Testing Thread: Skylake Platform in OS X

tonymacx86 · Oct 26, 2015

27151_1_intel_rejects_the_idea_that_they_are_going_bga_only_full_2.jpg

Testing is ongoing- this preliminary information is subject to change.

The OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 Update has added initial Skylake kernel and 100 Series chipset support. Clover's latest versions have added some of the Skylake CPU information, graphics implementation and SMBIOS information from the new iMacs.

Here is a brief progress report, workarounds, and references we used to attempt to run the Skylake / 100 Series platform on the Gigabyte Z170-UD5 TH + Core i5-6600K, ASUS Z170-Deluxe + Core i5-6600K, and ASUS Z170M-PLUS + Core i7-6770 testing builds.

Despite alot of effort, the platform is still not working, has a tremendous number of issues, and cannot be recommended yet. We're hoping that more support will be added in 10.11.2.

UPDATES: As of 10.11.4, Skylake HD 530 graphics are now working with full acceleration and the APIC Fix is not necessary. Skylake is now the current platform recommendation.

Progress Report:

1. Onboard Intel 10 Series chipset internal SATA controller doesn't work to boot system drive. Onboard 3rd party internal Asmedia SATA controllers will work. For testing on all but the ASUS motherboard, we had to get a Asmedia 1061 generic PCIe to SATA device, which gets past 'Waiting for Root Device'.

2. Graphics cards (AMD or NVIDIA) boot to black screen unless safe mode or nv_disable=1 is used. Intel HD 530 graphics is working to boot to desktop with latest Clover v3292 using no ig-platform-id inject or SMBIOS.

3. None of the USB ports work. Tried all bios settings and Clover settings. Must use Devices/USB/FixOwnership=Yes to boot past Legacy USB setup. The USB 1.1 devices light up as if they have power, but they don't move. It looks as if the system is identifying them. Mouse movement shows as pointer appearing in a different place after about 10 seconds. Keyboard setup assistant shows and ALT-TAB shows Finder after about 10 seconds. This could be a CPU and kernel issue- tried injecting different CPUs to same result.

4. The Intel i219-V ethernet controller is not functional with current OS X Intel drivers. The secondary Intel i211-AT ethernet controller on the ASUS motherboard works for screensharing from another system, however disconnection occurs after about 10 seconds.

Workarounds:

1. System drive- we set up system drive and configuration on Z97 and swapped into PCIe SATA device.

2. Screensharing- if ethernet worked, we could get in from another OS X machine and run some tests. Wifi too- we can set up PCIe wifi card with the other machine, but when it's in the Z170 and booted it doesn't appear without more setup.

3. Bluetooth- if we could get PCIe bluetooth devices working we wouldn't need USB to get in and run some tests. Unfortunately the USB issue prevents this as well.

4. USB- the issue is likely similar the one most systems are facing with El Capitan. We're attempting some fixes from RehabMan's guide here, however the methods haven't worked yet. It also could be something entirely unrelated due to unsupported hardware.

5. PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse- we were able to use PS/2 keyboard and mouse using VoodooPS2Controller.kext, however it's not a long term solution.

All in all a bit frustrating, but I'm sure things will be better soon. Testing is still underway- this information is subject to change, and this post will be updated.

Update 1 - BIOS fix:

Piker Alpha has identified a setting in some BIOSes that solves many of the issues on Skylake. We're testing but this is the setting to disable on ASUS motherboards:

Advanced > PCH Configuration > IOAPIC 24-119 entries

This allows USB and internal SATA to be used, graphics with other settings, wifi, ethernet, etc... We're hoping for a bootloader fix soon. See update 3 for a bootloader kext based fix.

Update 2 - Audio:

Realtek onboard audio device has been changed in ACPI to 'HDAS'. In order to use established solutions such as MultiBeast or toleda's CloverALC, you must change HDAS to HDEF in plist under /DSDT/Patches/ as follows.

Code:

<key>Patches</key>            
<array>
                <dict>
                    <key>Comment</key>
                    <string>Rename HDAS to HDEF</string>
                    <key>Find</key>
                    <data>
                    SERBUw==
                    </data>
                    <key>Replace</key>
                    <data>
                    SERFRg==
                    </data>
                </dict>
</array>

Update 3 - APIC Patch:

OK we now have a best-case solution to most Skylake issues. Piker Alpha has come up with a kext based solution for the BIOS setting. This solves most of the issues on Skylake including USB, internal SATA, graphics with other settings, wifi, ethernet, etc...

For Clover the solution is adding the following to KernelAndKextPatches/KextToPatch:

Code:

<key>KextsToPatch</key>        
<array>
            <dict>
                <key>Comment</key>
                <string>Skylake AppleAPIC Patch (c) Pike R. Alpha</string>
                <key>Find</key>
                <data>
                wegQD7bw
                </data>
                <key>Name</key>
                <string>AppleAPIC</string>
                <key>Replace</key>
                <data>
                vhcAAACQ
                </data>
</dict>
</array>

Update 4 - USB Fix:
USB seems to work on most ports by using USBInjectAll.kext and the raise port limit patch discussed in Rehabman's USB thread here: www.tonymacx86.com/el-capitan-laptop-support/173616-guide-10-11-usb-changes-solutions.html

Code:

<key>KextsToPatch</key>        <array>
            <dict>
                <key>Comment</key>
                <string>change 15 port limit to 30</string>
                <key>Find</key>
                <data>
                g72M/v//EA==
                </data>
                <key>Name</key>
                <string>AppleUSBXHCIPCI</string>
                <key>Replace</key>
                <data>
                g72M/v//Hw==
                </data>
</dict>

Update 5 - Installation USB:
Because of the USB issues inherent in 100 Series motherboards so far, two extra patches need to be added- the APIC patch above and the USB Raise Port Limit patch. If both are added to UniBeast created USB's config.plist, the installer should boot.

Update 6 - Skylake Starter Guide
The following new thread further explains how to get started on a Skylake setup.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/el-capitan-desktop-guides/179221-skylake-starter-guide.html

Update 7 - Intel i219 Ethernet
Updated drivers for Intel i219 ethernet variants are available here:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/downloads.php?do=cat&id=11

Update 8 - 10.11.4
As of 10.11.4, Skylake HD 530 graphics are now working with full acceleration and the APIC Fix is not necessary.

References:
https://pikeralpha.wordpress.com/2015/11/06/appleapic-kext-binary-patch-for-skylake/
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/to...-15b38b-on-skylake-i7-6700-gigabyte-z170-hd3/
https://pikeralpha.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/os-x-10-11-1-beta-4-adds-skylake-support/

Related:
http://www.tonymacx86.com/buying-ad...pus-100-series-motherboards-buyers-guide.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-h...-z170x-ud5-lga-1151-motherboard-pictures.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-h...-soc-force-lga-1151-motherboard-pictures.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-h...asrock-z170m-itx-ac-motherboard-pictures.html
http://www.tonymacx86.com/general-h...-viii-gene-lga-1151-motherboard-pictures.html

ammulder · Oct 26, 2015

Asus Z170M-PLUS Install Procedure

Update: I've switched motherboards to a H170N-WIFI, so I will not be updating this post further. Likely with the "Update 3" fix above, many of the remaining issues would be resolved. I'll leave the post here for posterity, though.

Prerequisites

An Asus Z170M-PLUS
A digital monitor to connect to the integrated graphics (HDMI connection works for sure)
An OS X machine with an empty PCIe m.2 SSD drive and some other drive that OS X is installed on (I used a Broadwell NUC with OS X on the 2.5" drive)
A PS/2 keyboard and mouse
(Optional) a supported PCIe network adapter, or a USB drive with Ubuntu Desktop 15.10 in order to move files on or off the machine if you don't have the network adapter (the onboard Ethernet works under Ubuntu)

Procedure

Boot to OS X on the other machine
Download El Capitan from the App Store
Partition the m.2 SSD into two or three parts: 9 GB JHFS+ for UniBeast (named, e.g. "Installer"), a FAT partition for copying files to/from Linux if you don't have an Ethernet adapter (named, e.g. "SHARED"), and a large JHFS+ area for the OS X install (named whatever you want)
Install UniBeast 6.0.x to the m.2 SSD. Select UEFI BIOS and leave all the graphics options unchecked.

After UniBeast finishes, save a copy of EFI/CLOVER/config.plist

Edit Devices/FakeID/Intel to be 0x12345678 (this just makes it boot faster since it'll have unaccelerated graphics anyway)

Add to the end of the Graphics section:

Code:

<key>ig-platform-id</key>
<string>19120000</string>

Replace the SMBIOS section with this (except replace the "0000" in the Serial Number with some other 4 characters):

Code:

    <key>SMBIOS</key>
    <dict>
        <key>Manufacturer</key>
        <string>Apple Inc.</string>
        <key>Family</key>
        <string>iMac</string>
        <key>ProductName</key>
        <string>iMac17,1</string>
        <key>SerialNumber</key>
        <string>C02Q0000GG7L</string>
        <key>BoardManufacturer</key>
        <string>Apple Inc.</string>
        <key>BoardVersion</key>
        <string>iMac17,1</string>
        <key>Board-ID</key>
        <string>Mac-DB15BD556843C820</string>
        <key>BoardType</key>
        <integer>10</integer>
        <key>BoardAssetTag</key>
        <string>Base Board Asset Tag#</string>
        <key>BiosVendor</key>
        <string>Apple Inc.</string>
        <key>BiosVersion</key>
        <string>IM171.88Z.0105.B00.1509221819</string>
        <key>BiosReleaseDate</key>
        <string>09/22/2015</string>
        <key>ChassisManufacturer</key>
        <string>Apple Inc.</string>
        <key>ChassisType</key>
        <string>13</string>
        <key>LocationInChassis</key>
        <string>Part Component</string>
        <key>ChassisAssetTag</key>
        <string></string>
        <key>FirmwareVendor</key>
        <string>Apple Inc.</string>
        <key>SmcRevision</key>
        <string>2.33f9</string>
        <key>Version</key>
        <string>1.0</string>
    </dict>

Install Clover 3292 to the m.2 SSD. You can accept all the default settings.
Delete the numbered directories under EFI/CLOVER/kexts/ and install the latest FakeSMC to Other/
Install RehabMan's PS/2 kext to EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/ (you do not need to install the daemon in that package, which is only for laptops with a touchpad)
Copy the config.plist that you saved and edited to EFI/CLOVER/ replacing the default one generated by Clover
Shut down the other machine and move the m.2 drive to the Z170M-PLUS. Attach the PS/2 keyboard and mouse to the Z170M-PLUS (you must do that before startup; hot plug does not work)
Boot the Z170M-PLUS to the m.2 drive (hit F8 at the Asus screen if necessary). You should get a Clover menu.
Select Boot Mac OS X from Installer (or whatever you called the install partition)
Run the installer, selecting the large JHFS+ partition to install to (leaving the UniBeast partition alone)
The installer should work and afterward you should be able to select Boot Mac OS X to YourDriveName to boot to the Desktop
Expect some graphical artifacts (e.g. flashing on transition from login window to desktop)

Limitations (currently)

None of the onboard USB ports work. A USB3 add-on card that's normally natively supported in El Capitan also does not work.
The onboard SATA ports do not work
The onboard Intel Ethernet does not work
The onboard audio does not work
Without a video card:
- Graphics are unaccelerated
- Does not go to sleep(goes to a black screen showing just a mouse cursor, and moving the mouse "wakes" it again)

Nvidia Drivers

I did the system installation on unaccelerated integrated graphics (I expect nv_disable may work if the card is installed, but I haven't yet tried)
I was able to get the Nvidia Web drivers working with 10.11.1 (346.03.03), see http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/...raphics-drivers-os-x-10-11-1-346-03-03-a.html
I installed the Web Driver and applied Fix #4 from http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/161256-solving-nvidia-driver-install-problems.html#post1016777 to solve the display going to sleep during startup
I set the BIOS to Multi-Monitor = Disabled (which I take to mean the integrated graphics are disabled when the Nvidia card is installed)
I removed the ig-platform-id from config.plist
I get the occasional system freeze, though after 20-30 seconds it carries on as if nothing happened. When opening an image in Preview, it grinds nearly to a halt, but on closing Preview it recovers. Console shows a watchdog alert on the WindowServer.
The system can sleep and wake properly with the Web Driver enabled. However it does not wake for PS/2 keyboard or mouse activity; I need to touch the power button to wake it.

Photos & Screen Shots

This is the ASUS Z170M-PLUS configured with a Core i7-6700, 16 GB of DDR4-2133 RAM, and an Nvidia GT 740:

The parts, for the machine and testing, less a couple I already had:

The motherboard:

Installed:

Running, with a vintage PS/2 keyboard (ooooh, yeah!):

GeekBench (32-bit then 64-bit):

Intel Power Gadget (idle, then fewer cores under load, then all cores under load):

DaveLloyd · Oct 26, 2015

Oh man, what a shame! Here's hoping 10.10.2 sorts it out. I'm in desperate need of upgrading, but really don't want to miss out on USB 3.1/Thunderbolt 3, among many skylake features.

Thanks for all you guys are doing

UA3 · Oct 27, 2015

Great thread, I hope Skylake will be supported by Q1 2016, I'm due for a huge upgrade.

Thanks for the efforts :thumbup:

TEAMSWITCHER · Oct 27, 2015

This is very upsetting to me.

I just checked newegg.com and the selection of Z97 motherboards (from ASUS) is starting to dwindle. My Z87 motherboard is still humming along nicely so I don't *need* an upgrade. But, in the back of my head I keep thinking that having a backup motherboard for my trusty workhorse isn't such a bad idea.

Also, anyone who want's to build a fast, modern, and trouble free hackintosh needs to start thinking about this. Waiting for the latest and greatest hardware might not be the best approach at this time.

I'm probably over-thinking all this... I've been know to get myself "worked up" from time to time...

fayl1861 · Oct 27, 2015

With screen sharing, I've been able to use it for an extended period without crashing (i211)

All you need to do is set the update time/quality to absolute minimum in chichenofthevnc.

Also, if anyone has a built-in broadcom BCM94360HMB like myself, it doesn't seem to be working OOB like it should (wifi). Device id is what it should be, the hardware is loaded by the system (just like USB is) but it shows no networks available.

It's my understanding that some of these things might be fixable with some DSDT black-magic.

tonymacx86 said:
2. Graphics cards (AMD or NVIDIA) boot to black screen unless safe mode or nv_disable=1 is used. Intel HD 530 graphics is working to boot to desktop with latest Clover v3292 using no ig-platform-id inject or SMBIOS.

Glad it's not just me. People have had success with nvidia webdrivers, but I've had nothing but black screens with my HD7950. (Which always worked OOB previously)

Wowfunhappy · Oct 27, 2015

People on InsanelyMac have had success with using PCI/PCIe -> USB 2.0 (not 3.0!) add-in cards, as well as PCI/PCIe -> SATA. Might be something to try if you want USB and/or don't want to have to buy an M.2 hard drive.

tonymacx86 · Oct 27, 2015

Wowfunhappy said:
People on InsanelyMac have had success with using PCI/PCIe -> USB 2.0 (not 3.0!) add-in cards, as well as PCI/PCIe -> SATA. Might be something to try if you want USB and/or don't want to have to buy an M.2 hard drive.

Thanks for the info- I'm currently using a PCIe to SATA adapter, but don't have a PCIe USB 2.0 adapter. Release of 10.10.2 may not be far off for more support...

fayl1861 · Oct 27, 2015

Some testing has been done with ASUS Z170-Deluxe you say?

Was anyone able to get the built in wifi (broadcom BCM94360HMB) working? It doesn't seem to want to work for me despite being a natively supported chipset. Driver loads but no networks are found.

bboczeng · Oct 27, 2015

fayl1861 said:
Some testing has been done with ASUS Z170-Deluxe you say?

Was anyone able to get the built in wifi (broadcom BCM94360HMB) working? It doesn't seem to want to work for me despite being a natively supported chipset. Driver loads but no networks are found.

How about Gigabyte Z170 UD5

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Testing Thread: Skylake Platform in OS X

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