pastrychef's Asus ROG Strix Z370-G Gaming (WI-FI AC) build w/ i9-9900K + AMD 6600 XT

[pastrychef]

Oh, that's sad.. I have no idea what's wrong.
Will try to reinstall nvidia driver and unplug new SSD.

I have 1060 as an eGPU in my wife's MBP, so I might try it... else I don't really know what might be the issue..

Is your SSD seen as an internal drive?

 

[Mech314]

Is your SSD seen as an internal drive?

Yes it is

I digged a bit through pmset log and here how the failure record looks like:
Time stamp Domain Message Duration Delay
========== ====== ======= ======== =====
UUID: Unknown UUID
2018-11-29 22:24:21 -0600 Failure Sleep Failure [code:0xFFFFFFFF0400001F]:
Sleep/Wakes since boot at 2018-11-28 21:39:09 -0600 :0 Dark Wake Count in this sleep cycle:14

Time stamp Domain Message Duration Delay
========== ====== ======= ======== =====
UUID: Unknown UUID
2018-11-30 16:29:36 -0600 Failure Sleep Failure [code:0xFFFFFFFF0400001F]:
Sleep/Wakes since boot at 2018-11-29 22:24:21 -0600 :0 Dark Wake Count in this sleep cycle:5

Time and sleep cycles differ from record to record...

Additionally, it looks like that the first failure happened on Nov 27th, but the recent update is from Nov 21st. GPU was installed way before that.

Only now I realized that I can see my GPU in PCI devices in system report, my previous GTX 1070 wasn't showing there at all and the entire section was empty.

 

[sttony]

Woohoo! Sold my old i7-8700K.

I guess I want to go the amd route too , what would be a good starting point since your always able to point me in the right dirrection on builds. Also i dont know if you know how to fix this but I thought id ask , my mouse seems to get stuck when I click on things like for a long time. I always end up rebooting , this does not happen on the Pc side. Any idea , I have a logitech master 2x ..Thanks

 

[elfcake]

So, I would start by stripping the system down to the bare essentials: boot drive, and no video card, and no wireless card, etc., as little as possible. Just enough to load the os. Then one by one add in components, and test. I'd add drives and see if you have the odd behavior you discussed before. Then add another component, etc, and test. Repeat until it's built back to normal See where that gets you some idea of where the issue is......just a thought..,,..

And, here's a decent deal on a power supply, I have one of these and it was fine, replaced it with a larger one.....https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153198

But if yours tests out okay, you wouldn't need it........

Here's another point of interest... The 8tb drive that just failed, a refurbed HGST, I have a second one, also refurbed. It is exhibiting the same behavior of disconnecting on reboot, then I have to shut down the hack, remove the SATA cable then plug it back in and then it shows up on the desk top. Doesn't matter what SATA port, same problem. Will know more when the tester arrives but I think that these HGST refurbs are trash. I also have a Toshiba 8tb, never been a problem.

 

[pastrychef]

Yes it is

I digged a bit through pmset log and here how the failure record looks like:
Time stamp Domain Message Duration Delay
========== ====== ======= ======== =====
UUID: Unknown UUID
2018-11-29 22:24:21 -0600 Failure Sleep Failure [code:0xFFFFFFFF0400001F]:
Sleep/Wakes since boot at 2018-11-28 21:39:09 -0600 :0 Dark Wake Count in this sleep cycle:14

Time stamp Domain Message Duration Delay
========== ====== ======= ======== =====
UUID: Unknown UUID
2018-11-30 16:29:36 -0600 Failure Sleep Failure [code:0xFFFFFFFF0400001F]:
Sleep/Wakes since boot at 2018-11-29 22:24:21 -0600 :0 Dark Wake Count in this sleep cycle:5

Time and sleep cycles differ from record to record...

Additionally, it looks like that the first failure happened on Nov 27th, but the recent update is from Nov 21st. GPU was installed way before that.

Only now I realized that I can see my GPU in PCI devices in system report, my previous GTX 1070 wasn't showing there at all and the entire section was empty.

Something must have been installed for for your GPU to appear in the PCI section of System Information. Check in /EFI/CLOVER/ACPI/patched/.

 

[pastrychef]

I guess I want to go the amd route too , what would be a good starting point since your always able to point me in the right dirrection on builds. Also i dont know if you know how to fix this but I thought id ask , my mouse seems to get stuck when I click on things like for a long time. I always end up rebooting , this does not happen on the Pc side. Any idea , I have a logitech master 2x ..Thanks

If you want to move to an AMD video card, RX 560-580 work and Vega cards work. It all depends on how much power you want and how much you want to spend.

I have no idea why your mouse gets "stuck". If you have 3rd party drivers for the mouse, try uninstalling them.

 

[pastrychef]

What is pastrychef's EFI folder doing?

• The DSDT Patches section is where we rename devices to what macOS expects.
• As the name implies, FixShutdown fixes shutdown. Without it, some systems reboot when it should shutdown.
• PluginType = true enables CPU power management.

• dart=0 disables VT=d. Some systems work fine without this flag. I leave it here for the benefit of those with motherboards that need it. You can try and remove it if you like.
• nvda_drv=1 enables Nvidia web drivers. If you don't have an Nvidia card and/or Nvidia web drivers, it does nothing.
• keepsyms=1 enables kernel panic logs to NVRAM.
• -disablegfxfirmware enabling this prevents a slow boot condition with some CPUs.
• Custom Flags:
  • -alcbeta Allows AppleALC.kext to work with beta and/or future versions of macOS.
  • -lilubetaall Allows Lilu.kext to work with beta and/or future versions of macOS.
  • -wegbeta Allows WhateverGreen.kext to work with beta and/or future versions of macOS.
  • shikigva=60 enables a bunch of Shiki (a component of WhateverGreen.kext) features. For a full description, please see here.

• Audio Inject injects the audio-id. I chose to use audio-id 2 because 1 and 3 support was dropped by Apple in Mojave.
• The Properties section should be where you enter graphics patches if necessary. I leave this blank and let macOS detect the graphics.

• As of Mojave, this section has been superseded by Device > Properties.

• AppleRTC fixes a clock problem on some motherboards. The Strix Z370-G Gaming (Wi-Fi AC) does not have this issue and users can remove this if they want. Leaving it enable doesn't cause any harm.
• AppleIntelCPUPM fixes MSR 0xE2. The Strix Z370-G Gaming (Wi-Fi AC) does not have this issue and users can remove this if they want. Leaving it enable doesn't cause any harm.
• KernelPm fixes a power management issue with some CPUs. The 8th and 9th gen Intel CPUs do not have this issue and users can remove this if they want. Leaving it enable doesn't cause any harm.
• KernelXCPM fixes a power management issue with some CPUs. The 8th and 9th gen Intel CPUs do not have this issue and users can remove this if they want. Leaving it enable doesn't cause any harm.
• KextsToPatch is where patches are. Each patch is commented and should be self explanatory. The majority are patches to address the USB 15 port limit. Do yourself a favor and use SSDT for USB instead.

• CsrActiveConfig is set to 0x3 which sets SIP to allow unsigned kexts. (You can fully enable SIP if you like because we have our hackintosh kexts in /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/ and they will be injected anyway.)

• Inject Kexts is set to Yes because Detect doesn't work for me.

• AppleALC.kext - helps us get audio working.
• FakeSMClkext and sensors - Emulates the SMC chip of real Macs and provides sensor data to macOS. This is essential for booting macOS.
• IntelMausiEthernet.kext - Intel ethernet driver.
• Lilu.kext - the base which plugins such as AppleALC.kext and WhateverGreen.kext rely on.
• SATA-200-series-unsupported.kext - spoofs Intel 100 series SATA controller for better compatibility with macOS.
• USBInjectAll.kext - Injects all 26 USB ports on Z370.
• VoodooPS2Controller.kext - driver for PS2 keyboards/mice/trackpads.
• WhateverGreen.kext - fixes lots of issues with IGPU, AMD, and Nvidia graphics.
• Not listed is the VGTab.kext which helps Vega 56/64 users reign in fans that are running too fast.

* Please note that /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/ is NOT the recommended location for kexts. However, I have been doing it this way for quite a while now and have not had any problems doing so. If you want to install kexts to /Library/Extensions/, you can move all the kexts there. However, once you do this, you should not use any of my EFI folders anymore.

If the recommended location for kexts is /Library/Extensions/, why do I put my kexts in /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/?

Well, I was always told that FakeSMC, IntelMausiEthernet, and USBInjectAll can be placed in /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/ because they are "essential" for booting. So what we are basically left with are Lilu and its plugins/extensions. If you look below, you can see that vit9696 originally intended Lilu to be injected by Clover.

Source: https://github.com/acidanthera/Lilu/releases

This is why an entirely separate kext called LiluFriend was developed for those who insist on installing kexts to /Library/Extensions/. Without this, Lilu and its plugins/extensions may not load early enough.

Source: https://github.com/PMheart/LiluFriend

Knowing this, why try to force these kexts to load from where it was not intended to?? In my opinion, it makes much more sense to use these kexts as intended by the original developer.

Secondly, I've helped quite a few people diagnose issues/problems and not once was the solution to any of these issues/problems to move kexts to /Library/Extensions/. On the other hand, I've seen people who insist on putting kexts in to /Library/Extensions/ find that some kexts didn't work right including Lilu and VGTab. By using /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other, we know the kexts will be injected every time.

Third, keeping kexts in /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/ makes it easier to manage kexts. We don't have to worry about updating kexts caches and/or use kexts installers.

Finally, if/when you encounter a problem where you are unable to boot in to macOS, having all your hackintosh kexts in /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/ makes troubleshooting and fixing much, much easier. You don't need to boot in to macOS to fix what's in /EFI/CLOVer/kexts/Other/.

Oh! Btw, you can leave SIP enabled if you keep all your Hackintosh kexts in /EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/.


As you can see, it's a very simple EFI folder. Z370 doesn't need a lot of fixes or patches. This same EFI folder should work for Z170 and Z270 with very little change. (*Z390, H370, H310, and B360 behave differently and may require more changes.)

 

[mm2margaret]

I had to set TPU I (for air cooling).
Then I set sync all cores to 5GHz.
Then I set 1.310v.
LLC is at 5.
CPU Cache is at 4.7GHz.

So, I appreciate your posting this, but I want to get my settings correct, and I remain unsure, so I'm asking.....(with apologies).....for clarification....

1. TPU I - pretty straightforward. Yours is TPU I for air cooled, mine is TPU II for water cooled.
2. Sync all cores - got it. That one is straightforward.
3. Set 1.310v - can I assume you took the setting in the bios CPU Core/Cache Voltage, set it to manual (its manual in my bios, then I have to change that, then I can set it to whatever I want), and then changed the voltage to 1.31?
4. LLC in my bios is under DIGI+ VRM and you set it for LLC 5, and also pretty straightforward (once you find it!)
5. CPU Cache - I don't find that setting in my bios....?? Maybe in this bios and mb, such a setting does not exist?

You did not change any of these?
CPU Core/Cache Current Limit Max (mine is currently set to 255.50)
Min. CPU Cache Ratio (mine is auto, Sofronis? recommended 0.01?)
Max CPU Cache Ratio (again, mine is auto, and Sofronis? recommended 0.01?)
Extreme Over-voltage
CPU VCCIO
CPU SA
AVX Instruction Core Ratio Negative Offset

@Sofronis - you seem to know a lot about overclocking. Any thoughts here?

So, this is the best and most complete guide I have found so far.......https://edgeup.asus.com/2017/kaby-lake-overclocking-guide/3/ Calling Asus Tech Support was a complete waste of time.....this article seems to be the best I can find.....

 

[elfcake]

@pastrychef I frequently see this as a CPU Package Average in HW Monitor 2147.48THz.
Should I be concerned? CPU turbo is set to 4.8 GHz

 

[pastrychef]

So, I appreciate your posting this, but I want to get my settings correct, and I remain unsure, so I'm asking.....(with apologies).....for clarification....

1. TPU I - pretty straightforward. Yours is TPU I for air cooled, mine is TPU II for water cooled.
2. Sync all cores - got it. That one is straightforward.
3. Set 1.310v - can I assume you took the setting in the bios CPU Core/Cache Voltage, set it to manual (its manual in my bios, then I have to change that, then I can set it to whatever I want), and then changed the voltage to 1.31?
4. LLC in my bios is under DIGI+ VRM and you set it for LLC 5, and also pretty straightforward (once you find it!)
5. CPU Cache - I don't find that setting in my bios....?? Maybe in this bios and mb, such a setting does not exist?

You did not change any of these?
CPU Core/Cache Current Limit Max (mine is currently set to 255.50)
Min. CPU Cache Ratio (mine is auto, Sofronis? recommended 0.01?)
Max CPU Cache Ratio (again, mine is auto, and Sofronis? recommended 0.01?)
Extreme Over-voltage
CPU VCCIO
CPU SA
AVX Instruction Core Ratio Negative Offset

@Sofronis - you seem to know a lot about overclocking. Any thoughts here?

First, I would enable XMP and set AVX offset to 0 (zero).


Next, I would sync all cores to 5GHz.


Next, set the cache ratio.


Next, set voltage to manual and 1.310v.


Next, set LLC 5.
(Sorry. Forgot to take screenshot.)

Then, I would set TPU.


Finally, save and reboot.



I didn't change any of the other settings.