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pastrychef's build - Asus Maximus VIII Gene - i7-7700K - GTX 1080

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I don't fully understand what the IOAPIC patch is used for, but from what I understand, if you disable IOAPIC 24-119, it's not needed.

I did my installation using MultiBeast and it was not set and I never added it. The USB fix doesn't require this.
 
Watch out for the latest GENE BIOS update as it doesn't sustain the NVPRAM any more. The latest BIOS for MyHero, and, when I discovered that, I held off updating my Gene build. I have since found out that it's the same problem for other ASUS 100 series motherboards.

For MyHero build, I installed the EmuVariableUefi-64.efi in Clover > drivers64UEFI folder. Download the latest clover package and only install EmuVariableUefi-64.efi - you don't have to install all of the latest Clover. Before rebooting, change to the Nvidia drivers. All should be well after that.

Looks like the newest ASUS BIOS' are "wreaking" our NVRAM across reboots.
 
Watch out for the latest GENE BIOS update as it doesn't sustain the NVPRAM any more. The latest BIOS for MyHero, and, when I discovered that, I held off updating my Gene build. I have since found out that it's the same problem for other ASUS 100 series motherboards.

For MyHero build, I installed the EmuVariableUefi-64.efi in Clover > drivers64UEFI folder. Download the latest clover package and only install EmuVariableUefi-64.efi - you don't have to install all of the latest Clover. Before rebooting, change to the Nvidia drivers. All should be well after that.

Looks like the newest ASUS BIOS' are "wreaking" our NVRAM across reboots.
Hi Stork,
Thx 4 sharing the information. Isn't the latest Asus Hero Bios @ beta stage?
 
Hi Stork,
Thx 4 sharing the information. Isn't the latest Asus Hero Bios @ beta stage?
Excellent catch! I and several others didn't see that notice. I hadn't seen a GENE or HERO public beta BIOS published before. :oops:

The bad news is that it won't let me "update" to the last release version (2202). The good news is that the new GENE 3007 BIOS is not a beta version, but I don't trust it, yet!
 
I'm nearly finished with the IORegistryExplorer thing and looking over to the further steps for the USB fix, a question pops up which I hope you can clearify for me:

What is the difference of using (and creating) an USB SSDT and the boot argument uia_exclude when in some posts, user only use the uia_exclude command?
I use the (as stated in the My Hero Build) USB inject all kext and want to "strip down" some ports to be in the "15 or less" save zone.

Thx in advance...
Best
Michael
 
I don't know what the difference is. I just followed the directions and did it the "proper" way. I don't understand why those people deviated from the instructions. If they are going to do that, they shouldn't bother mapping out the ports at all and just continue using the 15 port limit patch.
 
I was just browsing around the Asus website and looking at some of the new Z270 mATX motherboard offerings. The ROG Strix Z270G Gaming looks like the successor to the Maximus VIII Gene. I really like the improvements they've made to the layout. The following are some improvements I noticed at first glance:

  1. There is now 2x PCI-e 3.0 x16 and 2x PCI-e 3.0 x1 (whereas the current board has 2x PCI-e 3.0 x16 and 1x PCI-e x4).
  2. Wifi and Bluetooth are now built-in, presumably using an M.2 or mini PCI-e card (I'm betting M.2).
  3. There is now two M.2 SSD slots.
  4. There is still an M.2 SSD slot beside PCI-e slot 1 (GPU slot), but it is now on the underside. This should help keep the SSD cooler.
  5. The top M.2 SSD slot is parallel to PCI-e slot 4.
  6. There is now an internal USB 3.1 header.
  7. USB 3.1 gen 2 is still ASMedia based.
  8. Ethernet is still Intel i219V based.

As you can see, they only made a few improvements but they are very impactful ones. Having built-in Wifi/Bluetooth means, we no longer have to waste a PCI-e slot. Dual M.2 SSD slots is a major improvement. I was unable to decipher what, if any, changes were made to audio.

2x PCI-e x1 vs 1x PCI-e x4 can be a positive or a negative depending on the PCI-e cards you intend to use especially since one of the x1 slots will most likely be blocked by the video card heatsink. Still no Thunderbolt support is a downer...

Source: ROG STRIX Z270G GAMING | ROG - Republic Of Gamers | ASUS USA

Strix Z270G Gaming.jpeg Prime Z270M-Plus.jpeg

While browsing, I noticed another Z270 mATX motherboard, the Prime Z270M-Plus. I assume this motherboard will cater more to mainstream users whereas the Strix model caters to gamers. I also assume that will mean that this motherboard will be a bit less expensive. Here are some initial impressions:

  1. 1x PCI-e 3.0 x16, 2x PCI-e 3.0 x1, and 1x PCI-e 3.0 x16 which operates at x4 mode max.
  2. 2x M.2 SSD slots. Both top mounted.
  3. Has HDMI and DVI-D, but no DisplayPort for the Intel graphics.
  4. Only has 4x SATA 3 ports. (The above Strix and Maximus VIII Gene have 6x ports.)
  5. Fewer USB 3 ports in the backplane (Should not matter too much due to the 15 port limit of macOS).
  6. Only has USB 3.1 gen 1 (5Gb/s), NOT USB 3.1 gen 2 (10Gb/s).
  7. Ethernet is Intel i219V based.
  8. Audio is Realtek ALC887 based.

Depending on pricing, this seems like it will be a nice mATX alternative for those who don't need as many SATA 3 ports or USB 3.1 gen 2. Also, since this motherboard situates the second PCI-e x16 slot at the end, you can retain access to one of the PCI-e x1 slots if you use two dual slot graphics cards. This can be a selling point for those who need to leverage the computational powers of a second graphics card for things like DaVinci Resolve.

As with the Strix model, the biggest disappointment is lack of Thunderbot.

Source: PRIME Z270M-PLUS | Motherboards | ASUS USA

Overall, I think these are two very nice motherboards. If/when compatibility has been confirmed, I will be very tempted to upgrade primarily for the additional M.2 slot. Of course, I'll wait and see what Apple does for their desktop models...
 
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Thank you, pastrychef, for a good break down of the two motherboards. Your review allows one to get thru all the marketing glitter on the ASUS web site. :thumbup:

Unfortunately, the ROG Strix Z270G Gaming wireless capability is entry level AC1300 (450 Mbps on 2.4 GHz and and 867 Mbps on 5GHz). Plus, their specs don't list the chipset manufacturer which in all probability is Intel which is not compatible with macOS. So, for me, since I use WiFi/BT, I don't know if it's worth the extra money for it over the Prime Z270M-Plus cost since I would have to replace the stock WiFi/BT card.
 
Yes, I am assuming that the included Wifi/Bluetooth card will not be compatible with macOS. I've already had my eye on a replacement that I wish to try if/when I have something with an M.2 slot... Here is a link, it's advertised as "Max speed:1300Mbps":

Aliexpress.com : Buy BCM943602BAED DW1830 AC BCM943602 NGFF M.2 1300Mbps BT4.1 WiFi Wireless Network Card better than BCM94352Z DW1560 support mac os from Reliable wireless network card suppliers on WDXUN

The primary advantage of having the built-in support for Wifi/Bluetooth on the Strix model is to keep an extra PCI-e slot free. If that's not a concern, you can always bring your old PCI-e Wifi/Bluetooth adaptor with you when upgrading. The second thing to remember when considering these two motherboards is that the Prime model only has USB 3.1 gen 1 (5Gb/s) and that there are two fewer SATA 3 ports. I can see how these features may not matter to some people at all. Current Newegg pricing has the Prime at $150 while the Strix at $200, which is not insignificant.

Personally, I currently have all my PCI-e slots occupied with a graphics card, a 10GbE card, and PCI-e Wifi/Bluetooth. An M.2 based Wifi/Bluetooth card would allow me to add a gigabit ethernet card that I can dedicate to a virtual machine that I run just about 24/7. It's not a huge deal, just a "nice to have" feature.
 
While that wireless/BT card states max 1300 in the title, it states in the description that it's 1200. So, be careful.

I concur with your analysis of the drawbacks of the mATX and having to use up all your PCIe slots. That's why I chose the HERO motherboard to use on my audio recording (amateur - my practice systems) using the FW PCIe card + WiFi/BT + Graphics card (and maybe a 10Gb Networking in the future).

Oh, well. Still prefer the mATX because the mATX can use smaller case sizes which fit on the desktop.
 
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