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NEW Intel P55 Mobos & Core i7 860 / i5 750 CPU LGA1156

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pechspilz
pechspilz
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After spending a whole day I ended up with a running Gigabyte P55-UD3 & i7 860 2.8Ghz rig. I started off with iDeneb 10.5.6 and Qoopz kernel, updated to Chameleon RC3, 10.5.8 and the latest Qoopz kernel. Tried lots of different approaches until everything worked smoothly but so far no KP even under heavy disk and CPU load.

The TWO things that don't work are:

- iPhone sync with iTunes doesn't work for some reason. It gets recharged but iTunes doesn't see it. No problems with an iPod Shuffle though. Must be some sort of USB problem. I'll dig into that later.

- System Profiler doesn't recognize the CPU. It worked in 10.5.6 but not after updating to 10.5.8 even though I'm using DSDT.

 

If you need a DSDT to play around for the P55-UD3 see here:

http://www.trick77.com/2009/10/03/dsdt-dsl...gabyte-p55-ud3/

 

Only using the DSDT in Chameleon RC3 made it possible to get rid of the cpus=1 kernel flag.

 

Tell me what you think about my Geekbench score (see link above). I think with proper cooling and fast memory somebody will be able to go past 13000 easily with the i7 860.

 

All in all the installation and all the little tweaks here and there were very time consuming, this certainly isn't for the faint of heart.

strats37
strats37
Posted
Posted

I have tried a couple of distros - iDeneb v1.6 10.5.8 and iATKOS v7 10.5.7. When I install I use the busratio=20 and proceed with the instructions found earlier in this thread with AHCI enabled in the bios. Where I have my brain fart is when the system restarts after installation and then loads Chameleon V2 I don't know how to stop it and enter in the busratio=20 again. So I end up with looping restarts. Where do I enter the busratio=20 as it is starting?

 

Board is Gigabyte P55-UD6 with Core i5 750 stuck into it.

strats37
strats37
Posted
Posted

Thanks I didn't realize it was a simple as just typing after you hit a key. This got me one step further, now I need to do some searching for an error I am getting.

 

BSD root: disk0s2, major 14, minor 2

strats37
strats37
Posted
Posted

Thanks, rebootted a few times was able to move past that error. I am now suspecting it doesn't like my video card - have a still matrix like screen. More searching coming up.

 

Gigabyte HD 4870 - (GV-R487D5-1GD)

strats37
strats37
Posted
Posted

Well I am even happier as I am now posting from my new system. I thought about the iDeneb install and realized that I was using a ATI based GPU and the guide I was following was from a NVIDA card. So I reinstalled and selected the ATI HD option along with the others and restarted. I used the busratio=20 as learned during startup. Then things continued to load and then my monitor went into standby. I felt that the system was loading in the background as hard drive light was blinking. I had my monitor plugged into the DVI port. I felt really close and was a bit frustrated.

 

I then remembered reading a post that suggested that not all the card out puts would work properly so I tried my DVI to VGA converter and nothing again. Then I dug through the card box and grabbed the HDMI to DVI dongle and plugged it and started the computer. The HDMI to DVI dongle worked with correct resolution and display information. I am really pleased, now I have to finish following the setup steps and add the kernel flag busratio=20.

 

P.S. the system profiler is showing all 4 cores and proper amount of RAM as well.

pechspilz
pechspilz
Posted
Posted

Vanilla kernel is simply impossible, the 1156 i5/i7 CPU/stepping is not known to the kernel and that's why it resets. Apple will have to come up with an updated kernel for the upcoming iMac refresh if they chose to use the mobile Nehalems.

aushack
aushack
Posted
Posted

Hi guys i dont want to read thru the whole thread as i have to get up early, but Core i7's post about Macs using Lynnfield seems really hopeful.

 

is there any point in me buying a Core i5 750 build with a P55-DS4P board to install Snow Leopard? will Apple release Macs with 1156 pin CPUs in them so we can do a vanilla install? i can run Windows 7 on it in the meantime, but i dont wont to buy a build that has zero probability of running a vanilla OS X install in the future.

 

if not i will have to buy a 1136 pin Core i7, but it is very expensive here in Australia :P. Core i5 is a steal!

tonymacx86
tonymacx86
Posted
Posted
Hi guys i dont want to read thru the whole thread as i have to get up early, but Core i7's post about Macs using Lynnfield seems really hopeful.

 

is there any point in me buying a Core i5 750 build with a P55-DS4P board to install Snow Leopard? will Apple release Macs with 1156 pin CPUs in them so we can do a vanilla install? i can run Windows 7 on it in the meantime, but i dont wont to buy a build that has zero probability of running a vanilla OS X install in the future.

 

if not i will have to buy a 1136 pin Core i7, but it is very expensive here in Australia B) . Core i5 is a steal!

 

You could just run Leopard on it for now- I've been running it for a few weeks without any kernel panics or issues whatsoever. You're right- the Core i5 is awesome and easy on the budget. Check out this "performance per dollar" measurement from PC Perspective. I'm crossing my fingers for a new Lynnfield based iMac or Mac mini tower.

 

table-priceperf.gif

 

Review: http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=776&a...pert&pid=15

aushack
aushack
Posted
Posted
You could just run Leopard on it for now- I've been running it for a few weeks without any kernel panics or issues whatsoever. You're right- the Core i5 is awesome and easy on the budget. Check out this "performance per dollar" measurement from PC Perspective. I'm crossing my fingers for a new Lynnfield based iMac or Mac mini tower.

 

…

 

Review: http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=776&a...pert&pid=15

 

thankyou for the reply! Leopard will be fine for now, i have both a 10.5 and 10.6 retail DVD. can i do a vanilla install or will it have to be dist. with a patched kernel? i would prefer a vanilla so i can easily update.

 

i certainly hope Apple will use Lynnfield or Clarkfield in the new Macs. but if they keep Gainestown in the Mac Pros and only use Arrandales in the other mobile Macs we will be out of luck.

 

nice performance per dollar figures there. i couldnt believe that i could get it here at about the same price as the Q9400.

pechspilz
pechspilz
Posted
Posted

I'm still unable to sync my iPhone in my Gigabyte P55-UD3 i7 setup. Does anyone's iPhone sync with this hardware in 10.5.8?

 

And, I'm not 100% sure yet but "USBBusFix" seems to fix my occasional boot hiccups, you may want to try that in Chameleon RC3.

aargo
aargo
Posted
Posted
I'm still unable to sync my iPhone in my Gigabyte P55-UD3 i7 setup. Does anyone's iPhone sync with this hardware in 10.5.8?

 

And, I'm not 100% sure yet but "USBBusFix" seems to fix my occasional boot hiccups, you may want to try that in Chameleon RC3.

 

 

I'm also having the iPhone sync issue with my P44-UD4P i5 setup. I develop apps for the iPhone, so this is last thing holding me back from switching to this from my 3-year old Macbook Pro. If anybody has any idea what it could be please let us know!

snokarver
snokarver
Posted
Posted

So here's a couple issues I've run into. Anyone else noticing this?

 

- USB keyboard gets flaky booting. For example, if I hit F12 to select boot device, when that screen comes up I can't do anything. I have to unplug and replug my keyboard, then I can again make changes. Happens every time. Or if I get to the "hit any key to boot from CD..." screen, it wont register my key hits. So I've hooked up a PS/2 keyboard that I hit when this happens. Would rather not do this.

 

- Reinstalling OS X deactivates the Windows partition. That forces me to launch from a Windows disc, run diskpart and reactiate the Windows partition.

 

- Sleep doesn't work. I never use sleep on a tower, but the default install settings set the system to sleep after 15 min or so. I keep coming back with fans running full bore and the screen black. (Obviously I've changed my settings but this will be a problem for some.)

rhassinger
rhassinger
Posted
Posted
AFAIK there are no Xeons planned for Lynnfield architecture). If one believes the latest rumors, the upcoming iMac will be even thinner = no room for a "hot" CPU like Lynnfield. Basically, Lynnfield seems to miss the whole Apple bandwagon.

 

Thankfully, that's not the case - the Xeon 34xx didn't garner as much press as the i5 and i7 8xx when they were all released together but it is the Xeon Lynnfield and it's shipping now (at least, IBM is shipping it in their System X racks). In fact, the Xeon 3430 appears to be a Xeon version of an i5 because it has no hyperthreading. There are more Xeon Lynnfield models to choose from than there are i5's and i7 8xx's.

 

I also agree that it will not make it into the iMacs due to their thinness (and believable rumors that they are about to get thinner), but it is a perfect upgrade for the Mac Pro. This is especially true if Snow Leopard is cooperative by not rapidly flipping a single maxed out process across cores (like Vista does), as it allows the turbo boost to step up and max out a single core at the highest speed while the other cores remain idle. I think the odds are heavily in favor of a Lynnfield Mac Pro within the next few weeks, but not a Lynnfield iMac.

 

And with 10.6.2 already seeded to developers so soon after 10.6.1, could this portend the OSX build that will operate properly on P55 chipsets is about to arrive? I would not be surprised 10.6.2 is released on the same day that the Apple online store is quietly updated with new Mac Pros sporting single and dual X3460 processors (not necessarily in sync with an iMac announcement).

 

However I'm not ready to put my money on it with a loaded i7 8xx system until someone else can confirm that a vanilla, upgradeable SL works.

pechspilz
pechspilz
Posted
Posted
Just saw a report that 10.6.2 was seeded to developers... I wonder if there is vanilla kernel i5/i7 support in that build? Any developers able to confirm?

 

System Software Overview:

System Version: Mac OS X 10.6.2 (10C514f)

Kernel Version: Darwin 10.2.0

 

Looks like a new Kernel to me.

BUT there seem to be major issues with EFI strings using the current bootloaders.

katman
katman
Posted
Posted

Has anyone tried taking working 10.5 and/or 10.6 HDD from an X58 and putting them in a P55 to see what happens? I'm on the fence. My Gigabyte EX58-UD5 was rock solid with Windows 7, OSX 10.5.8, OSX 1.6. When Snow was released, I decided to migrate all my info from my G4 to the Hack. When I touched the FireWire cable to the back of the hack, it shut down.

metanoia
metanoia
Posted
Posted
Has anyone tried taking working 10.5 and/or 10.6 HDD from an X58 and putting them in a P55 to see what happens? I'm on the fence. My Gigabyte EX58-UD5 was rock solid with Windows 7, OSX 10.5.8, OSX 1.6. When Snow was released, I decided to migrate all my info from my G4 to the Hack. When I touched the FireWire cable to the back of the hack, it shut down.

 

I have never gotten a real mac and a hack to play nice with target disk mode, and there are stories of P45 motherboards getting fried by doing that... anybody have any success with TDM? That's probably a different thread though...

pechspilz
pechspilz
Posted
Posted

You know what, I'm going to buy the same combo tomorrow. I don't want to wait until I can - if ever - go vanilla with the P55 chipset. I hate having to use a legacy kernel on a new Intel CPU. And this iPhone-not-syncing problem really gets annoying.

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