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[Success] Core i5-8400 + Asus ROG Strix Z370-F + macOS RGB

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Dec 26, 2015
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55
Motherboard
Asus ROG Strix Z370-F
CPU
i5-8400
Graphics
Intel HD 630 + GT 710
Mac
  1. Mac mini
Classic Mac
  1. Classic
  2. Color Classic
  3. PowerBook
Pylon Blue:
Core i5-8400 + Asus ROG Strix Z370-F + iGPU


5b6a7f30e8941_2018-07-0913_48_59.jpg.e5b2b1fdcd4f449cd07e6ebf428da9d2.jpg

Components

Intel Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0759FGJ3Q/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117824

Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut 1g 1g Thermal Paste
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011F7W3LU/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2S7-00A9-00013

ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-F GAMING ATX Motherboard
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RHWLF2/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813119034

Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRFNWHK/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820236165

Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015SOI392/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147466

NZXT S340 Elite (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT6FVKT/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146252

EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWTS2UL/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438095

NZXT Aer RGB120 (3-pack) 61.4 CFM 120mm Case Fans
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4G5ILV/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835146052


Comments

I created this build as a direct replacement for my still-kicking Hackintosh NUC5i5RYK, focusing on the increase in compute power and aesthetics. There still isn't a lot of information out there about the best ways to implement RGB lighting when running a Hackintosh (or Linux for that matter) so hopefully this will answer some of those questions for those of you who have been wondering. Overall this was a successful build with the exception of Asus ROG 1220A audio, which I have not been able to get to work in 10.13.5. More on that later.

Setup

I used this excellent build log by Lepus48 as my starting place since I used the same motherboard in my build; I note a few specific instances where my process deviated below.

Hardware Installation

ASUS Memory Slot Placement: I ran into the same issue as as many others have with ASUS Z370 motherboards where the macOS installer halts at ‘End RandomSeed ++++...” just before memory allocation due to not being to identify the system RAM when it is placed in Slots 1 and 3 -- the ASUS-recommended placement (motherboard diagram A2, B2) when using two sticks of memory. You can resolve this issue by moving the memory to Slots 0 and 2 (A1, B1), or by editing config.plist and manually specifying the slot location, capacity, and mhz speed of your memory. The latter is required if you are using more than two memory sticks for macOS to see all 4 of them. Note that you will need to edit the SMBIOS section of your config.plist in the Clover EFI of your UniBeast USB installation media in order for your memory to be recognized by the installer, and then make the same edit to the config.plist of your Clover EFI on your internal macOS disk after MultiBeast setup in order to properly boot off of your OS disk. I attached the relevant section of my config.plist that allowed me to install successfully with my memory in slots A2, B2.

BIOS / UEFI Settings
  • Advanced/Intel Virtualization Technology - Enabled
  • Advanced/System Agent (SA) Configuration/VT-d - Disabled
  • Advanced/System Agent (SA) Configuration/Graphics Configuration/Primary Display - CPU
  • Advanced/USB Configuration/Legacy USB Support - Enabled
  • Boot/CSM (Compatibility Support Module)/ Launch CSM - Disabled
  • Boot/Secure Boot/ OS Type - Other OS
  • AI Tweaker - Enabled XMP to get full RAM speed timings, and adjusted BCLK back down to 100.0 since Corsair set it to 103.0 in their XMP profile. Not necessary to install macOS.
macOS Installation
  1. Follow the Tonymacx86 Installation guide to get the OS installed via the usual UniBeast-created USB installer thumb drive. No special steps required. Note: UniBeast installation media creation will fail if you have BitDefender installed with AutoPilot enabled; disabling AutoPilot resolves issue.
  2. Installer 2nd Stage note: On the second stage of the installation, after the first reboot when you boot from the internal drive to complete the installation process, the installer crashed for me within about 60 seconds, but I was able to complete the installation process by retrying the second stage (after the crash, again booting from the internal drive to restart the second stage of the installation). I've seen it reported elsewhere that others have encountered the same issue; and I tried installing with different BIOS settings several different times to avoid the crash without success. However, completing installation this way does not seem to have any negative effect on the resulting final OS install.
  3. Run MultiBeast post install, with
    1. Quick Start > UEFI Boot Mode
    2. Drivers > Audio > Realtek ALCxxx > 100 / 200 / 300 Series Audio Support*^
    3. Drivers > Audio > Realtek ALCxxx > 200 / Z370 Series / X299 Audio Device ID Patch*^
    4. Drivers > Misc > FakeSMC Plugins (only necessary for reading sensor data from motherboard within OS utilities)
    5. Drivers > Misc > FakeSMC HWMonitor Application (OS utility for reading motherboard sensor data)
    6. Drivers > Network > Intel > IntelMausiEthernet v2.4.0
    7. Customize > Graphics > Intel HD 6xx
    8. Customize > Graphics > Intel Graphics Fixup
    9. Bootloaders > Clover UEFI Boot Mode
    10. Customization > System Definitions > iMac > iMac 14,2
    11. Build - Confirm the above and Install
  4. Reboot
  5. Run MultiBeast again, with
    1. Drivers > Audio > Realtek ALCxxx > ALC1220A (ASUS ROG STRIX Only)*^ (see note below)
  6. Reboot
*Note: This method, which seems to be the current recommendation, worked successfully for me in 10.13.3 but not in 10.13.5. If anyone has a current working solution for this, please let me know.

^Update: Audio now working by using the following steps:

200/Z370 Intel Motherboard Series
  1. Restart, boot off of internal disk EFI
  2. MultiBeast > Drivers > Audio > RealtekALCxxx:
    1. √ 100 / 200 / 300 Series Audio Support
    2. √ 200 / 300 Series / X299 Audio Device ID Patch
  3. Build
  4. Install
  5. Restart
  6. MultiBeast > Drivers > Audio > RealtekALCxxx
    1. √ ALCxxx (Valid: ALC887/887B, ALC892, ALC1150, ALC1220, ALC1220A)
  7. Build
  8. Install
  9. Restart
If you followed these steps and it's not working for you, what I would recommend is that you use the newer version of Multibeast (MultiBeast 10.4.0) and use the AppleALC audio driver with details described on the release page. See the notes here for more info:

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/multibeast-10-4-update.258371/


Tweaks / Other Notes

Multi-Monitor: Booting with multiple monitors on the iGPU (one on HDMI, one on DisplayPort) caused display garbling / GUI artifacts for me on 10.13.5. If you boot with just the HDMI or DisplayPort plugged in by itself, and then plug the other monitor in after you've logged in, multi-monitor seems to work without issue. This is inconvenient but works -- this is a machine that I basically keep on all the time so it's less of a hassle for me, but if anyone has any experience with this issue please let me know.

Sleep: Sleep works perfectly out of the box on this system with a single monitor, but results in blank screen and failure to wake up with multi monitor on the igpu. Still working on way to resolve this.

USB: All USB ports on my motherboard, including USB 3.0 and USB-C 3.1, seem to work out of the box in 10.13.5.

RGB Lighting Compatibility

Most RGB parts on the market today require the use of Windows-only utility software to set the color and lighting mode effects, and a significant proportion of them immediately revert to default colors or rainbow patterns as soon as you logout of Windows or reboot. However, some kits will ‘remember’ color profiles set in Windows in local storage on the device and retain those settings after you reboot. So, although it requires having a separate partition or hard drive with Windows installed to initially set color profiles or change them later, it is possible to use custom RGB color profiles within macOS. The specific kits I used for this build are:

1. NZXT Hue+ Lighting Controller: Colors/modes applied via NZXT’s CAM utility to connected AER RGB fans and Hue RGB Strips are stored in the lighting controller and persist after reboot into macOS.
2. Corsair Vengeance RGB Memory: Single fixed color applied via Corsair Link utility persist after reboot. (The other popular RGB memory kit right now, G.Skill Trident RGB, does not remember its color settings outside of Windows.)
3. Asus ROG Strix Z370-F Motherboard: Single fixed color applied to the onboard lighting using the Asus Aura utility persist after reboot.

Once you set the colors in Windows, they will persist in macOS through reboot and shutdown. If the computer is unplugged from the wall or the power supply is switched off, the colors will revert to default until your next trip to Windows.

What Works
  • Custom RGB Lighting Settings (persist from Windows settings)
  • Airdrop
  • Ethernet
  • HWSensors (some motherboard fan locations not registering)
  • iMessage
  • USB (all ports, including USB type C)
  • Audio
What Doesn't Work
  • Multi-Monitor issues (requires plugging in after bootup, causes issue with Sleep)


Benchmark

Geenbench 4: 5465 Single / 20333 Multicore
Verified during benchmark that Core i5-8400 hit its top turbo level (4.0 Ghz).

Attached
  • config.plist RAM fix example for slots A2, B2
  • Geekbench 4 Results
 

Attachments

  • asus-z370-ram-slots-A2-B2-config.plist
    996 bytes · Views: 813
Last edited:
Update: Audio Working

Audio*: Not Working on 10.13.5

Audio now working. I realized I missed a crucial step in the revised setup process for audio on z370 -- essentially you have to run MultiBeast three times, and begin the audio install process after the first MultiBeast build when you are booting off of the internal disk.

200/Z370 Intel Motherboard Series
  1. Restart, boot off of internal disk EFI
  2. MultiBeast > Drivers > Audio > RealtekALCxxx:
    1. √ 100 / 200 / 300 Series Audio Support
    2. √ 200 / 300 Series / X299 Audio Device ID Patch
  3. Build
  4. Install
  5. Restart
  6. MultiBeast > Drivers > Audio > RealtekALCxxx
    1. √ ALCxxx (Valid: ALC887/887B, ALC892, ALC1150, ALC1220, ALC1220A)
  7. Build
  8. Install
  9. Restart
If you followed these steps and it's not working for you, what I would recommend is that you use the newer version of Multibeast (MultiBeast 10.4.0) and use the AppleALC audio driver with details described on the release page. See the notes here for more info:

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/multibeast-10-4-update.258371/
 
Last edited:
Update: macOS 10.13.6, MultiMonitor Fix with GT 710

macOS 10.13.6

Since 10.13.6 was just released, I decided to format and install the updated version. I followed the exact same procedure as I did with 10.13.5, and the install was similarly successful although it did not resolve any issues.

MultiMonitor/Sleep

Following up on the multi monitor issue with Intel HD 630 integrated graphics, some other helpful members of the community informed me that this is a known issue with Coffee Lake integrated graphics, and that booting up with one screen unplugged and plugging it in after login is the only known work around. Even though this does work, it still causes difficulties with sleep.

In order to resolve both issues, I decided to use a discrete video card. At the time of this post (July 2018), as GPU prices are still inflated in the market and the Nvidia 1100 series is due to be released shortly, I decided to purchase a cheap, older video card as an interim solution. As luck would have it, the Nvidia GT 710 can be purchased on sale at the moment for around $25 (in my case, the Zotac GT 710), and was one of the last Nvidia chips to be 100% natively supported by OSX. With the GT 710 installed, you get multi-monitor support, functional sleep, metal support, and UI acceleration out of the box. Overall it's a great option for people who don't need GPU horsepower for rendering or games, as it's only about half the speed of the HD 630.




Other Notes

Quick Tip for Dual Booting Mac and Windows

I use the ASUS BIOS Profile tool to maintain one profile for Mac OS and one for Windows. Each profile enables the SATA port for the drive its operating system lives on, and disables the SATA port for the other drive, so that Windows update will never overwrite the EFI of the Mac drive, for example.
 
Last edited:
RGB Lighting Compatibility

Most RGB parts on the market today require the use of Windows-only utility software to set the color and lighting mode effects, and a significant proportion of them immediately revert to default colors or rainbow patterns as soon as you logout of Windows or reboot. However, some kits will ‘remember’ color profiles set in Windows in local storage on the device and retain those settings after you reboot. So, although it requires having a separate partition or hard drive with Windows installed to initially set color profiles or change them later, it is possible to use custom RGB color profiles within macOS. The specific kits I used for this build are:

1. NZXT Hue+ Lighting Controller: Colors/modes applied via NZXT’s CAM utility to connected AER RGB fans and Hue RGB Strips are stored in the lighting controller and persist after reboot into macOS.
2. Corsair Vengeance RGB Memory: Single fixed color applied via Corsair Link utility persist after reboot. (The other popular RGB memory kit right now, G.Skill Trident RGB, does not remember its color settings outside of Windows.)
3. Asus ROG Strix Z370-F Motherboard: Single fixed color applied to the onboard lighting using the Asus Aura utility persist after reboot.

Once you set the colors in Windows, they will persist in macOS through reboot and shutdown. If the computer is unplugged from the wall or the power supply is switched off, the colors will revert to default until your next trip to Windows.

What Works
  • Custom RGB Lighting Settings (persist from Windows settings)
  • Airdrop
  • Ethernet
  • HWSensors (some motherboard fan locations not registering)
  • iMessage
  • USB (all ports, including USB type C)
  • Audio

I really appreciate you breaking this down! :clap:

Currently looking to build my first ever Hackintosh and having been researching for some days now (components + Hackintosh guides & "cautions") and currently have 90% of my parts put together. Corsair's Vengence RGB also happen to be on my list but was concerned about the colors retaining their settings while I was booted into macOS. :think:

Also had my eye on the G.Skill Trident (was my preferred choice) but wasn't able to ascertain if they would retain their color outside the Windows OS (now I know).
 
Does the NZXT fan controller connect to fan headers for motherboard PWM control, or does it use USB and it's own software? I'm using a Thermaltake Ring Plus AIO, and there is only software PWM control which does not work in MacOS as far as I can tell. I ran Geekbench for about 15 seconds and the fans never sped up in MacOS.
 
Does the NZXT fan controller connect to fan headers for motherboard PWM control, or does it use USB and it's own software? I'm using a Thermaltake Ring Plus AIO, and there is only software PWM control which does not work in MacOS as far as I can tell. I ran Geekbench for about 15 seconds and the fans never sped up in MacOS.

With the Aer RGB Fans and Hue+ (the Hue2 system is out now, not sure about that), the wiring for the led lights is totally separate from the PWN 4-pin fan wiring. The lighting cables are daisy-chained to the controller, and lighting can only be controlled by NZXT software in windows; the fans are standard 4 pin PWN and are controlled by motherboard.
 
With the Aer RGB Fans and Hue+ (the Hue2 system is out now, not sure about that), the wiring for the led lights is totally separate from the PWN 4-pin fan wiring. The lighting cables are daisy-chained to the controller, and lighting can only be controlled by NZXT software in windows; the fans are standard 4 pin PWN and are controlled by motherboard.

Thank you. I think I found a workaround for the Thermaltake Riing Plus fans that came with my AIO. I'll post back here if it's successful. Since watercooling has become so popular, Tonymacx86 should have a list of approved RGB watercooling options that will work with Mac OS. Right now, you can use the Cooler Master ML240L with any RGB motherboard, the ML240R with any ARGB motherboard, the NZXT Aer RGB fans with Hue, and maybe the Thermaltake Riing Plus RGB products with modifications. Knowing which products require an RGB, ARGB, or an internal USB header would be good to know to help plan your build before you buy.
 
Hi, I am trying to build my first hackintosh with your guide. I am using the same mobo with iGPU and i5 8600K. Everything is workimg except audio. My machine does not detect speaker. Can you give an advice to make audio work?
Sorry for my bad English.
 
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