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

[nicksoph]

Are you using a 3475S SSDT for CPU PM ?

Yes - currently using SSDT but not the edited DSDT - so showing USB's as USB2's . Previously used both SSDT and edited DSDT and got USB3's but otherwise all seems similar. when it does go high on all 4 cores it runs consistently (more than 20 mins) at 3.2Ghz - ie turbo speed. I think the highest temp Ive seen is just below 65C. Wondered if it was temp related so set the fan on max in bios and it never reached 45 but exhibited same behaviour.

Also using 13,2 sys defs.

Would you mind testing yours with 'yes' commands? and take a look at the core usage in Activity monitor (you can add it to the dock for a graphic representation)
EDIT: corrected 3.3 to 3.2 GHz

 

[trs96]

Yes - currently using SSDT but not the edited DSDT - so showing USB's as USB2's . Previously used both SSDT and edited DSDT and got USB3's but otherwise all seems similar. when it does go high on all 4 cores it runs consistently (more than 20 mins) at 3.3Ghz - ie turbo speed. I think the highest temp Ive seen is just below 65C. Wondered if it was temp related so set the fan on max in bios and it never reached 45 but exhibited same behaviour.

Is this another USFF 7010 ? Or did you get a larger case this time ?

 

[nicksoph]

Is this another USFF 7010 ? Or did you get a larger case this time ?

2 boxes, both USFF 3225, 3475s
signature amended

 

[trs96]

2 boxes, both USFF 3225, 3475s

It's pretty amazing that you are stressing your i5 that much and the CPU temps stay that low. There are only two very small fans in these (not counting the PSU fan) so it must be that copper heatsink that helps so much. When I would stress my old Mac Mini the tiny CPU fan would be as loud as a hair dryer ! The CPU would throttle when it reached about 90C. Hot !

 

[nicksoph]

Oh the fan is loud here too when its full on but in normal use it seems quiet, cool and like the HP's does not vary speed in use.

 

[trs96]

For anyone in the USA looking for a 7010 MT CustoMac that is OOB ready with the addition of an SSD there is a very good deal on Ebay right now. Sells for $137.90 shipped. If you don't already have an SSD you can get an HP 120GB for $27.99 on Newegg right now. So total cost would be $165 and change for a fully functional CustoMac using HD4000. With a quad core i5-3475S. You won't find anything close to that price in a 2012 Mac Mini. Even has 8 Gigs of DDR3 ram which is worth about 70+ USD. Best of all you've got an easy upgrade path to a higher end system. Go up to an i7-3770 and a GTX 1070 if you swap out the PSU for a 500W ATX version. Easy to do that. The motherboard has a standard 24 pin power connector.

Link to the Newegg 28 dollar HP SSD
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820326780

The size of the MT case is closest to the microATX standard. It is not a true mid-Tower or even a mini-Tower.

Should easily fit wherever you need to put it in your home or office.

Five things you can do with a Dell 7010/9010 MT you could never accomplish in any model of Mac Mini:

• Install a desktop class Intel Quad Core CPU (i5-3470/3475S or i7-3770/3770S) - USFF - SFF - DT - MT
  
• Install a dedicated full height Graphics Card with enough power for AAA gaming. - MT
• Upgrade the ram to 32GB of DDR3 / 1600 MHz ram - DT or MT
• Replace the PSU with one that is 500W or more - MT
• Easily open the case and replace or repair components quickly at a low price - USFF - SFF - DT - MT

Here's the PSU specs. If you get one with standard efficiency you should definitely replace it. Get a 400-500W model from a name brand co. Modular is best. Should be standard ATX, about 5.9 inches in length (150mm) to fit in the existing PSU space.

Link to 7010 MT on Ebay

 

[trs96]

Would you mind testing yours with 'yes' commands? and take a look at the core usage in Activity monitor (you can add it to the dock for a graphic representation)

Personally I have no interest in trying a MP 5,1 or 6,1 SMBIOS but you could see if that would work to get more performance out of your i5 CPU. I'm not sure that the HD4000 would work well with that SysDef. You'd have to try it to see. Mac Mini 6,2 might give you more from the HD4000 graphics and a higher turbo boost. The CPU in the 2012 Mini was basically a mobile CPU, not desktop so YMMV. https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i7-2.6-late-2012-specs.html

Here's my results running the 4 core CPU stress test. The fans never got very loud, temps stay under 65C.

For anyone that wants a fanless mini-CustoMac, the Dell 7010 USFF works well for that. The stock heatsink is solid copper and it has 3 copper heat pipes. Just unplug the CPU fan and front case fan, hit the F1 key at boot up and you've got an instant silent computer. The internal PSU has a tiny fan that is barely audible. You have to listen really hard just to hear it.

Here are my CPU temps with no fans at all, CPU idling at 1.6 GHz :

 

[nicksoph]

Here's my results running the 4 core CPU stress test. The fans never got very loud, temps stay under 65C.

Pretty much identical results - After an hour, logs show highest temp reached is 67.4C

 

[trs96]

@karoli9 Could you test and see if your onboard DP audio is working on your MT ? I've got mine working now with just AppleALC and Lilu kext installed to /L/E. I know you use a 970. Is your HDMI/DP audio working with that as well ? I can't test a dedicated Nvidia card in my USFF. No PCIe slot. Of course, uninstall your 970 first before trying to test onboard DP audio. Thanks a lot ! Hope you are liking your Optiplex 7010.

 

[nicksoph]

Re: Sys Definitions - Run into issues with my account at Apple and Im not able to get either of the Dells to work with iMessage. It's not a new problem I think they may have noticed the 20 or so times Ive tried to get machines to work in the past and I'm not really up for giving them a call to see if I can clear it. Currently using 13,2 for the 3475s and 13,3 for the 3225 other than the number I cant see any change in how the machines operate with either but stuck with the 13,3 because when I go to everymac to verify serial numbers it shows the 3225 details with 13,3.

Both machines seem to be rock solid, thanks for the guide.