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

[Loloflatsix]

I read this guide in silence (or almost since August ...)
Yesterday I finally finished assembling my x299 build.
I did some tests and I was able to boot on a previous install on an HDD with High Sierra 10.13.2 with basic configuration parameters of your excellent guide KGP ! and then I could reach after the selection of the language at starting the installation with a USB installer High Sierra 10.13.3: this is very encouraging for the future!
I am waiting for the delivery of my Samsung EVO 960 NVMe M.2 500 GB then I will refine my settings and try to move to a clean install of High Sierra 10.13.3.
To be continued...

 

[AnaktuvGod]

So my friends,

40 pages of Sleep/Wake discussion, some further attacks against me and my person.. And the solution was given already by @Matthew82 form InsanelyMac and myself in post #4169, roughly 450 posts ago ...

Error E3 and KP at wake are indeed CPU related! Sleep/Wake does not work without the xcpm_core_scope_msrs kernel patch, even with patched mainboard BIOS we get Error E3 and KP on Wake.

If you still face sporadic wakes from sleep, go back to post #4169 and see the additional solution.

If anybody else faces issues with PWR fans after wake like I do, please report back. I don't know if the latter could be related with some imperfect BIOS firmware patching.. we have to see and wait....

@interferenc, you know that we still use 3 BIOS firmware patches, while just ONE seems sufficient to unlock the MSR BIOS register, if one follows @fabiosun's recommendations and instructions on InsanelyMac?

Up to my knowledge, @DSM2 was the only one who just applied one firmware patch instead of the three proposed by @interferenc. And only for him Sleep/Wake worked flawless, also without the xcpm_core_scope_msrs kernel patch... The same states for the Gigabyte board he is on now, which anyway has unlocked MSR register.

I asked everybody to check and reply on the divergence between 3 and 1 firmware patches, as I also asked everybody to check and reply on post #4169 .. and of course I guess nearly nobody did ....

Happy reading of the last 1000 to 2000 posts to some of you...

Enjoy and have fun

View attachment 309423

I don't think anyone was attacking you or you person @kgp. Again, this guide is awesome and I appreciate you for all the hard work you put into it...however, your response was totally bitter in regards to accusing me of spreading my R6E instability bullcrap when indeed it was some iX299 Pro bullcrap caused by a suggestion you told me to do which was to disable xcpm_core_scope_msrs kernal patch. I haven't experienced any crashes or KPs until then. You just had a very foul response which if you ask me was irrelevant and could have been handled in a more "PROFESSIONAL" and respectful way that's all.

But keep it up with the hard work man. Again couldn't have gotten this far without you.

 

[RuleBreaker01]

Question:
After patching BIOS (1102), ( successed iMac Pro BIOS Welcome Screen, Unlock MSR 0xE2) my MB no longer has Aura Ambient Light. Does anyone know how to enable it again? I read the ASUS Manual book few times and somehow couldn't find it?

 

[kgp]

Question:
After patching BIOS (1102), ( successed iMac Pro BIOS Welcome Screen, Unlock MSR 0xE2) my MB no longer has Aura Ambient Light. Does anyone know how to enable it again? I read the ASUS Manual book few times and somehow couldn't find it?

You have a Windows Aura program to manage and configure all onboard led. Just download it from the ASUS homepage for your mainboard under "Utilities".

DOWNLOAD

 

[AnaktuvGod]

Question:
After patching BIOS (1102), ( successed iMac Pro BIOS Welcome Screen, Unlock MSR 0xE2) my MB no longer has Aura Ambient Light. Does anyone know how to enable it again? I read the ASUS Manual book few times and somehow couldn't find it?

Check in your advanced menu in the bios and see if the setting is set for onboard led. My manual for the R6E shows its under ROG effects and RGB LED lighting. Yours may differ with the prime bout should still be located somewhere in that advanced menu. This is assuming you never saved your previous bios settings before flashing?

 

[kgp]

Check in your advanced menu in the bios and see if the setting is set for onboard led. My manual for the R6E shows its under ROG effects and RGB LED lighting. Yours may differ with the prime bout should still be located somewhere in that advanced menu. This is assuming you never saved your previous bios settings before flashing?

@RuleBreaker01, see /Advanced/Onboard Devices Configuration/RGB LED lighting/

 

[RuleBreaker01]

You have a Windows Aura program to manage and configure all onboard led. Just download it from the ASUS homepage for your mainboard under "Utilities".

DOWNLOAD

Yup, I forgot that "The iMac Pro" is still a Window PC lol..
Thanks man,

 

[RuleBreaker01]

Check in your advanced menu in the bios and see if the setting is set for onboard led. My manual for the R6E shows its under ROG effects and RGB LED lighting. Yours may differ with the prime bout should still be located somewhere in that advanced menu. This is assuming you never saved your previous bios settings before flashing?

I have three systems run on the same Deluxe board, 6, 8 and 10 cores, lol...The 6 cores (7800X) being updated today and BIOS was 1004, so no Backup anyway, .. Thanks for replying,

 

[lamidue]

1.) The issue is neither related with your assumed possibilities of not having checked something in Clover Configurator nor with the Nvidia Web Driver. It seems rather an issue of your GPU Firmware (Maxwell or Pascal?), which seems not to be fully compatible with UEFI. Thus, either provide your GPU with a UEFI compatible firmware, or do something I don't like and never recommend at all: enable CMS in BIOS.

2.) To your second question: I guess nearly anybody along this thread, who performed already the update to 10.13.3 (17D2047) from 10.13.2 (17C2120) or 10.13.2 SA (17C2205), achieved the update without any issues.

If you are afraid about updating your currents system to 10.13.3 (17D2047), just perform previously to the update a backup of your 10.13.2 (17C2120) or 10.13.2 SA (17C2205) System Disk by means of Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) and you are save in 100%. If anything fails, what I do not suppose, you always have the possibility to restore the backup from your clone drive. Don't forget to provide the latter also with an EFI-Folder, thus it is bootable.

Good luck and have fun,

KGP

Thanks @kgp , changing the BIOS boot setting CMS to on solved the problem with the Display Port going black upon boot. I've been running for some time without noticing problems with performance. From pure curiosity, what disadvantages could CMS enabled cause to the system?

1 question
With the Nvidia Web Driver for High Sierra 10.13.2, I noticed how flawless and responsive the OS UI behaved (Finder + the various animations of windows). Now, with the Nvidia Web Drivers for 10.13.3 387.10.10.10.25.157 the OS UI has become much less responsive and tends not to update as effectively. It's not terrible, just not at all as good with the previous for High Sierra 10.13.2.
Is this solvable from my side or is this solely up to Nvidia for future updates?

I can't tell you how happy I am for the guide!

Best

 

[AnaktuvGod]

I have done that exactly.

Using this adapter:
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/BCM9...F-Key-A-E-Adapter-For-Mac-OS/32790447969.html
And using this latest iMac card:
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/2015...-0-Airport-Card-BCM943602CDP/32741620368.html

I had to remove the io shroud and cut a bit off the Go module, as the iMac card is bigger. I also re-used the internal antennas on my mac pro case. I have seen link speeds of above a gigabit.

There is a smaller card from macbook airs you can use without cutting anything:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/BroadCom-BCM...-653-0023-A-/172690161883?hash=item283522c0db

These however are higher and you cannot re-use the existing antenna cables.

I also used a slim antenna in my previous case:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01D64TZ48/?tag=tonymacx8603-21

You have to mount the antenna OUTSIDE your case, otherwise you will have no signal.

So just to clarify the slot on the board for wifi...in your case with the X299 Strix (I assume all ASUS GO!s are the same on all ASUS boards), is it a slot to fit a half-mini pcie card or is it populated with m.2 ngff wifi card. Just want to be sure before I decide on my final purchase. I'm going off the past experience of the GO! modules being half-mini pci express. This was years back so seeing as I haven't removed the IO shroud on the R6E I don't know which slot is there. Seeing as this is an upgraded platform from the past is it safe to assume that the slot is now for m.2 and not pcie? It's seeming simpler to just get the damn PCIE slot one @kgp recommends and slap it underneath my thunderbolt card somewhere but now I seemed to be more intrigued with the project of getting onboard wifi going. I personally want to at least give it a crack. If all fails and I don't have the patience for getting it working then the recommended card in the guide will be purchased immediately 1 second after my frustration.