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wfj's Temjin Build: MSI Z68MA-ED55(B3)/i5 2500K/XFX 6870

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wfj

Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
1,155
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z97X-SLI
CPU
i7-4790K
Graphics
GTX 970
Mobile Phone
  1. Android
wfj's Temjin TJ08B-E Build: MSI Z68MA-ED55 (B3)/i5 2500K/Radeon 6870
TJ08-E-34View.jpg

Components

Apple OS X Lion @ Mac Apps Store
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-lion/id444303913?mt=12

MSI Z68MA-ED55 (B3) LGA1155 Intel Z68 B3 DDR3 SATA3 and USB 3.0 A&GbE MATX Motherboard
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZWP1JY/

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 Quad Core Processor
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EBUXHQ/

Corsair Cooling H60 Hydro-Series All-in-One High-Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MYFOE2/

Corsair Vengeance 8 GB (2x4 GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004CRSM4I/

XFX Double D HD-687A-ZDFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150521

Corsair 60 GB Force Series 3 SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005RUBFAC/

Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive Bulk/OEM - WD1002FAEX
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036Q7MV0/

Sony AD-7280S-0B 24x SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive (Black)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057FRTPW/

Silverstone Tek Micro-ATX Mini-DTX, Mini-ITX Mid Tower Computer Case with Aluminum Front Panel and Steel Body TJ08B-E - Black
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DDCDH2/

SilverStone 600W Single +12V Rail ATX 12V v2.3 80 Plus Certified Active PFC Power Supply ST60F-ES (Black)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MKNNH6/


Optional

ASUS (USB-N13) Wireless-N USB Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UVNW5W/


Comments

I'm sure the first thing most people will ask is "Why aren't you using a Gigabyte motherboard"? First, I'm tired of reading about Gigabyte builds (even the one I recently posted viewtopic.php?f=54&t=53941). Second, truth be known, I picked up a few of these MSI boards as the result of a shell shocker special that Newegg had awhile back. They were bundled with a hard drive that I needed and the cost, after discount and rebate was about $35 per board. Not a bad deal at all! They had been sitting in my shop for awhile and I finally decided to try and use them in a hackintosh. As a side note, this is truly a great mATX motherboard. The build quality of the board is much better than Gigabyte IMO (very heavy duty heatsinks and heat pipe tubing for cooling), it has a UEFI BIOS, Realtek LAN & Audio, power and reset buttons right on the board for bench testing, and an OC Genie button which is especially nice if you're not an experienced overclocker. You'll understand what I mean about the build quality if you simply hold one of these boards in your hands…probably weighs more than a Gigabyte full sized ATX board. Motherboard specifications: http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z68MA-ED55--B3-.html#/?div=Overview

five_pictures3_2399_20110518092555_m.jpg

After doing some Google research I basically found out that almost NOBODY was using this board for hackintosh. The only information I could find was from a Polish osx86 forum: http://forum.osx86.org.pl/topics25/msi-z68ma-ed55-i7-2600k-1068-vt5704.htm. If you can't read Polish, just plug this into Google Translate. After rummaging through a ton of posts I learned that the ACPI tables in the UEFI BIOS actually match up quite nicely with genuine Apple hardware, it requires no DSDT (you can still extract one and use it if it makes you happy), and is quite easy to setup. Also, with the release of MultiBeast 4.3.0, you don't have to worry about manually applying Speedstepper to activate P-States for your CPU. It is possible to get a modified BIOS for this board and eliminate the need for Speedstepper…if you end up following this build just PM me and I can put you in touch with the right guy. The only thing I can't get working on this system is waking up from sleep (big surprise). The guys at http://forum.osx86.org.pl claim that sleep does work fine with this system so I'm hoping I can get it figured out.

All of the other components in this build are pretty standard but I would like to comment on the case. If you're looking for a really nice mATX case, the Temjin TJ08B-E is worthy of consideration. It has a pretty small footprint, great cooling, and can fit large graphics cards. You would think with a case this size, a modular power supply would be required. Surprisingly, this is not so as there is plenty of room behind the motherboard tray for neatly stashing unused power leads. If you want to read a full review, go here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4533/silverstone-temjin-tj08-fat-case-in-a-little-coat. Unlike the reviewer, I didn't find the cable management to be all that difficult but it does require some pre planning because the space inside can get cramped.

Configuration

Let's first gather some tools:

OS X Lion Installation Guide - http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2011/10/unibeast-install-mac-os-x-lion-using.html
MultiBeast Lion Edition - viewforum.php?f=125
Chameleon Wizard - viewforum.php?f=278

Motherboard BIOS Settings:

The only things you need to change in the BIOS is set the SATA to AHCI and ensure HPET is enabled. I also disable the COM port and set the RAM to XMP for memory timings.

OS X Lion Installation:

Plug your Lion boot disc into a USB port and boot the system. No boot flags are needed FYI. After Lion is installed and you're at the desktop, download and install any Lion updates if you're not starting with 10.7.3. Next, create a folder named "Extra" in the root directory of your boot disk. When you're finished it should look like this:

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-15%2520at%25207.00.30%2520PM.jpg

We're going to use a combination of Chamaleon Wizard and MultiBeast to get everything working. The reason I didn't use MultiBeast exclusively is that it installs a lot of boot flags and patches that this system simply doesn't require. You have a little better control over the org.chameleon.boot.plist. As you'll see below, this motherboard doesn't need many items in the boot .plist. Run Chameleon Wizard, go to the org.chameleon.boot tab and set the following options:

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-15%2520at%25201.51.00%2520PM.png

The Timeout setting is optional so choose whatever value you wish. Click "Save As" and save the file to the "Extra" folder you just created. Now, click on the SMBIOS tab, click "Edit".

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-15%2520at%25201.52.17%2520PM.png

Choose iMac (12,2) from the drop down list.

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-15%2520at%25201.52.39%2520PM.png

Click "Save As" and save the file to the "Extra" folder. Close Chameleon Wizard.

NOTE: Make a backup copy of AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext before running Multibeast. Next, open MultiBeast and choose the following options (TRIM only required if you have an SSD):

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-21%2520at%25201.01.06%2520PM.png

and (Theme is optional)...

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-21%2520at%25201.02.33%2520PM.png

Once MultiBeast and Lnx2Mac's installation programs are finished, reboot and you're done. If Apple releases an OS X Lion update, you'll need to restore the un-modified AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext and rebuild your permissions and caches. Once the update is complete, simply re-run MultiBeast and apply the Speedstepper patch again (audio will probably be broken after the update anyway). I'll update this post if I get sleep working but for the time being I would simply turn it off. As a side note, it is pretty easy to get this system setup without using MultiBeast at all. I'm not going to list the specific steps as you might have more fun (and learn more) just figuring it out on your own.

Here is verification of the CPU's P-States using MSRDumper.kext:

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-15%2520at%25202.11.07%2520PM.png

If you want to try this for yourself, follow this link: http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=258612. If you decide to overclock a K series CPU just realize that you'll only have 2 P-States, an idle and the overclocked multiplier you choose.

Benchmarks

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-15%2520at%25202.04.04%2520PM.png

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-15%2520at%25202.32.14%2520PM.png

This system is solid as a rock and I have yet to get a single KP or experience any flakiness other than sleep. If you try this build out I'm sure you'll be happy. Also, my guess is that other MSI motherboards with similar specifications should function equally so don't be afraid to experiment outside of the Gigabyte realm.

Shoutout to oswaldini and iStigPL from http://forum.osx86.org.pl. You guys were gracious and helpful! Special thanks to iStigPL for being the first to document how to get this motherboard working with OS X.

Pictures

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Hi there

I have been successfully running this board for about 4 months, i7 2600k with corsair h60 and 16gb ram ... 128gb vertex 2 ssd. it is nice and snappy, but I have a problem where the machine hangs sometimes if I try to copy files from one drive to another. it is not all the time(weird) and I am using the 3 and 6gb sata ports on the board. do you know if I should be using the 3gb ports only ? I seem to recall hearing that somewhere. I am on 10.7.3 ... running a GtX 460 cyclone if that helps, installed multibeast 4.3.0... and trim enabled ...
 
vIDEObOY said:
Hi there

I have been successfully running this board for about 4 months, i7 2600k with corsair h60 and 16gb ram ... 128gb vertex 2 ssd. it is nice and snappy, but I have a problem where the machine hangs sometimes if I try to copy files from one drive to another. it is not all the time(weird) and I am using the 3 and 6gb sata ports on the board. do you know if I should be using the 3gb ports only ? I seem to recall hearing that somewhere. I am on 10.7.3 ... running a GtX 460 cyclone if that helps, installed multibeast 4.3.0... and trim enabled ...

You might want to try just using the SATA II ports since your drive is SATA II. I haven't experienced that behavior at all but both of my drives are SATA III. You could also check to make sure you have the latest firmware for your SSD and latest BIOS for the motherboard.

Good to see someone else using this motherboard! I've built a lot of hacks this past year and I like this board better than any of the gigabytes I've used...
 
Wao! great build and read my friend.

I'm gonna have to come back to it a couple of times.

Few things from the top of my head.

and ensure HPET is enabled. and set the RAM to XMP for memory timings.

Those it apply to a Gigabyte MOBO? I don't remember doing this.

And why you set up the system definition as iMac 12,2???!

My system definition is 3,1 2008 can I move it up to a latter one?

Can I still use the chameleon wizard?

Thanks!
 
MD07 said:
Wao! great build and read my friend.

I'm gonna have to come back to it a couple of times.

Few things from the top of my head.

and ensure HPET is enabled. and set the RAM to XMP for memory timings.

Those it apply to a Gigabyte MOBO? I don't remember doing this.

And why you set up the system definition as iMac 12,2???!

My system definition is 3,1 2008 can I move it up to a latter one?

Can I still use the chameleon wizard?

Thanks!

On a gigabyte board the option for HPET is either 32 or 64 bit and I'm sure you already set it up since you're system is running. RAM timings are available in the MIT section of the BIOS. I can't remember which RAM you bought but you should be able to enable an XMP profile.

The iMac 12,2 definition is based on a mac that by default uses a sandy bridge intel processor. If you want to try it out, go for it and see what your geekbench scores are like with both 3,1 and 12,2.

Yes, you can use chameleon wizard...just make sure you understand what each of the settings does.
 
MD07 said:
On a gigabyte board the option for HPET is either 32 or 64 bit and I'm sure you already set it up since you're system is running. RAM timings are available in the MIT section of the BIOS. I can't remember which RAM you bought but you should be able to enable an XMP profile.

Now I remember HPET, yes I set it up to 64 bit. My RAM is the corsair vengeance ddr3 1600 8GB sticks, I have 16 now but eventually will go to 32GB.

MD07 said:
The iMac 12,2 definition is based on a mac that by default uses a sandy bridge intel processor. If you want to try it out, go for it and see what your geekbench scores are like with both 3,1 and 12,2.

I feel very tempted, but for now I shouldn't push it, I think its been a great learning experience, I'm getting used to all the terms and functions.

Let me tell you, coming from mac systems for like 15 years I feel liberated, I find the bios to an awesome tool. I feel I've been living under a dictatorship and now I'm free. :headbang:

I'm just gonna keep getting familiar with everything, I want to go into the compurter all the time.

Thanks wfj, keep on rocking those builds.
 
I found something pretty cool last night...haven't seen this posted anywhere on the forum so I'll share the info (possible I'm just blind).

Follow the link below, download the latest FakeSMC package, and unzip. You'll end up with a folder called "Binaries".

http://www.projectosx.com/forum/index.p ... topic=1643

Run Kext Wizard and drop in the following files:

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-17%2520at%25202.13.50%2520PM.png

Click install and reboot when finished. Now, go back to that "Binaries" folder and drag HWMonitor to your applications folder. Run HWMonitor. In the menu bar, you get this:

Screen%2520Shot%25202012-03-17%2520at%25201.49.27%2520PM.png

Real time CPU/GPU/HDD temp monitoring along with clock frequency, and multiplier for the CPU. Cool! When you click on different objects (CPU 0, etc.) the values are displayed on the menu bar.
 
MD07 said:
MD07 said:
On a gigabyte board the option for HPET is either 32 or 64 bit and I'm sure you already set it up since you're system is running. RAM timings are available in the MIT section of the BIOS. I can't remember which RAM you bought but you should be able to enable an XMP profile.

Now I remember HPET, yes I set it up to 64 bit. My RAM is the corsair vengeance ddr3 1600 8GB sticks, I have 16 now but eventually will go to 32GB.

MD07 said:
The iMac 12,2 definition is based on a mac that by default uses a sandy bridge intel processor. If you want to try it out, go for it and see what your geekbench scores are like with both 3,1 and 12,2.

I feel very tempted, but for now I shouldn't push it, I think its been a great learning experience, I'm getting used to all the terms and functions.

Let me tell you, coming from mac systems for like 15 years I feel liberated, I find the bios to an awesome tool. I feel I've been living under a dictatorship and now I'm free. :headbang:

I'm just gonna keep getting familiar with everything, I want to go into the compurter all the time.

Thanks wfj, keep on rocking those builds.

I get slightly better performance using 12,2. It's really not a big deal to try it out using Chameleon Wizard but I understand not wanting to mess with things when it's all working well:)
 
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