[Success] Skylake Asus Maximus VIII Ranger, i5-6600, GTX 1070 (Clover/High Sierra)

[pbryanw]

Hi @DjRacoon - what fixed the black screen for me with the iMac17,1 SMBios was using the AGDPfix.v.1.3 app from the first post in this thread: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...-imac-15-or-imac-17-system-definition.183113/

Disable your Nvidia drivers, run the AGDPfix program (until you get a pop-up saying the file's been patched), then re-enable the Nvidia Web Drivers and restart your Hackintosh. This AGDPfix needs to be reinstalled after every macOS system update e.g. 10.12.3 -> 10.12.4

There's also another way to prevent the black screen if you're using a MacPro6,1 SMBios, but this is more complicated: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/ssdt-gpu-graphics-card-injection.183354/

 

[DjRacoon]

@pbryanw Thanks for your support. I finally figured out that the problem were my Bios settings. I have Windows 10 and OSX on this Computer on different Drives but somehow Windows managed to change some Bios settings. I noticed that the Resolution when OSX is loading was a little too big, like after the installation. But I really thought it was because of the Graphic Drivers. So I set it all back to default and it works now. I also used the 17,1 SMBios as well now.
Are there any tools to take control of the Fans? I have one on the rear, one on top and one on the front of my computer and I think that they are spinning like when you start the computer. In Windows they get quieter after AI Suite loads up. For my taste its a bit too loud because it´s sitting next to me

Your Thread and help really helped me out, I really appreciate your help. Thanks a lot

 

[pbryanw]

@DjRacoon - Thanks, glad to hear that . Regarding your fans, I'm assuming you've attached them to your motherboard fan headers. If so, go into your BIOS (advanced setup), then to the Monitor Section, then into Q-Fan Configuration. From there, click on the menu item called Q-Fan Tuning. This "automatically detects the lowest [fan] speed and configures the minimum duty cycle for each fan".

Once Q-Fan Tuning has finished running, you can then go into Chassis Fan Configuration (under Q-Fan Configuration) and individually tweak each of your case fans (if you're happy with your fan noise after Q-Fan Tuning, this step isn't necessary). I usually change the Min Duty Cycle(%) and Middle Duty Cycle(%). After each change, press F7, which lets you see the rpm for each of your fans and what your changes have done to them. You can also press F6 at any time in the BIOS, to set fan profiles for each of your case fans, but I prefer to mess about with Min & Middle Duty Cycles, as this gives you finer control.

On my own ASUS Ranger VIII, I have my three Noctua case/chassis fans running around 600rpm. There's a lot more tweaking you can do in Chassis Fan configuration. I've attached the motherboard manual for the Ranger VIII, so if you go to page 3-36, it explains what you can do with your fans from within the BIOS.

Not sure why your case fans are spinning up on startup - maybe once you've configured them, they will be quieter. If you have a Geforce 9 series GPU, it can spin up on macOS startup, if you have GPUSensors.kext installed as part of your FakeSMC kexts.

 

[pbryanw]

@pbryanw
Are there any tools to take control of the Fans? I have one on the rear, one on top and one on the front of my computer and I think that they are spinning like when you start the computer. In Windows they get quieter after AI Suite loads up. For my taste its a bit too loud because it´s sitting next to me

@DjRacoon - Sorry, if you meant instead, whether there are any fan control tools like AI Suite for macOS. In this case, I haven't come across any, but it might be worth a Google search or a search on the Tonymacx86 or Insanelymac forums.

This is why I recommend setting the fan speeds in the BIOS rather than the OS, for both Windows and macOS, but I understood this comes down to personal preference and how you like to setup your PC.

 

[Denialof]

Hi,

I have a similar system (Asus Maximus VIII Ranger Bios v3202, i7-6700) and have everything working on 10.12.3 as SMBIOS 17,1. I had recently acquired an ASUS STRIX GTX 970 which I'm trying to get up and running on the current installation. Despite reading everything I could find about Black Screen and Asus BIOS/nvram, trying all methods, I keep on failing to get the GTX up and running. The result is a black screen with red artefacts in the middle of the load, see attached. As my system is almost identical to @pbryanw: is it possible to get a copy of the EFI directory, put it in place on my EFI partition and boot to a working system?

Any other ideas how to get that 970 going?

 

[pbryanw]

@Denialof - Hi, I have attached a zipped copy of my Clover folder to this post. Hopefully, it will enable you to boot into macOS and then you can modify the clover.plist and other files, as necessary, to better fit your system.

Before replacing your Clover folder, have you made sure NvidiaWeb is set to </false> in SystemParameters in your config.plist. You can't boot directly into macOS with a GTX 970, as the Nvidia drivers need to be installed first before the card can work properly.

A few notes:

• All your USB ports should be enabled. When you have the time you can create a SSDT-USB.aml to restrict your Hackintosh to the 15-ports a real Mac would have. Instructions at the bottom of this post
• Depending on whether you want to boot into Windows or macOS volumes at boot, you can change DefaultVolume in config.plist according to your preference.
• If you can get into macOS, you can use toleda's guide here, to get sound working
• Necessarily, I have removed all identifying information from the config.plist including serial number, SMUUID & MLB. Once you can boot into macOS, you can create these values using Clover Configurator.
• If you can boot into macOS, you then need to install the latest Nvidia drivers for your card, which you can get from here. Once they are installed, change the NvidiaWeb key in config.plist to </true> to enable them.

So, to get started, go into your EFI folder, delete the entire Clover folder and replace with the one I've attached to this post in zipped form, and let me know how you get on

 

[Denialof]

@pbryanw - Turns out that the card was faulty. Got a different GTX 970 in and both the original SMBIOS 17,1 and your 6,1 work. Thanks for the help!

 

[pbryanw]

@Denialof - Hi, that's great to hear . Hopefully, it was just a simple case of returning your faulty 970 to the place you bought it, and getting a replacement in return.

I suppose, it's up to you whether you want to go with an iMac 17,1 or MacPro6,1 SMBIOS - each has their pros and cons. I just use MacPro6,1 because it means I don't have to apply AGDPfix after every macOS update. However, checking shilohh's thread on the subject, it seems you can use kexts to get around the black screen problem now.

 

[Oliwers]

Hello! I have i7-7700K, Asus Maximus Ranger VIII, GTX1060 6GB, Samsung 960 EVO and WD 2TB Blue. I done everything the same, but when I boot from my flash install file, it stuck and dont go further. I made also video from my situation. I will be so happy and thankful if You watch my video and maybe give me some advise!

 

[pbryanw]

@Oliwers - Thanks for your well produced, informative video - I can feel your frustration at not being able to get macOS to install though.

I can't see anything too exotic with your system - all components should be hackintosh compatible. To start with I have created a generic EFI folder of my own, which you can use to see if it will boot with your macOS Install Drive. I have tested this EFI folder with my own Sierra flash drive and it works with no problems. I have attached the folder to this post.

A few other things which I'm not sure of from your video. In your motherboard settings, make sure the Bios is up-to-date and also configure these settings in the Bios Boot section:

• Boot -> CSM (Compatibility Support Module) -> Launch CSM: Disabled

• Boot -> Fast Boot: Disabled

• Boot -> Secure Boot -> OS Type -> Other OS

• Boot -> Secure Boot -> Secure Boot Mode: Disabled

Also, for your Sierra USB Flash drive, I usually create this by formatting a flash drive with Disk Utility in macOS (use macOS extended (Journaled) for the file system). Name your newly formatted drive, Untitled. Then use the following command in Terminal, to copy the Sierra installer to it (this assumes you have downloaded Sierra already):

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app

After, this has finished copying, you can install Clover to this Sierra flash drive, or create a separate Clover flash drive for booting the Sierra installer. I usually go down the separates route. Then, when I want to start the install process, I press F8 on PC startup to get into boot drive menu, select my Clover drive, then use that to boot my Sierra installer.

If everything goes well, and you are able to install macOS Sierra, then we can work out how to install Nvidia drivers for your GTX 1060 (we need a black screen fix for this) and getting onboard sound working too. If everything doesn't go well, and macOS installation fails again, I suppose the best thing would be to start a thread on this Forum in The Build Forum, or Sierra Desktop Support. Let me know how you get on