[SUCCESS] Asus X99 Deluxe - Intel i7 5960x @ 4.2GHz - 64GB RAM - GTX 970

[szokeptr]

szokeptr's X99 Build: Asus X99 Deluxe - Intel i7 5960x @ 4.2GHz - 64GB RAM - GTX 970

Components

Asus X99 Deluxe/U3.1
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TXBP1OW/

Intel i7 5960X
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMLXIHM/

Corsair H110i GT
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SIKYZJ6/

Memory: 2 * Kingston HyperX 32GB DDR4 2133Mhz
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TPQPUPK/

Gainward GTX 970
Sorry, can't find it on Amazon.

PSU: Fractal Design Edison M 750W
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W79XQ58/

Case: CoolerMaster MasterCase Pro 5
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013AY4V4S/

HDD: 2 * Seagate Barracuda 3TB
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRLY/

SSD: 3 * Samsung Evo 850 PRO 250GB
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LMXBOP4/


Comments

Before building this computer I was using a 13 inch late-2012 retina MacBook Pro so it is a big step forward. My workflow is OS X exclusive, so the main priority was that it has to run OS X. I am a heavy multitasker so the 8 cores and the 64 gigs of memory are really a big help.

Few things that you better know before jumping into an X99 based hackintosh:

- there is no support from Apple for this platform, not until they release a refreshed Mac Pro with same/similar chipset. This means that you will need to patch your kernel in order to run OS X on it every time you install and/or update.
- if you go with the 8 core 5960x instead of the 6 core 5820K or 5930K you will be stuck on Yosemite (10.10.5) as there is no way to install El Capitan yet.
- be prepared that you will lose speedsteping and sleep mode in OS X as there is no native power management for these CPUs.
- patience is very important, depending on your hardware you will have to try a lot of different kernel flags, kexts and configurations.​

Everything works on my build, iMessage, Bluetooth, WiFi, audio etc. I am booting from a striped RAID of two 250GB SSDs and it's flawless, the speed of it is amazing. The system is very fast and stable even overclocked while being almost dead silent.

Installation
I followed rbbunmc's Older Install guide because the Aug 25 Install 10.10.5 was not working out for me. (http://www.tonymacx86.com/yosemite-...us-x99-e-ws-clover-efi-sm951.html#post1069374)
First I installed to a single SSD, then when it was stable enough I created a RAID0 array with Disk Utility and cloned the system to it. I installed Clover to one of the 3TB drives and copied the EFI folder in place.

For audio I am using VoodooHDA 2.8.7 from Multibeast, this is the only way audio is working for me. It has one glitch though: static noise that can be fixed by turning down 'Input Gain' in VoodooHDA preferences. This is a temporary fix, as it will be gone after a reboot. To make it permanent you have to edit the VoodooHDA.kext. I will update this post with a guide when I have time.

VoodooHDA Input Gain fix
Setting the input gain in VoodooHDA prefs on every reboot is a pain in the ass, but there is a 2 minute fix for it fortunately!
First find your loaded VoodooHDA.kext (there could be more if you messed a lot with your system) - for this we use System Profiler.
Step 1: Go to the Apple menu (top-left corner) then choose About this Mac. On the screen that appears click "System report…". In the System Profiler on the left hand side you will see a lot of options, choose Extensions (it'll be under Software). The list will take some time to load. After it's loaded find and click VoodooHDA, you should see something similar to this:

Now go to the folder where your working VoodooHDA is and copy the kext to the Desktop. Right click on it on desktop and click 'Show Package Contents'. Now navigate to Contents and open Info.plist in your favourite text editor. Look for the key 'MixerValues' and under it edit iGain and set it to 0. Save the file and use Kext Wizard to install the edited kext back in place.

Thats it

Pictures

Updated 31st January, 2015: Added VoodooHDA guide.
Updated 10th December, 2015: Added audio tip.

 

[thenightflyer]

Nice build bro'

 

[Herb]

I haven't kept up with all this, so forgive the questions...

You said that with the 8 core you're stuck using Yosemite. So does that mean the 6 core can use El Capitan? Is the 6 core significantly slower than the 8?

What made you decide to use this motherboard instead of the x99 WS like rbbunmc?

Thanks

 

[szokeptr]

I haven't kept up with all this, so forgive the questions...

You said that with the 8 core you're stuck using Yosemite. So does that mean the 6 core can use El Capitan? Is the 6 core significantly slower than the 8?

What made you decide to use this motherboard instead of the x99 WS like rbbunmc?

Thanks

Yes, the 6 core CPUs all work on El Capitan, only the 5960x is not compatible. I don't think there is a significant downside of the 6 cores, but it really depends on your workflow.

When I was building my computer there were no successful builds with the WS board and I didn't wanted to take the risk. Also I wouldn't benefit from all the extra features that motherboard offers.

 

[thenightflyer]

I haven't kept up with all this, so forgive the questions...

You said that with the 8 core you're stuck using Yosemite. So does that mean the 6 core can use El Capitan? Is the 6 core significantly slower than the 8?

What made you decide to use this motherboard instead of the x99 WS like rbbunmc?

Thanks

My build is similar...the differences are in cpu (i've 5960x), motherboard (mine is x99-e-ws) and ram (i've 64gb). I "like" to be stuck with Yosemite because i use my hk as DAW and many plugins are still not compatible with El Capitan. Before installing Yosemite i tried Mavericks, but the only way to use Mav on this build is to have Unibeast instead of Clover.

 

[Herb]

Is the main reason to get the x99-e-ws that extra (third) full speed x16 slot?

Is it any more difficult set up than the Deluxe?

Since I'm only really thinking of using two graphics cards, I was also looking at the X99M WS. Thoughts?

 

[thenightflyer]

Is the main reason to get the x99-e-ws that extra (third) full speed x16 slot?

Is it any more difficult set up than the Deluxe?

Since I'm only really thinking of using two graphics cards, I was also looking at the X99M WS. Thoughts?

I bought the X99-E-WS because it was the first successful build i saw here 2 months ago..i don't need an huge graphics card or a dual gpu...atm i use a GTX680...setup is not difficult if you follow that rbbunmc's guide step by step.

 

[pak8ed]

I have the same motherboard as you, how did you proceed to install Yosemite? I've been patching over and over again, and i get stuck in the same part. I can't get to the install screen.

Can you help me please?

what flags, or what do i need?

My specs:

i7 5960x
asus x99 deluxe u3.1
Gigabyte GTX 970
32gb RAM Corsair LPX Vengeance 2666MHz
3TB HDD Toshiba 7200RPM

Thank you in advance!

 

[szokeptr]

I have the same motherboard as you, how did you proceed to install Yosemite? I've been patching over and over again, and i get stuck in the same part. I can't get to the install screen.

Can you help me please?

what flags, or what do i need?

My specs:

i7 5960x
asus x99 deluxe u3.1
Gigabyte GTX 970
32gb RAM Corsair LPX Vengeance 2666MHz
3TB HDD Toshiba 7200RPM

Thank you in advance!

What bootloader are you using? For the installation I could only get Chimera working. Also you will need the proper kext rollbacks and make sure your kernel is properly patched.
Download the 'Older Install.zip' from the first post of rbbunmc's guide (http://www.tonymacx86.com/yosemite-...amsung-4k-asus-x99-e-ws-clover-efi-sm951.html) and follow the instructions from the PDF. (Seriously, I went out and bought 4 16GB USB drives just to get this thing working).

 

[pak8ed]

What bootloader are you using? For the installation I could only get Chimera working. Also you will need the proper kext rollbacks and make sure your kernel is properly patched.
Download the 'Older Install.zip' from the first post of rbbunmc's guide (http://www.tonymacx86.com/yosemite-...amsung-4k-asus-x99-e-ws-clover-efi-sm951.html) and follow the instructions from the PDF. (Seriously, I went out and bought 4 16GB USB drives just to get this thing working).

I followed your advice and use the old install guide. Did you use the kexts that came in the folder of the download? I'm using a 32GB USB for UniBeast (I'm using 5.2 version), and I guess I'm using Chimera. But still don't get the install screen. How I can now that I patched the kernel properly?

thank you.