Z690 Chipset Motherboards and Alder Lake CPU

[skroutz999]

LOL, I was just waiting for someone to post this!

To create a Golden Build, we first need to settle on a specific motherboard. Which board shall we use?

• Gigabyte Z690 Aero D?
• Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master?
• MSI Z690 MEG ACE?
• Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi?
• Asus Z690 Maximus Hero?

P.S. This does not constitute a promise to create a Golden Build. I'll think about it...

The closest motherboard to Designare I suppose! Gigabyte's stability for sure!

 

[tonben]

Are you able to control pump speed through the AIO 360 in Mac?
I used previously a Kraken X63 modified with NZXT Kraken G12 to my Radeon VII, and it was easy to control temp, fan speed of the pump etc..It gave really my graphic card a new level..under high pressure the temp never reached more than 60 degree. I am wondering how the other cooling systems will work in Mac as I have not tried them. Nice set-up !

Not sure. Actual construction begins later today.

 

[ckrueger99]

Not sure. Actual construction begins later today.

Generally, I would think it more reliable to control the fan curve(s) within the BIOS.

 

[ummario]

Preliminary guide for Gigabyte Z690 Aero G:

Gigabyte Z690 Aero G + i5-12600K + AMD RX 6800 XT

CaseySJ's Intel Alder Lake i5-12600K: Gigabyte Z690 Aero G + Intel i5-12600K + AMD RX 6800 XT Please do not quote this guide in its entirety. Post a link instead. 10 Dec 2021: All P-cores, E-cores, and Hyper Threads now working!! This guide is made possible by the wonderful teamwork on...

www.tonymacx86.com

View attachment 534828

Thanks as usual for the great Work @CaseySJ!

We were already expecting this from you, which made me reconsider the purchase of my components and maybe buy the same MB as you have, so this way we can follow your guide. (If I have a different MB it will be much harder for me to tune my hackintosh). It will be also cheaper and faster in the end.

I have a few questions if you don't mind:

I've been watching you and others in this thread messing with CPU cores settings. If I buy a different CPU from you (maybe an i7-12700K) will I be able to follow your guide anyway?

Since this MB does not have Thunderbolt or 10G ethernet port. I need to buy in separate this 2 cards.

About Thunderbolt, noticed that Gigabyte has several different cards. Should I buy Titan Ridge 2.0? (same as yours I suppose) Are other versions worth to consider instead of Titan Ridge?

About 10G card. I suppose GC-AQC113C Vision 10G will work fine right?

Thank you!

 

[CaseySJ]

Thanks as usual for the great Work @CaseySJ!

We were already expecting this from you, which made me reconsider the purchase of my components and maybe buy the same MB as you have, so this way we can follow your guide. (If I have a different MB it will be much harder for me to tune my hackintosh). It will be also cheaper and faster in the end.

I have a few questions if you don't mind:

I've been watching you and others in this thread messing with CPU cores settings. If I buy a different CPU from you (maybe an i7-12700K) will I be able to follow your guide anyway?

Sure -- no problem. The EFI folder will be exactly the same, but in BIOS there will be more P-cores and E-cores to enable or disable.

Since this MB does not have Thunderbolt or 10G ethernet port. I need to buy in separate this 2 cards.

I am still tempted to build a "1.1" update to this system by using either an Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi or MSI Z690 MEG ACE. These are more expensive boards and work only with DDR5 memory, but both contain on-board Maple Ridge Thunderbolt 4. The Asus has 10GbE on-board as well.

About Thunderbolt, noticed that Gigabyte has several different cards. Should I buy Titan Ridge 2.0? (same as yours I suppose) Are other versions worth to consider instead of Titan Ridge?

GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 is a good choice and we know how to flash its firmware (if needed). To save PCIe slots, we can do this:

• Install GC-Titan Ridge card and then ...
  • Use a Thunderbolt 3 Dock with built-in 10GbE port
  • Use a Thunderbolt 3 10GbE standalone device

About 10G card. I suppose GC-AQC113C Vision 10G will work fine right?

Yes we believe this will work, but I have not seen actual confirmation.

 

[dehjomz]

Sure -- no problem. The EFI folder will be exactly the same, but in BIOS there will be more P-cores and E-cores to enable or disable.


I am still tempted to build a "1.1" update to this system by using either an Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi or MSI Z690 MEG ACE. These are more expensive boards and work only with DDR5 memory, but both contain on-board Maple Ridge Thunderbolt 4. The Asus has 10GbE on-board as well.


GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 is a good choice and we know how to flash its firmware (if needed). To save PCIe slots, we can do this:

• Install GC-Titan Ridge card and then ...
  • Use a Thunderbolt 3 Dock with built-in 10GbE port
  • Use a Thunderbolt 3 10GbE standalone device

Yes we believe this will work, but I have not seen actual confirmation.

This Thunderbolt 10Gbe adapter from Caldigit works very well with Macintosh both real and Hackintosh (via TB3 and TB4) and with Windows/Linux too. I believe it works with the new iPad Pro (via TB) as well.

Amazon.com

 

[etorix]

I've been watching you and others in this thread messing with CPU cores settings. If I buy a different CPU from you (maybe an i7-12700K) will I be able to follow your guide anyway?

These were either benchmarking different settings or trying to get all cores and hyperthreading (not successful). With a i7-12700K you'd be most likely using P+HT and no E-cores.
But you may want to wait and see how it works out. So far, there are issues with (second) sleep and with Maple Ridge (including on-board Thunderbolt). Hackintoshing on Alder Lake is still very much experimental and not recommended for production.

 

[dehjomz]

I am still tempted to build a "1.1" update to this system by using either an Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi or MSI Z690 MEG ACE. These are more expensive boards and work only with DDR5 memory, but both contain on-board Maple Ridge Thunderbolt 4. The Asus has 10GbE on-board as well.

I've been watching the Z690 Asus ProArt Creator, MSI MEG Ace, and Gigabyte Aero D with particular interest. But they all require DDR5 which is disappointing given the lack of availability of DDR5 and its high price per GB.

 

[Stork]

...
I am still tempted to build a "1.1" update to this system by using either an Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi or MSI Z690 MEG ACE. These are more expensive boards and work only with DDR5 memory, but both contain on-board Maple Ridge Thunderbolt 4. The Asus has 10GbE on-board as well.
...

Ohhh, I'm so envious...ProArt Creator is on my watch list. But, like any product with a chip in it, the new components are expensive!

 

[CaseySJ]

I've been watching the Z690 Asus ProArt Creator, MSI MEG Ace, and Gigabyte Aero D with particular interest. But they all require DDR5 which is disappointing given the lack of availability of DDR5 and its high price per GB.

MicroCenter is the answer to DDR5.