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Poiro's Hack Pro UHD HTPC + Server - GA-Z170-Gaming-K3 - i5 Skylake 6600 - Nvidia GTX 1060 3G

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Joined
Oct 4, 2016
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68
Motherboard
Gigabyte-Z170-GAMING-K3
CPU
i5-6600
Graphics
GTX 1060
Mac
  1. MacBook Air
  2. MacBook Pro
  3. Mac mini
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
Poiro's Hack Pro UHD HTPC + Server
GA-Z170-Gaming-K3 - i5 Skylake 6600 - Gigabyte GTX 1060 G1 Gaming 3G


Screen Shot 2017-09-27 at 20.55.24.png


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

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

Screen Shot 2017-09-27 at 20.51.51.png


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
 
Last edited:
Very nice build :thumbup:

I had similar problems with the GT740 card and Sierra. Took me ages to figure out a different system definition (14,2) would cure them. Normally the GT740 is natively catered for, but this Gigabyte card has GDDR5 memory which is what I think causes the all the headaches.

The audio via HDMI sounds painful. Glad you got it sorted.
:)
 
Very nice build :thumbup:

I had similar problems with the GT740 card and Sierra. Took me ages to figure out a different system definition (14,2) would cure them. Normally the GT740 is natively catered for, but this Gigabyte card has GDDR5 memory which is what I think causes the all the headaches.

The audio via HDMI sounds painful. Glad you got it sorted.
:)


Thanks!

These are my current 2 headaches:

1) when trying to play a UHD movie (using VLC) I am getting huge artifacts, stuttering and skipping - I havent figured this out yet but there should be no issue playing 4k with a rig this powerful.

2) I have my rig connected to my AV receiver which connects to my TV. Whenever I turn on the receiver + tv, the computer doesnt pick up the correct display device and displays at some stupid resolution. I have to disconnect the HDMI from GPU and reconnect in order for it to display correctly.

I had SwitchResX running to try prevent this but doesnt seem to have worked. Maybe if I set the display to sleep so that when the computer wakes it correctly identifies the display.
 
Thanks!

These are my current 2 headaches:

1) when trying to play a UHD movie (using VLC) I am getting huge artifacts, stuttering and skipping - I havent figured this out yet but there should be no issue playing 4k with a rig this powerful.

2) I have my rig connected to my AV receiver which connects to my TV. Whenever I turn on the receiver + tv, the computer doesnt pick up the correct display device and displays at some stupid resolution. I have to disconnect the HDMI from GPU and reconnect in order for it to display correctly.

I had SwitchResX running to try prevent this but doesnt seem to have worked. Maybe if I set the display to sleep so that when the computer wakes it correctly identifies the display.

Hmmm...

For 2) have you checked the Display panel in System Preferences ? It may be set to "Default for display". You could change it to "Scaled" if available, then select the resolution there, which should stick.
 
Hmmm...

For 2) have you checked the Display panel in System Preferences ? It may be set to "Default for display". You could change it to "Scaled" if available, then select the resolution there, which should stick.

Yes, but the problem is that as soon as I disconnect (read - turn off) the receiver, the computer thinks the display is disconnected or something and when turning receiver on again, it doesnt pick up that the correct display is connected. Only some generic display.

So instead of going back to HiDPi resolution options, it only gives 1080 option at maximum.

As soon as i unplug the HDMI cable from the GPU, and plug in again, it identifies the display correctly and automatically switches the resolution back to what it should be
 
Another Update

Looks like the updated Nvidia drivers have solved my display issue (below)

2) I have my rig connected to my AV receiver which connects to my TV. Whenever I turn on the receiver + tv, the computer doesnt pick up the correct display device and displays at some stupid resolution. I have to disconnect the HDMI from GPU and reconnect in order for it to display correctly.
 
Poiro's Hack Pro UHD HTPC + Server
GA-Z170-Gaming-K3 - i5 Skylake 6600 - GT 740

...

Thanks for you detailed information!
I'm about to build one that similar to your specs. Really helpful :D
 
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