Contribute
Register

[SUCCESS] iMac 4K - GA Z390 Gaming X, i9-9900K, VEGA 56

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 17, 2013
Messages
35
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X
CPU
i9-9900k
Graphics
Vega 56
Mac
  1. iMac
  2. MacBook Pro
Classic Mac
  1. iBook
  2. iMac
  3. Power Mac
  4. PowerBook
Mobile Phone
  1. Android
Timsnart's Build:
GA Z390 Gaming X, i9-9900K, RADEON VEGA 56





Components

Intel Core i9-9900K Processor
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005404P9I/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Le Grand Macho RT CPU Cooller
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BCLXO7Q/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X Motherboard
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HRZHJ6Z/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

G.SKILL DDR4 3000 (PC4 24000) 64GB (16x4GB) Desktop Memory
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16820232659?Item=N82E16820232659

ASRock Phantom Vega 56 8GB Graphics Card
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16814930006?Item=N82E16814930006

Fenvi T919 Wifi+BT PCI-X Card, Up to 1300Mbps
https://www.newegg.com/p/0XM-00JK-00033?Item=9SIADXZ7GS4848

Crucial MX500 1TB SSD
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077SF8KMG/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Western Digital Black 6TB Performance Hard Drive
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0792GSD6N/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Corsair CX650 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B72W1VA/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

NZXT H510 Middle Tower Case
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TC76671/?tag=tonymacx86com-20


Already Owned

ANKER ergonomic wireless mouse

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIFNTMC/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

LG 27" UD68 4K Monitor
Sandisk 8GB SD Card
USB Card Reader
Griffin iMate ADB-USB Converter
(discontinued)
Apple ADB Desktop Keyboard II (discontinued)
Generic Displayport-Displayport Cable


Comments

I have been using Haswell (Devil's Canyon) based Hackintosh for about 3 years and decided to get a new Hackintosh setup as I need stronger computing power for my 4K video projects, definitely i9-9900k-based. Also, my goal was to build a Mac that can be competitive but still way cheaper than the iMac 5K 27".

My concern was mainly about the compatibility among the motherboard, CPU (Intel Core Gen 9), RAM, and the graphics card. I did not want a premium motherboard so Z390 Gaming X was a kind of affordable option for i9 CPU.

For the discrete graphics card, my budget was not able to keep Vega64 on the list so I had to buy Vega56 but it had to be fully compatible with the CustoMac. Gigabyte Vega 56 seemed the cheapest, but there were some mentioned issues with activating all output ports. So I decided to go with ASRock's, which is less popular than Sapphire, but Sapphire got a serious price bump during my purchasing period. So I had to choose the ASRock Phantom Vega56.


Installation Notes

I own a MacBook Pro so I could easily create a UniBeast install stick off of it. However, the installation was kinda slow, and there were a couple of moments where I wasn't 100% sure if this was frozen or not. But I just tried to be patient and it all went smoothly.

BIOS settings

Please see all the green dots I made changes.

bios-setup.jpg



If you are willing to use Apple Final Cut, you MUST turn on the internal graphics card option with 128MB even if you had a discrete graphics card. (FCP utilized both chips to render preview and stuff)


MultiBeast Settings

I am just posting this screenshot instead of line by line descriptions.

multibeast.jpg


NOTE: You must remove FakeSMC graphics card kext from the extensions folder later. The kext causes random boot failure during starting ups. (See image below, the graphics temperature info is moved.)
Screen Shot 2019-10-07 at 12.46.00 PM.png



After Installation
I ran Clover Configurator to go through a ton of stuff to slove issues below.
- Final Cut X is not running
- Randomly fails to start up the machine.

Clover.jpg


What Works
Full graphics acceleration
4k/60hz (via Displayport)
Fenvi BT+Wifi (OOB)
Digital/Analog Audio (analog audio has a bit of white noise overall)
Audio out via Displayport (HDMI was not tested)
USB3

What Don't work
none


Summary

I am very very happy with the outcome I have. Originally, Fenvi BT+Wifi card was a bit skeptical thing to buy (considering its 'knockoff' looking package design), but it works reasonably well. The Bluetooth functions are a bit less impressive than the one in my 2018 MacBook Pro, when it comes to its long-distance connectivity. However, it's not terrible. WiFi works just like genuine Apple Macs. I also experienced some connectivity loss after each reboot with my old Apple Wireless Keyboard (the one that takes 4 AA batteries). However, it might be the keyboard problem so I cannot blame this Fenvi card. FCP took me an hour to get it to work but it overall works perfectly after the patches I mentioned above. Random freezing during boot was really annoying but it was also an easy fix after removing FakeSMC graphics card kext.


Benchmarks

Test results are awesome.


 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2019-10-07 at 4.29.33 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2019-10-07 at 4.29.33 PM.png
    251.3 KB · Views: 12,906
  • Screen Shot 2019-10-07 at 4.26.57 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2019-10-07 at 4.26.57 PM.png
    252.8 KB · Views: 12,979
  • IMG_20191007_161706.jpg
    IMG_20191007_161706.jpg
    2.3 MB · Views: 13,955
  • IMG_20191007_161244.jpg
    IMG_20191007_161244.jpg
    177.3 KB · Views: 15,708
hello,timsnart
Can you share efi files?please.
thankyou.


I am not sure if sharing my entire EFI was safe so here's SSDT and config.plist for you. I also attached a few screenshots from my EFI partition.

 

Attachments

  • CLOVER.png
    CLOVER.png
    169.3 KB · Views: 12,222
  • ACPI.png
    ACPI.png
    108.2 KB · Views: 12,296
  • drivers64.png
    drivers64.png
    151.6 KB · Views: 12,232
  • kext files.png
    kext files.png
    122.9 KB · Views: 12,176
  • SSDT.zip
    1.8 KB · Views: 575
  • config.plist
    8.2 KB · Views: 669
Is this a Mojave or Catalina Install? Because I'm having a big headache migrating my Catalina 10.15.2 - i7 z77 system to this z390 motherboard with the i9 + rx 580.

I can boot with my rx 580 and use it, or use only the igpu. But when I try to configure rx 580 + igpu headless same way I had the z77 system it crash on boot. I have to leave the igpu on Auto at bios to be able to boot, if a put it on enable at bios it crashes at boot on clover.

An just me or this mobo it's a piece of crap overpriced? The VRMs heatsinks are plastics!! PLASTICS!! and this is not a 60€ motherboard.

Edit: fixed, I forgot to add change HECI to IMEI on Acpi patches.
 
Last edited:
Timsnart's Build:
GA Z390 Gaming X, i9-9900K, RADEON VEGA 56




...

Hi, which macOS do you install? Catalina or Mojave.

I've the same WiFi card, but it doesn't work with Catalina.
 
I have the same motherboard and used the EFI I found here https://github.com/wqh0109663/Gigabyte-Z390-Gaming-X-Hackintosh. The USB ports require some tweaking still but it is a great start if you have this board.

I have it running stable on Catalina with the latest BIOS.


I've installed Catalina also, and it works well.

There are a few problems.

The first is the wifi card, BCM94360CD doesn't work, and once it sleeps, it will fail to come back, and my HD630 is disabled.
 
@timsnart I have the same MB-CPU-GPU-Fenvi setup as you. Just wondering is you have tested one of the below?
- Apple Watch unlock
- Wake from sleep with BT keyboard or mouse
- Sidecar (I just have a black screen)

Thanks for the input
 
I've installed Catalina also, and it works well.

There are a few problems.

The first is the wifi card, BCM94360CD doesn't work, and once it sleeps, it will fail to come back, and my HD630 is disabled.

It works under 10.15.4.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top