- Joined
- Oct 4, 2016
- Messages
- 68
- Motherboard
- Gigabyte-Z170-GAMING-K3
- CPU
- i5-6600
- Graphics
- GTX 1060
- Mac
- Mobile Phone
Poiro's Hack Pro UHD HTPC + Server
GA-Z170-Gaming-K3 - i5 Skylake 6600 - Gigabyte GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 3G
GA-Z170-Gaming-K3 - i5 Skylake 6600 - Gigabyte GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 3G
COMPONENTS
Gigabyte GA-Z170-Gaming-K3 Motherboard
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BNMQNB8/
Intel Skylake i5-6600 3.30GHz Processor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8M7TY/
Crucial 16GB DDR4 2133MHz (x2) Memory
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015YPAZPU/
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 3G Graphics Card
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125902&cm_re=GeForce_GTX_1060-_-14-125-902-_-Product
Crucial MX200 525GB M.2 SSD - BOOT DRIVE
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820156154&cm_re=crucial_mx300_525gb_m.2-_-20-156-154-_-Product
Western Digital Blue 2TB - STORAGE DRIVE
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013QFRS2S/
Corsair VS550 Series 550W Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TE4XSMA/
CoolerMaster K380 Computer Case
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FRMGADC/
Cooler Master MasterFan Pro 140 Case Fan
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K0F9HD0/
Orico Bluetooth 4.0 USB Dongle
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0169O12UC/
COMMENTS
My background in I.T goes back about 15 years. I have always had a keen interest in electronics.
In 2010 I started working for a Mac specialist company and shortly thereafter acquired my Apple Certification. In Feb 2015 I started my own Mac specialist company, offering desktop and server support as well as networking. (I have Ubiquiti certifications and love those products for wireless.) Since then, I have owned (and still do) a fair amount of Mac's.
I have been using a 2011 Mac Mini Server as my main Server as well as a HTPC.
I recently upgraded my TV to a UHD TV and tried various hacks to get the poor old mac mini to output 4k resolution. I did manage this but only at 30fps and it couldnt really cope with watching an UHD movie - lagging and stuttering. An upgrade was due on the cards and the only machine I had my eyes set on was a Mac Pro - but the price is insane. This is when I decided to delve into the world of Hackintosh. I had previously thought about building one but never had a real reason to actually do it.
After looking through various builds on this site, reading the Getting Started guides and briefing myself with the installation guide. I went ahead and purchased my hardware. I chose the particular hardware for cost efficiency vs performance and feel that I have come out with a pretty powerful machine, with the ability to upgrade in the future, for a fraction of what a Mac Pro would have cost.
Build & Installation
I have pretty much followed these instructions to the T - https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...upported-intel-based-pc.200564/#uefi_settings
UEFI Settings
Boot to the BIOS by pushing DEL on a USB Keyboard.
Gigabyte BIOS version F23a
Save & Exit -> Load Optimized Defaults
BIOS Features -> Windows 8/10 Features -> OTHER OS
Peripherals -> XHCI Handoff -> ENABLED
Peripherals -> Super IO Configuration -> Serial Port 1 -> DISABLED
Chipset -> VT-d -> DISABLED
Power Management -> AC Back -> ALWAYS ON ****NOTE**** This is not necessary unless you would like the machine to always boot up after loss of power
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TURNING ON REMOTE MANAGEMENT BEFORE MAKING CHANGES - This way, if there are any graphics issues and it wont display, you can easily log in from another computer and change multibeast/any other settings without drama.
MultiBeast Settings
This MultiBeast setup is pretty straightforward:
Quick Start -> EUFI Boot
Drivers -> Network -> AtherosE2200Ethernet V2.2.1
Drivers -> Misc -> FakeSMC v6.25-333
Drivers -> Misc -> FakeSMC Plugins v6.25-333
Bootloaders -> Clover v2.4k r4220 UEFI Boot Mode
Customize -> Nvidia Graphics Fixup
Customize -> System Definitions -> iMac 17,2
Reboot.
That's it for MultiBeast! (I am running graphics and audio through my GPU - see below.)
Tools
I recommend downloading:
Clover Configurator - Needed for mounting EFI Partition
DPCIManager - I used this to troubleshoot audio and install KEXT's
DPCIManager - I used this to troubleshoot audio and install KEXT's
Graphics
Graphics drivers are Nvidia Alternative Graphics https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...s-high-sierra-10-13-0-378-10-10-10-15.225522/
Don't set any variables for clover boot, as they no longer work with 10.12 Sierra. Rather follow the method found here to use the Nvidia Web Drivers https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/new-method-for-enabling-nvidia-web-drivers-in-clover.202341/
Reboot.
Audio
Audio was a huge PITA. The previous solution when I was using my GTX 740 GPU no longer worked when I changed to GTX 1060. I tried Toleda's auto scripts, injecting VoodooHDA bundled with multibeast with no luck.
I tried using a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter - no luck.
Eventually I found this thread, which basically led me to download VoodooHDA 2.9 from VooDoo project website https://sourceforge.net/projects/voodoohda/
Before I installed the drivers, I replaced the native AppleHDA kext according to toleda's instruction here: https://github.com/toleda/audio_ALC_guides/blob/master/Restore native AppleHDA [Guide].pdf
Then HD audio worked over HDMI port. I cant seem to use the DisplayPort adapter and have HD Audio over it
Bluetooth
Bluetooth was pretty straightforward.
You will need to follow the instructions found here https://github.com/RehabMan/OS-X-BrcmPatchRAM/blob/master/README.md
The 2 KEXT's that you will need are:
1) BrcmFirmwareRepo.kext
2) BrcmPatchRAM2.kext
Inject using DPCIManager and then reboot. Voila - working Bluetooth!
Benchmarks
GeekBench 4
I will update this thread as my Hack Pro goes on.
UPDATE 26 October 2016 - I have installed macOS version 10.12.1 (16B2555)
I had to update Nvidia Web Drivers in order to use my GPU. Found here
I also updated Clover to v3859 before doing the update for good measure.
So far, everything is working just fine
UPDATE 27 September 2017 - I changed my boot drive to a M.2 SSD (Only because my original SSD failed and payed in the difference with warranty)
I changed my GPU to a GTX 1060
I upgraded to High Sierra using instructions here https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/update-directly-to-macos-high-sierra.232707/
I have updated this post with newer instructions since my upgrade
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