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[SOLVED] Booting installer with new Alienware m17 r4 (2021)

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Which you OS you trying to install?

You could try following my guide here for the Acer Nitro 5 on High Sierra which has fully working Quicksync. Try it first as Big Sur is a lot more difficult at present (in general) because of memory protections. Get a working setup first before deciding to upgrade to OC Mojave/Catalina/Big Sur onwards. As you are using Comet Lake architecture, so you will need to spoof CPU1Data & CPUID1Mask for Coffee Lake on High Sierra and versions previous to Catalina 10.15.4 (which do not have Comet Lake support).

> https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...10-13-6-intel-vram-trackpad-fix-guide.308477/
 
Which you OS you trying to install?

You could try following my guide here for the Acer Nitro 5 on High Sierra which has fully working Quicksync. Try it first as Big Sur is a lot more difficult at present (in general) because of memory protections. Get a working setup first before deciding to upgrade to OC Mojave/Catalina/Big Sur onwards. As you are using Comet Lake architecture, so you will need to spoof CPU1Data & CPUID1Mask for Coffee Lake on High Sierra and versions previous to Catalina 10.15.4 (which do not have Comet Lake support).

> https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...10-13-6-intel-vram-trackpad-fix-guide.308477/

Thanks for the tip :) I really have only interest in Big Sur. It's booting if I let the Nvidia handle everything and disable the Intel. However, Nvidia is not supported but Intel is. It should be the opposite

Bringing back latest message:

I have some update / new concern
I went to this article : https://dortania.github.io/Getting-Started-With-ACPI/Laptops/laptop-disable.html#compiling-the-ssdt

and followed the optimus off method. Using this aml, I notice my laptop monitor turn completly black very early during the boot. Does it mean it's unable to display through Intel?

The closest hackintosh to my Alienware config I found is this one and according to the last page, he managed to install Big sur with OpenCore https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/success-dell-alienware-m15-r2-i9-9880hk-2080-maxq.297254/


Edit 2:

I was able to boot the installer by removing the -wegnoegpu flag. That feels wrong


Edit 3:

Now that the installation is complete, I see for the first time in the verbose logs that IGPU is initialized. However, it no longer boots :( Feels like another black screen. I did try adding back -wegnoegpu but that didn't work.

Only way to get it to work I found is to spoof device-id for intel to 0x1234567 and remove -wegnoegpu flag. But obviously Nvidia is used and there is no graphics acceleration. Wifi/Touchpad works. Odly, not the keyboard

View attachment 518431

Edit 4: I installed Windows and noticed my internal laptop monitor has Nvidia Gsync. This means it is wired to the dGPU physically. I'm screwed isn't it? There must have been a mistake I explicitly customized the laptop to not have gsync...
 
Thanks for the tip :) I really have only interest in Big Sur. It's booting if I let the Nvidia handle everything and disable the Intel. However, Nvidia is not supported but Intel is. It should be the opposite

Bringing back latest message:
been looking into your g sync issues and came across this: (looking for a way to mod the bios)

The answers you got are all correct, just the reasons as to why it won't work are not... The reason you cannot use Optimus on a G-Sync panel, is due to how it is connected to your system. In a an Optimus enabled system the LCD is physically connected to the Intel GPU output, and ALL video is routed through the Intel GPU. This is why there is around a ~5% performance loss on Optimus systems, caused by the minute latency and overhead required to "steer" the video through the Intel GPU. In a G-Sync system, the LCD is physically connected to the output of the discrete nVidia GPU, bypassing the Intel GPU completely. There is no hack or trick to get it to work. It may be possible to open up the system, and move the LCD connector (assuming there is a header for both the Intel GPU and the nVIdia GPU), which would disable G-Sync. In order for G-Sync to work, the display has to be connected to a compatible nViida GPU, the Intel GPU won't work. Hope this helps, good luck!
 
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Thanks for the tip :) I really have only interest in Big Sur. It's booting if I let the Nvidia handle everything and disable the Intel. However, Nvidia is not supported but Intel is. It should be the opposite

Bringing back latest message:
Well the build I have is the best hope for your setup right now, because Big Sur (nor any other macOS) is able to support the Nvidia RTX3080. If you want to work with Big Sur at the best speeds you need to be using the Intel iGPU and running with Quicksync.
 
I'm actually in the process of moving my Acer Nitro 5 GTX1050 build over to Big Sur on OC. I will let you know how it goes.
 
been looking into your g sync issues and came across this: (looking for a way to mod the bios)

The answers you got are all correct, just the reasons as to why it won't work are not... The reason you cannot use Optimus on a G-Sync panel, is due to how it is connected to your system. In a an Optimus enabled system the LCD is physically connected to the Intel GPU output, and ALL video is routed through the Intel GPU. This is why there is around a ~5% performance loss on Optimus systems, caused by the minute latency and overhead required to "steer" the video through the Intel GPU. In a G-Sync system, the LCD is physically connected to the output of the discrete nVidia GPU, bypassing the Intel GPU completely. There is no hack or trick to get it to work. It may be possible to open up the system, and move the LCD connector (assuming there is a header for both the Intel GPU and the nVIdia GPU), which would disable G-Sync. In order for G-Sync to work, the display has to be connected to a compatible nViida GPU, the Intel GPU won't work. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks, this is what I though. :( The Alienware was delivered yesterday and I had spoken to their support prior ordering to make sure this doesn't happen. That explains why using the SSDT to turn off dGPU (by Optimus) turns right away the monitor very early during boot.

I will return it then. Hopefully they don't mind I replaced the 2 hynix SSD by 2 WD Black SN750
 
Thanks, this is what I though. :( The Alienware was delivered yesterday and I had spoken to their support prior ordering to make sure this doesn't happen.

I will return it then. Hopefully they don't mind I replaced the 2 hynix SSD by 2 WD Black SN750
they may want to check it over before refunding you, as long as you put it back to default hardware that was in there, you should be ok
 
they may want to check it over before refunding you, as long as you put it back to default hardware that was in there, you should be ok

Would you happen to know any RTX 3080 laptop that is not physically wired to the Nvidia? and as a bonus that supports 1 external display (could be through Thunderbolt, I don't mind)
 
Would you happen to know any RTX 3080 laptop that is not physically wired to the Nvidia? and as a bonus that supports 1 external display (could be through Thunderbolt, I don't mind)
not that I know off to be honest

you may need to test different laptops to see if they have g sync or optimus if they don't mention in the write up

also most laptops, under specs on websites, do not mention if they have intel graphics as well
 
not that I know off to be honest

you may need to test different laptops to see if they have g sync or optimus if they don't mention in the write up

also most laptops, under specs on websites, do not mention if they have intel graphics as well

It might be a bit out of scope to ask, but it seems to me according to their own support (Alienware is Dell)


That Nvidia Optimus should be available on non gsync model. With your knownledge, does it seem to you that I understand it wrong, or there could be some models that dont have gsync, support Nvidia Optimus and Optimus by definition requires monitor to go through IGPU
 
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