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

[izo1]

I already followed page 1 guide for AppleALC.kext and it broke my system, I know that’s my fault but I’m really scared to try again simply because first try caused me to reinstall whole system. It’s safe to use an alternative guide with @kgp guide? I tried multi beast too but it broke everything again. I know you cannot hold my hand but, as explained, I already tried this stuffs and they screwed my whole day

You don't need to reinstall the OS every time for kext updates....they are easily moved and removed from the EFI/Kext/other folder.

DO NOT use Multibeast if you are using this guide. It messes with the system kext folders and resets the kext cache and all kinds of funky stuff.

You need to keep everything "vanilla."

Why are you using Multibeast when you were advised not to if you follow this guide?

Don't jump the gun by doing things on your own.

Just exactly follow the guide and when you hit a problem, just post here and we will try to help you out.

When you do things that are out of bounds for a vanilla install, then it is hard for us to help you.

Initially it took me 3-5 installs with this guide to get it going to a good place.

And I am not new to Hackintoshes, this is probably my 4th or 5th Hackintosh over the years and I always do "vanilla".

 

[izo1]

I haven't gotten any artifacts or issues with CUDA rendering in any apps. Sounds like a unique situation for you.

In the future, Metal is a better option. Right now, CUDA is still better overall. It doesn't make sense to buy a new GPU right now if you already have one anyway. Nvidia's new cards are just around the corner and AMD likely isn't far behind.

Artifacts are known issues especially when you install the CUDA drivers. The artifacts happen all over the operating system, not the final files. Google around.

CUDA is not that much better on macOS. Maybe under Windows with a Quadro card, sure.

You have to understand that the 1080Ti is a much faster card than anything AMD has to offer right now, even with compute power usually being better on AMD cards, the 1080Ti is a beastly card.

If you are going to use FCPX, I would not recommend 1080Ti at all.

If you are using Adobe apps, you can use 10x0 cards or AMD cards.

I never said CUDA isn't good, especially with a fast card like the 1080Ti.

I went with the Vega FE instead of the 1080Ti Hybrid because of 2 reason:

1) No need for waiting for "unofficial drivers"
2) Terrible drivers by NVIDIA, which are super buggy and not optimized for Metal 2 WindowServer in High Sierra
3) Apple has depreciated OpenCL, so the future is about Metal
4) Apple has heavily invested in AMD last 4 years on the Mac and has hired AMD engineers to work on optimizations for Metal 2
5) FCPX was unusable with Dual NVIDIA cards (it just stutters)
6) CUDA green artifacts all over the OS
7) Metal is the future and NVIDIA has not stepped up their game to support it

I highly doubt you're having 0 issues with High Sierra and NVIDIA. I really really doubt it. Especially if you're into doing post-production with Adobe apps.

I push my systems to the max and NVIDIA was unusable for me with High Sierra. Sierra it was fine.

Also NVIDIA has no incentive to release new GPUs when they're the king and milking every last penny out of the consumers. AMD has no competitor to the 1080Ti. NVIDIA can probably even wait 6-10 months until next release.

 

[pieropontra]

You don't need to reinstall the OS every time for kext updates....they are easily moved and removed from the EFI/Kext/other folder.

DO NOT use Multibeast if you are using this guide. It messes with the system kext folders and resets the kext cache and all kinds of funky stuff.

You need to keep everything "vanilla."

Why are you using Multibeast when you were advised not to if you follow this guide?

Don't jump the gun by doing things on your own.

Just exactly follow the guide and when you hit a problem, just post here and we will try to help you out.

When you do things that are out of bounds for a vanilla install, then it is hard for us to help you.

Initially it took me 3-5 installs with this guide to get it going to a good place.

And I am not new to Hackintoshes, this is probably my 4th or 5th Hackintosh over the years and I always do "vanilla".

Ok fine, I'll Google how to modify kext without reinstall the system. Anyway I keep having "couldn't allocate runtime area" error at boot and this time I got kgp EFI folder, no modifications a part from serial/uuid on config plist and some kext. The system boots normally for a couple of times then show this error and stops booting. Seriously, I'm going mad! Sorry mate, I should had buy a Z370, I'm really sorry and discouraged.

 

[taskforce21]

I think PCI devices are not configure properly. See attached. I feel some hiccups here and there; ie: my wireless mouse cursor sometimes goes crazy, noticing some lag when macOS loads. If watching YouTube and open a new tab, when go back to YouTube tab there is a jump on the video playing.

View attachment 340798

I’ve also noticed some hiccups here and there so it might just be the Nvidia drivers. Can you upload your EFI folder with your serial number,etc removed?
Also can you list what device is in each slot and a copy of your IOReg?
I should be able to help with the PCI implementation[/QUOTE]

I Just grab the entire EFI folder and upload it??
So far i only have the 1080 ti. Where i get the IOReg?

Sorry never done it before.

 

[izo1]

Ok fine, I'll Google how to modify kext without reinstall the system. Anyway I keep having "couldn't allocate runtime area" error at boot and this time I got kgp EFI folder, no modifications a part from serial/uuid on config plist and some kext. The system boots normally for a couple of times then show this error and stops booting. Seriously, I'm going mad! Sorry mate, I should had buy a Z370, I'm really sorry and discouraged.

I suggest you reinstall again by wiping your SSD from Windows (if you have it installed).

Start command line as admin, then:

1) diskpart
2) list disk
3) Look for your macOS SSD (you can tell by the size and position of the sata ports) and if you need help identifying it more, start Disk Management and look at the Disk #
4) select disk #2 (example #2)
NOTE #1: DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK YOU SELECTED THE CORRECT ONE.
NOTE #2: DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK YOU SELECTED THE CORRECT ONE.
NOTE #3: DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK YOU SELECTED THE CORRECT ONE.
5) clean (WARNING, THIS IS IRREVERSIBLE)

This will COMPLETELY wipe all partitions including EFI so be warned that you need to select the correct disk or else you will wipe the wrong disk.

You can do the same from Terminal when you boot from your macOS USB stick via "gpt destroy" command, but it's better to do it in Windows if you're not familiar with Terminal. At least you have a UI to work with.

Once you clean your SSD we can start from scratch.

Follow this guide we're on completely anew, then when you get to audio, post here we'll help you.

Do not mess with the serial # stuff yet or UUID for iMessage, that one is a bit of trial and error. Leave them empty for now.

Keep in mind since it seems that you are new to Hackintoshing, don't rush through the process, because you want it to be as stable as possible and avoid reinstalling anything in the future.

My current system is very stable and I rarely even mount the EFI partition or mess with anything and system updates work perfectly fine.

I keep a CLONED SSD (1TB) every time before I do a major system update just in case. And I also run Time Machine (with a 2TB internal enterprise HDD) just for safety purposes.

 

[taskforce21]

@taskforce21 if you already have a 1080TI, stick with it. I tested a Vega Frontier Edition a couple months ago and it was no better than my 1080TI for the most part, and in some apps was worse than the 1080TI. Performance in FCPX and Compressor was about the same. With certain codecs the Vega FE edged out the 1080TI in FCPX, but the difference wasn’t worth spending the money on the Vega FE and then having to try selling my 1080TI.

Install the latest Nvidia web driver. Then install the latest CUDA for Mac driver. Then get DaVinci Resolve Studio for only $300. Set the processing in Resolve preferences to CUDA. Enjoy faster rendering with your H264 video.

Also, don’t use iMovie. FCPX will have better performance and more options. You bought a decent camera. Spend a little more money on proper editing software for it.

I will look into DaVinci Resolve Studio. Thank you for the info, you giving me hope. I really didn't want to get rid off my 1080Ti.

 

[izo1]

@taskforce21 & @flmmkr I would highly advise against NVIDIA if you are doing post production with High Sierra and above.

This is coming from a guy who has been doing this for 20 years...just a heads up, you're not going to have fun.

If you do this day in and day out, just stick to AMD for now, CUDA is not worth the hassle.

You guys have to realize that the SMBIOS matters and there are different things that macOS does on different SMBIOS subsystems.

For example, the iMac Pro 1,1 SMBIOS has no iGPU and it is geared for AMD Vega (only). As an example FCPX cannot use QuickSync on this SMBIOS, so it uses Vega architecture's decoder/encoder.

If you use a iMac 18,3, it has an iGPU + dGPU and you must enable iGPU to match the iMac SMBIOS as much as possible to avoid issues.

There's a lot of code under the hood that is very sporadic for different systems and Apple has been doing it this way for a while. It's not like Windows where every little feature will work "out of the box"...I would say Windows is more open (obviously) than macOS....but on to my other point below...

You are going to post a lot here regarding issues with NVIDIA + production apps, so beware that you have been warned.

The overall point for a stable system, especially if you're a professional, is to have a stable system and avoid any mishaps and tinkering every day because time = money. Unless you do this as a hobby, it's fine...

Best of luck in your new endeavors.

 

[djlild7hina]

I Just grab the entire EFI folder and upload it??
So far i only have the 1080 ti. Where i get the IOReg?

Sorry never done it before.

Yep just download ioregistry explorer in the first post and open the app and save the file. And yes the whole efi folder. If you put in a serial number like in step d.1 of the guide make sure to remove that using clover configurater before uploading.

 

[flmmkr]

Artifacts are known issues especially when you install the CUDA drivers. The artifacts happen all over the operating system, not the final files. Google around.

CUDA is not that much better on macOS. Maybe under Windows with a Quadro card, sure.

You have to understand that the 1080Ti is a much faster card than anything AMD has to offer right now, even with compute power usually being better on AMD cards, the 1080Ti is a beastly card.

If you are going to use FCPX, I would not recommend 1080Ti at all.

If you are using Adobe apps, you can use 10x0 cards or AMD cards.

I never said CUDA isn't good, especially with a fast card like the 1080Ti.

I went with the Vega FE instead of the 1080Ti Hybrid because of 2 reason:

1) No need for waiting for "unofficial drivers"
2) Terrible drivers by NVIDIA, which are super buggy and not optimized for Metal 2 WindowServer in High Sierra
3) Apple has depreciated OpenCL, so the future is about Metal
4) Apple has heavily invested in AMD last 4 years on the Mac and has hired AMD engineers to work on optimizations for Metal 2
5) FCPX was unusable with Dual NVIDIA cards (it just stutters)
6) CUDA green artifacts all over the OS
7) Metal is the future and NVIDIA has not stepped up their game to support it

I highly doubt you're having 0 issues with High Sierra and NVIDIA. I really really doubt it. Especially if you're into doing post-production with Adobe apps.

I push my systems to the max and NVIDIA was unusable for me with High Sierra. Sierra it was fine.

Also NVIDIA has no incentive to release new GPUs when they're the king and milking every last penny out of the consumers. AMD has no competitor to the 1080Ti. NVIDIA can probably even wait 6-10 months until next release.

CUDA is better on macOS with apps that support it and don't have good Metal or OpenCL support. The issues you're describing with Nvidia cards and CUDA are not what I've experienced, and not everyone has experienced those issues. I have not had issues with green artifacts, ever, with any Nvidia card on my computers. I do use FCPX and have a single 1080TI, and it works fine with no issues. See my benchmarks that I posted earlier. Again, I'm not having issues with Nvidia and High Sierra either, including using the latest versions of Adobe apps, FCPX, and DaVinci Resolve Studio, as well as some other software. I have no reason to lie about it, and if I was having issues I would have stuck with the Vega FE when I tested it. I'm not saying you're lying either. I'm sure you are having issues, but the issues don't exist for everyone and maybe can't be fully blamed on Nvidia.

That said, I do agree that having to update the drivers constantly with every OS update is annoying, as is having to wait to be able to install those OS updates until Nvidia releases updated drivers. The Nvidia drivers lately have been better too.

I also agree that Metal is the future for macOS, but I don't think CUDA is going anywhere soon as it's still important for Windows and there are apps that do support and utilize CUDA processing very well in macOS. If things keep going in the direction they are, then I do see AMD becoming even better, potentially better than Nvidia, but they aren't there quite yet. And I don't see Nvidia just sitting back and waiting. Maybe the new Nvidia GPU's that are coming out will have better Metal support. Nvidia has to see that they stand to gain a lot of sales with the eGPU business.

 

[flmmkr]

@taskforce21 & @flmmkr I would highly advise against NVIDIA if you are doing post production with High Sierra and above.

This is coming from a guy who has been doing this for 20 years...just a heads up, you're not going to have fun.

If you do this day in and day out, just stick to AMD for now, CUDA is not worth the hassle.

You guys have to realize that the SMBIOS matters and there are different things that macOS does on different SMBIOS subsystems.

For example, the iMac Pro 1,1 SMBIOS has no iGPU and it is geared for AMD Vega (only). As an example FCPX cannot use QuickSync on this SMBIOS, so it uses Vega architecture's decoder/encoder.

If you use a iMac 18,3, it has an iGPU + dGPU and you must enable iGPU to match the iMac SMBIOS as much as possible to avoid issues.

There's a lot of code under the hood that is very sporadic for different systems and Apple has been doing it this way for a while. It's not like Windows where every little feature will work "out of the box"...I would say Windows is more open (obviously) than macOS....but on to my other point below...

You are going to post a lot here regarding issues with NVIDIA + production apps, so beware that you have been warned.

The overall point for a stable system, especially if you're a professional, is to have a stable system and avoid any mishaps and tinkering every day because time = money. Unless you do this as a hobby, it's fine...

Best of luck in your new endeavors.

Just because you've been in post for 20 years doesn't mean I should do what you say. I've been doing this for almost 25 years. Again, I have Nvidia, as do many others, and I'm not having these issues you're describing. Look at my benchmarks and you'll see that Nvidia performs well in macOS and with FCPX. The 1080TI is just plainly a better GPU than anything AMD is offering. In a year or two the story might be different, but right now there's really no reason to dump a 1080TI to get an AMD GPU and not get any improved performance from it. The guide here for this X299 system has done a great job integrating Nvidia GPU's.