Contribute
Register

[Success] Mac OS 10.9.3, Seiki 4K 39", Clover Boot, Zotac H67ITX-C-E & Radeon HD 5770

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
May 15, 2010
Messages
238
Motherboard
ASUS X99-M WS
CPU
i7-5820K
Graphics
HD 7950
It's been a long time since I posted, but I had to share this.

Update: Dec. 11, 2014

Mavericks 10.9.5 and Yosemite 10.10 have added a significant improvement to performance.

The 39" 4K Seiki monitor (TV) is much more responsive even though it is 30Hz at 4K resolution.
I get up to 70 frames per second, that's almost 50% better with the Sapphire Radeon HD 7850.
With Mavericks 10.9.4 and earlier versions the Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 only improved 10% over the 5770.
With Mavericks 10.9 and the Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 it was less than 50 frames per second.
Performance is so good that I don't notice any issues, it feels like it did when I had 60Hz monitors.

I can't advise on gaming, everything other than games, including 3D CAD, work great.

If you have to have 60Hz,
Seiki is releasing a 40" 4K 60Hz computer monitor in early 2015,
Price is not mentioned.



Original Post:

This report focuses on Clover Boot Loader, 4K Video, Zotac Mother Board and Radeon Discrete Graphics Card. It's nice to find this system almost 3 years old is still a power house.

This is mostly a Seiki 4K 39” Monitor (TV) success report, thanks mainly to Clover Boot Loader that produced some surprising benefits such as faster system and support of 4K video. Most of the negative reviews I've read about the Seiki 4K screen are wrong, they either connected it wrong, or don’t have Mac OS X 10.9.3, or have hardware issues such as graphics cards that aren't good enough. Chimera boots the Seiki to the desktop OK, but has video disturbances on the way up. Clover has no issues, and helps fix things that you would never have known about.

I ended up with this upgraded configuration while looking to see if there was any real benefit in keeping my current mini-ITX system. It’s now a lot better than it was, it’s a rocket. In regards to the Seiki 4K TV/Monitor I can’t advice on video cards, or any other hardware other than what is mentioned here.

Hardware :
Zotac H67ITX-C-E
Sapphire Radeon HD 5770
Intel Core i7-2600K
16GB ADATA RAM


Performance with Clover with GPU and audio DSDT fixes :
Apparently my manual edits worked but they were not perfect.
Geekbench : 13,000 + (previous 11,500 to 12,500)
Cinebench : 65.13fps (previous 45fps average, 48fps top)


Mac OS 10.9.3 Mavericks:
Boot Loader : Clover v2k r2671 (replaced Chimera 3.0.1 installer version)
Note : Extra folder was deleted after first reboot.


Previously installed kext using MultiBeast 6.2.2 :
NullCPUPowerManagement.kext was previously required,
These are what this system requires with Clover and Chimera . . .

FakeSMC.kext
AppleHDA.kext
GenericUSBXHCI.kext (USB 3.0)
RealtekRTL81xx.kext (ethernet)

Chimera also requires NullCPUPowerManagement.kext, Clover doesn't.
SpeedStep is a little higher in Clover with x35 multiplier.


Clover Configurator Options :
First install enabled Asus AICPUPM ( to patch AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement).
Turned this option off latter to discover its a built in feature of Clover,
AICPUPM patch not required.

Used the ACPI section to edit/cleanup DSDT graphics and audio.
This automated feature makes custom editing a lot easier, very nice.
I did tweak GFX0 and HDEF.

Note : This system doesn’t require a DSDT to work, I only added it to get HDMI and HDEF audio working.
A DSDT is required for HDEF audio under Mavericks, something it didn’t require before.


About the Seiki 4K TV as a monitor

It’s simply awesome. There are a lot reviews that are wrong about how to use it and it’s quality.

It has to be connected with a “Active DisplayPort to HDMI” adapter. If you connect with a non-active adapter or a straight HDMI cable you will mess the ColorSync Profiles up and have to know how to fix that or reinstall a new operating system, i.e. restore from a backup. All the advice about adjusting the display settings are wrong, because of the connection mistake. This screen is set perfectly at the factory (with exception of a possible lemon). The only thing I adjusted was making custom ColorSync Profiles with the Native Gama shifted a little to the darker side, as I have always preferred.

The 30Hz at full resolution is not an issue for general use. It feels no different to me than my 2560x1440 27” or 1080P 27” monitor at 60Hz. As one good review stated it is likely only an issue for high end gaming. Video plays beautifully, it is eye popping. I downloaded a couple 4K sample videos and was shocked at how brilliant and smooth they ran. BTW I’m sitting only 24” from the screen and it’s super sharp.

The build quality is superb. I don’t know how anyone could knock it unless they got a return item. That did happen to me, but I got lucky the UPS guy broke it on our screen door closer. BTW don’t order it online from TigerDirect, go to a store. It took four phone calls to get the full refund correct, and it’s still not complete. I also found from buying it at the store that mine was a repack, and badly done. I don’t usually buy from TigerDirect, but they are the only store in Canada that carries Seiki. There is a good review on YouTube where the guy shows a comparison to other screens, he’s the only one that I know of that gives the right info on what’s needed. Search for “Seiki Digital SE39UY04 39" 4K PC Monitor (Initial Impression)”. I would describe the screen surface as low lustre or semi-gloss, it’s not matte and it’s not glossy like the Macs. I use this monitor at 2560x1440, 3840x2160 works fine but things like the menu bar are too small for my eyes. I can’t see how the Samsung 4K 28” will be usable at 3840x2160 for Mac OS. The menu bar will be about 3/16” wide.

I have one small issue that may or may not be a common problem. I had to remove HDAU from my DSDT (for HDMI audio). It was causing the video port to randomly switch to HDMI port. It would happen sometimes as soon as I reached the desktop, or not for up to an hour. When it did it might come back once for about a minute then I would have to reboot. It took me awhile to figure this out after spending a lot time trying to use DSDT edits to fix it. I worked with it all day today with no issues.

If Tonymac will let me I will post a screen video to show how fast it is. And as soon as I get an adapter for my 17” MacBook Pro I’ll post results for the Seiki connected to it for comparison.

Below are my install files in case anyone wants to upgrade their Zotac H67ITX-C-E. The Radeon HD 5770 DSDT is the best on the web, I know because mine was based on someone else's, the only one I could find. I’ve been using that one for almost 3 years without knowing it wasn’t perfect. The tell sign was that I had generic RadeonBuffers loaded, now I have Vervet loading.

The attached files are not specifics for using the Seiki Monitor, but they may be helpful to make a Hackintosh using the Seiki Monitor a better experience. The greatest improvements came from using Clover to boot the system and clean up my DSDT.

And I’ve included a screen shot for the Seiki at 3840x2160. I tried to upload a 2560x1440 but it won't allow me anymore, sorry.

I hope this is useful.


Seiki Screen at 3840x2160
http://www.tonymacx86.com/images/attach/jpg.gif

Chimera Install Files
http://www.tonymacx86.com/images/attach/zip.gif

Clover Install Files
http://www.tonymacx86.com/images/attach/zip.gif

.
 

Attachments

  • Chimera Install Files.zip
    2.7 MB · Views: 128
  • Clover Install Files.zip
    1.3 MB · Views: 242
  • 3840x2160-10.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 726
Hi.
I have this Seiki coming to use with my Titan Black.

So are you saying should not use the hdmi output straight from the gpu and rather I should purposely use display port and get an active adapter?

And if so...could you please share which adapter you got?

Thanks!!
 
Hi.
I have this Seiki coming to use with my Titan Black.

So are you saying should not use the hdmi output straight from the gpu and rather I should purposely use display port and get an active adapter?

And if so...could you please share which adapter you got?

Thanks!!

Sorry to be late replying, I thought I had messaging setup.

Don't use a HDMI cable plugged into computer HDMI port. You have to use a Displayport at the computer end. Plug an Active Displayport to HDMI adapter into the computer, and the HiRes HDMI cable Seiki provides into the adapter. A standard HDMI 1.4 cable will only get you 1920x1080p resolution, and it might cause other issues as I had happen.

Active Displayport to HDMI adapters are available with mini Displayport and standard Displayport plug. Brand shouldn't matter, I'm using one made by Club.

I upgraded my video card to a Sapphire Radeon HD 7850, and just finished editing my DSDT tonight. The HD 5770 worked great, but the 7850 gives me a lot more resolutions. It has from 720p to 6400 x 3600 (that's not a typo). The ones above the default resolution of 3840 x 2160 are less useful the higher you go. They all work, but at 6400 x 3600 the menu bar is so tiny the text is almost impossible to read even though it's crisp. It's a laugh but interesting, it might be great on a 4K 72" screen.

These are all the resolutions supported on the Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 . . .
6400 x 3600
6016 x 3384
5120 x 2880
4608 x 2592
4096 x 2304
3840 x 2160 (default)
3360 x 1890
3200 x 1800
3008 x 1692
2560 x 1440
2304 x 1296
2048 x 1152
1600 x 900
1344 x 756
1080p
1080i
720p

The Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 improved performance by about 10%. I'll be using 3200 x 1800 resolution as my standard setting.

I still have the HDMI audio issue that causes the system to act like it's switching ports (gets black screen with only the Seiki connected). So in this DSDT I scrapped the HDAU device and the link in the GFX0 device. I don't use HDMI, but I do like to make it all work, still looking for a solution.

I'll try to get the messaging working in case there are more questions.

Thanks
.
.
.
 
Cool.
Thanks for all the tips and thoughts.

Have it coming today so eager to give it a shot.
Prices have gotten so ridiculously low on the Seiki that it's hard not to grab one and just try it out.
 
Cool.
Thanks for all the tips and thoughts.

Have it coming today so eager to give it a shot.
Prices have gotten so ridiculously low on the Seiki that it's hard not to grab one and just try it out.

I'm sure it will work, and you'll be surprised how good it is, maybe shocked like I was.

I love this monitor. I've gotten so used to it it makes my 27" at 2560 x 1440 feel small, like a 19". Makes me wonder how I thought that was a big screen.

Let me know how it goes. If you have any issues I may be able to help.

Thanks
 
Been using it last night and today.
Nice screen and certainly for the price it would be hard to complain.

Going to tweak with it some more and keep testing it with my flight sim (main use for it) but I may end up ditching due to the 30hz.

The mouse lag really ends up annoying me after a while with missing the targets I am going for with the cursor, etc
 
Been using it last night and today.
Nice screen and certainly for the price it would be hard to complain.

Going to tweak with it some more and keep testing it with my flight sim (main use for it) but I may end up ditching due to the 30hz.

The mouse lag really ends up annoying me after a while with missing the targets I am going for with the cursor, etc

Is the mouse lag just in the flight sim ?

I haven't had any issues with mouse lag.

Maybe it's the mouse and or settings. I use a Logitech G700 with the buttons programmed with USB Overdrive. I initially set the buttons to generics and set the speed using Windows to run the Logitech software. The G700 is a gaming mouse, but I haven't used it for games.

I'm not much of a gamer but was into Flight Sims a few years ago.

I hope you can get it working better.

Thanks
 
I think I'm just so hyper-used to 60hz on the desktop that I'm just not interested in 30hz.

I had my normal IPS 30" hooked up next to the Seiki and going back and forth between the two was simply unbearable when you compared the smoothness of the mouse and animation motion vs the Seiki.

...to be fair, I knew this going in and wanted to try it. Just not for me.

Sure wish they would have made a 39" 60hz this year
 
So you're saying if I have a graphics card that only outputs DVI and Mini-HDMI I won't be able to get above 1080p?
 
So you're saying if I have a graphics card that only outputs DVI and Mini-HDMI I won't be able to get above 1080p?

I just picked up a basically new version of this monitor for $250.
But so far it's been noting but trouble. How do you get a Hackintosh to force resolutions to this devices?

No matter what I do, I can't get this thing out of some weird scaled 1920 x 2160 @ 30Hz mode.

I'm trying SwitchResX, but all it does is scale various displays to this display obtuse mode.

I'm in 10.9.5. I have 2 Zotac Zone Geforce GT640 passively cooled cards. I'm using a DLDVI to HDMI connector on the first card.
Nothing I do seems to get it to switch resolution FOR REAL. Where the set is actually changing it's rate instead of the computer just faking it.

Obviously I would love to get a real 3840x2160 @ 30Hz out of the system. But I would also like it know enough to drop back to to 1080@ 120Hz which is SUPPOSED to be supported for the occasional game.

I also have 2 1920 x 1200 screens I would like to get back into the rotation when I get this working properly.

I'm pretty sure both my Zotac cards, and the Seiki SE39UY04 support HDMI 1.4.

Anyone have any ideas how to make these cards scream at the monitor, and force it into the correct resolution?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top