Contribute
Register

[Success] b1's "Mac Mini Killer" with macOS Mojave: i7-8700 | Gigabyte Z370N | RX560 | 16GB RAM

Very cool build, well done! :thumbup:
What case is that?
Thanks! As I said it's Geeek A50 case which is I believe got its "inspiration" from Dan a4 SFX Case. They almost the same size like(Geeek slightly bigger) and Dan a4 uses all premium materials, while Geeek mostly made of acrylic (except the chassis, it's aluminum ).

Speaking about price: Dan a4 - 250-300 USD, Geeek - 100 USD, mine actually is cheaper since I'm currently in China.

Geeek comes in two versions: one is international - has color choice, and two front usb, second is chinese - the one I have, it's only black and white, one front usb. The amount of the holes on the side panels wasn't enough for proper airflow in my opinion so I've ordered the custom ones.
 
Thanks! As I said it's Geeek A50 case which is I believe got its "inspiration" from Dan a4 SFX Case. They almost the same size like(Geeek slightly bigger) and Dan a4 uses all premium materials, while Geeek mostly made of acrylic (except the chassis, it's aluminum ).

Speaking about price: Dan a4 - 250-300 USD, Geeek - 100 USD, mine actually is cheaper since I'm currently in China.

Geeek comes in two versions: one is international - has color choice, and two front usb, second is chinese - the one I have, it's only black and white, one front usb. The amount of the holes on the side panels wasn't enough for proper airflow in my opinion so I've ordered the custom ones.

Really neat, it's pretty compact!

Did you end up going with the SF-450? How are the temperatures and the noise?
 
Did you end up going with the SF-450? How are the temperatures and the noise?

Yes, I went through similar builds, made some research on TDP etc... and choose SF450, the fan doesn't spin most of the time unless I play heavy games (tried only Far Cry 3,5 and Need For Speed Payback so far) or do some heavy editing in FCPX, and even if it does - only for a short time.

When it comes to thermals and noise:

GPU mostly silent, even in FCPX, games make it hot(didn't check the temp) and a bit noisy, but when you play with sound it's not noticeable.

CPU also is super silent, games usually use GPU more, FCPX as well, the only thing made it hit 75-78°C is export 200 of 24mp RAW into JPEG using Adobe Lightroom, apart from that 30°C when idle, 45-60°C during the FCPX render and gaming.

There are two silent 92mm PWM case fans on the top, I purchased them separately and they help a lot with getting rid of that hot air inside of the case:
IMG_B32D2F638B95-1.jpeg
 
So guys, you may congratulate me, it works like a champ now, I’ve resolved the previous issues and yeah, it’s crazy powerful.

I’ve used Unibeast for making bootable USB this time (though I think previous methods were also working and were not causing the problem).

Replaced the EFI folder using @b166ar's, generated a new S/N.

Copied kexts from LE to Others and went through install like it was an original mac.(I didn’t copy them before, no wonder installer wouldn’t even start)

Applied all the tweaks from GitHub manual and also added Patches for more power from USB which @inarush mentioned earlier.

Cloned the macOS ssd to another with Carbon Copy Cloner.

Installed FCPX, Lightroom, Photoshop…Everything so smooth.

BruceX finishes in 15 seconds.

4k 100mbit footage renders on the go, I was applying LUTS, Noise Reduction and Stabilization, before I would wait hours(Macbook Pro 13") - now minutes.

Windows 10 also boots and works like a champ from 2nd m.2.

Here are Geekbench and Cinebench results, also my Geeek a50 case with custom side panels.

Wow! Almost 29k in Geekbench. How? I have only 28k :)

Maybe it is related to your RAM speed?
 
:beachball::beachball::beachball:

Clover updated to 4871.

The easiest way to update Clover:
  1. Backup your config.plist;
  2. Download my current EFI folder;
  3. Replace your EFI with my EFI;
  4. Delete my config.plist and use your config.plist instead;
  5. Reboot.
 
:beachball::beachball::beachball:

I reconfigured USB ports with Hackintool. It took me about 40 minutes, but in general, it is a simpler way to configure USB than RehabMan's custom SSDT. Especially for beginners.

This method has two more benefits.
1. You don't need to use DSDT patches in Clover. So now my ACPI tab looks completely clean!
384834



2. This method provides full USB power for my devices. I tried to charge my iPad Pro, and amperemeter shows that iPad now draws 1.6A. Before it was 500 mAh max. No additional kexts and config needed.
384835



Implementation
Hackintool generates two files: USBPorts.kext and SSDT-EC.aml. All files you cant find on my GitHub.

Be aware, that I made my config only for motherboards USB. It will not work with front USB on your case. And, of course, it will work only with Z370n motherboards.
  1. USBPorts.kext goes to /Library/Extensions/ (how to copy kexts);
  2. SSDT-EC.aml goes to /EFI/ACPI/patched/;
  3. Remove USBInjectAll.kext from /Library/Extensions/;
  4. Remove Clover renames from SSDT section: XHC, EH01, EH02;
  5. Reboot.
P.S. I forgot to map USB-C port to work with USB 2 drives. So now it is only USB 3 compatible. Maybe I will fix this next weekends.
 
:beachball::beachball::beachball:

Lilu.kext ▸ 1.3.3
AppleALC.kext ▸ 1.3.5


The easiest way to update kexts:

Kexts:
  1. Download my current EFI folder;
  2. Navigate to downloaded Kexts for LE folder in Terminal;
  3. Run command to copy kexts from to L/E;
Code:
sudo cp -R *.kext /Library/Extensions

3. Then, rebuild kext cache:
Code:
sudo kextcache -i /
 
Wow! Almost 29k in Geekbench. How? I have only 28k :)

Maybe it is related to your RAM speed?

I'm using Corsair LPX 3000 Mhz 2x16gb. But it seems to be that your RAM is even faster.

Speaking of CPU: guess L9i isn't quite enough for i7 8700 (never done any kind of delidding and undervolting, kinda afraid to break something). Chinese new year holidays now and stores are closed, but ones they open I will try to get NH-L12(without top fan) for CPU cooling.

It's quite cool here in my room (normally below 20°C during the winter), and CPU temp under 100% load(exporting 500 RAWs in Lightroom) reaches 85°C, was playing Far Cry 5 for a long time and Resident Evil 2 Remake, even with 30-60% of the load - temp is still around 70-75°C(Guess because GPU's heat shares it over all the components).

:beachball::beachball::beachball:

Clover updated to 4871.

What's the point of updating Clover? I'm still using the one you had with 14.2(And I'm still on 14.2).

Not sure should I update Mojave and Clover, since everything works as it is now.

:beachball::beachball::beachball:

Lilu.kext ▸ 1.3.3
AppleALC.kext ▸ 1.3.5

Same question about the keeping kexts up to date, what it gives you? A better performance or more compatibility with a newer hardware?

:beachball::beachball::beachball:

This method has two more benefits.
1. You don't need to use DSDT patches in Clover. So now my ACPI tab looks completely clean!

Lastly wanted to ask what's good about having ACPI tab clean? Why it's a benefit?

Thanks again for your build(especially for keeping the thread alive) and your time!

For me using hackintosh is a pure pleasure,at least for now, Cheers!
 
What's the point of updating Clover? I'm still using the one you had with 14.2(And I'm still on 14.2).
Not sure should I update Mojave and Clover, since everything works as it is now.
Same question about the keeping kexts up to date, what it gives you? A better performance or more compatibility with a newer hardware?

You do not need to update Clover and kexts if everything works well. But Clover and kexts must be up to date before any macOS update.

I always install all updates and test them. So people who follow my setup will know, that updates are safe and Hackintosh will not collapse :)

Lastly wanted to ask what's good about having ACPI tab clean? Why it's a benefit?

Fewer settings = less time to troubleshoot if something goes wrong.

Some people have messy config.plist with settings that not even relevant to their hardware. But I keep my settings clean.

Speaking of CPU: guess L9i isn't quite enough for i7 8700 (never done any kind of delidding and undervolting, kinda afraid to break something). Chinese new year holidays now and stores are closed, but ones they open I will try to get NH-L12(without top fan) for CPU cooling.

Undervolting is safe and easy. You literally need to change a few digits in BIOS, and your temps will drop for 4-7°C.
 
Last edited:
So @b166ar, I have a question. You dual-boot your hackintosh with Windows 10, don't you? I am planning to purchase one extra M.2 SSD to install Windows on. First question is: the rear M.2 slot for SSD in our motherboard only supports NVMe drives, no SATA at all right?

Second question is: once I get the drive, can I just install Windows on it and Clover will automatically recognize both systems? Or do I have to configure something first?

I appreciate any hints!
 
Back
Top