GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 R1.3 MOBO issues and how I think I've solved them.

[clipper99]

EDIT: After all this I decided to downgrade from UEFI to the regular AWARD BIOS.

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Hi all,

Check my specs to see if I am a close match for you. Maybe these fixes I've tried which seem to be working so far will work for you.

My system was fairly stable but some of the issues I've been experiencing since dedicating to OSX for the last 2 months have been bugging me.

#1 - occasional system freezes, not traceable to anything in particular but seemingly random lockups requiring a hard boot.

#2 - network interface would lose connection. It never happened while I was in front of the computer but leaving my system on overnight there was a high probability that my NIC would loose connection requiring a reboot.

How I *think* I've stopped the issues. It's been just over 24 hours and system is still up and running with the NIC still connected.

#1 - it appears that if I run my RAM at it's rated 1600mhz speed my system would randomly lockup. Not often but enough to be annoying! I have dropped it back down to the BIOS default of 1333mhz and so far no lockups. RAM speed doesn't seem to be noticeable at all in system performance and a Google search confirms that the increase in speed is hardly noticeable so I can live it with. I'd rather be stable than locking up just for the sake of a benchmark giving me slightly better results!

#2 - using the Multibeast RealtekRTL81xx v0.0.90 driver I get fairly consistent dropouts of my NIC requiring a reboot. I found a driver that is still being developed that seems to have helped. Like I said, over 24 hours so far with my system on overnight and the internet connection is still up. YMMV but try it out:

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/287161-new-driver-for-realtek-rtl8111/?p=2010669

My setup is pretty straightforward. I run with a UEFI BIOS and a DSDT Free install with the Mavericks guide recommended drivers for my system, with the exception now of the Realtek driver as listed above.

I'll gladly supply more system info if you want, just ask.

 

[Stork]

...My setup is pretty straightforward. I run with a UEFI BIOS and a DSDT Free install with the Mavericks guide recommended drivers for my system, with the exception now of the Realtek driver as listed above...

It's probably due to the UEFI beta BIOS. Try setting your memory spec's manually rather than using the XMP BIOS parameter.

BTW, the Lnx2Mac's Realtek Ethernet driver continues to work flawlessly on Zorro. But, I'm using the latest Award BIOS with the tonymacx86 DSDT as the beta UEFI BIOS never did work right for me.

 

[clipper99]

Thanks for the input Stork. I may just downgrade back to F12 and go back to using the DSDT. Here's what I anticipate the steps to be, if you could add any thoughts I'd appreciate it. I'll delete the KEXT for that Realtek driver I've installed just before powering down the system for the BIOS downgrade. Any other KEXT files I may want to delete just before I power down to do this?

- disconnect all my drives except the SSD OSX drive

- Use my USB DOS key to boot into DOS and run the FLASHSPI.EXE utility to install the F12 BIOS.

- reboot, load recommended BIOS settings

- reboot using latest Unibeast USB

- run Multibeast and redo setup using DSDT install method. Reboot back into OSX hassle free.

While I'm doing this I'll pull a RAM module, I can't remember the exact brand. Get the specs and if you don't mind I may bug you for some info if I can't figure out how to set it up manually. I should be able to figure it out but you never know.....

 

[clipper99]

Almost hassle-free!

I couldn't downgrade the BIOS from UEFI with the regular BIOS flash utility so I searched and used Gigabyte's EFI2AWD utility. Search "efi2awd.zip" and you'll find it.

Booting from the Unibeast USB into my Mavericks install I would freeze up in less than a minute so a quick reboot using -x (safe mode) allowed me to use the Multibeast DSDT method of installation and I've just rebooted and everything seems okay. No lockups so all appears fine. I did have to sign into all the Apple services again but was prompted to do so without a hitch. TimeMachine just kicked in as asked me if I wanted to use the existing backup sets which I answered yes to so I appear to be up and running again.