[Guide] Install High Sierra on the HP 8300 Elite / 6300 Pro Desktop PC

[trs96]

Complete Video Guide for High Sierra Installation on the HP 6300 / 8300

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Important Note: If this is your first install of High Sierra or you are attempting a clean re-install you'll want to follow the new Updated for 2020 video guide. See the new video guide for 2020.

Choose from the various HP Desktop Form Factors

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Click here to see the HP 8300 SFF on Amazon.com

Update 10-17-19

My original HP 6300/8300 guide was written for Sierra back in June of 2017. A lot has changed since then and macOS Catalina is now the newest public release. If you are just starting out with one of these HP desktops and want to use Catalina, I'd suggest that you follow the UEFI hot patching guide by Sniki. It is a different approach that is required to get the this HP completely functional with Catalina. If you are thinking about upgrading to Catalina then you should also try a clean install of Catalina on a separate disk. Try that guide and see if it works for you. I will not be updating this guide for Catalina.

[Guide] HP Elite 8300 & 6300 Pro (all form factors) using Clover UEFI hotpatch

Introduction Welcome to my HP 8300 & 6300 (all form factors) macOS Catalina guide. The inspiration to get one of these Desktops came from @trs96 and his great guides that he created for macOS High Sierra & macOS Sierra. These Desktops are excellent machines that are both affordable and powerful...

www.tonymacx86.com

Buy the Sandisk USB flash drive recommended in the video guide (This is for making a High Sierra UniBeast installer)
These are 16GB USB 2.0 drives that work best when connected to a USB 2.0 port on your HP 6300 / 8300 CustoMac.

The lowest cost Natively Supported Graphics Card
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If you have a CPU like the i5-3470 with HD2500 and only need basic working graphics for your HP desktop, have a look at the Nvidia GT 710. It will work in either High Sierra or Mojave. There are many low profile versions and 1 and 2GB versions that you can choose from. Remember to use only the HDMI or DVI ports when running macOS on your HP. Make sure to purchase a DDR3 version like the one below. The ones with GDDR5 memory may not work with macOS High Sierra.
EDIT: With macOS Mojave the GDDR5 versions are now working. They don't need the Nvidia web drivers installed. According to reports from HP 8300/GT 710 w/GDDR5 owners.

Buy the Zotac GT 710 2GB at Amazon
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Installing macOS Mojave
If you want to begin with a clean install of Mojave instead of High Sierra you can use this guide with the Mojave versions of Unibeast and Multibeast. Also make sure to use the latest Apple ALC and Lilu kexts if not using VoodooHDA for your audio.

There is a new Mojave guide for the HP 8300 by Sniki posted in the Mojave Desktop Guides forum. His guide is for more advanced users, not beginners. It's the guide to use if you are an iOS developer or if you have previous experience using terminal and some basic coding experience. Use that guide for the complete install and post install of Mojave. Post any related questions there.

Comments
There is a supplemental guide in post #2 to enable Native macOS HD audio via the onboard Realtek ALC 221 audio chip. Do not install VoodooHDA and AppleHDADisabler kexts if you want to use the onboard ALC221. Perform this step as the last one if you will not be using the Voodoo HDA method demonstrated in the Complete Video Guide.

The following High Sierra install guide assumes that you have already made your UEFI bootable High Sierra UniBeast installer and have flashed your HP BIOS to at least v02.99 and after the BIOS flash, restored factory defaults as in the Sierra Guide. It is a shortened version for those who have previous experience or who have already installed Sierra on their HP desktop computer.

This guide (above) will convert your SSD to APFS
Mechanical HDDs will stay with HFS+ file system

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View the video guide: "Prevent APFS conversion" below if you want to keep the HFS+ file system on your SSD boot drive. If you do switch to APFS then do not enable TRIM post install. It will only create long boot times that you may not want.

1. Make a bootable Clone of your macOS system drive. Use CCC, Super Duper or Acronis True Image. If you choose CCC remember to copy and paste the ESP's EFI folder from your Sierra EFI partition to the newly cloned drive.

2. Disconnect the sata data cable from all other drives in your system before trying to update to High Sierra. This includes any Windows installs, Linux or even other drives used for backups.

3. Make sure you've upgraded Clover on your Sierra installation to the newest version. FakeSMC should also be updated. Place a copy of it in the Kexts/Other folder on your system drive. Finally APFS.efi should be placed in the drivers64UEFI folder as per this guide. https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/how-to-update-current-and-past-apfs-efi-downloads.236103/

4. If you are upgrading from Sierra 10.12.6 you can simply skip the format of your hard drive at the 1:10 timestamp point in the video. Then all of your data and installed applications will remain after you have installed High Sierra.

macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 is the last version available. For your install use the 10.13.6 version of High Sierra, UniBeast 8.3.2 and MultiBeast 10.4.0. Link to the downloads section.

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I have tried High Sierra with both APFS and HFS+ file systems and both work without problems on my HP 6300 Pro. You'll have to do your own research to determine what will be the best for you. For now I'm staying with HFS+ when I do decide to upgrade my main Sierra drive. It may be wise to let APFS evolve some more before switching file systems.

If you allow the APFS conversion on your SSD it's best to not dual boot with other drives that are still HFS+ format. It greatly slows down the boot time of your APFS High Sierra drive.

If you do choose to avoid APFS conversion start with the following video below. It would have been confusing to include that part of the guide in the primary video. The No-Convert script will only work if you use a UniBeast created installer.

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All of the progress bars in this video have been accelerated. Expect the complete install to take 40 minutes or more.

This guide will prevent your SSD's APFS conversion

No-Convert Script - bash terminal command​

/Volumes/Image\ Volume/No-Convert

Enter this into Terminal exactly as it is shown above in the code box.​

 

[trs96]

New ALC221 SSDT for Enabling Audio and Front Mic (01/10/19)
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Their is now a simpler method you can use to enable onboard audio. If you use this method you don't need to apply the DSDT patch as shown in the video below. This method which uses SSDT-ALC221.aml requires a few simple changes to your config.plist and the install of the codec commander kext. Click here to go to the SSDT-ALC221 guide.

Original ALC221 Audio Guide with DSDT Patching Method

You have the option to enable the Realtek ALC221 audio if you don't mind patching your DSDT and installing a few kexts. Use the above video guide instead of the VoodooHDA method, you can't use both simultaneously. This is a fairly involved process which takes time and concentration on what you are doing. If you decide to try it go slowly and do all the steps as shown in the video guide. This is not a one click, quick fix like the VoodooHDA method or CloverALC via Multibeast is.

To get working HDMI audio from your Nvidia dedicated graphics card, the process varies depending on which card you have installed. Some cards are not supported since 10.13.4. HDMI/DisplayPort audio should work for GM204, GK208, GM206, GP102, GP106 Nvidia cards because vit9696 added support for these cards in AppleALC.

Make sure to use both of the newest versions of the AppleALC and Lilu Kexts
Currently this is Apple ALC 1.3.5 and Lilu 1.3.4 you can download each of the zipped release files from Github
https://github.com/acidanthera/AppleALC/releases -- https://github.com/acidanthera/Lilu/releases
You won't need to disable SIP for these to load properly from /Library/Extensions.

I've attempted to get AppleALC, HDMI audio with my GTX 1050 but it has not worked so far. We are waiting for HDMI audio support to be added to AppleALC kext for the GT 1030/1050 Nvidia graphics cards. EDIT: You can now use AppleALC 1.3.5 and Lilu 1.3.4 if you have a GT 1030, GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti dedicated graphics card and want to use HDMI audio.

Make sure you are on the BIOS revision you want long term i.e. flash to 3.07 first if you want that. Have all BIOS settings correct before extracting your DSDT and making the patches. One last note, activating your ALC221 audio will give you much more volume out of the built in speaker if you want to use that instead of desktop PC speakers. Then you can use some high quality headphones for listening to music from your iTunes library or online streaming service. Keeps your desk clutter free.

Core Commands to enter into the Terminal where indicated in the video guide

cd ~/Downloads/DSDT_patching_tools
sudo cp iasl /usr/bin

cd ~/Downloads/DSDT_patching_tools
iasl -da -dl -fe refs.txt DSDT.aml

ALC221 Audio Patch to apply to your extracted DSDT

Method (_DSM, 4, NotSerialized)
            {
                If (LEqual (Arg2, Zero)) { Return (Buffer() { 0x03 } ) }
                Return (Package()
                {
                    "device-id", Buffer() { 0x20, 0x1E, 0x00, 0x00 },
                    "layout-id", Buffer() { 11, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00 },
                    "codec-id", Buffer() { 0x21, 0x02, 0xEC, 0x10 },
                    "hda-gfx", Buffer() { "onboard-1" },
                    "name", Buffer() { "pci8086,1e20" },
                    "built-in", Buffer() { 0x00 },
                    "PinConfigurations", Buffer() { 0x40, 0x40, 0x2b, 0x00, 0x30, 0x01, 0x10, 0x90, 0x10, 0x30, 0x8b, 0x00, 0x60, 0x90, 0xab, 0x01, 0xe0, 0x00, 0x56, 0x28 },
                    //"MaximumBootBeepVolume", 77,
                })
            }

 

[trs96]

Phil's Computer Lab HP SFF Desktop Refurbishing/Upgrade Video

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If the HP desktop you've purchased isn't in grade A condition, needs more ram, quieter fans and a dedicated graphics card, watch Phil's video to learn how to make it into a like new machine for your macOS High Sierra installation.

Enable CPU Power Management​

It's very easy to implement CPU PM for your Core i Intel CPU. All you need to do is place the correct SSDT.aml for your processor into the correct folder of your installation drive's EFI partition. For the HP 6300/8300 you need to be using the iMac 13,2 SMBIOS. Find the i5-3470 and i7-3770 SSDTs attached below. NOTE: This step is optional and not mandatory for you to implement.

/Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/ACPI/patched/

Use either EFI mounter V3 or Clover Configurator to mount your EFI partition then drag and drop the file there.

After you've done that make the following changes under the ACPI tab in Clover Configurator in the Drop Tables section and save the changes :

Do not checkmark any of the Generate Options or SSDT options in Clover Configurator. credit: Toleda

If you don't have the i5-3470 or i7-3770 CPU generate your own SSDT.aml by using this guide: Generate SSDT for CPU PM

You can also download the Intel Power Gadget for Mac to check your CPU power usage. Download AppleIntelInfo.kext and run that via Terminal to see if you are getting all the p-states that you should for your specific CPU. See the SSDT guide linked above for complete instructions from tonymacx86.

At idle my i5-3470 stays at about 25 degrees C and only uses about 6.5W of power. That is quite impressive.

 

[karoli9]

I think it is just time to switch over High Sierra! Next week my i5-3470S CPU (replaces i3-3220) and 3 TB HDD will arrive (for all the media I have), time for a clean-install-weekend. Thank you @trs96 for the guide once again!

 

[trs96]

I think it is just time to switch over High Sierra! Next week my i5-3470S CPU (replaces i3-3220) and 3 TB HDD will arrive (for all the media I have), time for a clean-install-weekend. Thank you @trs96 for the guide once again!

It seems that the major bugs have been worked out of High Sierra thus far. It runs quite well on my i5-3470 6300 Pro. I also installed the 10.13.2 supplemental update and that was no problem either. It requires that you update to a newer Nvidia web driver after you install the update.

 

[karoli9]

It seems that the major bugs have been worked out of High Sierra thus far. It runs quite well on my i5-3470 6300 Pro. I also installed the 10.13.2 supplemental update and that was no problem either. It requires that you update to a newer Nvidia web driver after you install the update.

Well, this is good news. One question without looking for others' experiences: as you know I have a MSI GTX 1050 Ti and sometimes - longer idle with the screen on, few times after screen off, once after a longer period of sleep - response becomes choppy. By that I mean, the mouse lags, CPU usage rises and video playback becomes a comic book (but I have perfect sound through HDMI using my AVR). After a while, about 10-15 seconds, everything is back to normal. While actively using the machine, this never happened. I had this "problem" since El Capitan, but I didn't care, because it is not that of a big deal. I think this has to do something with the dGPUs driver. Did you have or hear anyone else having these kind of issues? Everything else is working fine, just like a real Mac.

 

[BobBobster]

Well, this is good news. One question without looking for others' experiences: as you know I have a MSI GTX 1050 Ti and sometimes - longer idle with the screen on, few times after screen off, once after a longer period of sleep - response becomes choppy. By that I mean, the mouse lags, CPU usage rises and video playback becomes a comic book (but I have perfect sound through HDMI using my AVR). After a while, about 10-15 seconds, everything is back to normal. While actively using the machine, this never happened. I had this "problem" since El Capitan, but I didn't care, because it is not that of a big deal. I think this has to do something with the dGPUs driver. Did you have or hear anyone else having these kind of issues? Everything else is working fine, just like a real Mac.

I have the exact same problem for the longest of time now. I initially installed 12.5 and the very fresh install didn't have this behaviour. Then I updated some kexts, installed cpu power management stuff and the dreaded lag started. I posted in the 6300 Sierra thread by tsr96 about this but no response. I noticed in Activity Monitor that kernel task goes wild. The lag only comes around after the machine idling for some time I don't use sleep ever. The machine stays on 24/7. I notice it when I hover my mouse over the dock and the labels on each icon do not come up on the screen in a responsive way. Recently I upgraded to 12.6 and the lag is still there. Also didn't bother me as during normal use it never (read 'very very rarely') happens. I wander if High Sierra will be better, I think I'll wait a little while longer and bite the bullet. As long as Xcode works I am not too concerned with the upgrade. That being said I am very thankful for the video guides - thanks tsr96, as I probably did something fishy the first time I installed the os from the text instructions. And I acquired recently two monitors and struggling to get them going in dual monitor setup. So a fresh High Sierra might be closer than I think.

 

[trs96]

@karoli9 I simply have sleep disabled as it boots up so fast after it's completely shut down, it's not much different than sleeping the computer anyway. The GTX 1050s are highly energy efficient so I'm not worried about electricity usage. I do of course have an SSD installed and legacy support disabled in BIOS. Even booting from a mechanical drive seems acceptable for boot up times.

@BobBobster I've installed High Sierra on nearly the exact same hardware you have (except I use a non-Ti 1050). In testing sleep just now it takes slightly longer to go to sleep but wakes up instantly on my system. As far as the lag issue, this is not my daily driver so I don't have it on all day long to see if it has the same problem you are experiencing. So if you haven't moved to HS yet it may be worth a try especially once the .3 update comes out in a short time. Use a clean HDD to test it out first.

I should also ask both of you which browser do you primarily use ? Chrome, Firefox or Safari ? There are thousands of posts from people having these kinds of issues with Chrome. Just try search and see the results. So it may not be specific to just this hardware.

 

[karoli9]

@karoli9 I simply have sleep disabled as it boots up so fast after it's completely shut down, it's not much different than sleeping the computer anyway. The GTX 1050s are highly energy efficient so I'm not worried about electricity usage. I do of course have an SSD installed and legacy support disabled in BIOS. Even booting from a mechanical drive seems acceptable for boot up times.

@BobBobster I've installed High Sierra on nearly the exact same hardware you have (except I use a non-Ti 1050). In testing sleep just now it takes slightly longer to go to sleep but wakes up instantly on my system. As far as the lag issue, this is not my daily driver so I don't have it on all day long to see if it has the same problem you are experiencing. So if you haven't moved to HS yet it may be worth a try especially once the .3 update comes out in a short time. Use a clean HDD to test it out first.

I should also ask both of you which browser do you primarily use ? Chrome, Firefox or Safari ? There are thousands of posts from people having these kinds of issues with Chrome. Just try search and see the results. So it may not be specific to just this hardware.

I don't use sleep either, as the machine is running almost 24/7 (Plex server and server for other purposes ) and the rare occasions when it is not needed, I turn it off. I have a Samsung 850 EVO, so I don't bother, just like you.

High Sierra will be installed in the coming week or so, clean, as usual. I wonder if this "feature" still persists.

I use official Apple apps, as far as I can, so I am using Safari all the time. VLC, Plex, Adobe stuff and also Nvidia can cause the lag. Well, actually it doesn't really matter, it happens very rarely.

 

[karoli9]

I have the exact same problem for the longest of time now. I initially installed 12.5 and the very fresh install didn't have this behaviour. Then I updated some kexts, installed cpu power management stuff and the dreaded lag started. I posted in the 6300 Sierra thread by tsr96 about this but no response. I noticed in Activity Monitor that kernel task goes wild. The lag only comes around after the machine idling for some time I don't use sleep ever. The machine stays on 24/7. I notice it when I hover my mouse over the dock and the labels on each icon do not come up on the screen in a responsive way. Recently I upgraded to 12.6 and the lag is still there. Also didn't bother me as during normal use it never (read 'very very rarely') happens. I wander if High Sierra will be better, I think I'll wait a little while longer and bite the bullet. As long as Xcode works I am not too concerned with the upgrade. That being said I am very thankful for the video guides - thanks tsr96, as I probably did something fishy the first time I installed the os from the text instructions. And I acquired recently two monitors and struggling to get them going in dual monitor setup. So a fresh High Sierra might be closer than I think.

What are the symptoms? What do you struggle with precisely. Because I had my own war with the dual monitor setup too I have a calibrated HP LP2475W semi-professional IPS monitor on the DVI connector and a calibrated LG 43LH5100 IPS TV on the HDMI connector passing throuh a Yamaha HTR-2067 AVR. But now I know all the quirks.