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

[kgp]

Have you installed the whatevergreen kernel extension? If not please do.

If yes, then I suggest you try with the latest VegaFixup kext (remove whatevergreen) and restart. Also make sure to use the right Vega ssdt, the one for the card with 3 DP and 1 HDMI, or remove it completely for now.

@Rulebreaker01, @benjackson ,

please read post #10958 of @Loloflatsix ! I don't see any need for further discussing this supposed issue, which seems totally unnecessary and just confuses the reader.

He is anyway going to publish his results for his Vega 56 this afternoon. Thus, please just some patience in the meanwhile.

I don't want to see another 20 pages about a supposed problem, which is non-existent and rather has to be traced back to user application errors.

Thanks in advance,

KGP

 

[dk1306]

I'm planning to upgrade to mojave. With 980gtx (Maxwell) are there some major disadvantages of patching the driver?

 

[kgp]

I'm planning to upgrade to mojave. With 980gtx (Maxwell) are there some major disadvantages of patching the driver?

Yes.. your 980GTX will be practically useless without a 10.14 web driver, even after patching a 10.13 web driver, which also is practically useless under 10.14.

All users with Nvidia Maxwell and Pascal GPUs should better stay away from Mojave for now.

In general, I kindly ask to post questions concerning Mojave in my respective 10.14 X99 or X299 iMac Pro threads and not here. The new threads have been opened for some reason.

 

[dk1306]

Yes.. your 980GTX will be practically useless without a 10.14 web driver, even after patching a 10.13 web driver, which also is practically useless under 10.14.

All users with Nvidia Maxwell and Pascal GPUs should better stay away from Mojave for now.

ok, thank you so much. I'll wait

 

[Il.F]

Something must be wrong in your system configuration... yet it is not possible to see your Skylake-X/X299 system specs from your profile or signature as required by the forum rules. We don’t even know about which system we are actually talking in your particular case. Uploading Snapshots of your BIOS settings, uploading "PCI" snapshots of Apple's system report, uploading your EFI-Folder and finally also uploading an IROEG.save of your ACPI configuration might shed further light on your apparent issues.

@kgp , here are all requested files. For now, Samsung 850 EVO M.2 (my test ssd) is installed and SSDT-X299-Nvidia.aml is not implemented.
Thx for your time.

 

[kgp]

@kgp , here are all requested files. For now, Samsung 850 EVO M.2 (my test ssd) is installed and SSDT-X299-Nvidia.aml is not implemented.
Thx for your time.

Many, but really many, many errors, my friend....

First at all, I don't know how you come to the conclusion that your system would boot without FakeSMC.kext, which is by default part of my EFI-Folder distribution. No idea which devil recommended you to remove this kext! No surprise, if your system did not boot or behave as expected.

However, let me highlight all individual errors chronologically:

1.) BIOS:
a.) Why don't you enable the XMP profile and does your DDR4 really only support 2666 MHz?
b.) I would disable EIST
c.) I would reflash original BIOS 1503 and manually disable MSR Lock within your BIOS settings. I never patched BIOS 1503, and I do not know if your system would properly behave with a patched BIOS 1503. All former boot issues with original BIOS 1503 should be removed after adding FakeSMC.kext.

2.) Modified EFI-Folder attached below:
a.) update to Clover_v2.4k_r4699
b.) Adding FakeSMC.kext (part of my default EFI-Folder distribution), ACPISensors.kext, CPUSensors.kext, GPUSensors.kext and LPCSensors.kext to /EFI/Clover/kexts/Other/... Sensor kexts to be used with iStat Menus v6.2!
c.) Removing IOSCSensor.kext
d.) Adding AGPMEnabler.kext (part of my default EFI-Folder distribution)
e.) Upgrading Lilu+Lilu Plugins: implementation of Lilu.kext v1.2.7, AppleALC.kext v.1.3.2, Whatevergreen v1.2.3
f.) fixing errors in SSDT-X299A-XHC.aml and adding SSDT-X299-Nvidia.aml
g.) For config.plist corrections see 3.) below

3.) Config.plist correction:
a.) Removing obsolete and conflicting ACPI Replacements
b.) Correcting and sorting boot flags, Correcting other Clover boot settings: Legacy -> PBR, Default Boot Loader -> BOOTX64.efi, Default Boot Volume -> LastBootedVolume
c.) Completing SMBIOS iMacPro entries, Board Serial Number, Serial Number and SmUUID yet to be added!
d.) Unchecking NvidiaWeb under System Parameters for now.. can be reenabled if deemed necessary.

Conclusions:
1.) Reflash your mainboard with unpatched BIOS 1503 and reload your BIOS settings. Don't forget to manually disable MSR lock in your BIOS settings.
2.) Use EFI-Folder attached below. Yet complete Board Serial Number, Serial Number and SmUUID in config.plist before booting your system!
3.) Your system should now properly boot and work as expected.

I don't know why one would miss-configure my original EFI-Folder distribution in a way you did. I really hope that all changes introduced above will now result in a stable and fully functional system.

Good luck and all the best,

KGP

 

[Il.F]

@kgp , thx man. I'll try and report the result.
Some notes from my side:
1. Yes, only 2666. I prefer to manually control speed and timings. These BIOS settings are semi-default, just for 1st setup on new machines, then I'm tweaking it individually.
2. Will disable EIST
3. IOSCSensor.kext is FakeSMC.kext, just renamed (don't ask about the story behind this situation )
4. Will update Clover.
5. I'm adding sensors only if needed. Most of the time, I don't need monitoring.
6. Whatevergreen.kext was only outdated.
7. AGPMEnabler.kext for GPU power tuning, right? But I had no issues with card's performance. Or is it significant for correct sleep/wake?

 

[kgp]

@kgp , thx man. I'll try and report the result.
Some notes from my side:
1. Yes, only 2666. I prefer to manually control speed and timings. These BIOS settings are semi-default, just for 1st setup on new machines, then I'm tweaking it individually.
2. Will disable EIST
3. IOSCSensor.kext is FakeSMC.kext, just renamed (don't ask about the story behind this situation )
4. Will update Clover.
5. I'm adding sensors only if needed. Most of the time, I don't need monitoring.
6. Whatevergreen.kext was only outdated.
7. AGPMEnabler.kext for GPU power tuning, right? But I had no issues with card's performance. Or is it significant for correct sleep/wake?

No idea if AGPM would also affect sleep/wake. Please investigate although I doubt that it does.

Well if you say that IOSCSensor.kext is exactly the FakeSMC.kext originally implemented in my EFI-Folder distribution we have to see if all problems have been really removed after my current fixing.

Please just try everything as now proposed and implemented and report back with results. In the recent EFI-Folder attached to my previous reply, everything proposed has been already adopted and implemented.

If I correctly remember, you previously mentioned to build Skylake-X/X299 system for your friends and colleagues. I hope this does not happen on a commercial level.

Good luck!

KGP

 

[Loloflatsix]

Here are my results for the implementation of SSDT-X299-Vega.aml without any change, no fan issue with my Radeon RX Vega 56 :

- PCi with right implementation on slot 1 for Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU and on slot 1 for Rx Vega 56 8Gb HD Audio
- IOreg is OK for IOACPIPlane:/_SB/PC02@0/BR2A@0/PEGP@0/EGP0@0/GFX0@0 and IOACPIPlane:/_SB/PC02@0/BR2A@0/PEGP@0/EGP0@0/HDAU@1
- IOreg shows PP_phmSoftWTTable too.
- You can see my SSDTs ACPI /Patched files.

( Notice I use VegaGraphicsFixup.kext to boot with TEX3 through USB_C with Hot plug)

All is good.

 

[kgp]

Here are my results for the implementation of SSDT-X299-Vega.aml without any change, no fan issue with my Radeon RX Vega 56 :

- PCi with right implementation on slot 1 for Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU and on slot 1 for Rx Vega 56 8Gb HD Audio
- IOreg is OK for IOACPIPlane:/_SB/PC02@0/BR2A@0/PEGP@0/EGP0@0/GFX0@0 and IOACPIPlane:/_SB/PC02@0/BR2A@0/PEGP@0/EGP0@0/HDAU@1
- IOreg shows PP_phmSoftWTTable too.
- You can see my SSDTs ACPI /Patched files.

( Notice I use VegaGraphicsFixup.kext to boot with TEX3 through USB_C with Hot plug)

All is good.

View attachment 356968 View attachment 356969

So you have which display connected via TBEX 3 TB? Or is the display connected via Displayport? Did you test all ports of your vega 56? VegaGraphicsFixup is mandatory or is one also able to use Whatevergreen?