How to build your own iMac Pro [Successful Build/Extended Guide]

[RuleBreaker01]

Can someone give some technical advice about virtualization on this system please? At present I have VT-D disabled as per the guide. sysctl -a | grep machdep.cpu.features yields VT-X support (obviously, since 7940x). If I want to run Windows inside a VM (Parallels or VMWare), do I need to change any specific settings? I am not interested in PCI-E passthrough.
Also, does Parallels or VMWare perform better on an x299 Hackintosh?

Thank you.

I use VMWare, and have for years. I used to use Parallel at a time it was slightly less expensive, however I found it over the years to be slightly less fast and not support new macOS feature as well as VMWare (like internal webcam or audio cards)

Also VMWare exists on all platforms, so I can use the VM I created on Mac on a Linux or Windows box and vice versa.
Additionally, creating a virtual drive that is a real partition is easy to do (need to play with a command line utility).

 

[zzmadd]

Hi all,

How to delete this?

 

[apfelnico]

No, your cooling is too weak.

 

[zzmadd]

I use those settings :

According to the settings and screen capabilities we must enable Baffin ( DP or Hdmi port) or Ellesmere seems more better allows user both DP or ThunderboltEX3 with USB_C.

So we know that AMD9500Controller.kext through AMDRadeonX4000.kext enable the Baffin or Ellesmere personality of the Polaris 11 line of graphics cards.
But to unlock more performance. Due to Baffin or Ellesmere GPU using no more than 16 computing units, the RX 580 is restricted at 16 CUs. The genius minds in the Mac community (okras and Fl0r!an) have found yet another workaround to enable all 36 computing units on the RX 580. This should give a nice boost in OpenCL performance.

What we need to do :
1. download this script: https://www.theitsage.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/enable-baffin-CUs.sh_.zip
2. Terminal: chmod +x enable-baffin-CUs.sh
3. Terminal: for Ellesmere sudo ./enable-baffin-CUs.sh ellesmere 36 or just for Baffin sudo ./enable-baffin-CUs.sh baffin 36
4. Reboot.

In High Sierra 10.13.6 no Whatevergreen.kext just set this in config.plist :

    <key>Graphics</key>
    <dict>
        <key>FBName</key>
        <string>Baffin</string>
        <key>Inject</key>
        <dict>
            <key>ATI</key>
            <false/>
            <key>Intel</key>
            <false/>
            <key>NVidia</key>
            <false/>
        </dict>
        <key>NvidiaSingle</key>
        <false/>
        <key>VideoPorts</key>
        <integer>5</integer>
    </dict>

Hi there.
I'm having 1 issue with a Sapphire RX 580 8GB Nitro Special Edition on a build based on this guide.
Asus Prime X299-A, i7 7820X.
The 1 issue is exporting in Final Cut Pro X using H264 / H265.
After I run the export the system reaches 20% circa then it hangs in there and the whole interface becomes very slow.
Is there a solution to this without buying a VEGA?
Thanks for your help.

 

[zzmadd]

I never said that gpus amd was not used, I say that polaris RX580 fails because FCPX is apparently using AMD's VCE (Video Coding Engine) hardware acceleration for H264 and HEVC encode / decode.

This affects not in the video editing, but it does affect in its export and from what I am reading in the support forum of apple in vega it does not happen, but with polaris yes.

As I said before I only have a fault when I export in h264 or h265(HVEC) and clarify, using RX580 Polaris Architecture. Everything else works OOB without problems.

@izo1 he is right, better for this field acquire a vega 64, less problems.

a case of many https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8231532

Xerox I'm having the exact same issue. Is there a solution to the H264 / H265 issue in FCPX?
Thanks.

 

[franksanderdo]

Can someone give some technical advice about virtualization on this system please? At present I have VT-D disabled as per the guide. sysctl -a | grep machdep.cpu.features yields VT-X support (obviously, since 7940x). If I want to run Windows inside a VM (Parallels or VMWare), do I need to change any specific settings? I am not interested in PCI-E passthrough.
Also, does Parallels or VMWare perform better on an x299 Hackintosh?

Thank you.

Hi @ddsmith11111993

I have tested and used both, parallels desktop and VMware fusion, on my x299 OSX and could not really see a difference in performance. In my BIOS I have enabled VT-X as well as VT-D.
As another user said, VMware is more flexible as soon as you have other platforms in use as well.
Last time I checked the price difference was April. 10 US$ !?

All the Best,
Frank

 

[zzmadd]

And just to add to it even in Da Vinci Resolve export to to H264 fails.
So Basically any other Radeon than the RX Vega leads to failure to export to H264 / H265?
Is there anyone here that had setup this type of hardware:
X299 platform, through a different System Profile, such as Mac Pro definition?
Or anyone that had fixed the video exporting issue related to anything AMD other than Vega?
Otherwise this is a pretty restrictive implementation.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[kgp]

And just to add to it even in Da Vinci Resolve export to to H264 fails.
So Basically any other Radeon than the RX Vega leads to failure to export to H264 / H265?
Is there anyone here that had setup this type of hardware:
X299 platform, through a different System Profile, such as Mac Pro definition?
Or anyone that had fixed the video exporting issue related to anything AMD other than Vega?
Otherwise this is a pretty restrictive implementation.

Thanks in advance for your help.

SMBIOS iMacPro1,1 does not support iGPU... change to RX Radeon Vega 56/64/Frontier

 

[zzmadd]

SMBIOS iMacPro1,1 does not support iGPU... change to RX Radeon Vega 56/64/Frontier

What does it mean?
Since the RX 580 is implemented in systems that have iGPU whatever App uses Apple API for transcoding video with a RX 580 looks for the missing iGPU?

Did anyone try a Mac Pro SMBIOS for X299 systems?
There must be a solution other than spending another Eu 350.

 

[Loloflatsix]

What does it mean?
Since the RX 580 is implemented in systems that have iGPU whatever App uses Apple API for transcoding video with a RX 580 looks for the missing iGPU?

Did anyone try a Mac Pro SMBIOS for X299 systems?
There must be a solution other than spending another Eu 350.

Take a look here but there are issue even with iGPU :
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...support-h264-does-not-support-hevc-hw.240353/

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/amd-radeon-rx-580-rx-570-released.219777/page-14

With Vega 56 / 64 :
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/high-sierra-rx-vega-final-cut-h-264-fix.233067/page-17