[Guide] Install High Sierra or Mojave on the Dell Optiplex 7010 / 9010 Desktop PC - Revision II

[nicksoph]

8-19-18 UPDATE

I had some time today to look into the sleep issue.

Thanks for that, having sleep working can be a big thing for some of us.

 

[trs96]

Thanks for that, having sleep working can be a big thing for some of us.

Great. Let us know if it works for you on your new 7010 system.

 

[nicksoph]

Expect to receive 3225 on Thurs/Fri will feedback then.

Just looked at this;
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-3470-vs-Intel-Core-i3-3225

less impressive but same comparrison
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i3-3225-vs-Intel-i5-3470/1474vs822

Pleasantly surprised at how well the i3 compares to the i5.

 

[trs96]

Pleasantly surprised at how well the i3 compares to the i5.

Yes, the 3225 is a very good value CPU. HD4000 works perfectly on these Dells. No 3rd party kexts or hacks needed as with newer Intel integrated graphics. Should also work on Mojave too. The two extra cores of the i5-3470 are more useful for PC gaming in Windows mostly. I like the HD4000 CPUs because they save you the expense of 50 dollars + for a dedicated graphics card. Also the HD4000 is pretty much your only option in the USFF models. There is one case of someone getting HD2500 to work in their Optiplex but that is the exception rather than the rule.

There's always an i3-3225 available used on Ebay for around 37 USD or less.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=i3-3225&_sacat=0&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

 

[nicksoph]

Hi trs, Im uk based and got mine from ebay uk for £27 they seem to range £25-30

Just updated BIOS of USFF 7010 with i3-3220 in Windows and then swapped out its hdisk for an ssd. SSD had been in one of the HP 8300's and still had OSX on it so I thought Id give it a go, Booted from USB (Made today from Unibeast 8.3.2) and selected to Load OSX from SSD, came straight up. Graphics glitchy, 8MB Video ram shown, Chrome couldnt render pages properly. USB's need fix ownership and inject usb in clover else none of the USB's work.

 

[trs96]

USB's need fix ownership and the other usb setting(edit coming) else none of the USB's work.

USB 3 ports need the renaming in Step # 5 of the guide too.

 

[trs96]

Hi trs, Im uk based and got mine from ebay uk for £27 they seem to range £25-30

Just updated BIOS of USFF 7010 with i3-3220 in Windows and then swapped out its hdisk for an ssd. SSD had been in one of the HP 8300's and still had OSX on it so I thought Id give it a go, Booted from USB (Made today from Unibeast 8.3.2) and selected to Load OSX from SSD, came straight up. Graphics glitchy, 8MB Video ram shown, Chrome couldnt render pages properly. USB's need fix ownership and the other usb setting(edit coming) else none of the USB's work.

If you'd be willing to experiment with HD2500 Graphics, try the EFI folder from the following post #29 and report back whether your HD2500 graphics work with acceleration with this. Would be interesting to know.
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...10-9010-desktop-pc.251736/page-3#post-1787375

 

[nicksoph]

If you'd be willing to experiment with HD2500 Graphics
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...10-9010-desktop-pc.251736/page-3#post-1787375

Sorry going backwards here, I can now get it to the login screen but no usb's at all so cant log in. I suspect I have broken the config on the ssd when I updated clover using configurator - I saw a clover error message earlier that reported an error with an 'E' on line one. Tried various combinations of USB ownership/injection but they all fail with no mouse or keyboard.

EDIT: Managed to get it to boot after turning on Allow Legacy ROMS - Only showing safe mode level graphics and still corruption on chrome.
Once working (sort of);
Copied over the EFI folder mentioned and edited to include with system ids, tried again, produced lots of stripped lines and screen corruption, then tried again with Legacy ROMS in bios off, this time saw spinning ball and less corrupted graphics but still showing screen corruption on apple logo, white bar reached the end and then dropped back to about 95% several times before finally stopping with mouse pointer and a patchy triangle in the top right corner.
Looking at config plist from the EFI folder on post 30 it seems not to have the edits mentioned in post 1 and one I dont recognise. Im voting with the clever people and waiting for the new chip to arrive.

 

[trs96]

Dell Optiplex 9010 Small Form Factor* (SFF) w/i7-3770 for $180
​

This is a nice deal on an i7 version of the 9010. Seller is ReviveIT on Newegg. They usually do a good refurbishing job.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAAJ273Z1623

* Remember that these can only use a single slot LP graphics card like the GT 710. Probably best to just use the HD4000. Get a DP to HDMI cable or adapter for your TV or monitor. Not much space for a dedicated graphics card inside. See below.

 

[trs96]

Im voting with the clever people and waiting for the new chip to arrive.

That sounds like the best plan. Install with HD4000 and everything will go smoothly. The USB ports can be flaky at first until you get everything configured. If they don't work at first just keep rebooting until they do. The initial install on the 8300s is much less complicated but once you get HS installed they work about the same. Onboard ALC269 is much easier to get working than the ALC221 on the HP systems. All you need is AppleALC and Lilu kexts installed to /L/E.