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[GUIDE] OC 10.13.6 Z490 Gigabyte Aorus Xtreme + Core i5 10400 / i9 11900K + Nvidia GTX 1060

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May 10, 2011
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Motherboard
Gigabyte B550 Vision D
CPU
Ryzen 5900X
Graphics
RX 6800
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  4. MacBook Pro
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Not long ago, it was said that it was impossible to boot a Z490 based 11-gen system on High Sierra, and it was also said that it could not run Opencore. Well folks, this is the guide you've all been waiting for! This system is both High Sierra AND Mojave compatible!

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Background to the system
My main Z68 Asus system at home for gaming and work was getting a bit long in the tooth, and I wanted an upgrade to the latest available equipment (to handle Cyberpunk 2077 and the like), as well as have it set up with all the bells and whistles of RGB lighting. Instead of settling for a mid-range board this time I decided to settle on a top-end Z490 board from Gigabyte - specifically the Z490 Aorus Xtreme, which is an extremely high-specced motherboard that comes with Thunderbolt 3 as well as PCIe 4.0 support. As the PCIe 4.0 compatible CPUs weren't yet available from Intel at the time of writing, I'd decided to settle on a low-end Core i5 10400 to run the system until the 11th gen CPUs were available.

Initially I'd wanted to use a smaller case such as Thermaltake 20MT - but found out as the Xtreme uses an E-ATX sized board, I had to find a larger case as it is too small. I'd then found a Thermaltake 20GT ARGB - but saw this option was not available where I was based, so I had to settle for the next best model which was the 20GT RGB Plus.

I did not expect it, but the 20GT RGB Plus is a huge case, and with tempered glass all round, it is also one of the heaviest I've yet owned (at 20kg). It comes with its own RGB controller as well as a small set of RGB fans. It is also well built. This time I'd decided on spending a bit more on the furnishings of the system, so I decided on a 70% Thermaltake 30% Gigabyte mix, buying most of my parts from both brands. I sourced the fans, motherboard and all other parts from local dealers including the Gigabyte 1TB copper-plated PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD and Thermaltake RGB 32GB Toughram (which can be controlled by software).

For the graphics card, I originally wanted the Nvidia GTX 3080 for this setup. But as I couldn't get hold of one, decided to settle on a GTX 1060 6GB card which I carried over from the previous system. I'd wanted to be able to run both Windows and macOS so had two NVMes installed into the board's 2/3 NVMe slots.

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I specifically wanted to run High Sierra on the system - mainly because I had my Nvidia card and didn't want to lose any compatibility with it. Luckily my GTX 1060 is a Pascal card so it has the full compatibility.

The installation took roughly about 2 weeks to build on and off. I first routed and cleanly installed all the necessary power and signalling cables for the PSU, fans and motherboard, then began to install the fans and finally SSD drives and graphics card. For the fans I connected most of them to a central TT USB controller, which was then connected to the mainboard for full syncing.

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I then installed Windows from a USB onto the Gigabyte NVMe, then later set up macOS on the Samsung NVMe.

For the RGB software in Windows I used TT's own RGB Sync software for the RAM as well as Gigabyte's AORUS controller software, and NZXT's CPU monitoring software.

(A note for Samsung users - if you want to install macOS onto the 970 Evo NVMe, it would be wise to update the firmware with Samsung Magician first before installing macOS onto it).


aorusxtreme.jpeg

COMPONENTS
Other tools needed
  • 2 x 16GB USB Keys (for Unibeast & Windows 10)
  • Spare Hackintosh/Mac (for editing if necessary)
  • USB 3.0 external slot drive (for copying/editing files and data)
  • Superduper or Carbon Copy Cloner (for cloning drives)
  • Windows 10 installation on spare SSD/HD or NVMe drive (optional)
  • A copy of MountEFI https://github.com/corpnewt/MountEFI
  • A copy of Opencore Configurator
  • A copy of Clover Configurator

What works

NVMe detection and bootup
Nvidia Web Graphics Driver & Intel GPU
USB 3.1, 3.0 & 2.0 (hot-plugging and eject on USB 3.1 works)
Full sound with volume adjustment and digital out
Full screen 1040P
Video playback
Graphics acceleration
Thunderbolt 3
VDA Decoding
WiFi

What doesn't

2.5GBe & 10GBe Ethernet (both ports)
VDA Decoding

SETUP

Making USB bootable installer:


Getting a copy of macOS High Sierra:
If you have a Windows only system you can follow this guide to make a bootable USB stick
but download High Sierra:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/guide-booting-the-usb-installer-using-opencore.296375/

If you have a Mac, you can grab a copy of macOS using this script and running it in Terminal:
https://github.com/corpnewt/gibMacOS

Most of the following instructions were run on a Mac:

To run script, right-click gibMacOS.command and select Open.

When you run the script it will show you a list of available downloads. You must select the 'full install' of High Sierra 10.13.6

Once it has downloaded you need to create the Mojave installer on the USB. To do this type this in Terminal:

Code:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

Once it's done, you'll need to copy the following attached EFI folder onto your USB stick's bootable EFI partition. The file is a ZIP so must be decompressed first.

First you must run MountEFI to mount the USB's EFI partition. Right-click to open MountEFI.command script and then select your USB's number in the Terminal list. Type in your password, and your EFI root directory will appear in your Finder. Select the EFI partition and drag the EFI folder you downloaded into root.

You'll need to then run Opencore Configurator (right-click to Open) to add in your unique system UUID and board serials. So select the config.plist under /EFI/OC/config.plist and edit it.

Go to PlatformInfo on the left, and select Datahub - Generic - PlatformNVRAM tab on the top. Select generate underneath the UUID field on the right. It should create a unique system UUID key. You'll need to also do this for your system Serial Number and MLB field keys on the left. If your Serial Number or Board ID doesn't generate, you'll need to get a copy from Clover Configurator. Simply run Clover Configurator, go to the SMBIOS section, select the Mac model using the arrows key on the bottom right corner highlighting iMac18,3 and then simply copy the Serial Number on the left to Serial Number in Opencore, Board Serial Number on the right to MLB in Opencore Configurator, and the ROM value to the two ROM value fields in Opencore Configurator. What you should end up with is something looking like this. Then Save the file.

opencoresettings.png


Make sure the top half of Databub section on top does NOT contain a UUID key or any other keys.

Preparing the BIOS:

To make macOS bootable you'll need to make it Hackintosh-friendly.

Boot into BIOS and change to the following settings:

AHCI Mode
VT-d disabled
Above 4GB Decoding Enabled
CSM Disabled
TPM Disabled
Secure Boot disabled
UEFI Boot Mode


Installing macOS

I have included and added the relevant OC build and patches and updates to the attached EFI folder.
The EFI contains the following SSDTs, drivers and kexts derived from VectorSeven's OCHack EFI and CaseySJ's Z490 build:

SSDTs:
SSDT-AWAC.aml
SSDT-EC-USBX.aml
SSDT-PLUG.aml
SSDT-TB3.aml
SSDT-UIAC.aml

Drivers:
HfsPlus.efi
OpenCanopy.efi
OpenRuntime.efi

Kexts:
AirportBrcmFixup.kext
AppleALC.kext
FakePCIID_Intel_HDMI_Audio.kext
FakePCIID_Intel_I225-V.kext
FakePCIID.kext
HibernationFixup.kext
itlwm.kext
Lilu.kext
SMCProcessor.kext
SMCSuperIO.kext
USBInjectAll.kext
VirtualSMC.kext
WhateverGreen.kext

Thanks to VectorSeven for the hard work of configurating files for the Z490 and High Sierra.

(UPDATE)

Why does this EFI setup work for High Sierra & Mojave?

I had a look through some of VectorSeven's config.plist settings compared to a typical OC list, and comparing the settings I think it works because part of it uses CPU spoofing along with a compatible SMBIOS for High Sierra/Mojave.
This is equivalent to setting the FakeCPUID in Clover. In the Kernel, he had originally used the value EB060800 for a Kaby Lake system, but I changed it to EA060900 (for Coffee Lake), and used a SMBIOS of iMac18,3 instead. There were many other settings, with some lines even missing from the config.plist. I have since restored them according to the Dortania guide. The only four settings that have not been changed are EnableWriteUnProtector=Yes, AppleDebug=No, PickerMode=External, and Keyswap=Yes. But I think the key change was definitely the CPUID spoofing, which allowed the system to boot.

(UPDATE: April 6th 2021)

I have updated the EFI file with the latest AppleALC, Lilu and Whatevergreen but retaining Opencore 0.6.5. Full internal sound output including SPDIF now properly works in High Sierra. The configuration also works with Intel's 11th gen Rocket Lake cpus. I have upgraded my Core i5 10400 to an i9 11900K, and confirmed the system works in High Sierra. To use you must disable the UHD750 IGPU in BIOS.

The EFI settings also works with Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur. In Hacktintools the system reports Rocket Lake to use Comet Lake modules. However VDAdecoding functionality has disappeared with this upgrade.

(UPDATE: April 20th 2021)

Alright, just thought I'd update you guys on some progress I've made. I have been working on this build recently and with the latest Big Sur and Opencore updates I have managed to get it updated to the latest 11.3 with OC 0.6.8. and corrected some issues I'd before.

The setup can now boot with most macOS including High Sierra, Catalina and latest version of Big Sur. Here are some of the highlights so far:

BIOS - updated to latest F20 for Z490 Aorus Xtreme
Comet Lake & Rocket Lake CPU compatible

High Sierra 10.13.6 & Catalina 10.15.7

- ACPIs corrected, HS build now fully working
- OC 0.6.5. bootloader
- iGPU can now be enabled in BIOS
- Working Aquantia 10Gbe port
- Working Intel AX201 WiFi6
- Coffee Lake CPUID CPU & GPU configuration (no VDA decoding yet)
- Intel IGPU detected in macOS, no Intel Quicksync
- Nvidia Pascal fully working on High Sierra, limited VESA support on Catalina
- Booting from Thunderbolt now possible

Big Sur 11.3

- ACPIs corrected
- OC 0.6.8 bootloader
- iGPU can now be enabled in BIOS
- Working Aquantia 10Gbe port
- Working Intel 2.5GBe port via vit9696's patch
- Working Intel AX201 WiFi6
- Intel IGPU detected in macOS, no Intel Quicksync
- Comet Lake CPUID CPU & GPU configuration (no VDA decoding yet)
- Limited Nvidia VESA support on Big Sur
- Booting from Thunderbolt now possible
- USB ports mapped with USB Port

(UPDATE: June 27th 2021)

The EFI has now been updated to Opencore 0.6.8. for Big Sur 11.4 and is also Monterey compatible. I have made 3 separate EFI files for anyone looking to use them. They are split into:

Big Sur 11.4 Intel IGPU only
Big Sur 11.4 Intel IGPU headless+Nvidia dGPU
Big Sur 11.4 Intel IGPU headless+AMD dGPU

These new EFIs should work for both the Comet Lake CPUs and Rocket Lake CPUs (under CPUID spoofing of Comet Lake).

If you are using an i5 10500 Comet Lake to boot on the system, you will need to change the AAPL,ig-platform-id for the Intel IGPU to 00009BC8 and device-id to 9BC80000. If you have a dGPU attached you must use the dGPU EFI and change the AAPL,ig-platform-id to 03009BC8 and device-id to 9BC8000.

If you are using an i7 or i9 10500 Comet Lake or i7 or i9 Rocket Lake to boot on the system, you will not need to change anything.

Also wanted to mention I discovered the first version of the EFI I ever posted only contained OC v0.6.1 and not v.0.6.5 as I had quoted. That was an error on my part, as part of my build was based on Vectorseven's original EFI.

The Intel I-225V and Aquantia ethernet ports now both work in 11.4. I have disabled the Intel I-225V kexts and LAN patch by default. If you are using Big Sur 11.2 or older such as Catalina you will need to enable the two kexts - FakePCIID and FakePCIID_Intel_I225-V plus the Intel I-225V kernel patch. If you are using Big Sur 11.3, you will only need to enable the Intel kernel patch and disable the two kexts.

As for the different GPU versions:

If you are using the AMD version it should be compatible with the RX5700, RX6800/6800XT & RX6900XT versions (agdpmod=pikera pre-enabled). If you are using a Polaris or Vega card such as RX550 you will need to add the shikigva=40 shiki-id=Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94 boot-args.

If you are using the Nvidia version it should output to any compatible Nvidia card via the 03 connector up to Pascal range. Native supported cards should have hardware acceleration. Turing and Ampere cards are sadly unsupported so will need to be disabled with -wegnoegpu or similar in order to use the system.

If you have any other cards, you can refer to the Dortania boot flags guide > https://dortania.github.io/GPU-Buyers-Guide/misc/bootflag.html#amd-boot-arguments

(UPDATE: June 28th 2021)

So I have made some minor updates to the latest OC 0.6.8. files I had uploaded recently.
Some of the significant changes are:

Updates to itlwm.kext (v1.3.0)
Enabled AppleCpuPmCfgLock & AppleXcpmCfgLock (which was not set in previous EFIs)
Secureboot set to Default (for OpenIntelWireless, which is default setting)
Xhciportlimit is enabled
USBInjectAll is set as default
Correct VirtualSMC version (v.1.2.2) now added

(UPDATE: Nov 20th 2021)

Those who are looking to upgrade to Monterey can now do so. I have created a guide and build for it here >

With this build I have managed to get most of the functions enabled for Big Sur and Monterey on the Z490 Aorus Xtreme using Opencore 0.6.8., which includes working sound from the soundcard and the included Gigabyte ESS Sabre USB DAC, and working WiFi and 10GBe LAN. 2.5GBe works for Big Sur and not Monterey. For technical reasons I have disabled the Intel Bluetooth drivers in the EFI and waiting for a better version to be released before I will include it in the EFI.

For reasons of simplicity, I have also separated the EFIs into their own zip files for each corresponding macOS versions, as functionality-wise Big Sur differs a little from Monterey. To enable WiFi in the Big Sur EFI you must disable itlwm.kext, whereas in the Monterey version Airportitlwm.kext must be enabled.

The versions are also differed by Intel IGPU or AMD dGPU versions of the EFI. Just pick the version that suits your setup (using Intel IGPU to boot or AMD dGPU to boot).
 

Attachments

  • DSC_0559-2b.png
    DSC_0559-2b.png
    145.9 KB · Views: 306
  • EFI.zip
    12.9 MB · Views: 1,064
  • EFI for High Sierra 10.15.6 OC 0.6.5.zip
    12.9 MB · Views: 1,131
  • EFI for Catalina 10.15.7 OC 0.6.5.zip
    12.9 MB · Views: 558
  • EFI for Big Sur 11.3 OC 0.6.8.zip
    23.8 MB · Views: 492
  • EFI for Big Sur 11.4 OC 0.6.8 IGPU only.zip
    21.5 MB · Views: 542
  • EFI for Big Sur 11.4 OC 0.6.8 IGPU headless+Nvidia.zip
    21.5 MB · Views: 565
  • EFI for Big Sur 11.4 OC 0.6.8 IGPU headless+AMD.zip
    21.5 MB · Views: 1,065
Last edited:
Not long ago, it was said that it was impossible to boot a Z490 based 11-gen system on High Sierra, and it was also said that it could not run Opencore. Well folks, this is the guide you've all been waiting for! This system is both High Sierra AND Mojave compatible!
Thanks for posting. I'd like to hear the explanation of why a 2020 Z490/10th gen CPU system works with a macOS version from back in 2017 and even Mojave from 2018. It needs some of the details of why this approach has worked while all others have failed. If you can put that info into post #1 for your readers that would be awesome.
 
Thanks for posting. I'd like to hear the explanation of why a 2020 Z490/10th gen CPU system works with a macOS version from back in 2017 and even Mojave from 2018. It needs some of the details of why this approach has worked while all others have failed. If you can put that info into post #1 for your readers that would be awesome.
Yes sure I will do that.
 
I can now confirm (with CaseySJ's help), VDA decoding along with Nvidia compatibility is now working on HS!

Screen Shot 2021-02-12 at 9.22.26 PM.png
 
I can now confirm (with CaseySJ's help), VDA decoding along with Nvidia compatibility is now working on HS!

View attachment 509085
What specific changes did you do to get vda decoding to work? I didn’t see any boot-args in your config. Thanks!
 
Some of the specific changes I made are mentioned in the last paragraph above, but the main change (for High Sierra booting) was the CPUID mask section where I replaced it with the relevant Coffee Lake ID mask and SMBIOS of iMac18,3. You can use my EFI folder if you wish (just remember to insert the serials/UUIDs into the sections I’ve marked with GENERATE).

For the VDA decoding, you need to add under Device/Properties the AAPL,ig-platform-id of 0x03009BC8, device-id of 0x9BC8000 and framebuffer-patch-enable of 01000000 for the Intel GPU’s Pciroot value.

Yes there is no boot-args in my file, because it did not require it for my setup.
 
Some of the specific changes I made are mentioned in the last paragraph above, but the main change (for High Sierra booting) was the CPUID mask section where I replaced it with the relevant Coffee Lake ID mask and SMBIOS of iMac18,3. You can use my EFI folder if you wish (just remember to insert the serials/UUIDs into the sections I’ve marked with GENERATE).

For the VDA decoding, you need to add under Device/Properties the AAPL,ig-platform-id of 0x03009BC8, device-id of 0x9BC8000 and framebuffer-patch-enable of 01000000 for the Intel GPU’s Pciroot value.

Yes there is no boot-args in my file, because it did not require it for my setup.
Interesting. So the Intel GPU allows the decoding. I happen to unfortunately have an igpu-less variant of my cpu so the only graphics device ever available for anything is the Nvidia card. There doesn’t seem to be much info on my specific combination. I guess proper decoding capabilities aren’t in my future. Thanks!
 
Interesting. So the Intel GPU allows the decoding. I happen to unfortunately have an igpu-less variant of my cpu so the only graphics device ever available for anything is the Nvidia card. There doesn’t seem to be much info on my specific combination. I guess proper decoding capabilities aren’t in my future. Thanks!

I see. Well in that case it could still work. You just need to remove the Intel GPU values from Devices/Properties and boot with nv_disable=1 for the initial installation. After that, install the CUDA and Nvidia drivers (and enable them), use boot-args dart=0 darkwake=0 slide=0 kext-dev-mode=1 npci=0x2000 nvda_drv=1 (or those in my current config.plist) and you should be good to go.

In fact the Nvidia does have some decoding capabilities too iirc but only after enabling its driver.
 
Thank you for your guide. I am considering whether to build a 10th generation system myself. If I do go ahead I will be sure to refer to your guide as I need to run Sierra / High Sierra / Mojave myself. My current Z390 system works quite well with them using Clover.

By the way, your "Arcee" system in the signature pairs a i7 9700 with a Z490 Vision D? Are they not compatible?
 
You’re most welcome!

Yes the Z490 is a very good build, definitely worth considering because of the potentials to upgrade it to 11th gen plus the PCIe 4.0 compatibility. That and having TB3 onboard makes it a really convincing build.

As for the Arcee build, actually that’s for my other AMD Catalina build at work. I couldn’t find the B550 Vision D and 5900X parts in the listing so had to stick with those for the time being!
 
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