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

[flmmkr]

O.k... if not.. then.. sounds much better already.. .. it was also never my intention to get hostile btw..

Well, everything seems properly implemented at least from the ACPI side. So we have to see why same mainboard and TB adapter allow HotPlug in my case, while in your case they do not..

I hope it is not an issue of different TB hardware... Like always, I verified TB HotPlug with my Lacie Rugged HDD and TB USB-C HotPlug with my Kanex TB3 -> HDMI adapter as well as with my Transcend USB 3.1 Type-C stick.

BTW.. SSDT-X299-TB3HP-TTR.aml GC-Titan Ridge TB HotPlug has been successfully verified in my case with both ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe and ASUS X99-A II (macOS Mojave 10.14.0). Whereas, TB USB-C incl. TB USB-C HotPlug just works with my ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe, as I am not able to connect the GC-Titan Ridge USB2.0 header with the ASUS X99-A II onboard USB2.0 header, as already mentioned before in more detail. Thus no TB USB-C functionality at all with the ASUS X99-A II.

If it is not the different TB hardware, the only reason for a different behaviour of GC-Titan Ridge TB + ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe + SSDT-X299-TB3HP-TTR.aml should be found in your BIOS settings. Although you also seem to use 10.13.6, while I verified TB HotPlug only under 10.14.0 Mojave. That it also works with 10.13.6 was just my initial assumption..

I am still convinced that TB HotPlug and TB USB-C HotPlug should also work in your case under identical conditions..

Cheers,

KGP

My Thunderbolt BIOS settings mirror what you have in the first post with the Alpine Ridge XCHI WA setting being Disabled. That’s what it was with the TBEX3 card. The only setting I changed there is ASPM is now set to Disabled whereas it was Enabled with the TBEX3 and previously in your guide.

The only Thunderbolt device I have is an Akitio Thunder 3 Quad X. I do have a Lacie Rugged Thunderbolt 1/2 drive for the next hour or so before a client comes to pick their drive up. Neither of those are hot-plugging with the Titan Ridge. The Akitio Thunder Quad X hot-plugged with the TBEX3 card, so I know the issue is not with the Akitio Thunder 3 Quad X.

I’m happy to try any setting changes and provide any files or details necessary to figure out the issue.

 

[kgp]

My Thunderbolt BIOS settings mirror what you have in the first post with the Alpine Ridge XCHI WA setting being Disabled. That’s what it was with the TBEX3 card. The only setting I changed there is ASPM is now set to Disabled whereas it was Enabled with the TBEX3 and previously in your guide.

The only Thunderbolt device I have is an Akitio Thunder 3 Quad X. I do have a Lacie Rugged Thunderbolt 1/2 drive for the next hour or so before a client comes to pick their drive up. Neither of those are hot-plugging with the Titan Ridge. The Akitio Thunder Quad X hot-plugged with the TBEX3 card, so I know the issue is not with the Akitio Thunder 3 Quad X.

I’m happy to try any setting changes and provide any files or details necessary to figure out the issue.

At least the Lacie Rugged should HotPlug. No idea how to find the knot at your side.

Are you with BIOS 1503?

 

[mm2margaret]

So, as I promised I would, here is the IOREG file from my computer after re-installing the Titan Ridge TB card. Also included are some screen shots, and a copy of my config.plist (minus the stuff in SMBIOS).

My motherboard hardware is virtually identical to yours. As I have a 7940x, some differences can be noted, but they are minor. My bios is the iMac Pro modded 1503. My TB configuration in the bios is identical to what you've posted on the first post here. My TB hardware is a GTC TB enabled external disk and the Apple OEM TB 3 to TB 2 cable. The TTR card and the Asus TB EX3 card were both installed in slot 16_3, and no settings in the bios were changed for either card. Also note that for the TTR card, I had all three cables connected (the additional power cables, the THB_C cable and the USB 2 cable).

Bottom line: Sadly, for me, the Hot Plug did NOT work in the macOS. To make sure it was not a hardware issue, I tried it in Windows. With the TB EX3 card in Windows numerous times, I disconnected the TB drive and reconnected it, and it worked. With the TTR card, I got sporadic results, it would connect, and then other times it wouldn't. Some times it would show the drive was connected when it was not.

But this is not about Windows. In macOS (and I am running 10.14.0), the TTR card was also erratic. It negatively affected my Sapphire Nitro + Vega 64 card, and it would start to spin wildly, until I applied the old usual fix of running an MP4 file in the background. If I didn't connect the TB drive before startup, it would not connect and mount at all. So, all in all, it had some negatives and it didn't seem to be any different than the Asus TB EX3 card in terms of loading and mounting my TB drive. In both cases, the appropriate .AML files were loaded for the cards.

Don't know what to say about this. I respect that for you, kgp, it worked. Maybe its a bios issue and I'm happy to send you a text file of mine, but I tend to think that it's the card itself that may be the issue. Some odd firmware revision or modification on the TTR cards we get in the US that you didn't get there. Not sure about that, of course.

I, as all of us who follow you, do appreciate all the hard work you have put in on this thread and the builds you've made possible. I do wish I had better results to report, but I can't. Too bad....

 

[kgp]

So, as I promised I would, here is the IOREG file from my computer after re-installing the Titan Ridge TB card. Also included are some screen shots, and a copy of my config.plist (minus the stuff in SMBIOS).

My motherboard hardware is virtually identical to yours. As I have a 7940x, some differences can be noted, but they are minor. My bios is the iMac Pro modded 1503. My TB configuration in the bios is identical to what you've posted on the first post here. My TB hardware is a GTC TB enabled external disk and the Apple OEM TB 3 to TB 2 cable. The TTR card and the Asus TB EX3 card were both installed in slot 16_3, and no settings in the bios were changed for either card. Also note that for the TTR card, I had all three cables connected (the additional power cables, the THB_C cable and the USB 2 cable).

Bottom line: Sadly, for me, the Hot Plug did NOT work in the macOS. To make sure it was not a hardware issue, I tried it in Windows. With the TB EX3 card in Windows numerous times, I disconnected the TB drive and reconnected it, and it worked. With the TTR card, I got sporadic results, it would connect, and then other times it wouldn't. Some times it would show the drive was connected when it was not.

But this is not about Windows. In macOS (and I am running 10.14.0), the TTR card was also erratic. It negatively affected my Sapphire Nitro + Vega 64 card, and it would start to spin wildly, until I applied the old usual fix of running an MP4 file in the background. If I didn't connect the TB drive before startup, it would not connect and mount at all. So, all in all, it had some negatives and it didn't seem to be any different than the Asus TB EX3 card in terms of loading and mounting my TB drive. In both cases, the appropriate .AML files were loaded for the cards.

Don't know what to say about this. I respect that for you, kgp, it worked. Maybe its a bios issue and I'm happy to send you a text file of mine, but I tend to think that it's the card itself that may be the issue. Some odd firmware revision or modification on the TTR cards we get in the US that you didn't get there. Not sure about that, of course.

I, as all of us who follow you, do appreciate all the hard work you have put in on this thread and the builds you've made possible. I do wish I had better results to report, but I can't. Too bad....

I ordered my GC-Titan Ridge from Amazon U.S... It is American like yours

BTW.. nothing to complain about your ACPI configuration.. Everything implemented as expected...

Thus.. the knot must be somewhere else..

BIOS settings? TB hardware? no idea..

 

[kgp]

@mm2margaret , @flmmkr ,

Now I have an idea

Did you install the TB drivers in windows, which came on the DVD attached to the GC-Titan Ridge? And did you initialise the GC-Titan Ridge with these drivers before experimenting under OSX?

This might be a crucial step you are missing, as my GC-Titan Ridge also did not properly work under macOS primarily to this windows initialisation.

Don't use the former TB Windows drivers you installed for the TBEX or GC-Alpine Ridge... Does simply not work like that!

 

[mm2margaret]

@mm2margaret , @flmmkr ,

Now I have an idea

Did you install the TB drivers in windows, which came on the DVD attached to the GC-Titan Ridge? And did you initialise the GC-Titan Ridge with these drivers before experimenting under OSX?

This might be a crucial step you are missing, as my GC-Titan Ridge also did not properly work under macOS primarily to this windows initialisation.

Don't use the former TB Windows drivers you installed for the TBEX or GC-Alpine Ridge... Does simply not work like that!

I most certainly did install and use the new drivers from the DVD......and, they are still there and they don't affect the Asus TB EX3 card....which is back in my system (because I have some things I need to work on today)...

 

[mm2margaret]

I ordered my GC-Titan Ridge from Amazon U.S... It is American like yours

BTW.. nothing to complain about your ACPI configuration.. Everything implemented as expected...

Thus.. the knot must be somewhere else..

BIOS settings? TB hardware? no idea..

I can send you a text file or a .CMO file from my bios, if you wish....but it could be just something like a compatability issue. Your hardware works, but other hardware doesn't......

 

[flmmkr]

@mm2margaret , @flmmkr ,

Now I have an idea

Did you install the TB drivers in windows, which came on the DVD attached to the GC-Titan Ridge? And did you initialise the GC-Titan Ridge with these drivers before experimenting under OSX?

This might be a crucial step you are missing, as my GC-Titan Ridge also did not properly work under macOS primarily to this windows initialisation.

Don't use the former TB Windows drivers you installed for the TBEX or GC-Alpine Ridge... Does simply not work like that!

Yes I did install the drivers in Windows before booting into MacOS. The card shows up in Windows in the Intel Thunderbolt utility, but I don’t have any Windows formatted drives to test it with. I did also try the firmware updater utility, and that says it can’t find the card, but I assumed that was because the firmware is already at the latest version. Latest firmware is from
April I think.

 

[pieropontra]

Try to see if you can change something in your monitor settings. Something like enabling/disabling displayport 1.2 compatibility

done with and without DP 1.2 compatible mode --> still capped at 60Hz

 

[mm2margaret]

Yes I did install the drivers in Windows before booting into MacOS. The card shows up in Windows in the Intel Thunderbolt utility, but I don’t have any Windows formatted drives to test it with. I did also try the firmware updater utility, and that says it can’t find the card, but I assumed that was because the firmware is already at the latest version. Latest firmware is from
April I think.

Just as aside, ExFat drives read on both Mac and Windows, and I use them extensively (mostly to transfer files back and forth). Seem to work great on both, at least for me....