The 4K Dell OptiMac - 9020 MT - Core i7-4790 - Radeon RX 570 - LG 4K IPS Monitor

[rhhousehold]

Here's one example, if someone has used SMBIOS 15,1 and they copy paste the EFI folder from the linked guide, now they have 14,2 instead and all of their serial #s and SmUUID are changed. Here's what they'd be changed to. Other people will copy that same EFI, use the same serials and SmUUID and then your Apple ID may get blacklisted/blocked by Apple. Not something I would want.

The EFI copying approach requires redoing the whole iMessage step or replacing all the numbers/serials they were using previously. Not a great idea in my opinion.

That’s a good point. I didn’t mention it in detail before, but what I did was follow the iMessage setup guide after Catalina install but before signing into any AppleID account.

I used the SSDTs from this guide as well as adding the recommended kexts. Basically, the only part subbed out was the Unibeast setup with creating the install media from Catalina installer and then dropping in the EFI to get it installed. The EFI provided was not the final EFI that I used on my 9020.

Here’s another person who took a similar approach: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/success-catalina-10-15-on-dell-optiplex-9020.285382/post-2056966

All said, this certainly was more of an experimental approach (the “hack” part of Hackintoshing) and I don’t recommend it for those not technically inclined. The more thorough and well documented guide you’ll have will be superior. Thanks for maintaining this guide. All the info on the Optiplex platform as well was very helpful and many people (including myself) have you to thank for it.

I personally just wanted Catalina sooner and fortunately it worked out very well, using it for coding regularly day in and out.

 

[BillyGoatGruff]

I'm always looking for a bargain. Will any "brand" of AMD Radeon RX 580 work? Are they simply rebranded same hardware? Or should I specifically be getting one or the other of the ones listed at Post #1?

 

[trs96]

I'm always looking for a bargain. Will any "brand" of AMD Radeon RX 580 work? Are they simply rebranded same hardware? Or should I specifically be getting one or the other of the ones listed at Post #1?

Good question. The models in post number one are some of the better choices. I think that the Sapphire Pulse is one of the best prices available at Newegg.com right now. I use the Gigabyte RX 570 which is 9.1" in length and fits perfectly.

The MSI RX 580 is too long unless you completely remove the HDD cage in the Dell MT. So as long as the RX580 is about 9.6 inches in length or less most all brands should work. Some people say to avoid XFX but I've never tried one.

Here are the Sapphire Pulse 4/8GB dimensions:

Dimensions
GPU Length: 230mm
Card Dimensions (L x H) 9.06" x 4.92"

So Sapphire's model gives you about 1.6" less plastic shroud. It doesn't look as "gamerish" as the MSI cards. If you install into the Dell OEM case you won't see your graphics card anyway. Seems that the Sapphire Pulse cards don't sell as well because the look doesn't appeal to gamers as much. The shroud is a basic rectangular shape.

The cooling is just as good though and it should be as quiet or quieter. Also, the cards that are 10" in length or more also make it difficult to plug in the USB 3.0 and sata cables as you have to route them underneath the graphics card. The cables don't have extra length to work with.

RX580 Cards to Avoid if using the Dell OEM Case
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The MSI Armor model is 10.63" in length so it won't fit. Likewise for the Gaming model from MSI.

The Gaming X model is 10.87" x 5.51" so no way it will fit without mods. Get that drill and dremel charged up !

 

[trs96]

Basically, the only part subbed out was the Unibeast setup with creating the install media from Catalina installer and then dropping in the EFI to get it installed. The EFI provided was not the final EFI that I used on my 9020.

That sounds like a good way to approach Catalina. It should also work by using Unibeast 10.0 and then replacing the config.plist with the one from this guide and also putting all the custom SSDTs in the ACPI/patched folder. I have yet to test that out as I've been busy updating other Dell and HP guides.

Are you primarily developing for iOS, iPad OS ? How has the experience of using the i7-4790 and HD4600 graphics for your work ?

 

[rhhousehold]

That sounds like a good way to approach Catalina. It should also work by using Unibeast 10.0 and then replacing the config.plist with the one from this guide and also putting all the custom SSDTs in the ACPI/patched folder. I have yet to test that out as I've been busy updating other Dell and HP guides.

Are you primarily developing for iOS, iPad OS ? How has the experience of using the i7-4790 and HD4600 graphics for your work ?

Yeah, now that UniBeast 10.0 is out, that would be the way to go.

Actually, I am doing C++ using Xcode/clang. HD4600 is plenty good for driving the displays. Primary display is actually rotated 270 degrees. I have an issue where the second 4k display is seen as "Built-in Retina Display" and no rotation option is showing in System Preferences. I am sure the display (LG 27UL500-W) supports rotation. So I leave it horizontal but wish I could rotate it.

 

[trs96]

I have an issue where the second 4k display is seen as "Built-in Retina Display" and no rotation option is showing in System Preferences.

Maybe @nicksoph could help you out there. He's using HD4600 with a 4K monitor and has done much research in that area.

 

[trs96]

Catalina 10.15.7 Mini Guide
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If you've followed this guide for Mojave your BIOS should already be set up properly for UEFI booting. You can leave Legacy Option ROMs enabled if you want to. It doesn't prevent AMD graphics cards from working the way it did in Mojave.

If you haven't flashed your BIOS yet, follow the instructions found in the first post under Step 2:

Step 2. Update your BIOS and Change the Settings (click on the hyperlink in blue)

This is a "barebones" guide for those that want to have Catalina installed on their OptiMac, instead of Mojave, which is the macOS version install shown in post #1 of this thread.

​

Note that this is for a clean install of Catalina only. Try out this install on a clean SSD or HDD.

You will still need to read the complete Mojave Guide in post #1 to have success with Catalina. If you do want to upgrade directly from your Mojave system drive, see the following post to switch from FakeSMC to VirtualSMC kext and move all your hackintosh kexts to the EFI partition (kexts/other) from your /L/E folder.

The 4K Dell OptiMac - 9020 MT - Core i7-4790 - Radeon RX 570 - LG 4K IPS Monitor

It would be great if we could have an OpenCore Big Sur guide for Optiplex 9020 for those who want to engage that build. I wouldn’t jump on it as my Catalina setup is stable but eventually would be interested. Especially if the power mgmt is more stabilized. It would be interesting to see how...

www.tonymacx86.com

The primary difference between this guide and the main Mojave guide is that you don't install any kexts to /L/E. They will all go into the Clover/kexts/other folder on the EFI partition instead. This guide also uses VirtualSMC.kext, not FakeSMC.

1. Make your USB installer using Unibeast 10.3.0 from tonymacx86 downloads.

Directions: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...alina-on-any-supported-intel-based-pc.285366/

If you have never used Unibeast before you can watch the following video for a step by step guide.

Video Guide to making a UniBeast USB Installer

Your Mac must have at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and be able to run older versions of Mac OS X and use Unibeast to create your installer. If you would like to buy, borrow or rent a used Mac mini to create your installer, the 2010 models are the best choice. They all have a Core 2 Duo...

www.tonymacx86.com

2. Next, mount the EFI partition and replace the existing config.plist with the custom one from post #1 of this guide. You can simply delete the existing one then drag and drop the new one into the Clover folder. NOTE: If you plan on upgrading to Big Sur later this year or next year, change the SMBIOS from 14,2 to iMac 15,1 instead. iMac 14,1 14,2 or even 14,3 won't work with Big Sur. Apple dropped support for the Late 2013 iMacs across the line. iMac 15,1 is now the optimal choice for your Haswell based hackintosh.

Download USBinjectall kext, HFS Plus.efi and AppleALC kext. These can be found attached at the end of post #1. I've attached the most current AppleALC.kext at the end of this post if you only need that. Newest WhateverGreen and Lilu kexts also included there.

3. Delete VboxHFS.efi from drivers/UEFI folder, add HFSPlus.efi in it's place. This is how drivers/UEFI folder should look:

Delete the two non-Intel ethernet kexts from Clover/kexts/other and add the AppleALC kext and USBinjectAll kext to the kexts/other folder. Here's how the final kexts/other folder looks:

Make sure to also add the SMCDellSensors.kext (attached below) if you want to use an app to control fan speeds. I use the following fan control app: https://crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control/download

​

4. Download the custom SSDTs zip file from the end of post #1 and add all of those files to Clover/ACPI/patched folder.

Now you should be ready to boot UEFI from your USB installer and complete the Catalina install

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...-any-supported-intel-based-pc.285366/#install

Don't use the analog VGA Port

Microsoft Windows has supported this analog video standard since version 1.04 back in 1987 and Windows 10 still does to this day. This is probably why most people expect it to just "work" in macOS too. It doesn't. Use the DP output adapted to HDMI or even VGA if need be. Here's the Mac mini from about 2007. It doesn't even have a VGA port. You had to adapt from DVI to VGA. They included the adapter in the box.

Do not run Multibeast (especially 11.3.0) during the post install phase. It's not needed and may cause problems.

1. After the install is complete, reboot and download the latest Clover Configurator app. Mount the EFI partition of your USB drive and copy the whole EFI folder to the desktop. Now unmount that EFI and mount the hard drive's EFI partition with Clover Configurator.

2. Copy and paste the EFI folder on your desktop to the EFI partition of your hard drive that is mounted.

3. Eject your Unibeast USB, pull it out of the USB port. Reboot and your should now be booting from your hard drive that has 10.15.2 installed to it.

4. Follow Step #5 of the guide in post number one:

IMPORTANT: Do not skip this step !

Step 5. Enable iMessage and Generate a Unique Serial Number

Everything went perfectly smooth for my install, no hiccups to report. Let me know how it works out for you.

Fix for wake from Sleep Issues
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vit9696 and others have determined the cause of the wake from sleep problem that is unique to Haswell and certain other systems. To fix this you need to add a kernel patch, which you can add to your config.plist with Clover Configurator.

Here's the post from a thread on Github. Thanks to bradmart77 for notifying me that this issue is resolved.

AppleALC kernel panic · Issue #513 · acidanthera/bugtracker

Hi, under Catalina (19A583) and with latest AppleALC (1.4.2) and Lilu (1.3.8) I'm getting kernel panics when waking from sleep. I'm attaching the debug log and the kernel panic details. Many thanks...

github.com

 

[nicksoph]

So I leave it horizontal but wish I could rotate it.

I dont have a good idea about how you might go about that, but here are some guesses but Im not confident any will work.

Create duplicate config.plists changing each to use a different system definition (naming them 14_1.plist, 14_2.plist, 14_3.plist, 15_1.plist, 15_2.plist, and 15_3.plist) and interrupting Clover on boot to specify which to load.

Finding a Mac Mini system definition, and working on that. But that is likely to involve a great deal more work to get the other hardware recognized or...

...finding some software that will allow you to redefine the monitor outputs.

 

[sqrat]

EVGA SuperNOVA 550W G3 80+ Gold (Fully Modular)
Newegg

So this links to a 150mm length power supply and as you mentioned a little later you need one thats only 140mm

 

[trs96]

So this links to a 150mm length power supply and as you mentioned a little later you need one thats only 140mm

That limit is just for the Dell OEM case. Some people want more room and airflow and therefore install the internals to a non-OEM case. I've done it myself. That being said it is possible to fit the EVGA 150mm PSU in the Dell OEM case. Takes just a simple mod and 4 PSU screws installed at the back of the case. Using a 140mm replacement PSU (same length as the OEM) just makes it a little easier to install to the Dell case. $86 AR for that 550W Gold rated PSU is a super deal. They are always given top marks by Professional review sites such as Jonnyguru. Thought people should know about that option if they want to use an RX 580/590 with their Dell OEM case or if they will be transplanting to a different case.

Here's one review from a 9020 owner that bought this from Newegg. He gave it 5 eggs.

Perfect Upgrade for my Optiplex 9020

Pros: - Great component as part of an upgrade to my OPTIPLEX 9020.
- Added support for an upgraded video card.
- Cleaned up the look of cables inside the case.
- Comes with plenty of modular cables.

Look at the warranty you get with the Supernova 550W. 7 years parts and labor. Wow. Most PSUs in this price range will give you only 3-5 years. EVGA has long been known for their great customer support too.

• Warranty
• Limited Warranty period (parts): 7 years
• Limited Warranty period (labor): 7 years