- Joined
- Dec 26, 2015
- Messages
- 48
- Motherboard
- Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H
- CPU
- Intel i7-4790k (Devil's Canyon)
- Graphics
- no graphics card - using onboard graphics
- Mac
- Classic Mac
- Mobile Phone
I just successfully resuscitated an older DIY PC and was able to put El Capitan on it and figured I would document it in case it was helpful to anyone.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66GHz
Graphics card: PNY GeForce 8500GT DDR2 512MB PCIe
Here's how it was done:
This motherboard uses the AWARD BIOS. I tweaked the BIOS first using Optimized Settings, then made these changes:
•Integrated Peripherals page > SATA RAID/AHCI mode > set to AHCI
•Integrated Peripherals page > Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode > set to AHCI
•Integrated Peripherals page > USB Keyboard Function > enable (this allows a Mac USB keyboard to work)
•Integrated Peripherals page > USB Mouse Function > enable (this allows a Mac mouse to work)
•Power Management Setup page > HPET Mode > set to 64-bit
•There are some other ones you can play with, such as setting your boot drive, etc., but I don't think anything else besides what's mentioned above is crucial to the Hackintosh install.
Then I used UniBeast in Legacy mode to create the El Capitan installer (specific instructions are here: http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capita...-el-capitan-any-supported-intel-based-pc.html)
I did encounter several issues getting stuck at "Verifying DMI Pool Data" on boot, but these all ended up being related to the graphics card, so I had to edit Clover to add the boot argument nv_disable=1 (details are here: http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capita...st-solutions-el-capitan-install-problems.html) After a lot of trial and error and finally concluding it's nv_disable that wasn't letting it boot, I followed the instructions to mount the EFI partition and permanently modify the prefs to include nv_disable=1.
Once that was done, it worked fine. I followed up post-installation with MultiBeast and asked it to install the Nvidia drivers, however, this doesn't appear to make any difference. I have limited graphics options (I see it stretched when I connect it to my 1080p TV, and no other resolution options appear in System Prefs > Displays).
I only need this computer for select minor tasks, so I haven't fully debugged all its various elements (sound, iMessage, full graphics support), but I can confirm that Ethernet works fine, and it boots properly.
Good luck!
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.66GHz
Graphics card: PNY GeForce 8500GT DDR2 512MB PCIe
Here's how it was done:
This motherboard uses the AWARD BIOS. I tweaked the BIOS first using Optimized Settings, then made these changes:
•Integrated Peripherals page > SATA RAID/AHCI mode > set to AHCI
•Integrated Peripherals page > Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode > set to AHCI
•Integrated Peripherals page > USB Keyboard Function > enable (this allows a Mac USB keyboard to work)
•Integrated Peripherals page > USB Mouse Function > enable (this allows a Mac mouse to work)
•Power Management Setup page > HPET Mode > set to 64-bit
•There are some other ones you can play with, such as setting your boot drive, etc., but I don't think anything else besides what's mentioned above is crucial to the Hackintosh install.
Then I used UniBeast in Legacy mode to create the El Capitan installer (specific instructions are here: http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capita...-el-capitan-any-supported-intel-based-pc.html)
I did encounter several issues getting stuck at "Verifying DMI Pool Data" on boot, but these all ended up being related to the graphics card, so I had to edit Clover to add the boot argument nv_disable=1 (details are here: http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capita...st-solutions-el-capitan-install-problems.html) After a lot of trial and error and finally concluding it's nv_disable that wasn't letting it boot, I followed the instructions to mount the EFI partition and permanently modify the prefs to include nv_disable=1.
Once that was done, it worked fine. I followed up post-installation with MultiBeast and asked it to install the Nvidia drivers, however, this doesn't appear to make any difference. I have limited graphics options (I see it stretched when I connect it to my 1080p TV, and no other resolution options appear in System Prefs > Displays).
I only need this computer for select minor tasks, so I haven't fully debugged all its various elements (sound, iMessage, full graphics support), but I can confirm that Ethernet works fine, and it boots properly.
Good luck!