI? Model numbers would be appreciated!

BTW, how do you change the framebuffer in Chameleon? I remember reading it somewhere but can't remember anymore... "-f" was it? Is Vervet or Uakari more compatible with a 5870?

The way Kabyl's ATI version of Chameleon bootloader work is to read the Vendor ID, the Device ID and Subsystem ID of your graphics card and if it's a card that's already been tested by someone on his thread - then it will automatically load the frame buffer that someone said works with it.

Now I'm sure that for all 5770 cards it defaults to Vervet unless people have said for specific cards that a different frame buffer works.

With regards for a 5870 it's listed on Kabyl's testing page that the 5870 has been tested and shown to work:
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=231768

Currently tested and working cards:

ATI Radeon HD5970 ("deviceid and disabling of the second GPU needs to be done in the driver files", thanks to Spanky Deluxe).
ATI Radeon HD5870
ATI Radeon HD5770
ATI Radeon HD4890
ATI Radeon HD4870

Now I would suggest having a trawl of that page and find the people who have got the 5870 working properly, maybe give them a shout on that thread and check the exact make and model and then you will be away.

If you want to get a 5870 that hasn't been specifically tested then as long as it's reference design I'm sure that you will be OK. If you want to go down that route then you may have to try a few frame buffers yourself which you can select which one his boot will load at the Chameleon screen:

AtiConfig=XXXXX

Where XXXXX is the name of the frame buffer.

From reading the thread Uakari seems to work out best for people but check out the following posts. Note that Kabyl has been improving his boot loader throughout these so the nearer posts are gonna be more accurate

Shaithis Oct 5 2010, 01:21 AM
@ddi Oct 9 2010, 02:19 PM
kn6600 Oct 10 2010, 08:12 PM
toleda Oct 20 2010, 10:47 PM
And there's loads and loads more......

I'd go to that thread click "Options" in the top left and download the whole thread as a HTML file. Then go searching through it with your browsers FIND function and see what people have done.

Note that even the offical apple ATI cards in a mac pro (5770 & 5780) only get atounr 30fps in Cenebench. So it's an OSX and ATI issue not a hackintosh issue if you don't get the speeds compared to Win.

 

[BerndVP]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

hey Notshy,

that's really helpful!
I'm now burning the 'iBoot' disk and gonna try it with an HD5870

A soon as it will be working I will report it here in this topic

 

[Procyon]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

Thanks, really, thanks! This is going to help me a lot!!!!

I'll post a real reply tomorrow after I get some sleep. Almost midnight now...

 

[jpa]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

Results Cinebech? and geekbech?

 

[notshy]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

Results Cinebech? and geekbech?

For my CustoMac Pro? I've overclocked my CPU to 3.8Ghz so it's not going to be the standard set of results. I can re-run Geekbench when I get in.

Cinebench is around 29-31 fps which isn't that great but it's the same as a real MacPro with an official Apple 5770 card. So I think its maybe more of a feature of OSX and ATI/AMD graphics cards rather than Kabyl's boot as he's got it working as good as a real MacPro.

 

[jpa]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

Results Cinebech? and geekbech?

For my CustoMac Pro? I've overclocked my CPU to 3.8Ghz so it's not going to be the standard set of results. I can re-run Geekbench when I get in.

Cinebench is around 29-31 fps which isn't that great but it's the same as a real MacPro with an official Apple 5770 card. So I think its maybe more of a feature of OSX and ATI/AMD graphics cards rather than Kabyl's boot as he's got it working as good as a real MacPro.

OK nice

 

[notshy]

Re: CustoMac Pro Install Guide (X58A-UD3R+ATI 5770+10.6.6+64bit)

Results Cinebech? and geekbech?

Geekbench 12,540

Cinebench OpenGL 31.91 fps
CPU 6.66 pts