Gigabyte Z390 M Gaming build with working NVRAM

[pastrychef]

Clover EFI updated to r5128.

 

[sondeu]

Hi, thank you very much for your effort @pastrychef on this EFI! Seems that the iGPU Version you are referring to is old? So I used last Clover version but inserted the PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x2,0x0) section you have in the iGPU version to the latest one. Basically it works - booting up, fine.

My problem is, I just removed my 5700XT and replaced it with a RTX 3080 (for gaming in WIN) and wanted to use macOS Big Sur only with the iGPU, as BigSur is now also supporting high resolution like the one I need 5120x1440p... So iGPU for Mac, 3080 for Win was the plan.

Unfortunately with the given SMBIOS and also some others (ex. 19,1) 5120x is not working, only 3840. So I changed the SMBIOS for testing purpose to MacBook Pro 2018 (as I have one and I know 5120 is working out of the BOX with BigSur) and wow - it worked. Native 5120x1440 support, clean and sharp. Like I want to have But, USB ports for example are not working (due the SMBIOS)?

What can I do to get the 5120x resolution support AND working USB etc.? Is there a way to reconfigure to get USB working or any suggestion for another SMBIOS that might fit?

 

[pastrychef]

Hi, thank you very much for your effort @pastrychef on this EFI! Seems that the iGPU Version you are referring to is old? So I used last Clover version but inserted the PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x2,0x0) section you have in the iGPU version to the latest one. Basically it works - booting up, fine.

My problem is, I just removed my 5700XT and replaced it with a RTX 3080 (for gaming in WIN) and wanted to use macOS Big Sur only with the iGPU, as BigSur is now also supporting high resolution like the one I need 5120x1440p... So iGPU for Mac, 3080 for Win was the plan.

Unfortunately with the given SMBIOS and also some others (ex. 19,1) 5120x is not working, only 3840. So I changed the SMBIOS for testing purpose to MacBook Pro 2018 (as I have one and I know 5120 is working out of the BOX with BigSur) and wow - it worked. Native 5120x1440 support, clean and sharp. Like I want to have But, USB ports for example are not working (due the SMBIOS)?

What can I do to get the 5120x resolution support AND working USB etc.? Is there a way to reconfigure to get USB working or any suggestion for another SMBIOS that might fit?

Remember to add the "-wegnoegpu" boot argument.

I don't know why the iMac19,1 system definition doesn't output 5K. Maybe try iMac18,1 or iMac18,3.

USB should be entirely determined by the USB ports kext. SMBIOS should not affect this at all. Make sure the kext is enabled.

 

[sondeu]

Remember to add the "-wegnoegpu" boot argument.

..

USB should be entirely determined by the USB ports kext. SMBIOS should not affect this at all. Make sure the kext is enabled.

sure. I added added this argument.

You mean, changing SMBIOS should not affect the USB stuff at all? Then I'm wondering why USB is not working as I just used your EFI from post 1.

I have to review the config.plist again an make sure everything is in (only PCIRoot entry and boot args changed as I remember I changed some other things while comparing). I will give it a try and let you know. THX.

 

[sondeu]

Imac18,1 → resolution working, USB Stick not recognized (front panel) – back (on the Motherboard) working

Imac17,1 → resolution working, USB Stick not recognized (front panel) – back (on the Motherboard) working

ImacPro1,1 -> resolution only 3840, USB Stick recognised in each port

so, seems there are some differences in the USB assignment with different SMBIOS? Sorry, I'm not expert on Hackintosh but if there is a guide to go through and check - happy to do so but now I'm a little bit lost.

 

[pastrychef]

Imac18,1 → resolution working, USB Stick not recognized (front panel) – back (on the Motherboard) working

Imac17,1 → resolution working, USB Stick not recognized (front panel) – back (on the Motherboard) working

ImacPro1,1 -> resolution only 3840, USB Stick recognised in each port

so, seems there are some differences in the USB assignment with different SMBIOS? Sorry, I'm not expert on Hackintosh but if there is a guide to go through and check - happy to do so but now I'm a little bit lost.

Try iMac18,3.

If USB is not working right, you will have to re-do the USB ports kext.

The New Beginner's Guide to USB Port Configuration

Important Update: June 2023 From Big Sur 11.3 on the built-in OpenCore XhciPortLimit quirk no-longer worked as described. This became a known "bug", though in reality it was Apple changing their internal code, making a simple "peek and poke" to keep it operating, a difficult task. However, with...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[sondeu]

So, I changed in the Info.plist from USBPorts-with-Power.kext from iMacPro19,1 to iMac18,1 (which I'm using) and USB ports on the front panel are working now.

btw. 18,3 SMBIOS gave me some strange colours and also no front USB support

Thank you for your support! Stay healthy!

 

[nottooshabby]

For those interested in using an Apple Thunderbolt Display with the Z390 Gaming M motherboard, here is my experience with a couple different firmwares and even an excursion to try an Alpine Ridge AIC. I posted this on the Gigabyte Designare Z390 thread since that is where most of the discussion is on flashing TB cards, but I wanted to post it here too since it's more applicable to people using the Z390 Gaming motherboard with Titan Ridge AIC. Before I built my Hackintosh, I already had the Apple TBD, so I took it on as a project to see if I could get it to work with my hack. I followed the flashing procedure detailed on the Z390 Designare thread as part of my build.

I had used the TR add-on card(AIC) with my Apple TBD for 4-5 months using the GC-TITAN-RIDGE-NVM23-Elias64Fr.bin firmware flash and various SSDTs. I tried various clover options, open core setups, but consistently had issues with the monitor not turning on reliably at cold boot, after sleep, or during a restart. I could always unplug the thunderbolt cable and plug it back in again to wake the display back up, but doing that sometimes multiple times a day was getting irritating.

Then I tried Alpine Ridge AIC, unflashed. My understanding from posts from @scottkendall and others was the flashed firmware did not support video pass through. Although Alpine Ridge had a nice benefit that the screen turned on at post, I had issues with sleep. After the machine went to sleep, the thunderbolt bus disconnected, so the Apple TBD speakers, camera, etc wouldn't work until the machine was restarted again. I tried many SSDTs, but could not resolve this issue and the behavior was always the same. I also had issues where the machine would not stay asleep(I could get one successful sleep, but subsequent sleeps would be interrupted by "DarkWake from Normal Sleep [CDN] due to /:") . The sleep issue was too annoying to keep using Alpine Ridge.

Back to the Titan Ridge AIC, but I decided to try the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin firmware on my Titan Ridge 1.0 AIC. I did this based on some posts here by @scottkendall and others on Macrumors that the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin seemed to function the best of all the firmwares. Wow! The issue with the display not turning on reliably has gone away. I can also restart the machine and have the display stay on 100% of the time. This makes it much easier to get into the bios, or boot into windows. With the
GC-TITAN-RIDGE-NVM23-Elias64Fr.bin I had maybe a 50% success rate of the monitor staying on at restart, which usually meant multiple restart attempts before I could see the picker view or see the bios screen. The thunderbolt bus appears to be active with the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin firmware. I have gone as far as plugging in my MacBook Pro with a TB cable (in target disk mode) into my Apple TBD and successfully had it appear on the desktop.

I will say the Apple TBD works very well now using the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin firmware. I also learned that you do not need to plug in the power supply cable into the Titan Ridge card. I think that is only needed if you plug in devices that need more than 40W of power(Alpine Ridge doesn't have those connectors and can deliver 40W). This simplifies the cable management. I do need to have the USB 2.0 pass through cable plugged into the motherboard or the machine will restart when trying to shut down.

Here is my update Pros/Cons with the Designare firmware and Titan Ridge.

Flashed Titan Ridge 1.0 AIC with DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin

Pros:
- Display turns on reliably
- Apple USB bus within the monitor stays active after sleep, maintaining speakers, camera, USB ports on back of display
- Active TB bus that supports hot swapping
- Sleep works normally

Cons:

- Display doesn't turn on till part way through the boot up cycle on cold boot.
- Requires a second monitor or ghost plug to boot into Mac OS. One detail with the ghost plug is that it is not HDCP compliant, so once the machine boots up, if you want to watch content that has DRM(Disney+, Amazon, etc), you need to unplug it. Once the Apple Display turns on, it isn't needed until the next time you boot up from a shutdown. I have the monitors set to mirror, so there isn't an issue with the cursor going off the screen or anything like that.
- Monitor does not always turn on after sleep. Requires unplugging the TB cable and plugging back in to wake display up. Speakers and USB 2.0 devices in display still work after doing the hot plug.
- More cable management required and larger footprint. Needs power supply cable and USB 2.0 header cable.


Unflashed Apple Ridge Card 2.0 AIC:

Pros:

- Apple TBD turns on at post. Allowing for bios modifications or choosing a different operating system.
- Fewer cables to connect(no USB 2.0 header cable and no requirement for an additional power supply cable).
- No flashing required to use an apple TBD.
- Monitor turns on reliably after sleep and restart
- Sleep works normally

Cons:
- USB 2.0 bus disappears after sleep along with other thunderbolt devices in the display. Speakers, Ethernet, USB hub on display, FaceTime camera stop working after sleep. Needs a restart to reeenable.
- Machine Darkwakes after USB 2.0 bus disappears with message " DarkWake from Normal Sleep [CDN] due to /: "

 

[pastrychef]

For those interested in using an Apple Thunderbolt Display with the Z390 Gaming M motherboard, here is my experience with a couple different firmwares and even an excursion to try an Alpine Ridge AIC. I posted this on the Gigabyte Designare Z390 thread since that is where most of the discussion is on flashing TB cards, but I wanted to post it here too since it's more applicable to people using the Z390 Gaming motherboard with Titan Ridge AIC. Before I built my Hackintosh, I already had the Apple TBD, so I took it on as a project to see if I could get it to work with my hack. I followed the flashing procedure detailed on the Z390 Designare thread as part of my build.

I had used the TR add-on card(AIC) with my Apple TBD for 4-5 months using the GC-TITAN-RIDGE-NVM23-Elias64Fr.bin firmware flash and various SSDTs. I tried various clover options, open core setups, but consistently had issues with the monitor not turning on reliably at cold boot, after sleep, or during a restart. I could always unplug the thunderbolt cable and plug it back in again to wake the display back up, but doing that sometimes multiple times a day was getting irritating.

Then I tried Alpine Ridge AIC, unflashed. My understanding from posts from @scottkendall and others was the flashed firmware did not support video pass through. Although Alpine Ridge had a nice benefit that the screen turned on at post, I had issues with sleep. After the machine went to sleep, the thunderbolt bus disconnected, so the Apple TBD speakers, camera, etc wouldn't work until the machine was restarted again. I tried many SSDTs, but could not resolve this issue and the behavior was always the same. I also had issues where the machine would not stay asleep(I could get one successful sleep, but subsequent sleeps would be interrupted by "DarkWake from Normal Sleep [CDN] due to /:") . The sleep issue was too annoying to keep using Alpine Ridge.

Back to the Titan Ridge AIC, but I decided to try the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin firmware on my Titan Ridge 1.0 AIC. I did this based on some posts here by @scottkendall and others on Macrumors that the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin seemed to function the best of all the firmwares. Wow! The issue with the display not turning on reliably has gone away. I can also restart the machine and have the display stay on 100% of the time. This makes it much easier to get into the bios, or boot into windows. With the
GC-TITAN-RIDGE-NVM23-Elias64Fr.bin I had maybe a 50% success rate of the monitor staying on at restart, which usually meant multiple restart attempts before I could see the picker view or see the bios screen. The thunderbolt bus appears to be active with the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin firmware. I have gone as far as plugging in my MacBook Pro with a TB cable (in target disk mode) into my Apple TBD and successfully had it appear on the desktop.

I will say the Apple TBD works very well now using the DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin firmware. I also learned that you do not need to plug in the power supply cable into the Titan Ridge card. I think that is only needed if you plug in devices that need more than 40W of power(Alpine Ridge doesn't have those connectors and can deliver 40W). This simplifies the cable management. I do need to have the USB 2.0 pass through cable plugged into the motherboard or the machine will restart when trying to shut down.

Here is my update Pros/Cons with the Designare firmware and Titan Ridge.

Flashed Titan Ridge 1.0 AIC with DESIGNARE-Z390-NVM33-Elias64Fr.bin

Pros:
- Display turns on reliably
- Apple USB bus within the monitor stays active after sleep, maintaining speakers, camera, USB ports on back of display
- Active TB bus that supports hot swapping
- Sleep works normally

Cons:

- Display doesn't turn on till part way through the boot up cycle on cold boot. Requires a second monitor or ghost plug to boot into Mac OS.
- Monitor does not always turn on after sleep. Requires unplugging the TB cable and plugging back in to wake display up. Speakers and USB 2.0 devices in display still work after doing the hot plug.
- More cable management required and larger footprint. Needs power supply cable and USB 2.0 header cable.


Unflashed Apple Ridge Card 2.0 AIC:

Pros:

- Apple TBD turns on at post. Allowing for bios modifications or choosing a different operating system.
- Fewer cables to connect(no USB 2.0 header cable and no requirement for an additional power supply cable).
- No flashing required to use an apple TBD.
- Monitor turns on reliably after sleep and restart
- Sleep works normally

Cons:
- USB 2.0 bus disappears after sleep along with other thunderbolt devices in the display. Speakers, Ethernet, USB hub on display, FaceTime camera stop working after sleep. Needs a restart to reeenable.
- Machine Darkwakes after USB 2.0 bus disappears with message " DarkWake from Normal Sleep [CDN] due to /: "

Awesome info. Thanks!

What is the "ghost plug" that you mentioned that's required to boot in to macOS?

 

[nottooshabby]

Awesome info. Thanks!

What is the "ghost plug" that you mentioned that's required to boot in to macOS?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FB8GJ1Z/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

It tricks the machine to think it has a monitor attached. I guess they use them for machines that do crypto currency mining, but does the trick for my hack as well.

I will update my post, but one detail with the ghost plug is that it is not HDCP compliant, so once the machine boots up, if you want to watch content that has DRM(Disney+, Amazon, etc), you need to unplug it. Once the Apple Display turns on, it isn't needed until the next time you boot up from a shutdown. I have the monitors set to mirror, so there isn't an issue with the cursor going off the screen or anything like that.