Stork's Gene Build > ASUS MAXIMUS VIII GENE Z170 - i5-6600K - MSI Vega 56

[jpolk1]

Stork,
My previous build had all about the DIY part of the project. It had been the first computer I built my self, so I was trying to "get my feet wet before I went swimming". My mistake with my first build was even though it was a recommended build on Tonymac it actually was an outdated build as it was running an i3 and over the years I have found that the motherboard is terrible and I have had constant issues of it crashing and overheating the case. This time around I am looking to go all out and build a computer that should last a longtime. My cpu comes in at a whooping 3.3() with my 16gb of ram not seeming to help much either. I have multiple ssds in my current build which was why I was looking at M.2 for even faster speeds. My thoughts on the graphics card was buy a really good that will last as I can use that for a really long time even in newer builds. My motherboard it trash but cpu is ok not that good though. My ram is decent but it ddr3 and to take full advantage of Skylake you need DDR4. I could salvage my power supply but its non modular which was a HUGE mistake and its not that expensive to buy a new one. So I figured I would salvage my ssds, HDDs, and optical drives from my current build. So all I would need for this new build is pretty much everything except the "extras" Though I am still looking at around a cost of $1,200.(600- graphics card, $100-200 for ram, $200 for MOBO, $400 for CPU,$100 for PS, $100 for new case). I know my top priority is a GPU at the moment but want to get ride of my current one. It has given me so many headaches and not all of them were just on the Hackintoish part of it.. Thanks for the clarification, I will let you know what I end up doing and if I can get it to work on Clover.

 

[Stork]

One last tip, make sure the memory you buy is on the motherboard manufacture's memory support list. (Each motherboard manufacturer calls the memory list something like that.) We've notice people, who bought memory not on their motherboard manufacturer's support/approved list, have had problems. So, best to play it safe.

Good luck. Keep us informed of your decision(s).

 

[voidfahrenheit]

Hi Stork! I just saw your build with the hackintosh installation guide. I will try this! thanks!

 

[jpolk1]

Stork,
As I have been more serious looking into Skylake I have come across numerous videos referencing "Gigabyte z170x gaming G1" mobo. They must have been giving them out at the beginning along with Skylake processors to review. As I have found my Gigabyte mobo terrible but have overall hear very good things about their mobos.

I am curious to know if you have heard anything about this particular mobo(G1) as a Hackintosh? The really only other good comparison to it is the Asus Maximus VIII Extreme. As I know the G1 is an eATX mobo which is most likely the case with the Extreme, which means they both have a ton of ports.

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that on a hackintosh running any of the new Z170 mobo that you end up not being able to use some of the ports, is that true?

Also if I went with a board like the G1 would I be able to use both LAN ports? I feel like this would not be the case as all Macs only have one which would require in a specific kext for it.

Would I be able to use the builtin Wifi and Bluetooth, or many of the onboard functions that aren't included on lower end boards?

Sorry, for so many questions but you are more advanced, experience, and I believe you have help develop the hackintosh tools(previously if not currently) used with Skylake processors. Do you have a personal preference between Gigabyte vs Asus mobos? Thanks for the guidance!

 

[Stork]

Stork,
As I have been more serious looking into Skylake I have come across numerous videos referencing "Gigabyte z170x gaming G1" mobo. They must have been giving them out at the beginning along with Skylake processors to review. As I have found my Gigabyte mobo terrible but have overall hear very good things about their mobos.

In the past, I've been using Gigabyte motherboards, and I've found them easy to support hackintoshing. All of my Gigabyte systems are P/H/Z medium "quality" motherboards. This is my first ASUS motherboard. So, given your experience with the Q series motherboard, I would not rule out using a Gigabyte Z170 motherboard as are listed in the tonymacx86's Buyer's Guide.

I am curious to know if you have heard anything about this particular mobo(G1) as a Hackintosh? The really only other good comparison to it is the Asus Maximus VIII Extreme. As I know the G1 is an eATX mobo which is most likely the case with the Extreme, which means they both have a ton of ports.

I recommend you read the threads in User Builds and El Capitan Desktop Guides forum sections to learn about the Gigabyte Z170X Gaming G1. Unfortunately, my only experience with a Z170 motherboard is with the ASUS GENE, but my fellow moderators are using Gigabyte Z170 motherboards.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/user-builds/
http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capitan-desktop-guides/

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that on a hackintosh running any of the new Z170 mobo that you end up not being able to use some of the ports, is that true?

Initially, that was true. However, using RehabMan's USB kexts and the config.plist mods, like I've shown in my build description, overcome the USB port limitations. However, USB 3.1 ports are limited to 3.0 speeds at this time and the USB 3.1 Type ports don't work...yet.

Also if I went with a board like the G1 would I be able to use both LAN ports? I feel like this would not be the case as all Macs only have one which would require in a specific kext for it.

Yes, you'll be able to use both LAN ports. Your motherboard's User Manual should tell you what chipsets the LAN ports use. (Most motherboards use two different brand of LAN chipsets.) When you run MulitBeast, select both of the appropriate Ethernet drivers (kexts).

Would I be able to use the builtin Wifi and Bluetooth, or many of the onboard functions that aren't included on lower end boards?

It depends. The Intel WiFi/BT chipsets are not supported in OS X. (See my Hector build links in my signature block for how successfully over came this draw back.) You'll have to do your due diligence here to determine if your motherboard's wireless/BT is supported, and what to do if it's not supported.

Sorry, for so many questions but you are more advanced, experience, and I believe you have help develop the hackintosh tools(previously if not currently) used with Skylake processors. Do you have a personal preference between Gigabyte vs Asus mobos? Thanks for the guidance!

Nope, I haven't developed the tools here. I'm just a knowledgeable, but still learning user. As for which motherboard you should select, get the Gigabyte or ASUS that suits your needs. As you've learn, don't pick a low end motherboard.

 

[Flyhero]

Im looking for a Mainboard and this one looks very promising.

Though im curious about the Sound, on the Asus website it says it uses some ROG codec, does it fully work with the ALC1150 patch?
Does it show at least two line-outs in the Audio settings so that multi channel would be possible?

Thanks

 

[Stork]

...I'm curious about the Sound. On the Asus website it says it uses some ROG codec. Does it fully work with the ALC1150 patch?
Does it show at least two line-outs in the Audio settings so that multi channel would be possible?

Of course it works...otherwise I won't have told you to use the ALC1150 audio kext.

In the Sound System Preference pane Output window, I see Internal Speakers, Line Out and Digital Out. For the GENE (and most other Z170 motherboards), use the Internal Speakers for your audio ports (Back Panel) to get stereo sound.

I've got over 20,000 songs on my Synology Diskstation NAS that I'm constantly listening to as I work on my systems.) I pipe the audio to my old Cambridge 5.1 speaker system. Damn near as good as my stereo systems.

 

[Stork]

One the things that has constantly been bugging me is having to reboot after wake-up from sleep to get the audio back. While I'm late to the solution, I'm now using Rehabman's Codec Commander kext which fixes the problem. It's easy to install.
Download RehabMan's CodecCommander zip file and unzip.
Place the CodecCommander.kext (in the Release folder) onto the Desktop.
Run KextBeast (see the tonymacx86 Downloads menu) placing it in the /Library/Extensions/ folder.
Reboot

 

[Flyhero]

In the Sound System Preference pane Output window, I see Internal Speakers, Line Out and Digital Out. For the GENE (and most other Z170 motherboards), use the Internal Speakers for your audio ports (Back Panel) to get stereo sound.

Thanks!
I just have three Audio Jacks that need to be connected to the Mainboard for my 5.1 System. So i would like to be able to use them all. As it shows Line Out that should work ok. You can then create an aggregate Device in Audio-Midi Setup so that Stereo Sound is played on all Speakers which works great.

 

[Stork]

Gene has a USB 3.1 Type A and Type-C. I was told that the USB 3.1 would operate at the USB 3.0 speeds for now, and the USB 3.1 Type A port does operate at USB 3.0 speeds.

Up until now, I had no way to tell if the USB 3.1 Type C port on Gene's Back Panel would work at all. However, I have taken delivery of Other World Computing's (OWC) USB-C Dock in anticipation of getting a Skylake MacBook Pro this year.

​

So, today, I connect up the OWC USB-C Dock to Gene's Back Panel USB-C connector and inserted one of my USB 3.0 USB Thumb drives into the front of the Dock. Low and Behold, it works! Abeit, at only USB 3.0 speeds because it's a USB 3 USB thumb drive. But, at least I'm getting USB 3 speeds through Gene's Back Panel USB-C connector.

In light of the experiment, I bought the following just now:

USB 3.1 Type C Male to 2.5" Micro SATA HDD/SSD Drive Cable
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA3TT33B5596

I'll post further testing results after it arrives in one to two weeks (slow boat from China).