[Success] Asus Z170-A | i7 6700K | El Capitan

[penrimainwaring]

penrimainwaring's Build: ASUS Z170-A - i7-6700K - GTX 970​

Components

Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012NH05UW/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0126R2LBK/?tag=tonymacx86-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132566

Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8LXQW/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010T6DQTQ/?tag=tonymacx86-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117559

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005O65JXI/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TPQPOIS/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820104573

MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NN0GEXQ/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

XFX XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I5HF0KU/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RQA6TEI/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148945

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRLY/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KCX0UE/?tag=tonymacx86-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844


Comments

Brief Info
Been a Mac user for years. I needed a new machine for graphical work as my iMac wasn't powerful enough anymore. Prices of new Macs were, well, out of my budget.

I build a PC to go down the Windows route as it was cheaper. After about 2/3 months with Windows I really couldn't take it anymore and went down the Hackintosh route.


How I did it
For the most part I followed the tonymacx86 Installation Guide . It's very clear and easy to follow, but I will give info in regards to the BIOS settings.

On the ASUS Z170-A, in the section where you pick 'Other OS' the "Disable' part for the Secure Boot Mode is greyed out.

I followed this instruction to open up that settings - http://www.technorms.com/45538/disable-enable-secure-boot-asus-motherboard-uefi-bios-utility . I am aware it is not the same motherboard but this worked for me. Just follow the steps and after a restart the setting to 'Disable' Secure Boot Mode will be there.

Please make sure you have done all of the required BIOS settings. I did a "test" install before without touching the BIOS and I got nowhere. Just follow the instruction and you will be fine.


After Installing MacOSX
Once it was all installed I ran Multi Beast

Quick Start - UEFI Boot Mode
Drivers - Audio - Realtek ALC892
Network - Intel - IntelMausiEthernet v2.1.0d0

I also installed the Nvidia WebDriver using THIS instruction.

Saved everything. Shut down. Removed USB and booted.


Post Problems
For the first boot and troubleshooting, I only had one monitor connected.

Audio
Logged in fine, but there was no Audio.

Downloaded the KEXT file from here:

Download KEXTBeast from tonymacx86. Empty the folder you downloaded from that youutbe link onto the Desktop. Run KEXTBeast. Restart and you should have audio!

But no...after sleep there is no audio, nuts!

No worries, download the KEXt from here - http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/no-sound-after-sleep-alc-892-el-capitan-clover.174727/

Do the same again, Empty folder onto your Desktop, Run KEXTBeast. Restart and there you go! Audio before and After Sleep.

Although I am using a DragonFly stick for my audio, I wanted to make sure the onboard one worked just in case. I did sleep it and wake it a couple of times and it worked.

I have since moved over to my DragonFly stick, so if there is a problem after I'm sorry I haven't covered it in this post.


Graphics
No major issue here with graphics. A slightly annoying restarts with cables removed or different combos. I have a 1440p displayport monitor and a 1080p HDMI tv/monitor all working fine. I can't see any major issue but for some reason it took about 10 minutes for everything to just work. It was either not seeing the right resolution or not picking up a signal. But, as I said, it's all ok now.


What works
Pretty much everything.

iCloud
iMessager
AppStore
Graphics
Audio
Network​

The only part that isn't working are the front USB 2.0, but the front USB 3.0 are working just fine. Probably wont bother trying to fix this.

And that's that.

Thank you tonymacx86 for all the great downloads, links and help. The process was long, challenging but fun.

Just remember READ all instructions and don't rush. Make check lists and keep at it. If there's a problem, someone else has had it and some clever guy has fixed it.

Any questions or info you wont, give us a shout!

GeekBench



About This Mac
​

 

[altairjb]

Hey! Thank you so much for this post, for it really help me solve the sound issue in my build as well. I am also using an Asus z170-a and a i7 6700k. Everything appears to be working fine and despite my 0 experience with pc building let alone hackintoshing, the smoothness of the process surprised me.

Here's one question though. I don't recall having chosen a mac model during the installation process and somehow ended up with MacPro 3,1, which appears to be very compatible with pretty much everything although pretty old at this point, which, according to what I read, does not allow for sierra upgrade. I use Clover Configurator to change it to mac 17,1 since it's the only model with Skylake processors but my graphics card (gtx 980) could no longer work properly. Tried many fixes I read in different posts but nothing worked and I ended up reverting to MacPro 3,1 where things are stable. Do you have this model as well in your smbios? If not, which one do you have? Did you do any optimizations for CPU power management? Sorry, more than one question.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Stork]

We're recommending iMac14,2. Its the new MacPro 3,1.

 

[altairjb]

We're recommending iMac14,2. Its the new MacPro 3,1.

Thank you Stork for the quick reply. As i mentioned, despite being a long time Mac user, hackintosh is new to me and, were not for the guides posted here, I wouldn't have been able to get mine up and running. Honestly, I have no idea of what I am doing and just hope that following guides will lead me to a functional machine.

So, should I use Clover Configurator to change to iMac14,2 as I did previously to change to 17,1? Any downside from changing the model that frequently? I did use the randomization buttons several times, but what guarantees that it does not yield an already assigned serial?

I read countless posts about choosing iMac17,1 for proper power management, given it is the only model with skylake processors. Does it really make a difference? I ran into the black screen after the load bar mentioned here in the forums and the fixes I tried didn't work (maybe I didn't do it properly and the AGDPfixapp solution is one I haven't tried yet). I could boot with nv_disable=1 or something like this but the graphics were very jittery. I would not mind the 3rd solution in this post here to address problem 4, but I am not sure what is SIP and how to disable or partially disable it. But it all comes down to whether it is worth it. If iMac14,2 is as good as iMac17,1, the easier route, the better.

Need to work on being concise, sorry. Thank you very much though.

 

[Stork]

Thank you Stork for the quick reply. As i mentioned, despite being a long time Mac user, hackintosh is new to me and, were not for the guides posted here, I wouldn't have been able to get mine up and running. Honestly, I have no idea of what I am doing and just hope that following guides will lead me to a functional machine.

Welcome to the club. I, too, am a long time Mac user who believes in clear and concise information. Enjoy your hackintosh!

So, should I use Clover Configurator to change to iMac14,2 as I did previously to change to 17,1? Any downside from changing the model that frequently? I did use the randomization buttons several times, but what guarantees that it does not yield an already assigned serial?

I recommend usimg MultiBeast to just change the System Definition. I'm using iMac14,2 on most of my systems. Use P1LGRAM'S method for getting iMessage/Facetime set up properly:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/s...3-4330-geforce-gt640-10-11-4.189452/#imessage

I read countless posts about choosing iMac17,1 for proper power management, given it is the only model with skylake processors. Does it really make a difference? I ran into the black screen after the load bar mentioned here in the forums and the fixes I tried didn't work (maybe I didn't do it properly and the AGDPfixapp solution is one I haven't tried yet). I could boot with nv_disable=1 or something like this but the graphics were very jittery. I would not mind the 3rd solution in this post here to address problem 4, but I am not sure what is SIP and how to disable or partially disable it. But it all comes down to whether it is worth it. If iMac14,2 is as good as iMac17,1, the easier route, the better...

I don't think it makes any difference with respect to using iMac14,2 vs iMac17,1; the latter has some fiddling around to get it working properly. I'm all for using the most proven way to get a hackintosh up and running successfully. Then, as more information becomes available and the risks are lower, I may make a change. So, if 17,1 is working for you, sick with it. But, since I'm using 14,2, I don't know if you'll have to do the same mod for the 17,1 when you update to Sierra.

With respect to Power Management, you can use a SSDT to get proper Power Management which is my approach. See my User Build description for either Gene or MyHero builds (links in my signature block) for a Skylake SSDT and how to use it. Moderator ammulder make a series of Skylake i5 & i7 SSDTs for Power Management that work very well.

 

[altairjb]

Welcome to the club. I, too, am a long time Mac user who believes in clear and concise information. Enjoy your hackintosh!


I recommend usimg MultiBeast to just change the System Definition. I'm using iMac14,2 on most of my systems. Use P1LGRAM'S method for getting iMessage/Facetime set up properly:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/s...3-4330-geforce-gt640-10-11-4.189452/#imessage


I don't think it makes any difference with respect to using iMac14,2 vs iMac17,1; the latter has some fiddling around to get it working properly. I'm all for using the most proven way to get a hackintosh up and running successfully. Then, as more information becomes available and the risks are lower, I may make a change. So, if 17,1 is working for you, sick with it. But, since I'm using 14,2, I don't know if you'll have to do the same mod for the 17,1 when you update to Sierra.

With respect to Power Management, you can use a SSDT to get proper Power Management which is my approach. See my User Build description for either Gene or MyHero builds (links in my signature block) for a Skylake SSDT and how to use it. Moderator ammulder make a series of Skylake i5 & i7 SSDTs for Power Management that work very well.

Thank you once again! All excellent and very clear posts (Pilgram's and your builds) I don't think I had come across yet. Again, the less fiddling around, the better for me. I definitely will not try iMac17,1 again since it gave me a lot of trouble and will shoot for 14,2 instead.

 

[gigabite1982]

Hello everybody,
Thanks for the detailed instructions. I'm trying to install it on the same Z170-A mobo with 6700K, but I'm not even able to reach the installer yet. I have the distorted prohibited sign with 'waiting for root device' message. I assume it's USB related and I've already tried to use my every USB port but still no luck. Any ideas?

UPD: I disabled "IOAPIC" in BIOS and it helped.

 

[bollywood6274]

Have you upgraded to sierra 10.12.1 successfully with everything working?

penrimainwaring's Build: ASUS Z170-A - i7-6700K - GTX 970​

Components

Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012NH05UW/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0126R2LBK/?tag=tonymacx86-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132566

Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012M8LXQW/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010T6DQTQ/?tag=tonymacx86-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117559

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005O65JXI/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TPQPOIS/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820104573

MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NN0GEXQ/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127832

XFX XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I5HF0KU/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RQA6TEI/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148945

Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRLY/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006KCX0UE/?tag=tonymacx86-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844


Comments

Brief Info
Been a Mac user for years. I needed a new machine for graphical work as my iMac wasn't powerful enough anymore. Prices of new Macs were, well, out of my budget.

I build a PC to go down the Windows route as it was cheaper. After about 2/3 months with Windows I really couldn't take it anymore and went down the Hackintosh route.


How I did it
For the most part I followed the tonymacx86 Installation Guide . It's very clear and easy to follow, but I will give info in regards to the BIOS settings.

On the ASUS Z170-A, in the section where you pick 'Other OS' the "Disable' part for the Secure Boot Mode is greyed out.

I followed this instruction to open up that settings - http://www.technorms.com/45538/disable-enable-secure-boot-asus-motherboard-uefi-bios-utility . I am aware it is not the same motherboard but this worked for me. Just follow the steps and after a restart the setting to 'Disable' Secure Boot Mode will be there.

Please make sure you have done all of the required BIOS settings. I did a "test" install before without touching the BIOS and I got nowhere. Just follow the instruction and you will be fine.


After Installing MacOSX
Once it was all installed I ran Multi Beast

Quick Start - UEFI Boot Mode
Drivers - Audio - Realtek ALC892
Network - Intel - IntelMausiEthernet v2.1.0d0

I also installed the Nvidia WebDriver using THIS instruction.

Saved everything. Shut down. Removed USB and booted.


Post Problems
For the first boot and troubleshooting, I only had one monitor connected.

Audio
Logged in fine, but there was no Audio.

Downloaded the KEXT file from here:

Download KEXTBeast from tonymacx86. Empty the folder you downloaded from that youutbe link onto the Desktop. Run KEXTBeast. Restart and you should have audio!

But no...after sleep there is no audio, nuts!

No worries, download the KEXt from here - http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/no-sound-after-sleep-alc-892-el-capitan-clover.174727/

Do the same again, Empty folder onto your Desktop, Run KEXTBeast. Restart and there you go! Audio before and After Sleep.

Although I am using a DragonFly stick for my audio, I wanted to make sure the onboard one worked just in case. I did sleep it and wake it a couple of times and it worked.

I have since moved over to my DragonFly stick, so if there is a problem after I'm sorry I haven't covered it in this post.


Graphics
No major issue here with graphics. A slightly annoying restarts with cables removed or different combos. I have a 1440p displayport monitor and a 1080p HDMI tv/monitor all working fine. I can't see any major issue but for some reason it took about 10 minutes for everything to just work. It was either not seeing the right resolution or not picking up a signal. But, as I said, it's all ok now.


What works
Pretty much everything.

iCloud
iMessager
AppStore
Graphics
Audio
Network​

The only part that isn't working are the front USB 2.0, but the front USB 3.0 are working just fine. Probably wont bother trying to fix this.

And that's that.

Thank you tonymacx86 for all the great downloads, links and help. The process was long, challenging but fun.

Just remember READ all instructions and don't rush. Make check lists and keep at it. If there's a problem, someone else has had it and some clever guy has fixed it.

Any questions or info you wont, give us a shout!

GeekBench



About This Mac
​

 

[mnale]

Hello everybody,
Thanks for the detailed instructions. I'm trying to install it on the same Z170-A mobo with 6700K, but I'm not even able to reach the installer yet. I have the distorted prohibited sign with 'waiting for root device' message. I assume it's USB related and I've already tried to use my every USB port but still no luck. Any ideas?

UPD: I disabled "IOAPIC" in BIOS and it helped.

Disabling "IOAPIC" was the only way I could install ElCap as well. I cannot get front panel USB3 ports to work. Any ideas?

 

[telepati]

@penrimainwaring @altairjb @gigabite1982 @mnale

Guys do get any problems like that on boot with your Z170-A? and which connection type did you use for display?

Signal lost on boot but come back immediately?