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[SUCCESS] Opus i9 Build: Gigabyte Gaming X Z390 - i9-9900K - Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate

Joined
May 29, 2012
Messages
887
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X
CPU
i9-9900K
Graphics
RX 6900 XT
Mac
  1. iMac
  2. MacBook Pro
Classic Mac
  1. LC
  2. Power Mac
  3. PowerBook
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
tedyun's Opus i9 Build:
Gigabyte Gaming X Z390 - i9-9900K - Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate

11-147-053-13.jpg


Components

Gigabyte Gaming X Z390 Motherboard

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145094?Item=N82E16813145094
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRZHJ6Z/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Intel i9-9900K Coffee Lake Processor
https://www.newegg.com/core-i9-9th-gen-intel-core-i9-9900k/p/N82E16819117957?Item=N82E16819117957
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KC6V4YF/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

ASRock Phantom Gaming X Radeon RX Vega 56
https://www.newegg.com/asrock-radeon-rx-vega-56-rx-vega-56-8g/p/N82E16814930006?Item=N82E16814930006
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HWV23MP/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate
https://www.amazon.com/PowerColor-Radeon-Ultimate-Graphics-Powered/dp/B09258PCFS
https://www.newegg.com/powercolor-radeon-rx-6900-xt-axrx-6900xtu-16gbd6-3dhe-oc/p/N82E16814131785

Samsung 970 EVO M.2 1TB NVMe
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-970-evo-1tb/p/N82E16820147691
[URL]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BN217QG/?tag=tonymacx86com-20[/URL]

Update: The Samsung NVMe's have are not able to perform the TRIM function properly, leading to excessive boot times when enabled. This problem started to appear around Big Sur and is even longer in Monterey. These drives are no longer recommended

WD Black SN750 NVMe M.2 2TB
https://www.newegg.com/western-digital-black-sn750-nvme-2tb/p/N82E16820250114
https://www.amazon.com/Black-SN750-NVMe-Internal-Gaming/dp/B07MLVK8K5?th=1

Western Digital 3D NAND M.2 1TB NVMe
https://www.newegg.com/western-digital-blue-1tb/p/N82E16820250092
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-NAND-1TB-SSD-WDS100T2B0B/dp/B073SB2MXT

EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G3
https://www.newegg.com/evga-supernova-750-g3-220-g3-0750-x1-750w/p/N82E16817438093?&quicklink=true
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Supernova-Modular-Warranty-220-G3-0750-X1/dp/B005BE058W/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=EVGA+SuperNOVA+750+G3,+220-G3-0750-X1&qid=1588016617&sr=8-1

I/O Crest 4 Port SATA III PCI-e 2.0 x2 Hard Drive Controller Card
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZ9T264/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
2021-10-31 Update: I don't think this card is compatible with MacOS. I am having problems with drives that are formatted if connected through this card. It appears to operate fine in Windows. My DVD RW is connected through this and it can read DVD's fine, but I haven't tested its ability to write. Going forward, I will only connect drives to be used when I boot into Windows, and won't use it to connect drives to be used in MacOS.

G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM Model F4-3600C19D-32GVRB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FSWN49R/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820232740

Fenvi T919 BCM94360CD – WiFi with BT 4.0
https://www.amazon.com/fenvi-Continuity-BCM94360CD-1750Mbps-Beamforming/dp/B07VCCZS54

Noctua NH-D15S CPU Cooler
https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-D15S-Premium-Dual-Tower-Cooler/dp/B00XUVGLEU
https://www.newegg.com/noctua-nh-d15s/p/N82E16835608072

Already Owned

SYBA Low Profile PCI-Express 1394B/A Firewire Card Model SD-PEX30009
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002S53IG8/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124072
Corsair H55 Liquid Processor Cooler
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VV56TY/?tag=tonymacx86com-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181029

An old SMK-Link Bluetooth dongle that I purchased maybe 5-6 years ago from Fry’s Electronics during a Black Friday FAR and I forgot which model it is. It worked in my previous build and still works. I hope to upgrade to one of the wireless/BT cards that people are recommending, but for now, the dongle and Ethernet connection will have to do.
I upgraded to the Fenvi T919. The dongle didn't do Airdrop, Handoff and the Bluetooth support was spotty. Sometimes it would miss keystrokes, etc.

Various Western Digital 4 TB Hard Drives purchased over the years from Fry’s Electronics (3x WDC WDEZRX-00SPEB0, 1x WDC WDEZRX-00GXEB0)

I finally replaced my beater Cooler Master Mystique with a Rosewill Thor!

An old but very functional mid tower case purchased over 15 years ago from Fry’s Electronics during a Black Friday FAR. It is the Cooler Master Mystique 632S. Well worth the money I paid for it ;)

Comments

The Build

About the name of my build: I name my Hard Drive partitions after comic strip characters. From the very first Macintosh I owned, a Macintosh LC, I've always named my System Drive "Opus" after the Bloom County character.

I have been running a Hackintosh since Snow Leopard. I forget what my components were back then and where I got guidance, but I didn’t remember it being very difficult back then. For my first and second Tonymac guided builds (listed in my sig), they were much trickier than I thought, but thanks to the awesome community here, I was able to get them running with almost all functionality.

I mainly used my Hackintosh to support my hobbies. I am a live concert taper, so I am working with audio processing software. I also do some video editing for personal use, like my kids or concert videos. Lastly, I am a hobby photographer. The main features I need from my Hack is speed for the video and photo editing. I looked at all the people running Catalina on Macs and Hacks and Sidecar because I wanted to use the Apple Pencil for photo editing. Anyone who does spot touch ups knows how awkward a mouse can be for this task. Also important to me is the ability to host multiple hard drives (the video, audio and photos eventually take up a lot of space), and the ability to swap out the drives when they get full. The other optional component I wanted was the Firewire card. I have footage on DV tapes and it is nice to be able to access that from time to time.

My previous ASUS Maximus VIII Hero build was based on Stork’s awesome Golden Build guide, however, it recently bit the dust. The best I could figure out was that my Seasonic PSU started failing and it fried my motherboard. I replaced the motherboard, and it worked for a bit, but then the same problem happened again. That's when it occurred to me I had two components failing - the mobo and the PSU. At this point, I threw my hands in the air.

I was still running High Sierra because my previous build used an Nvidia GTX780Ti. I heard about some troubles with Nvidia not updating their drivers for Mojave and Apple going full force with AMD support. I figured it wasn’t worth the hassle to upgrade cards, then get everything running on Catalina, as long as my system was doing everything it needed to. But I still felt behind the times with High Sierra. As I said, I wanted the Sidecar functionality for photo editing.

When it came time to get a new system, I felt that the Hackintosh avenue had run its course, and I started looking into an iMac. I met a person here in the Bay Area who was selling the top of the line “used-new” i9 iMac. When I asked him why, he said he had a Hackintosh that did everything he needed! He’s a fellow Hackintosh guy! He is diorama here on TonyMac, so I have to thank him for his inspiration for diving back into the Hackintosh scene. I figured with this Shelter In Place, I have more time to fiddle around with the computer, so what better way than to build a new Hackintosh?

I was given a couple mandates from “The Boss (my wife).” First, the major components had to be all new (all my previous Hacks were built from used parts) because she wanted the warranties on the expensive parts. The budget had to be around $1,200. For the CPU and motherboard, I ended up buying the max on the CPU (i9-9900K) and a budget motherboard (Gigabyte Gaming X). I don’t really need all the bells and whistles of a more expensive motherboard, and Newegg was having a sale on the combo. The Vega 56 was recommended by diaroma. It was a bit more expensive than I wanted, but he reported better compatibility. I splurged with the 1 TB NVMe drive because of the rave reviews with speed. Before taxes, the total was a bit over $1,200.

Also, if you have SATA drives that you need to install beware that with the NVMe drive, two SATA channels are inactivated because they share the same path as the NVMe, depending on the format. I didn’t know this until I read the motherboard manual and then looked at the specs of my NVMe drive. (Update: I read the manual incorrectly, and as long as my NVMe drive is installed in the M2A connector, all of my SATA channels are open. Oh well, now I have an extra 4 SATA channels! The more the merrier). I have several SATA HDDs, a DVD-RW and I want the option of adding another SATA SSD if I want to install Windows 10, so I bought the I/O Crest PCI-E SATA controller, which was recommended by other builders here as being compatible right out of the box.. This gives me the option to have 8 SATA drives, so plenty of storage if I need it.

I didn’t come across a build that had the exact same components and OS X that I used, so I based it off of Timsnart’s and kejan’s guides:

Timsnart had the same video card, but installed Mojave. Kejan had a different video card and installed Catalina. Both were using what appeared to be older BIOS (at least mine did not match their descriptions). I followed the best I could and used CaseySJ’s very comprehensive guide for his Gigabyte Designaire because it sounds like our BIOS GUIs were similar.

Onwards!

The Installation

Prebuild: BIOS Setup


Important Note: After starting the installation process and trying to troubleshoot some compatibility problems, I ran across the MSR/CFG lock issue. I tried installations with it locked and unlocked. There were no obvious differences in installation, but if I unlocked it (or locked it) after installing the system, the system wouldn’t boot upon restart. In the end, I tried stable configurations with it locked or unlocked. I never noticed any differences in speed or stability. Because I read in some places that unlocking it has better stability/performance, and because on non-Gigabyte mobos it comes unlocked by default, I am leaving it unlocked. CaseySJ and pastrychef posted very comprehensive instructions how to check the address of the MSR in the BIOS and then how to unlock it. On BIOS F9 for the Gaming X, the address is the same as the Gaming M and the Designaire, so the steps that CaseySJ and pastrychef described can be followed verbatim for the Gaming X.

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...700k-amd-rx-580.267551/page-1729#post-2092710

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...build-with-working-nvram.291193/#post-2065822
Updated thoughts on MSR Lock: I cannot get a stable system when I unlock the MSR on this motherboard. Powerbuilders like CaseySJ and pastrychef recommend to unlock it. As I will later describe, by setting the framebuffer for this board and CPU in order to enable the iGPU, I believe there is something inherently unstable about unlocking the MSR and the way the system communicates with the iGPU. When unlocked, the system seemed to be even more susceptible to the boot error (prohibited sign) that can only be fixed by disabling the iGPU (not preferred if you need this for Sidecar or Video rendering) or resetting the CMOS. In my case, I want the iGPU enabled, so that left me with resetting the CMOS. And whenever I reset the CMOS, I have to go back in to unlock the MSR. I have seen no difference in performance with the MSR unlocked, so until I find out the actual benefit of this, for convenience, I am leaving it locked.

Updated 2020-07-19: Thanks to @pastrychef and his amazing work in his build, I was able to unlock the MSR 0xE2 register, or the CFG-unlock. At the bottom of his post, he attached EFI's for use in Clover (and OpenCore). These EFI's should generally work for all Gigabyte Z390 boards with some additional customization. They were made to work with an unlocked MSR 0xE2 register, so I simply copied over his kexts, drivers and adapted his config.plist. I unlocked the MSR 0xE2 following his instructions, and voila! This configuration is stable after multiple reboots!

If you have been reading my progress here, I had a lot of trouble with unlocking the MSR and having a stable build. When I unlocked it, it would have a tendency to give an error on boot. It may let me in initially, but upon rebooting, eventually it would give an error. That meant I had to reset the CMOS, re-unlock the MSR, etc. It was just too much hassle.

It had always been bothering me that I left it locked, whereas all the power builders recommended to unlock it. I couldn't find a definitive reason, other than in order for the NVRAM to function properly, it needed to be unlocked. I tested my NVRAM in the locked state and it seemed to be fine, so I was content to live with it like this. But digging further, I came across Dortania's guide which explained that macOS and some low level kexts want to write to this variable. miliuco wrote a nice summary about the MSR 0xE2 lock here. In addition, over the last couple of weeks, my system has some hiccups -- there is the occasional random boot error (solved by rebooting) or the occasional restart after wake (solved by clearing the NVRAM). These problems had me suspecting that maybe it was due to the MSR being locked.

There are two ways you can unlock the MSR. The first is to use the beta F10g BIOS for the Z390 Gaming X. Remember, this is beta! If you don't flash your BIOS correctly, you can brick your board. Chances are, if you mess up, you can restore from a backup, or use the DualBIOS feature. Gigabyte gives you a few safety nets. Anyway, the F10g BIOS has a CFG Unlock switch that makes this setting easy. Just select this option, along with all the other BIOS options and save as a profile. Done!

The second method is to follow pastrychef's guide where you boot into grub and manually modify the BIOS. You will have to do this method if you use BIOS version F10c or older because they don't have the CFG Unlock option in the BIOS. The sequence in the installation process would be to unlock the MSR first, enter in your configuration in the BIOS, then save this setting as a profile. When you save it as a profile, the unlocked MSR state will also be saved. This is particularly important after a BIOS update, CMOS reset, etc. You can just load your saved profile and avoid having to boot back into grub to unlock the MSR.

Fortunately, the address of the MSR is exactly the same in the Gaming X motherboard as it is in pastrychef's Z390M Gaming (and in CaseySJ's Designaire), so you can just type in the command verbatim: setup_var_3 0x5C1 0x0 Be extra careful when typing this in! I would actually recommend that you verify the address if you ever update the BIOS, according to pastrychef's guide. But I can confirm that in the Gaming X F9 BIOS, the address is the same.

The motherboard came with BIOS F9. Ideally, I would have followed Timsnart and kejan’s guides because they are using the same CPU/mobo combination, however, their builds were described using older BIOS. I followed their guides to the best that I could, then filled in the blanks from CaseySJ’s guide, who had a newer BIOS and a Gigabyte motherboard.

Updated 2020-05-14: Diorama found that if you are enabling both the iGPU and dGPU, by setting the BIOS for the Initial Display Output to iGPU instead of the PCIe (ie., dGPU), both video cards appear in the System Information. Not only that, but it made a big difference in getting Final Cut to work for him (I don't have the new version of FCP to test).

Updated 2020-07-20: These BIOS settings are based on the beta F10g. I recommend flashing to this version because it allows you to unlock the CFG in the BIOS as opposed to booting into grub and manually unlocking it. So far, the beta BIOS seems stable.

Tweaker
  • Advanced CPU Settings → VT-d → Enabled
  • Extreme Memory Profile (X.M.P.) → Profile 1
Settings
  • Platform Power → ErP → Enabled
  • Miscellaneous → Intel Platform Trust Technology → Enabled
  • IO Ports → Initial Display Output → iGPU (only if you enable Internal Graphics)
  • IO Ports → Internal Graphics → Enabled (necessary if you want Sidecar, minor OS tweaks, faster rendering in Video Processing)
  • IO Ports → DVMT Pre-Allocated → 64M (this option is available after you enable Internal Graphics then reboot)
  • IO Ports → DVMT Total Gfx Mem → MAX (this option is available after you enable Internal Graphics then reboot)
  • IO Ports → Above 4G Decoding → Enabled
  • IO Ports → Super IO Configuration → Serial Port → Disabled (this option is only in beta F10g)
  • IO Ports → USB Configuration
    • XHCI Handoff → Enabled
Boot
  • CFG Lock → Disabled (this option is only in beta F10g)
  • Windows 8/10 Features → Other OS
  • CSM Support → Disabled
Optional: save modified BIOS settings to a Profile


Prebuild: Download and Assemble install USB Drives
USB #1: 32 GB, USB 3.0
Use UniBeast to make the Catalina Installer. I used my old MacBook Air to format the drive with Disk Utility. You must name the drive and select GUID Partition Map in order to format it properly for UniBeast to install correctly.​
Important Note: Over the course of trying to get my various components to work well together, I had to reinstall the system many times. I discovered that when I had to reinstall the system, it works best if I made a “fresh” UniBeast Catalina installer each time. Otherwise the system installed by the “used” UniBeast would sometimes hang after boot.​
USB #2: Any size, USB 2.0 or 3.0
Copy MultiBeast, Clover Configurator and Hackintool here. Technically, you could put everything on one USB stick, but I prefer them to be separate.​

Prebuild: Assemble components

A couple of builds ago, I found it easier to assemble the parts on a bench. It made it easier to pop stuff out and move things around. Then after everything is working, to transplant it into the case. I usually start out with the basics, so in this case, the CPU, motherboard, cooler, PSU, video card and NVMe. When everything is in, put the Catalina Installer (USB #1) into a USB 3.0 port (the USB 2.0 ports will be inactive until the proper kexts are installed), then power it up (if it is in the case, then power switch, and if you’re on the bench, then short the PWR pins).

Installation: Format NVMe drive.
  • The Catalina installer should boot up and give you a menu of options.
  • Select Disk Utility
  • Format the NVMe drive by “View > Show All Devices,” select the drive (not the partition)
  • Give your boot volume a name
  • Select APFS format
  • Specify GUID Partition Map
  • After it is formatted, quit and go back to the Installer Menu.
Installation: Install Catalina
  • Select Install mac OS, select your volume to install upon, agree to everything you’re supposed to agree to, then allow the installer to do its thing. The computer will restart.
  • The USB #1 Installer stick should still be inserted, and when the Clover bootloader appears, select “Boot macOS Install Prebooter from Preboot” and hit enter. Let the installer continue. The computer will restart.
  • When the Clover bootloader appears, select “Boot Filevault Prebooter from Preboot” and hit enter. Installation will finalize, and you should enter the Catalina welcome process.
  • During all the options, it is best not to sign into iCloud yet. You can do this later. I think it’s best if you get everything running, then once you are satisfied everything is OK, then you can set that up.
  • Once all the options are selected, you should emerge on the other side into the Finder.
Installation: Post install configuration

If you plan on leaving the MSR 0xE2 register LOCKED (NOT recommended):


  • Insert USB #2 into another USB 3.0 slot and copy over your Hackintosh Tools anywhere to your system drive. I just put everything into the Downloads folder for now.
  • Fire up MultiBeast.
  • Select your drive, then configure as necessary. These are the options I selected for MultiBeast:

Important Note: I realize that some of the options I selected may not be needed, such as 7/8/9 Series USB Support and Inject ATI. This is just the combination that I tried, and everything was working. I intend at some point to go back in and experiment with removing these, and when I do, I will report the results. I tried WhateverGreen, but I never noticed any difference in performance or stability. So for now, I am leaving it out.

Updated MultiBeast settings:

Over the course of trying to nail down an intermittent boot problem (that I finally determined to be caused by not setting the framebuffer for the iGPU), I went through the options that I originally specified for MultiBeast. I eliminated the ones that didn’t seem to do anything for my system or seemed redundant. I selected the following:

  • From my original post, I removed Drivers > Disk > 3rd Party SATA because this seemed redundant with Drivers > Disk > Intel Generic AHCI SATA. My drives seem like they are functioning properly.
  • I removed Drivers > Misc > HWMonitorSMC2 HWMonitor Application. This is optional and can be added later if you want.
  • Drivers > USB > 3rd Party USB 3.0 seems redundant with USBInjectAll. I didn’t notice any differences in the behavior of my USB ports without this.
  • I never thought Drivers > USB > 7/8/9 Series USB Support was applicable to me, and I was right! I don’t think I need this.
  • Customize > Graphics > Intel HD 630 (Coffee Lake) is not needed because I am going to patch it later on using settings that are closer to my configuration
  • Customize > Graphics > Inject ATI is for older Radeons and I never thought I needed this either
  • I also added AppleALC, VirtualSMC and USBInjectAll in MultiBeast (also WhateverGreen can be included here). These are optional at this step because next, in Clover Configurator, these can be added. Clover Configurator will actually look for the latest versions and install those. So you can go with the version included in MultiBeast, or if you want to try the latest versions, you can update them in Clover Configurator.
  • Click on Build, and let MultiBeast install onto your drive
  • Quit MultiBeast
  • Optional: If you want to check stability before adding more tweaks with Clover Configurator, restart the system now
Installation: Post install configuration with Clover Configurator.
  • Navigate to Clover Configurator (either on the USB #2 drive or copy it over to your system drive)
  • Select Mount EFI, Check if the EFI is mounted, and if not, select Mount Partition on your EFI drive.
  • Select “File > Open…” Then open your config.plist. It should be on EFI (drive) > EFI > CLOVER”
I have no idea what all these options are, so I just simply followed Timsnart’s guide, shown here. Tim’s guide was for a Mojave installation, and I see that for my Catalina Multibeast, there are several kexts he selected in Clover that are now redundant, so I didn't add any options in the Kexts Installer section. Also, his Kernel and Kexts Patches selections were different from what I had available. I couldn’t find the options he used, and I’m assuming that it is different because of Catalina. To summarize, this is what I chose:​





Update to Clover Configurator settings:
  • Select Devices and click on the Properties tab. Verify that the patch was correctly applied by look at the “List of PCI Devices” box (PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x2,0x0) should be shown) and then scrolling through all the Properties Keys.
  • Moving to the Kexts Installer, I selected Lilu, VirtualSMC, WhateverGreen, AppleALC, then using the dropdown Location and OS Version, directed it to the location of the current kexts. Clover Configurator checks for updates, and highlights the updates in green.
  • Hit the Download button and it will install the updated kexts. The VirtualSMC plugins will pop up, and I installed them.
  • Save and close the config.plist, then quit
  • Eject and remove the USB drives. Then restart the computer.
  • After restart, checking in Hackintool, I can see that the framebuffer is correctly applied. Using VideoProc, I can see that the iGPU is functional and hardware acceleration is enabled. Sidecar is functional.

Differences between my original Clover Configurator settings:
  • In the ACPI tab I did not apply any of the patches or Fixes that had applied in my first attempts. The EHCx patches are for USB, and I haven’t encountered any problems with my USB ports. The other Patches are for graphics, and these are not recommended when using WhateverGreen with the Framebuffer patch. Similarly with the Fixes, I didn’t see any improvement in stability with these enabled, so I am leaving them unchecked.
  • In the Boot tab, I did not apply the “slide=0” or the “-disablegfxfirmware”. The slide argument is for booting problems, and I found that it didn’t make a difference. The “-disablegfxfirmware” is recommended to be removed for the Framebuffer patch.
  • For Devices, aside from the framebuffer patch detailed above, I applied a Fake ID for the IntelGFX that is different from Timsnart’s. I have “0x3E988086” but this might have been a holdover from a previous attempt. I actually think it should be “0x3E9B8086” but if it ain’t broke….

If you plan on UNLOCKING the MSR 0xE2 register (recommended):

Download either my EFI (for Clover 5119) here that is more customized for my setup, or go to pastrychef's "generic" Gigabyte Z390 EFI. His will require some customization, such as adding USB support, framebuffer patching, and whatever you need to get it run on your system. I changed it to iMac 19,1 because I wanted Sidecar support, etc. In both EFI's you will have to populate the SMBIOS information such as the serial numbers, etc.

It's easiest just to download either EFI. A number of kexts and drivers that pastrychef installed are not available through Multibeast or Clover. Furthermore, some of the modifications in the config.plist, particularly mapping the PCI ports, will take a lot of time to figure out. This post is already long, but maybe one day, I will try to go through and figure out what each tweak does. For now, everything just works!!!

Installation: The Home Stretch!
  • At this point, everything should be running smoothly. Test the USB ports, sleep/wake, Sidecar, etc.
  • When you’re confident everything is running, plug in the Ethernet cable, log into iCloud. Test iMessages and FaceTime. It may take a while to get iMessages up and running with all your contacts.
  • If you’re like me and got the system running with just the minimal components, then add in each component, one by one, rebooting after each addition to make sure the system is stable. I added in this order:
    • SATA HDDs
    • I/O Crest SATA III PCI-e Hard Drive Controller Card (I connected my DVD-RW to this)
    • SYBA PCI-e 1394B/A Firewire Card (I haven’t tested this yet because my Firewire cables are packed away somewhere from a move and I’m too lazy to look for them)
  • For bonus points, I created an SSDT-EC.aml patch to fake the EC. I ended up doing this in my pursuit of figuring out the intermittent boot problem, and it seemed to be important. I used the SSDT-Time command script.
    • The process involves generating a DSDT by using F4 during Clover boot, then dropping the DSDT from the EFI > Clover > origin folder onto the script.
    • Copy the SSDT-EC.aml file into the EFI > Clover > patched folder. Honestly, I think this step is optional, because I haven’t seen a difference with or without the SSDT-EC, but the problem it fixes sounds pretty serious. I haven’t used my system long enough to identify potential problems without the file.
  • Update 2020-05-27: After reading several posts and guides on other sites, I tried the generic SSDT-EC-USBX.aml that is recommended for Skylake and newer processors instead of the custom SSDT-EC made by SSDT-Time, but my USB ports started acting up. One time, after wake, the keyboard kept repeating the input, then there were some ports that didn't get recognized. In Hackintool, there didn't seem to be any differences in how the USB ports were registered. But I switched back to SSDT-EC just in case.
  • Update 2020-06-08: I discovered why the SSDT-EC-USBX didn't work for me -- this is a custom SSDT made by Hackintool that is made when I mapped the USB ports. When I mapped the ports properly, I generated this file and replaced the SSDT-EC.aml. So far so good! No USB weirdness like I experienced when I used the generic SSDT-EC-USBX. So my recommendation is to use the SSDT-EC-USBX.
  • Update 2020-05-27: I used SSDT-Time to create SSDT-PLUG.aml for my motherboard. I'm not sure if it is making any difference, but it is recommended, and pastrychef is using it in his build, so why not? It was easy enough to create.
  • pastrychef is also using SSDT-AWAC in his Gigabyte Gaming M. I contemplated adding this, but searching through my DSDT, I don't think the Gaming X is using an AWAC, so I left this out.
  • Update 2020-06-08: I finally got around to mapping my USB ports, following UtterDisbelief's guide here. Hackintool generated a couple custom SSDTs along with the USBPorts.kext. One is SSDT-EC-USBX. I tried a generic one before, and it led to some weird issues with my USB, like repeated keystrokes. Using this custom one, I don't have the same issues, so I am keeping it for now.
Installation: Framebuffer patching.

This step is optional. Enabling the iGPU is necessary for Sidecar support. It is also required for other little tweaks in MacOS, and for faster rendering in Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro. And if you enable the iGPU, why not have the signal output from the HDMI port? Also, if you don't have a dGPU and want to run the rig off iGPU, then you need to patch the Framebuffer.

Update 2020-07-28: I patched the Framebuffer for this motherboard. If you plan on not using a dGPU and only using the iGPU HDMI-out for your primary video display, in order to use the HDMI port on this motherboard in Catalina, you need the latest versions of Lilu and Whatevergreen (1.4.6 and 1.4.1 respectively) in which they fixed issues with onboard HDMI and Catalina. Then you need to add the boot argument igfxonln=1. I currently have those installed to get the signal.

After Multibeast installs the kexts and other things, it will create a config.plist. Now we have to patch the graphics so that the iGPU will be recognized properly. I used CaseySJ’s Framebuffer Patching Guide:
  • There are two patches you can choose from. The first is from CaseySJ's guide, for the Gigabyte Z390M Gaming motherboard. Although it is for a different motherboard (that has HDMI, DVI and DP), it works fine for the Z390 Gaming X.

    The other patch is the one I made specifically for this motherboard, following CaseySJ's guide. I basically found the correct port and then set the other ports to "Dummy"

    In the guide, scroll to the bottom and click on “Spoiler: Procedure to Insert Framebuffer Patch into config.plist.” There are a couple methods to do this automagically using Hackintool. The first is how CaseySJ described in the guide. The second, not detailed in the guide, comes with the 3.4 version of Hackintool, where it can apply the patch by selecting “Patch > System Configs > Gigabyte > Z390M Gaming [CFL]”
  • I did the patch manually. I used BBEdit but TextEdit could also be used.
  • Make a backup of the config.plist.
  • Open the active config.plist (if the EFI volume is not mounted, use Clover Configurator to mount) with the text editor.
  • Patch option #1: In the Framebuffer Patching Guide, find “Spoiler: Gigabyte Z390M Gaming and Coffee Lake CPU.” Click to reveal the Spoiler, then copy the XML code and using the text editor, paste into the appropriate spot in the config.plist, that CaseySJ outlines in the “Spoiler: Procedure to Insert Framebuffer Patch into config.plist.”

    Patch option #2: This is the Framebuffer Patch that I made using CaseySJ's guide:
Code:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>DeviceProperties</key>
    <dict>
        <key>Add</key>
        <dict>
            <key>PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1F,0x3)</key>
            <dict>
                <key>AAPL,slot-name</key>
                <string>Internal@0,31,3</string>
                <key>device_type</key>
                <string>Audio device</string>
                <key>hda-gfx</key>
                <string>onboard-2</string>
                <key>layout-id</key>
                <data>
                EgAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>model</key>
                <string>Cannon Lake PCH cAVS</string>
            </dict>
            <key>PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x2,0x0)</key>
            <dict>
                <key>AAPL,ig-platform-id</key>
                <data>
                BwCbPg==
                </data>
                <key>AAPL,slot-name</key>
                <string>Internal@0,2,0</string>
                <key>device-id</key>
                <data>
                mz4AAA==
                </data>
                <key>device_type</key>
                <string>VGA compatible controller</string>
                <key>enable-hdmi20</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con0-busid</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con0-enable</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con0-pipe</key>
                <data>
                EgAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con0-type</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con1-busid</key>
                <data>
                AgAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con1-enable</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con1-pipe</key>
                <data>
                EgAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con1-type</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con2-busid</key>
                <data>
                BAAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con2-enable</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con2-pipe</key>
                <data>
                EgAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-con2-type</key>
                <data>
                AAgAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-patch-enable</key>
                <data>
                AQAAAA==
                </data>
                <key>framebuffer-unifiedmem</key>
                <data>
                AAAAgA==
                </data>
                <key>hda-gfx</key>
                <string>onboard-1</string>
                <key>model</key>
                <string>Intel UHD Graphics 630 (Mobile)</string>
            </dict>
        </dict>
    </dict>
</dict>
</plist>

  • Save the config.plist and quit the text editor.
Radeon Performance Tweaking

In Catalina, you have the option of using either an SSDT or kext that will inject the proper framebuffer for the Radeons. Unfortunately, with the release of Big Sur, Apple somehow modified the ability to tweak this, and so these no longer work. Functionally, I'm not sure if these tweaks ever really affected anything except the Geekbench benchmarks. But it was fun to play around with it! If you're running Catalina and you're interested, please click below. I've since moved on to Big Sur and no longer boot with those tweaks.

Update 2020-05-28: After reading some of the performance tweaking in the forums, I couldn't help myself and installed mattystonnie's amazing AMD Radeon Performance Enhanced SSDT. I simply followed his installation instructions with the Vega 64 SSDT. Next, I installed lihaoyun6's VGTab and followed jaymonkey's guide to manually modify my config.plist according to his manual installation instructions in his guide (Update: a few restarts later, it appears VGTab isn't compatible with the SSDT).

After having the SSDT installed for a while, the fan was running pretty high. With the SSDT, it was at 2400 rpm, and without the SSDT, it is just under 700 rpm. I ended up removing the SSDT because the only benefit was the increase in benchmarks (I don't game, and there was negligible difference in daily activities), and that didn't seem to be worth the constantly high fan, especially when there was no load.

However, after updating to Catalina 10.15.5, the GB5 scores look like they were consistently higher, and I was wondering if Apple tweaked the performance. So I revisited @mattystonnie SSDT again. Reading through the now massive thread, it appears that some Vega users solved the fan issue by using the RadeonVega56AirCoolingFansFix.kext. I tried it and it works! Increased speed, and proper fan control! When I pressure test the graphics using Heaven, the fan speeds up to counter the increased temperature, then after the test, it spins down as the temperature heads back to normal. Perfect!

Head on over to the mattystonnie's thread here to download his awesome SSDT. The Vega fan control kext is buried in the threads, so I hope it is OK that I attach it here. It was really useful and I am happy enough to leave these SSDT and kexts in my build.

Before AMD Radeon Performance Enhanced SSDT:
OpenCL
No SSDT GB5 OpenCL.png

Metal

No SSDT GB5 Metal.png




After AMD Radeon Performance Enhanced SSDT:
OpenCL
SSDT GB5 OpenCL.png

Metal
SSDT GB5 Metal.png



Hopefully, you should be done at this point! If you were testing the build out on the bench, then you can start installing everything into the case.

Important Note: Updated thoughts on Unlocking the MSR in the Gigabyte Gaming X

In this section, I previously had some thoughts about going the extra mile to unlock the MSR, which was previously done by going into grub and potentially entering some low-level code into your BIOS. But with the updated BIOS, there is no hassle in unlocking the MSR, so you should do it.

Important Note: Unlocking MSR in the Gigabyte Gaming X

As pastrychef noted, Gigabyte motherboards have the CFG Lock. Respected builders using Gigabyte motherboards have posted on unlocking this address for better performance and compatibility. Over the course of trying to find a stable configuration, I experimented with the lock and unlocked state. I never noticed any difference, but I haven’t used my new system extensively.

When I finally figured out a combination of MultiBeast settings and Clover settings, I realized I was in the CFG Locked state. In my experience, unlocking the MSR after installing the system causes it to not boot. Rather than going through another install what I did was the following:
  1. Format a spare USB drive or another drive (I have a 128 GB SATA SSD) in APFS
  2. Using Carbon Copy Cloner, clone the original startup drive onto the external drive
  3. Using Clover Configurator, mount the original drive EFI and clone EFI, then copy the EFI from the original to the clone. (optional, restart and boot into the clone. It should be a perfect copy)
  4. Unlock the MSR following pastrychef’s or CaseySJ’s instructions
  5. Boot into the clone drive.
  6. Erase the original Startup Drive
  7. Using Carbon Copy Cloner, restore the Startup Drive from the clone.
  8. Using Clover Configurator, mount the original drive EFI and clone EFI, then copy the EFI from the clone back to the original.
I know that I should do a proper installation, but I have spent too long on getting this build off the ground to a point where I have 100% of the functionality that I need. Maybe in a few weeks, on a quiet Saturday morning I will reinstall the system properly.
With the framebuffer patch, so far the system has been really rock solid, whereas without the patch, I could not restart the system for several times without encountering the boot error. The major point that is really nagging at me is that the MSR is locked, whereas the power builders recommend unlocking this. When I try unlocking it with the framebuffer patch applied, I still encounter the boot error which can be remedied by disabling the iGPU. So I don’t understand how these two communicate together, but the bottom line is that unlocking the MSR on this board leaves me with an unstable system. I want the iGPU enabled for Sidecar and video processing, so disabling that is not an option.

When I encounter the boot error in the unlocked state, it can be mitigated by resetting the CMOS, but this relocks the MSR. Resetting the CMOS is a pain because I have to open the case and pop the battery or short the jumpers so this will get real old, real fast.

So for convenience sake, I am leaving the MSR locked. My system is stable, and comparing benchmarks, I see no difference between unlocked and locked. I am not sure why it needs to be unlocked. Pastrychef recently posted that unlocking the MSR is necessary for Aptiomemoryfix to work properly, but I have not seen any problems so far. I’m pleased with the stability of the system right now and it does everything that I need. If having an unlocked MSR is important to you, I cannot recommend this board. Furthemore, in hindsight, I wish I had known about the lock/unlock MSR issue and the framebuffer patch. I would have gone with a non-GigabyteZ390 board (that has the MSR unlocked by default) and has a preconfigured framebuffer patch.

Updated 05-30-2020: Again, thanks to pastrychef for doing the heavy lifting and figuring out how to unlock the MSR 0xE2 address, then optimizing the config.plist and kexts, and making this EFI updated and available to all. It is basically compatible with my motherboard, and it took little effort to customize it for my rig. I simply copied over most of the kexts and drivers over, then modified his config.plist with my SMBIOS information. I also added the framebuffer patch. I think this configuration is the finish line for me, and I hope that it is stable over the next coming weeks. I am attaching my modified EFI here, with the SMBIOS information removed or scrambled. This EFI also has the Radeon Vega SSDT by mattystonnie, and the extra kexts to stabilize the fan on the Vega. I hope people will find it useful. If you have a different Radeon card, just download the appropriate SSDT from mattystonnie's thread and remove the VegaFans control kext.

Even with the Shelter In Place giving me more than usual amount of time to work on a Hackintosh, I put aside too much of my regular duties to get this off the ground. I’m happy I did it -- I think this is the first build that I’ve had where, to my knowledge, 100% of the features work since that first Hackintosh running Snow Leopard.

Optional step: Keep a clone your startup drive. For this I have a 128 GB USB 3.0 thumb drive and used Carbon Copy Cloner to copy the main partition with the system. Then use Clover Configurator to mount the EFI from your System drive and the EFI from your cloned drive, then copy over the EFI folder from the System to the Clone.

Summary

As I mentioned, the very first Hackintosh I built worked without a lot of tweaking. I figured it out myself based on the small community back then. When it came time to upgrade to a i7-2600k, it was way beyond my ability to figure it out, and I am thankful to the passionate Hackintosh community, especially at Tonymac. I simply have to find a guide with the components I want, then follow it usually to a stable build.

With my other two Tonymac guided builds, I got them to about 99% functionality. There were always little things that didn't function correctly like USB ports randomly blinking out or sleep/wake issues. I just learned to live with them. When it came time to consider updating to Catalina, I wanted the features like enhanced integration with iOS devices and Sidecar, but I was intimidated to do the install. I'm happy I invested the time to get the Opus i9 build off the ground with, as far as I can tell, 100% functionality. I hope this guide can help others, as I have been able to learn from others before.

What works:
  • USB 2.0, 3.0 ports
  • Sidecar
  • Sleep/wake
  • Audio line out
  • iMessage
  • Handoff
  • Airdrop
What doesn't work:
  • Everything I've tested so far works, but I haven't tested every single feature. I don't have a webcam for FaceTime. I don't have a way to test HDMI audio or streaming video. But if there is something you're curious about, just ask and I can test it.
Benchmarks

Update 2020-05-27: I tried my hand at overclocking. I was able to get 5.0 GHz, but it seemed stable only at around 1.36V. I did see an improvement in my GB5 scores, but not by much. In actual daily use, I didn't feel much improvement, and I felt like if I went to a higher clock, I would have to crank up the voltage, which already seemed too high. It just didn't seem worth the nominal improvement in benchmarks and negligible improvement in daily use. So I put it back to stock values.

Benchmarks as of 2020-06-04

GB5 CPU 2020-06-04.png

GB5 OpenCL 2020-06-04.png

GB5 Metal 2020-06-04.png



Attachments

I attached my EFI. Random serials were generated and I used a bogus number for the BIOS version. So if you want to use your current values, make sure to write them down and reenter them.

Update 2020-06-08: After unlocking the MSR, I used pastrychef's EFI to build upon for my rig. I'm uploading this EFI which should work for most Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X systems. The custom SMBIOS information has been deleted. I changed around some things such as using iMac19,1 and adding the framebuffer patch to enable the iGPU. If you want to use this, the EFI here has USBInjectAll and the kext patches which will enable USB support, but you should map the ports on your rig. The file is Generic EFI - MSR unlocked - Clover 5119.zip

For my system, I have the Vega 56 and mapped my USB ports, so the custom extensions are included here, and these are for reference only, that is, if you use the above EFI, you should generate your own custom SSDTs and kexts for your particular rig. Miine may or may not work properly in your system. These custom extensions should be copied to the appropriate folder, and to replace the USBInjectAll kext, delete that kext and delete the USB specific patches: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHostFamily and com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBXHCI. This file is Custom extensions for EFI - MSR unlocked - Clover 5119

Update 2020-07-28: I added my latest Clover configurations. These are based on Clover 5120. The first is Clover 5120 EFI - Gaming X patched FB - HDMI out. This EFI has the debug versions of Lilu and WEG that reenables the HDMI port on the motherboard. Also, I added the Z390 Gaming X Framebuffer patch. So basically, this EFI will allow you to run on just the iGPU. There is an "- Optional" folder for additional kexts if you want a performance boost for a Vega 56/64. If you aren't interested, then just delete this out.

The second is Clover 5120 EFI - Z390M patched FB. This EFI has the last stable release of Lilu and WEG -- but the HDMI port on the motherboard is disabled in Catalina 10.15.5 and later! There is the older Framebuffer patch that I was using. This patch is for the Z390M Gaming motherboard which works on the Gaming X. It is only there if you want to enable the iGPU for Sidecar, rendering, etc., but have no need for the HDMI out.

Also, I included an Upgrades - 2020-07-28 folder. This contains the 3 files necessary from mattystonnie's thread for accelerating the Vega 56/64. There is also the Vega 64 BIOS that I used to flash my particular card (ASRock Phantom Gaming Vega 56). Then finally, there is a copy of the beta F10g BIOS for the Z390 Gaming X. The advantage of this BIOS is that it has the CFG unlock option, the serial port disable, and the fix for the annoying default to French. Also, I included the Debug versions of Lilu and WEG if you want to play around with the HDMI out and the Framebuffer patch.

Updates

Update 2020-05-27: Created SSDT-PLUG using SSDT-Time

Update 2020-05-27: Updated to Catalina 10.15.5

Update 2020-05-28: Installed AMD Radeon Performance Enhanced SSDT, RadeonVega56AirCoolingFansFix.kext, DAGPM.kext for accelerated dGPU performance and proper fan control of the Vega 56

Update 2020-05-30: Revisited the CFG-Lock issue and was able to unlock the MSR 0xE2 register and get a stable system using pastrychef’s EFI. I customized his EFI by substituting the USBInjectAll.kext; added in the Radeon boost SSDT and kexts package; added some Clover specific kexts; added SATA kext that was working for me; added the frame buffer patch to the config.plist.

Update 2020-06-01: Updated to Catalina 10.15.5 Supplemental Update 1

Update 2020-06-02: Plexi offered to create a custom DSDT. I added this and he helped me configure my system. I ended up removing the SMBus property from the config.plist on his suggestion

Update 2020-06-03: Installed IntelMausi.kext instead of IntelMausiEthernet.kext based on the fact that the new MultiBeast has exchanged these two kexts.

Update 2020-06-04: Updated to BIOS F10c. No issues. I had to unlock the MSR again (verified to be at the same address, 0x5C1), then reset all of my BIOS settings (above). They said they fixed some of the Vcore power settings, so I'm wondering if I will have better luck overclocking. I might play with it tomorrow.

Update 2020-06-08: Mapped my USB ports and generated custom SSDT-EC-USBX, SSDT-UIAC and USBPorts.kext using Hackintool. I replaced my SSDT-EC with SSDT-EC-USBX.

Update 2020-07-10: Shortly after my last update, I made the switch over to OpenCore. I simply copied over pastrychef's OC 0.5.9 EFI and modified it for my system. I added the Radeon Performance Enhanced SSDT, the Cooling Fans Fix and DAGPM. I disabled some kexts that weren't being used in my system, and I replaced the USBPorts.kext. I tried to replicate pastrychef's USBPorts-With-Power settings. I am not sure I did it correctly, but all the ports are working and nothing got fried...yet. I wasn't sure I was going to keep OpenCore because I wasn't sure I built the config.plist correctly. Not only that, but the OpenCL and Metal performances in GeekBench 5 are about 5% lower. It's negligible in real world use, but I didn't know if I would switch back to Clover. After about a month using OC, I am still on it, so I don't think I will switch back.

I also installed Windows 10 on a separate SSD for a dual boot, and installed a 2 TB SATA HDD for Games and Applications. The main thing here was that I had to disconnect my NVMe with the MacOS because the Windows installer placed its boot files on the EFI partition of my Mac OS. Now I can run Doom Eternal! I loaded up many of the games from my Steam account. This is really my dream machine. From way back in the '90's, I always loved the MacOS, but I always loved the variety of games on the PC. The best rig I had was a Mac LC with the OrangePC card installed! This was the first way to "dual-boot" a system into a PC or to Mac. Fast forward over 20 years, and I have my dream machine that runs a Mac, yet plays PC games.

Finally, my bluetooth dongle was always a bit spotty especially after boot or after wake from sleep. There would be missing keystrokes or it could take a few seconds before it allowed entry. It seemed that it needed a few seconds to fully connect. I bought the Fenvi T919 card and installed it. Because I connected the USB port to the front panel, I redid the USB port mapping, and also lost the front panel plugs. I also had to switch my Wireless connection from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz because of occasional mouse lag. Bluetooth is more reliable (so far) and I now have WiFi. Sidecar works well but I have not yet gotten Handoff to work.

Update 2020-07-15: Updated to 10.15.6. Handoff works now! But my OpenCL Geekbench 5 score is about 10% lower. I was hoping the “updated AMD drivers” would have given a higher benchmark.

Update 2020-07-19: Updated the BIOS to beta F10g. I was inspired by pastrychef's update to the latest beta BIOS for his Z390M Gaming system, where he reported that in the latest BIOS, there is an option to disable the CFG Lock! No more going into grub to manually doing it. Some other minor fixes include a fix where it kept reverting to French instead of the selected language and some other menu shuffling. I had to hunt to find where some of the settings were.

Update 2020-07-20: Updated Clover to 5120. Even though I'm on OpenCore, I am going to try to keep Clover up to date.

Update 2020-07-25: Something that has been bugging me since I made the move to OpenCore is that my OpenCL and Metal scores are consistently lower than in Clover. In OC, I am getting mid- to high 50K's whereas in Clover I was getting low to mid- 60K's. I've played around with the OC config.plist but I can't identify anything that affects the video card performance or that accounts for this drop. So I did the drastic! I flashed the Vega 56 with the Vega 64 BIOS! This was much easier than I thought. The hard part was hunting down the correct BIOS. My first attempt was with the incorrect BIOS and I thought I bricked my card. Fortunately, the card has the Dual BIOS, so I just flipped the switch, and a quick CMOS reset later, I was back in business! My next attempt was successful. My OpenCL score is back to normal, although my Metal score is about the same.

Update 2020-07-28: I patched the Framebuffers for my motherboard! Earlier attempts were unsuccessful because the newer updates to Catalina disable the HDMI port on this motherboard. The debug versions of Lilu and WEG reenabled the HDMI port and allowed me to get a signal from it. I "elevated" the framebuffer patching section from its deprecated state. This is necessary if you want to enable the iGPU.

Update 2020-08-02: I just discovered the showpicker option in OpenCore! Turning it off bypasses the bootloader menu, so you go right into booting MacOS. Combine that with the boot chime -- it's just like a real Mac! Clover has a similar setting by making the timeout = 0, but it bypasses the chime.

Update 2020-08-03: Thanks to Rynborg, we found that using the iGPU as the primary display (and no dGPU), there was a glitch in sleep/wake in that the HDMI out signal wasn't restored upon waking. The cable need to be disconnected then reconnected. With the latest release of WEG (1.4.1) and Lilu (1.4.6), the wizards at acidanthera have fixed this issue. In order to fix the sleep issue, the boot argument igfxonln=1 needs to be used.

Updated the kexts and OpenCore to 0.6.0.

Update 2020-08-09: I tested out Big Sur Beta! Installation was a bit strange. I followed tonymac's instructions to sign up for the beta, then downloaded and made the installer drive using my OC 0.6.0 EFI. The installer didn't like my SSD, but I was finally able to make it go using a USB adapter. I think it might have been something on my SSD though.

After it was up and running, I didn't have network access, and after comparing my config.plist to esafeddie's (who uploaded his EFI), it turned out to be a single switch Kernel > Quirks > DisableIoMapper that needs to be enabled to allow my network to function.

There was a minor hiccup with Sidecar, Handoff and Airdrop, and signing out then back in on Big Sur and on my iPad re-enabled these. With Sidecar, when turning it off, there is a strange bug that causes my DP video out on my Vega to stop sending signal. This only happens on the two DP ports away from the HDMI port, and the one closest to the HDMI port retains function. My HDMI signal is fine. Edit: I found out the root cause of this behavior. For some reason, I was using a DP to HDMI cable, and that HDMI plugged into an HDMI to DVI adapter! Maybe that's all I had lying around at the time, and when I switched to a DP to DP cable, it works fine. Apparently Big Sur isn't as tolerant to these jerry-rigged solutions!

Parallels updated to version 16 and runs perfect on Big Sur.

Parallels needs to update its software to Big Sur, but probably will only do that when Big Sur is released to the public. When launching, Parallels gives an error that can be solve by entering in the terminal:

export SYSTEM_VERSION_COMPAT=1

then

open -a "Parallels Desktop"

From there, it needs to download some extensions, then requires restarts of the program and computer. After it gets going, it seems to be fine, although there are some graphical glitches in Coherence.

Lastly mattystonnies SSDT for the Radeon Enhancement doesn't (seem to) work in Big Sur. If there is a speed bump, it is minor in the benchmarks. This has never really been an essential hack for me, although it is nice to unlock the card's potential.

Overall, it's an interesting update. There is nothing that is compelling me to stay with the Beta because functionally it is essentially the same as Catalina. I will probably go back to Catalina until the official release, but at least I ironed out some of the major differences to get it to run.

Update 2020-08-12: Updated to 10.15.6 Supplemental. Nothing noticeably different

Update 2020-08-21: Updated macOS to Big Sur Public Beta 2. My experience with Public Beta 1 was pretty positive, and I had been tempted with running it as my primary system. What was holding me back from doing that was the fact that mattystonnie's Radeon Performance Enhancement SSDT no longer functions in Big Sur. I am hoping that once the final version of Big Sur is release, he will update the SSDT.

I started playing around with the alternate RadeonBoost kext. This one has an interesting story behind it. The author removed support for the Vegas in one of the versions, then another user added it back. So it's basically a hacked version of a hack! Following CaseySJ's guide, I installed the RadeonBoost-v1-4+Vega.kext and the SSDT-Z390-Vega-64-Slot-1.aml. I kept the Cooling Fans fix and the DAGPM kexts.

The GB5 benchmarks are better than without the kext, and fan control is functional (ie., spins up under high load, then back down under normal load). The benchmarks are not as high as with mattystonnie's SSDT, but at least it allows me to move up to Big Sur. Ultimately, the only benefit of these Radeon fixes is to look at the benchmarks, and to have the satisfaction that I'm a little closer to the performance in Windows (which scores close to 20% higher in OpenCL). Functionally, I don't feel any improvement in macOS. For gaming, I boot into Windows anyway.

It's funny ... with my previous 2 builds, once I got the rigs running, I never updated the system because I was worried it would break it. But this rig is so stable, that I've been an update junkie. This community has evolved so much over time and I feel like this rig is the closest to a real Mac that I have ever gotten.

Update 2020-09-08: Updated to OpenCore 0.6.1 and its associated Acidanthera kexts. Updated to the latest Big Sur Version 11.0 Beta (20A5364e)

Update 2020-09-12: Updated to Parallels 16.0.1-48919. Normally, I wouldn't write about an application update, but this one broke Big Sur. When I fired up Parallels, it said there was an update available and if I wanted to update. "Sure!" The update tries to install some extension to the system, and the security preference panel gave me an error when trying to "Allow" Parallels to make that change. So I couldn't allow the extension to get updated, and Parallels wouldn't run without the update. I figured out the workaround. If anyone is interested in the solution, it is here in the Spoiler.

1. If you're unlucky like me and tried to update to -48919, you got stuck in a loop. You need to allow Parallels to update the system extensions in the Security & Privacy panel, but it gives you an error. And the updated version won't run without the updated extension. You can get back into the Security & Privacy panel by deleting the Parallels application then restarting.

2. Luckily, I happened to have a copy of the DMG of -48916. Disconnect the computer from the internet either by unplugging the ethernet cable and/or turning off Wi-Fi.

3. Open the System Preferences > Security & Privacy panel. Click the unlock icon and enter your password.

4. Install -48916 and allow it to run.

5. Plug the computer back to the internet, then Parallels should indicated an update is available.

6. Update and relaunch Parallels.

7. When it updates, the Security & Privacy panel should ask you to allow Parallels to update the system extension. Select "Allow"

Update 2020-09-22: Updated to the latest Big Sur Beta.

Update 2020-09-26: My Corsair liquid cooler has always had a very loud radiator. Another annoying thing is that it will be spinning, then it pauses for a brief second. I never could figure out why it did this. I don't know if it was failing or if it is normal operation. Anyway, the constant noise started to get to me, so I replaced it with a Nocuta NH-D15S air cooler. Ah! Silence!

Update 2020-09-29: I put my Windows 10 system on a 1TB WD Blue NVMe. When using the second M.2 slot, it disables 2 SATA ports, so good thing I have the PCIe SATA expansion card. I cloned the Win10 system using AOMEI Backupper, then erased the SATA SSD. Everything went smoothly.

Update 2020-10-01: I updated to the latest Big Sur Beta. I had a strange error message when downloading the update. It would not download. So to work around that problem, I downloaded the Installer from gibMacOS. This was the full 12GB installer, not the 3GB update. I tried installing the new version on top of my existing system, and there was an error. I wasn't monitoring where the hiccup occurred, but it didn't look good. I rebooted into Recovery, then chose the option to install Big Sur. That seemed to go OK.

Update 2020-10-06: I updated to OC 0.6.2 and all the updated kexts.

Update 2020-10-15: I updated to the latest Big Sur Beta. I had some problems here. The same thing with the last update when I had to download the full installer. This time, there wasn't a choice between an updater and the installer. Running the installer, it hung very early in the process. I rebooted into Recovery, then selected Install Big Sur onto my System drive. It went all the way through, but then on the final reboot, it kept going through a loop of crash, then reboot. Thankfully a quick search here, I found 1Revenger1's fix here. In the config.plist, Under Misc > Security, I needed to set SecureBootModel=Disabled

Update 2020-10-30: I updated to the latest Big Sur Beta, ending in d. The last update really threw a wrench into my system. The auto sleep stopped working and I spent a few days trying to figure it out. Command sleep and scheduled sleep worked fine, but I like the fact that I can leave my rig and it will sleep if I don't return for an hour or so. A fresh install worked fine, but when I migrated my preferences over, there was some conflict that I couldn't narrow down. This version of the beta seems to fix it. I basically deleted the old power plists from the Library/Preferences (com.apple.powerlogd.plist, com.apple.PowerManagement.7D11C3CC-80C9-56F3-84C8-BDFB8E5B39B3.plist, com.apple.PowerManagement.plist), and the system rewrote new plists. After that, it started sleeping fine. Knock on wood.

The other thing I tried last week was to update my BIOS to the full release F10h. But after I did, I couldn't load my XMP profile for the RAM! I rolled back the BIOS to the beta F10g, but the XMP problem is still present. I can't explain why it was working before, but now it is not. It would only work at 3600 if I boosted the voltage to 1.65V, and then Big Sur would always crash. The system would only work at 3400 (1.35V).

Eventually, I reset the CMOS, reseated the RAM modules, then reloaded my BIOS settings. When I specified the XMP Profile 1, I manually cranked down the speed to 2166. I restarted the computer, and as long as it would get to POST, I re-entered the BIOS, set the RAM speed higher, then restarted. Rinse and repeat. I eventually got back up to 3600. Weird. But the system runs stable.

Update 2021-01-11: In the last couple months, I've updated to the full Big Sur release and updated it. No problems. I've kept current with the OpenCore releases. Today, I updated to OC 0.6.5. I was updating each time by building a new config.plist, but what I will do from now on is simply wait for OpenCore Configurator to update to the new version. After it does this, I simply open the old config.plist, then save it in the new format. Previously, there were some issues with doing this, but the Configurator seems to be stable enough.

Update 2021-06-13: Long time, no update! But I've been keeping up with the Big Sur updates, and with Monterey coming down the pipe, I don't see myself reverting back to Catalina. So I'm uploading my EFIs in OpenCore format from now on. I think I have a handle on OpenCore. The trickiest part is updating, because with each release, they seem to introduce new switches and I have no idea what they do, even after reading the guide. To update, I followed this great guide, and I registered with Inqnuam's HackinDROM app. After ocvalidate clears my config.plist, then I double check my work against pastrychef's related Z390M Gaming EFI once it's been released. So that is the process going forward, and I'll try to upload my latest EFI going forward.

Also, I'm still with the beta F10g. From my 2020-10-30 update, I described how going up to F10h was incompatible with my XMP setting, so I rolled it back to beta F10g. The XMP problem was still present, but I found that if I enable all the XMP settings, then throttle down the speed, it would work. Then I would incrementally boost the speed until it reached spec. This process worked for beta F10g, but when I tried it with F10h, the incremental boosting wouldn't work. I haven't tried F10i yet. If it ain't broke....

Update 2021-08-14: I updated to Big Sur 11.5.2. I am still on OC 0.7.0 -- I just haven't had time to sit down and update it to 0.7.2. I plan on updating it next month when 0.7.3 comes out. Everything is running smoothly.

Update 2021-09-07: I updated to OC 0.7.3 and Big Sur 1.6

Update 2021-09-11: I found a Rosewill Thor V2 case for free! This is a full tower case. I transplanted everything from my beater CoolerMaster Mystique to the Thor. Good riddance Mystique! You served me well for 10+ years!

Update 2021-10-05: Thanks to SmackAttack for pointing to CaseySJ's post here about enabling Apple's version of Intel's VT-d virtualization technology with the CPU. I have no idea what benefit this has -- something about getting some external hardware working etc., but if real Macs have it and this is a method to get AppleVTD on a Hack, then I'm all into it! While I was in the BIOS verifying VT-d was enabled, I also enabled the Intel Platform Trust Technology to prepare for Windows 11.

Update 2021-10-31: I've discovered that my I/O Crest 4 Port SATA III PCI-e 2.0 x2 Hard Drive Controller Card isn't fully compatible with the MacOS environment. It appears that when I format a drive connected to this controller using Disk Utility, it is not fully functional and may lead to drive failures shortly after. I can't figure it out but bottom line, you get what you pay for. It functions well in Windows so going forward, I will only connect drives to be used when booting to Windows. Edit - update to the update! I'm actually not sure what is going on with the hard drive. It might actually be a fault with my USB to SATA adapter that I usually use to connect my SATA drives. I need to figure it out, but for now, both the PCI card and the USB adapter are going into the penalty box.

Update 2021-11-06: Updated to Monterey 12.0.1. After reading all the problems about TRIM on the Samsung NVMe and that I had an affected drive, I installed Monterey onto a WD SN750. I performed a fresh install, then migrated everything over. I only had minor hiccups. As reported by others, the move to a WD NVMe was well worth it. The boot process is very quick -- I had forgotten how fast it was in Catalina, and just assumed that Big Sur was bloated. The other problems people reported were Bluetooth issues, especially wake from sleep. Mine was fine, but the problem I encountered was losing connection to my Magic Mouse after restart. BlueToolFixup.kext was enabled and fixed that problem. Currently, a known issue with Monterey is that screensavers using Photo rendering is broken. Apparently Apple is aware and working on a fix.

Update 2021-11-25: With the holiday today, I finally got around to upgrading to Windows 11 for my dual boot. To do this, I've been operating for a few weeks with the WD SN750 (Monterey) in one M2 slot and the previous Samsung 970 Plus (Big Sur) in the other. I am confident that I am going to stick to Monterey, so I temporarily removed the WD SN750 and replaced it with the WD Blue NVMe that has Windows 10 on it.

In the BIOS, I enabled the Intel PTT and TPM settings to "bless" my computer for the upgrade. Initially, I wanted to clone the Windows 10 onto the Samsung then perform the Windows 11 Update. After several attempts, what would happen is that the first boot into Windows would be fine. For some reason (and I know there is an explanation for this, but it is always above my head), there are 2 Windows Boot Manager options when I intercept at POST. One of them leads to the BSD and the other boots into Windows. With the clone/update strategy, I would see these options after the first boot, but then the second option to boot into Windows would disappear on subsequent boots. After spending half the day on this, I said screw it, and did a fresh install.

Update 2021-12-04: I updated to BIOS F10. The reason I've been dragging my feet with this update is that I had problems with F10h. It did not like my XMP Profile1, and it refused to run unless I ratcheted down the clock speed. Not only that, but the problem persisted when I rolled back to F10g beta. I managed to figure out how to work around it. After the update, I reconfigure the BIOS settings, including setting XMP to Profile 1, BUT I manually configure the speed to much lower, ie., 2400. Then reboot. If it doesn't load successfully, I have to reset the CMOS, unplug the power, reseat the RAM sticks, then try a lower speed. As soon as I find the lowest speed, I reboot, set the speed a bit higher, eg 2666, then reboot. If it fails, then I do the CMOS reset, RAM reseat all over again. Eventually through this iterative process, I can get back up to 3600. I have no idea why it works, but it works.

Be careful though. With this BIOS update, they specifically warn that you won't be able to rollback to a previous version. I first updated to F10i, and then when I confirmed that I could get the RAM speed back to 3600 with the procedure above, I felt confident to update it to the irreversible F10. So far so good.

I just noted that Gigabyte's BIOS utility hasn't been updated for this new BIOS. As such, we can't customize the boot screen. I had a nice version of the white apple on black background that I can't write into the BIOS until they update the utility program.

Update 2022-04-20: I haven't documented my updates recently! Lots of little things. I've been keeping up with the system updates, and being the first to implement these updates led to a little bit of fun recently. For those of us with certain Navi cards, the 12.3 update broke the macOS drivers. There was some nice community effort that discovered a method to inject the framebuffers which restored most of the functionality. Fortunately, with the 12.3.1 update, Apple fixed the bug.

The other important thing is that I've added my latest EFI, based on OpenCore 0.8.0. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT UPDATE! with all my previous EFI's, apparently, I had mapped my USB ports incorrectly, so the USBPorts.kext file has been updated! Thanks to Edhawk for checking my homework! If you are using my USBPorts.kext, please download the updated one. With my previous one, the BT connection with my Fenvi (attached to the internal USB connector) was flaky in that once in a while after restarts, my Magic Mouse lost its connection, and I had to turn it off then on to reestablish the connection. Not a show stopper, but a bit annoying. I don't know yet if the updated kext has fixed the problem. So far it has held up, so knock on wood.

If you want just the updated kext file, I uploaded that here, as 2022-04-20 Updated USBPorts.kext.zip

At this point, my config.plist is pretty customized, particularly with my 6900XTXH which has to have a spoof installed. If you have a 6900XTXH, make sure you enable ACPI > Add > 0 (Enable Radeon 6900XT WEG spoof - enable only if 6900XTXH is installed) BEFORE you use the EFI. This is disabled as default because I'm not sure what will happen if it is enabled on a system that doesn't have a 6900XTXH card.

The other thing is that if you DON'T have a 6900XTXH, make sure you change the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

If you use this EFI:

Rename EFI > OC > Opus - Rename to config.plist to config.plist
In the config.plist:

1. Confirm the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

2. Add your values in PlatformInfo > ROM. PlatformInfo > SystemProductName, PlatformInfo > SystemSerialNumber, PlatformInfo > SystemUUID

Update 2022-06-02: My build was selected as a Golden Build!!! Thanks to the mods for this honor!

Update 2022-06-08: Updated to OpenCore 0.8.1. My EFI is attached, with some minor changes to make it shareable.

If you have a 6900XTXH, make sure you enable ACPI > Add > 0 (Enable Radeon 6900XT WEG spoof - enable only if 6900XTXH is installed) BEFORE you use the EFI. This is disabled as default because I'm not sure what will happen if it is enabled on a system that doesn't have a 6900XTXH card.

The other thing is that if you DON'T have a 6900XTXH, make sure you change the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

If you use this EFI:

Rename EFI > OC > Opus - Rename to config.plist to config.plist
In the config.plist:

1. Confirm the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

2. Add your values in PlatformInfo > ROM. PlatformInfo > SystemProductName, PlatformInfo > SystemSerialNumber, PlatformInfo > SystemUUID

Update 2022-07-31: I was traveling for the past couple weeks, so I was a bit late to updating to MacOS 12.5. No problems with the update.

Update 2022-08-12: Updated to OpenCore 0.8.2. My EFI is attached here and to the first post, with some minor changes to make it shareable.

If you have a 6900XTXH, make sure you enable ACPI > Add > 0 (Enable Radeon 6900XT WEG spoof - enable only if 6900XTXH is installed) BEFORE you use the EFI. This is disabled as default because I'm not sure what will happen if it is enabled on a system that doesn't have a 6900XTXH card.

The other thing is that if you DON'T have a 6900XTXH, make sure you change the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

If you use this EFI:

Rename EFI > OC > Opus - Rename to config.plist to config.plist
In the config.plist:

1. Confirm the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

2. Add your values in PlatformInfo > ROM. PlatformInfo > SystemProductName, PlatformInfo > SystemSerialNumber, PlatformInfo > SystemUUID

Update 2022-08-16: Updated to Monterey 12.5.1

Update 2022-09-13: Updated to Monterey 12.6

Update 2022-10-04: Updated to OpenCore 0.8.5. My EFI is attached here and to the first post, with some minor changes to make it shareable.

If you have a 6900XTXH, make sure you enable ACPI > Add > 0 (Enable Radeon 6900XT WEG spoof - enable only if 6900XTXH is installed) BEFORE you use the EFI. This is disabled as default because I'm not sure what will happen if it is enabled on a system that doesn't have a 6900XTXH card.

The other thing is that if you DON'T have a 6900XTXH, make sure you change the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

If you use this EFI:

Rename EFI > OC > Opus - Rename to config.plist to config.plist
In the config.plist:

1. Confirm the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

2. Add your values in PlatformInfo > ROM. PlatformInfo > SystemProductName, PlatformInfo > SystemSerialNumber, PlatformInfo > SystemUUID

Update 2022-10-24: Updated to MacOS 13.0 - Ventura

Update 2022-11-09: Updated to MacOS 13.0.1

Update 2022-11-12: Updated to OpenCore 0.8.6. My EFI is attached here with some minor changes to make it shareable.

This latest OpenCore has a minor update to the SSDT-BRG0.aml file that is used by us who spoof the 6900XTXH card to load the 6900XT drivers. Functionally I think it is only important if you dual-boot Windows and use the OC Picker to select the boot drive.

If you have a 6900XTXH, make sure you enable ACPI > Add > 0 (Enable Radeon 6900XT WEG spoof - enable only if 6900XTXH is installed) BEFORE you use the EFI. This is disabled as default because I'm not sure what will happen if it is enabled on a system that doesn't have a 6900XTXH card.

The other thing is that if you DON'T have a 6900XTXH, make sure you change the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

If you use this EFI:

Rename EFI > OC > Opus - Rename to config.plist to config.plist
In the config.plist:

1. Confirm the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

2. Add your values in PlatformInfo > ROM. PlatformInfo > SystemProductName, PlatformInfo > SystemSerialNumber, PlatformInfo > SystemUUID

Update 2022-12-09: Updated to OpenCore 0.8.7. My EFI is attached here with some minor changes to make it shareable.

If you have a 6900XTXH, make sure you enable ACPI > Add > 0 (Enable Radeon 6900XT WEG spoof - enable only if 6900XTXH is installed) BEFORE you use the EFI. This is disabled as default because I'm not sure what will happen if it is enabled on a system that doesn't have a 6900XTXH card.

The other thing is that if you DON'T have a 6900XTXH, make sure you change the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

If you use this EFI:

Rename EFI > OC > Opus - Rename to config.plist to config.plist
In the config.plist:

1. Confirm the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

2. Add your values in PlatformInfo > ROM. PlatformInfo > SystemProductName, PlatformInfo > SystemSerialNumber, PlatformInfo > SystemUUID

Update 2022-12-14: Updated to MacOS 13.1

Update 2023-01-12: Updated to OpenCore 0.8.8. My EFI is attached here with some minor changes to make it shareable.

If you have a 6900XTXH, make sure you enable ACPI > Add > 0 (Enable Radeon 6900XT WEG spoof - enable only if 6900XTXH is installed) BEFORE you use the EFI. This is disabled as default because I'm not sure what will happen if it is enabled on a system that doesn't have a 6900XTXH card.

The other thing is that if you DON'T have a 6900XTXH, make sure you change the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

If you use this EFI:

Rename EFI > OC > Opus - Rename to config.plist to config.plist
In the config.plist:

1. Confirm the values in DeviceProperties > PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0).

2. Add your values in PlatformInfo > ROM. PlatformInfo > SystemProductName, PlatformInfo > SystemSerialNumber, PlatformInfo > SystemUUID

Update 2023-01-23: Updated to MacOS 13.2

Update 2023-02-13: Updated to MacOS 13.2.1

Update 2023-02-14: Updated to OpenCore 0.8.9

Update 2023-03-07: Updated to OpenCore 0.9.0. I highly recommend using OCAT to upgrade your EFI as opposed to downloading my EFI, then manually adding in your customizations. The whole process with OCAT is probably much shorter than manually tweaking. My EFI is attached here with some minor changes to make it shareable. Instructions for using the EFI are in this post.

Update 2023-03-30: Updated to MacOS 13.3. There was a problem with this update. I changed the EFI to one that is based on CaseySJ's EFI. My description of the issue and fix are here.

Update 2023-04-05: Updated to OpenCore 0.9.1

Update 2023-04-07: Updated to MacOS 13.3.1 - Minor issue with the new EFI. You need to change the SecureBootModel in the config.plist to Disabled

Update 2023-05-02: Updated to MacOS 13.3.1 (a)

Update 2023-05-17: Updated to OpenCore 0.9.2

Update 2023-05-18: - Updated to MacOS 13.4

Update 2023-06-25: Updated to OpenCore 0.9.3; Updated to MacOS 13.4.1

Update 2023-07-30: - Updated to MacOS 13.5

Update 2023-08-22: Updated to OpenCore 0.9.4; Updated to MacOS 13.5.1

Update 2023-09-07: Updated to MacOS 13.5.2

Update 2023-10-29: Updated to OpenCore 0.9.5; Updated to MacOS 14.1

Update 2023-11-06: Updated to OpenCore 0.9.6

Update 2023-11-08: Updated to MacOS 14.1.1

Update 2023-12-01: Updated to MacOS 14.1.2

Update 2023-12-11: Updated to MacOS 14.2

Update 2023-12-22: Updated to OpenCore 9.7. Updated to MacOS 14.2.1

Update 2024-01-22: Updated to MacOS 14.3

Update 2024-02-06: Updated to OpenCore 9.8

Update 2024-02-08: Updated to MacOS 14.3.1

Update 2024-03-07: Updated to MacOS 14.4

Update 2024-03-25: Updated to MacOS 14.4.1
 

Attachments

  • EFI.zip
    5.5 MB · Views: 605
  • RadeonVega56AirCoolingFansFix.kext.zip
    4 KB · Views: 269
  • EFI - CFG unlock - Clover 5118.zip
    24.1 MB · Views: 321
  • Generic EFI - MSR unlocked - Clover 5119.zip
    22 MB · Views: 282
  • Custom extensions for EFI - MSR unlocked - Clover 5119.zip
    18.2 KB · Views: 254
  • Clover 5120 EFI - Gaming X patched FB - HDMI out.zip
    8.7 MB · Views: 350
  • Clover 5120 EFI - Z390M patched FB copy.zip
    8.4 MB · Views: 359
  • Upgrades - 2020-07-28.zip
    7.4 MB · Views: 343
  • OC 0.7.0 Z390 Gaming X EFI.zip
    18 MB · Views: 355
  • 2022-04-20 Updated USBPorts.kext.zip
    2.4 KB · Views: 100
  • OC 0.8.0 Opus - Shareable - Z390 Gaming X EFI.zip
    21.9 MB · Views: 109
  • OC 0.8.1 Opus - Shareable EFI.zip
    15.9 MB · Views: 88
  • OC 0.8.2 Opus - Shareable.zip
    15.9 MB · Views: 71
  • OC 0.8.3 Opus - Shareable.zip
    21.7 MB · Views: 70
  • OC 0.8.5 Opus Shareable.zip
    22 MB · Views: 101
  • OC 0.8.6 Opus Shareable.zip
    16.2 MB · Views: 40
  • OC 0.8.7 Opus Shareable.zip
    16.2 MB · Views: 53
  • OC 0.8.8 Opus Shareable.zip
    16.1 MB · Views: 57
  • OC 0.9.0 Opus Shareable.zip
    17.3 MB · Views: 82
Last edited:
Hey Ted.

I just thought I would chime in with my build since there are a few differences.

Hardware:

Intel i9-9900K
Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X
Gigabyte RX 5700 Gaming
Corsair 32GB (2 x16) Ven D4 3200 C16
Samsung 970 Pro 512GB
Samsung 860 Pro 512GB (x2)

I originally had issues with the bios as well. What I ended up doing was downgrading to F8 and following the settings from here: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/success-imac-4k-ga-z390-gaming-x-i9-9900k-vega-56.284652/

Probably not the smartest move. Who's to say that it won't cause issues in the future. Interesting enough, I just updated the bios to the latest version and matched it to your settings, my install still boots and functions just fine.

My biggest issue right now is that the only display port working is the 3rd one (the port furthest from the HDMI port). Originally I was running everything on the internal graphics, and in order to get the RX 5700 to work, I disabled the Inject ATI you have configured in the plist. This got the card to be recognized with the 1 display port and HDMI working.

That's good to know about the SATA limit. Right now I just have the 2 extra SSDs but I plan on adding more. So thanks for that tip. I'll order that controller.

Funny that you're a tape trader / taper... a hobby of mine as well.
 
Hi GertyMcGee -

I'm still futzing around with the build. The Inject ATI and USB 7/8/9 are not needed.

Actually strike that. I'm not too sure what is going on, but Sidecar became unstable when I took those out. I'm just going to leave them in. I don't have time to figure it out.

I tried out WhateverGreen, and it caused sleep problems.

I'm not really sure what's going on with your video card! I hope you can get it fixed.

Are you on taperssection? My userid is the same over there!

Best wishes,

Ted


Hey Ted.

I just thought I would chime in with my build since there are a few differences.

Hardware:

Intel i9-9900k
Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X
Gigabyte RX5700 Gaming
Corsair 32GB (2 x16) Ven D4 3200 C16
Samsung 970 Pro 512GB
Samsung 860 Pro 512GB (x2)

I originally had issues with the bios as well. What I ended up doing was downgrading to F8 and following the settings from here: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/success-imac-4k-ga-z390-gaming-x-i9-9900k-vega-56.284652/

Probably not the smartest move. Who's to say that it won't cause issues in the future. Interesting enough, I just updated the bios to the latest version and matched it to your settings, my install still boots and functions just fine.

My biggest issue right now is that the only display port working is the 3rd one (the port furthest from the HDMII port). Originally I was running everything on the internal graphics, and in order to get the RX 5700 to work, I disabled the Inject ATI you have configured in the plist. This got the card to be recognized with the 1 display port and HDMI working.

That's good to know about the SATA limit. Right now I just have the 2 extra SSDs but I plan on adding more. So thanks for that tip. I'll order that controller.

Funny that you're a tape trader / taper... a hobby of mine as well.
 
Last edited:
Hi GertyMcGee -

I'm still futzing around with the build. The Inject ATI and USB 7/8/9 are not needed.

Actually strike that. I'm not too sure what is going on, but Sidecar became unstable when I took those out. I'm just going to leave them in. I don't have time to figure it out.

I tried out WhateverGreen, and it caused sleep problems.

I'm not really sure what's going on with your video card! I hope you can get it fixed.

Are you on taperssection? My userid is the same over there!

Best wishes,

Ted

Interesting that you need Inject ATI. I can't get the system to boot with it. I wonder why... at least it's working, so I'll leave it be.

Whatever green also caused stability issues for me, so I'm leaving that out for now.

I am on taperssection... Dementian27. Although it's probably been years since I posted on there. I don't tape as much as I used to, but if I do I usually just post the show to Dime.

After using the system for 2 days now it seems to be running really well. I appreciate your help with getting this up and running! For a short while, it seemed like a lost cause haha.

Let me know if you end up posting benchmarks, I'll do the same. Do you usually run geekbench?
 
I'm actually not sure if I need to inject ATI. I don't think I should need it because it's for the older cards. I just have one MB config that so far works, but I haven't systematically gone through and figured out what I need or don't.

I've been having a strange issue with sleep. I can put it to sleep, and it wakes fine. But I noticed, over the past couple of days, it doesn't go into deep sleep after a period of inactivity. It used to. Anyway, I re-locked the CFG. I don't know I that had anything to do with it, then I reinstalled the system a few times.

It is doing something strange. After it has been running for a while, if I use Clover Configurator to mount the EFI, and, even if I do something minor like copy the EFI folder to back it up, when I go to restart, it refuses to boot into macOS. This is an intermittent problem, and I can't find the root cause. I am trying the CFG Lock and reinstalled the system. I cleared the CMOS and NVRAM and also, I am trying it without the tweak's in the Clover Configurator section. I'll update if it is more stable.

I don't tape very often nowadays either (before the SIP). The Bay Area venues really became taper unfriendly. When I want to set up, they say it's OK as long as I set up in the corner where the acoustics really suck. I've been hatting the mics recently, but without the stand, the crowd noise is unbearable on the recording.

I have Geekbench 5. I took some screenshots a few installs back. I'm still trying to tweak the system. When it's stable, I'll update with benchmarks. For some reason, it's not as fast as Timsnart's. But it's plenty fast for me! I was happy with my i7-6700K until my mobo died...


Interesting that you need Inject ATI. I can't get the system to boot with it. I wonder why... at least it's working, so I'll leave it be.

Whatever green also caused stability issues for me, so I'm leaving that out for now.

I am on taperssection... Dementian27. Although it's probably been years since I posted on there. I don't tape as much as I used to, but if I do I usually just post the show to Dime.

After using the system for 2 days now it seems to be running really well. I appreciate your help with getting this up and running! For a short while, it seemed like a lost cause haha.

Let me know if you end up posting benchmarks, I'll do the same. Do you usually run geekbench?
 
Hey Ted,

Luckily I haven't had any of the issues you outlined above. Like I said in this thread, I did run into the prohibited sign upon boot. But that went away once I got the graphics card working.

As for Clover Configurator settings, they pretty much match yours. With the exception of inject ATI turned off since that kept the OS from booting.

Attached are my bios settings as well as some benchmarks.

Side note: I am waiting for one of these to be delivered.

It should arrive today. Right now I'm just running of ethernet, so I'll report back with how the installation goes.
 

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That's great -- congratulations! My benchmarks are pretty much the same as yours for GB5 and Cinebench.

It looks like you have the internal graphics disabled, so you probably aren't encountering the same boot problems I went through. I wanted both the iGPU and the Radeon enabled. The iGPU is necessary for Sidecar and I when I disabled the iGPU, I couldn't get Sidecar to work. Also, apparently the non-linear video editors use the iGPU for rendering.

I like that Fenvi! Let me know how it works! I dumped so much money into this rig that I will have to deal with my cheapo BT dongle. It ain't fancy, but it's usable.


Hey Ted,

Luckily I haven't had any of the issues you outlined above. Like I said in this thread, I did run into the prohibited sign upon boot. But that went away once I got the graphics card working.

As for Clover Configurator settings, they pretty much match yours. With the exception of inject ATI turned off since that kept the OS from booting.

Attached are my bios settings as well as some benchmarks.

Side note: I am waiting for one of these to be delivered.

It should arrive today. Right now I'm just running of ethernet, so I'll report back with how the installation goes.
 
(Continuation of this thread)

@Sipala93: I posted my EFI. Make sure to populate the values from your SMBIOS before using the config.plist.
 
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About the framebuffer not being recognized correctly: Check if the framebuffer was patched correctly. In Clover Configurator, under Device > Properties, you should see your entry for your patch. If there are no values, then there is something wrong with the patch code, either you didn't close the <dict> correctly, etc.

The other thing I did was to set the primary display as the iGPU in the Bios. This seems to force the system to recognize the iGPU. A long shot is to set the amount of RAM for the iGPU. Use at least 64 MB and set the other value to Max.

You can check to see if the iGPU is enabled either by testing Sidecar, or by using VideoProc. You should see "Available" and the green buttons. You should also see UHD 630 under the Graphics.

Screen Shot 2020-05-17 at 7.09.04 AM.png


if you are absolutely certain that you applied the patch correctly but the framebuffer is not being recognized, then I think there is a bug in Hackintool. This actually happened to me the first time that I applied the patch. Everything was working with the iGPU, the system was rebooting without problems, but Hackintool did not "see" the iGPU. I ended up reinstalling the system and repatching it.

If you can figure out how to unlock the MSR and have it boot with the iGPU, you will be my hero. I am convinced that it will need something with the boot arguments to modify the graphics under the unlocked situation, but I am not smart enough or patient enough to go through all the settings. There are a lot of conflicting posts out there. Like, if you use this kext, don't use this argument, etc. Maybe one day, but my system is doing everything I need it to do, and I've already spent way too long on configuring it....


(Continuation of this thread)

@Sipala93: I posted my EFI. Make sure to populate the values from your machine before using the config.plist.
 
tedyun's Opus i9 Build:
Gigabyte Gaming X Z390 - i9-9900K - Radeon RX Vega 56



...

Why are you interested in booting your system with MSR unlocked? I mean, it works anyway. I think that I will not spend time trying to fix a thing that COULD make the system run worst :)
 
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