[Guide] Install Catalina on the Dell Optiplex 7010 and 9010 Desktop PC

[billdlv81]

This guide is not for the 9020 SFF. It's for either the 7010 or 9010 models. There is a difference.

I apologize, will look into your 9020 4k thread.

 

[experto]

New to Hackintosh and to this forum and wanna express my thanks. I happened to have Dell Optiplex 9010 sitting so tried to setup hackintosh to "play" with it and eventually to have a backup computer to MacBook Pro (since all files I have are encrypted and all other computers in household are either windows or linux) with little to no knowledge and most of the stuff worked well, screen has occasionally froze, etc. This manual and prepared config helped tremendously. I haven't noticed any issues since the install… and my teenage boys love to work on OSC compared to windows ;-)

Thank you!

 

[BoombOgg]

I have some questions about which SSD adapter will work with my setup or if it would be better to buy something newer. Is any of this possible?

I got a surplus (free) SFF Dell Optiplex 7010 (2012) from a local college.

It has:
Intel Q77

(2) 16x PCIe 3.0 (one wired 4x)
(1) 1x PCIe
(1) PCI

(1) 1.5Gbps SATA(?)
(2) 6.0Gbps SATA(?)

This will be my first hackintosh. I yet install it Catalina. According to this guide it appears that you can get an m.2 SSD running as the boot drive (on 6 series chipset and newer).

I would like to replace my NAS 12TB HDD with this machine. I would also like to run all NVMe drives in software RAID 1. 2-4x 2TB NVMe. The key is redundancy and reliable.

There are a number of adapters:

$15 Generic Adapters (1-2 NVMe M/B Key)
$50 ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte Hyper (4 NVMe M Key)
$400 Sonnet Fusion (4 NVMe M Key)
$700 Highpoint (whatever it is, it is too expensive)

Of all of them, The Sonnet is the most promising as it offers built in MacOS support and it works without PCIe bifurcation (which I am guessing this computer doesn't have) but it is expensive.

Some adapters come in PCIe 4.0 (so not compatible) or 3.0.

They could go into PCIe 3.0 slot.

2nd option: Run the the M.2 through SATA.

$45 Startech (4x B Key)
$50 Silver Stone SPD11 (4x B Key)

It would require getting a PCI SATA expansion card to fit all 4 SSDs.

Option 2b: Take all of the drives out and replace CD and 3.5in drives with 2.5in adapters. Put (3) 2.5 inch SSDs in.

I was thinking that I would't even have to update it or connect it to the internet (just local). It would be forever Catalina (as long as it lasts).

So my question is: Has anyone else tried something like this? Is RAID even possible? Am I trying to put a jet engine on a scooter?

At a potential $700 outlay, could I get something that would work better as a SSD NAS?

 

[trs96]

I got a surplus (free) SFF Dell Optiplex 7010 (2012) from a local college.

It has:
Intel Q77

(2) 16x PCIe 3.0 (one wired 4x)
(1) 1x PCIe
(1) PCI

It sounds like you're describing the MT or the DT motherboard and not the SFF. Here's what the SFF board has:

There are only two (#12) PCIe X16 slots. One is wired x4. Here's an actual photo of the sata ports and PCIe slots.

 

[trs96]

@BoombOgg
Here are the PDF technical manuals (attached below) that you should download and read before planning out the upgrades. I believe the 9010s have a software raid option in the BIOS but the 7010 models do not.

If you do have the DT 7010 I would put macOS on a Sata 2.5" SSD drive and then use the PCIe x16 slots for the NVMe adapters that can host the M.2 NVMe drives. You can see some suggestions in this thread in deals of the day.

Inateck M.2 PCIe SSD Adapter for NVME SSDs

If you have an older motherboard without an onboard M.2 slot or simply don't have enough M.2 slots, here's a new find for those that want to upgrade their system drive to NVME. This looks really well built with a large heatsink to keep the drive cool. Price is incredible seeing that most...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[hefinwez]

everything work but the audio mine is the smallest model 7010 with no pci expansion ports

 

[trs96]

everything work but the audio mine is the smallest model 7010 with no pci expansion ports

Have you checked in Preferences -> Sound to see if those settings are correct ? Audio should work oob if you follow the guide. If you can't get it to work there are numerous USB audio adapter options that always work no matter what. Some of these like the Bengoo 7.1 will give higher quality audio than what the onboard can provide.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072BMG9TB/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[sabbir146]

Don't I install MacOs without any system upgrade in my "Dell OptiPlex 7010 DT Desktop Computer - 3rd Gen Intel Core i5-3470 (Quad-Core, 3.20GHz, 6MB w/HD2500 Graphics)"?

 

[trs96]

Dell OptiPlex 7010 DT Desktop Computer - 3rd Gen Intel Core i5-3470 (Quad-Core, 3.20GHz, 6MB w/HD2500 Graphics)"?

You need a supported graphics card like the Nvidia GT 710 1 or 2GB DDR3. HD2500 is not supported in macOS.

 

[sabbir146]

Got it. Thanks!